Features

It’s Hard to Hate Rand Paul

Like his father, the Kentucky senator has been deemed too fringe to be a viable presidential candidate. But the sheer winningness of his convictions (if not his views) could carry the day. By Frank Rich

The Tiger Cure

Conversion therapy to treat homosexuality has now been banned in some states—yet back in 1980, one sexual surrogate did this writer a world of good. By Gene Stone

The Camera’s Cusp

Alfonso Cuarón believes in making movies that are more than just a story, that blend the perspectives of characters and viewers. His latest, Gravity, is the fullest exploration of that philosophy—and it almost didn’t get made. By Dan P. Lee

Intelligencer

Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Cocaine

The tantalizing quest for an addiction vaccine.

Roll Call in the Ramble

The commonest creatures in Central Park.

94 Minutes With Patrick Stewart

Watching a Brooklyn sunset with the blissfully wed Professor Xavier.

The Neighborhood News

Our roundup of news from around the city.

Strategist

Best Bets

Floating stack drawers, Twisted Lily opens in Boerum Hill, and more new stuff in New York stores.

The Look Book

“I’m taking this semester off and teaching kids how to make robots out of Legos.”

Live Where They Lived

Barack Obama’s walk-up apartment, Ada Louise Huxtable’s Park Avenue perch, and John Mayer’s bachelor pad are all up for grabs.

The Underground Gourmet Review

New York's Umami Burger brings the fifth taste.

In Season

Take Root's Elise Kornack has discovered the perfect foils for sanditas' bright acidity.

The Eating Season

Forget leaf-peeping: Autumn is all about the food fests. Our guide to a finger-licking fall.

Culture

A Better Way to Say Good-Bye

Four years ago, a personal tragedy forever changed Norbert Leo Butz's life. It also changed his career.

The Painting the Metropolitan Museum of Art Won't Show You

Why Balthus's The Guitar Lesson gives so many people the willies.

“The Last Thing I Want to Be Is Racially Insensitive”

What Brad Paisley learned from “Accidental Racist.”

Your Fall 2013 Pronunciation Guide

If you want to recommend a great new movie or band to a friend, it might mean learning to pronounce “Chiwetel” or “Haim.”

Earth Guys Are Easy

Scarlett Johansson cruises for humans in Under the Skin.

The Movie Review

Director Joseph Gordon-Levitt scores with the porn-addiction comedy Don Jon.

The Movie Review

James Gandolfini is heartbreakingly good in Nicole Holofcener’s Enough Said.

The TV Review

Disabilities are no big deal on Ironside and The Michael J. Fox Show.

To Do: September 25–October 2, 2013

25 things to see, hear, watch, and read.

Departments

Comments: Week of September 30, 2013

Readers sound off on Rebel Wilson, Obamacare, and more.

The Approval Matrix: Week of September 30, 2013

Our deliberately oversimplified guide to who falls where on our taste hierarchies.