New York City doesn't share Pittsburgh's enthusiasm for fish fry Fridays during Lent. I'm not sure if the reason is a lack of old church ladies or deep fryers, or something as simple as a concentration of Catholics in the metropolitan region. The Catholic churches in NYC don't hold them nor do the volunteer fire departments. How is that possible? The nearby Knights of Columbus wasn't even throwing one.
The logical flaw in this is my bias toward assuming fish frys ought to be held on Fridays during Lent. This was the first year I thought about it since moving to New York. Until searching for frys online this Spring out of a craving for a sandwich, I didn't know it was a regional thing. I thought this was a human universal as a kid.
Back here in Pittsburgh it's a different story. Fish is everywhere on Fridays at this time of the year and not limited to just the churches. The Highland Bar in West View is just one participant, albeit with a slightly more interrogative dish. It's the thought that counts.