ARCHIVES

Vibrant, creative, edgy, demanding (only sometimes!), smart, funny. For this year's awards, we've chosen eleven New Yorkers who not only gave us their best but also brought out the best in New York. From Eliot Spitzer's determined drive to clean up the worst of Wall Street excess to Harvey Fierstein's monumental mom -- with a heart to match, in 'Hairspray' -- not to mention Tina Fey's irrepressibly irreverent humor, we salute their vision and celebrate our luck in being here at the right time and, of course, in the right place.

(Semi-)unrepentant smoker Jay McInerney on why New York should remain brightly lit.