June 30, 2008 Issue
Cover Story
The Summer Issue
Our annual guidelines for properly enjoying lazy haziness: the forensics of lobster consumption,
sunbathing exposed , an abundance of local swimming spots, smokin’ beach-read picks, haute Popsicles,
kids’ vacation dreams, wild/insane weekend activities, training ideas for the Olympics-inspired, Brooklyn’s best beer hall, second-home foreclosure shopping, summer playlists from RZA and others, and a guide to cultural edification from now until September.
Cover credit: Photo-illustration by Andrew Eccles for New York Magazine. Tim Boyle/Getty Images (Obama head). Meigneux/Sipa (McCain head). Styling by Karyn Pappas. Prop styling by Jared Lawton. Grooming by Chris Newberg/RJ Bennett. Retouching by Impact Digital. Navy swim trunks courtesy of Gap. Navitimer watch courtesy of Breitling.
Disclaimer: Not really Obama's abs. Not really Obama either. And not McCain for that matter. But you knew that.
Features
Who Owns Central Park?
How Frederick Law Olmsted’s 843 acres of civilizing wilderness became a type-A battleground.
A Second Season of Scorn, Please
Brave is the family willing to take the plunge into reality TV once more. Alex McCord suits up for Real Housewives, round two.
The Semantics of Nas
So he couldn’t get away with calling his album by the N-word. But this hip-hop historian is still in the hot seat.
Olivia Thirlby Spurns Pot, Embraces the Munchies
The indie-superstar-in-waiting to whom Hollywood keeps passing a big fat joint.
Raise High the Rafters
At the Democratic convention, Obama will have to prove he’s more than just a brilliant speech giver—by giving the most difficult speech of his meteoric career. A rhetorical analysis.
Punk Like Them
Chasing a scene that no longer exists, they’ve created one of their own. A night out with the East Village’s summer street kids.
Intelligencer
Where’s Al Amid the Obamania?
This time, Rev grounded.
No Substitute for the Second Grade
UWS student diaspora.
Wedding Bells in America for Kushner
Homebody/California.
Tony Timid on Gratis Gift Bags?
Presenter pouts.
Mid-Century Maven Skips Town
Abrupt fall of Troy.
Summer Season Spa Boob Improvement
Mammary massage.
It Happened Last Week
Lovers of cheap furnishings camped out in Red Hook last week prior to the opening of a new Ikea.
The Weary Blues
Hip-hop godfather Gil Scott-Heron’s out on parole, trying to stay clean, and ready for Carnegie Hall.
The Venison Menace
Christie’s goes into the gallery business, much to the art world’s chagrin.
Omar’s Odyssey
The highs and lows of the Mets’ Minaya era.
Culture
How the West Was Lost
Sam Shepard takes on cowboy poseurs—and his own iconhood.
The Movie Review
Jolie kills, Carell smarts, Hunter Thompson blasts from the past.
Booty Caller: Romany Malco
Fans of Weeds can see Romany Malco as a hockey champ in The Love Guru.
He Shoots...
Beastie graybeard Adam Yauch grows up to be a filmmaker.
The Curse Reversed?
This summer, the FCC rules on the dangers of “fleeting expletives” on live television.
By the Sea With Dinah and Louis
It was 50 years ago that Bert Stern decided he had to make a movie before he turned 30.
The Theater Review
Is Michael Stuhlbarg a great Hamlet, or only pretending to be one?
The Approval Matrix: Week of June 30, 2008
Our deliberately oversimplified guide to who falls where on our taste hierarchies.
Agenda
Something Up Their Sleeves
The science of stage magic.
Using His Noodle
In the stealth opening of the season, Jean-Georges Vongerichten has unveiled Matsugen.
Departments
Comments: June 30, 2008
Readers sound off on Hillary Clinton, Katherine Heigl, and more.
Artifact: Long Island Bohemia
Findings from the streets, files, and hard drives of New York.
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