New York Neapolitan
The Place: Motorino; New York, NY
The Pie: A favorite of celebrity chef Rachael Ray (Ray recently told the Daily News that she's at the restaurant's East Village location "far too often"), Motorino specializes in pizze Napoletana ? the traditional personal-sized, thin-crusted pizza cooked in a wood-burning oven. You really can't go wrong with anything you order at this artisanal pizzeria, known for its airy, slightly charred crusts topped with everything from the classic Margherita oozing with fresh mozzarella flown direct from Italy to a seasonal combination of Brussels sprouts and pancetta.

The Classic New York Slice
The Place: Ray's Pizza; New York, NY
The Pie: Which one is the original Ray's Pizza ? a.k.a. Ray's Original Pizza, Famous Ray's Pizza, World-Famous Original Ray's Pizza ? is often disputed and nearly impossible to determine. But with locations covering the city, you'd be hard-pressed to find a New Yorker who hasn't had a slice. One thing the Ray's pizzerias share: They stick to the New York slice rules ? foldable, with a perfect cheese-to-sauce ratio and a thin crust that's slightly chewy and lightly charred.

Philly Tomato Pie
The Place: Marchiano's Bakery; Philadelphia, PA
The Pie: You know Philly for its famous cheesesteaks, but the cheeseless tomato pie is another specialty hailing from the City of Brotherly Love. The best are found in Italian bakeries (not pizzerias) around Philly and its suburbs ? even in Trenton, NJ ? and one thing's for sure: It's all about the sauce. Marchiano's masters it, serving up a robustly flavored sauce atop a crust that's golden brown, as opposed to the sweet sauce and spongy dough found in other bakeries.

New Haven White Clam Pie
The Place: Frank Pepe; New Haven, CT
The Pie: Celebrating 85 years in 2010, Pepe's can be credited with inventing the white clam pie. The New Haven favorite is topped with white or red sauce only (no cheese) plus olive oil and herbs. If you want mozzarella on it, you've got to ask ? but try not to. You wouldn't want to obscure the flavor of the freshest New England littleneck clams. Pepe's is so dedicated to that freshness, in fact, certain kitchen staffers are employed solely to shuck clams.

Vermont Flatbread Pizza
The Place: American Flatbread; Waitsfeld, VT
The Pie: Made with all-natural, locally sourced ingredients, each American Flatbread pizza is hand-stretched ? and uniquely shaped ? then baked in an earthen oven. The result: crust that's delicately crispy yet tender and chewy. The pizza shown here is considered a "revolution" because it's the first recipe that used the restaurant's wood-fired-cauldron organic tomato sauce.

Boston's Sicilian Slice
The Place: Galleria Umberto; Boston, MA
The Pie: Better get it while they've got it! Galleria Umberto, Boston's home of the thick-crusted, square slice, only stays open until the dough runs out ? and with lines out the door, you better get there early. Smothered in red sauce and oozing with cheese, the Sicilian pizza is not for the grease-fearing pizza eater.

Rhode Island Grilled Pizza
The Place: Al Forno; Providence, RI
The Pie: This is a case where less is more. Al Forno ? where George Germon invented grilled pizza in 1981 ? keeps it simple and lets the grill do its thing. The pizza's thin crust and minimal toppings cook quickly, soaking up the flavors of the smoky fire.

I've had this one before :)
 

Chicago Deep Dish
The Place: Gino's East; Chicago, IL
The Pie: Come hungry and grab a fork and knife. Each legendary pizza at Gino's East is created with a thick, golden crust topped with a chunky tomato sauce and loaded with your choice of fresh ingredients. Unlike its thin-crust counterparts, the Chicago deep dish is first topped with cheese, then layered with meaty toppings (usually), and finished off with the tomato sauce.

Chicago Stuffed Pizza
The Place: Nancy's Pizza; Chicago, IL
The Pie: Not to be confused with Chicago deep dish, stuffed pizza has an extra top layer of crust. And loyal to the name, it's usually stuffed to the max with toppings. Nancy's is home of the original stuffed pizza ? invented there in 1971 ? and still uses the original recipe that made the first pizza so irresistibly delicious.