October 6, 2008 Issue
Cover Story
New York at 40
This issue is all about the unusual degree of tumult the city has experienced during the 40 years of the magazine’s life, how New York became the place it has become, and what was gained and lost. It is a hopeful story, especially for what it says about the future. As Woody Allen observes in the pages ahead, if there’s one thing we can all believe in, it’s this city’s capacity to absorb almost anything and keep going.
On the Cover: Reproduction of the original photograph for
the first cover of New York Magazine. Photograph by Jay Maisel.
40th Anniversary
From the Editors
Especially observant readers of this magazine might note that they’ve seen the cover before.
Contributors
Contributors to the 40th anniversary issue of New York Magazine.
Boom-Bust-Boom Town
In 1968, many New Yorkers were panicked about the city’s future too. Needlessly, as it turned out.
Who Matters Most
The top ten New Yorkers who reshaped the city, picked and ranked.
In Conversation: Michael Bloomberg and Ed Koch
The mayors were very different. But the challenges of governing New York are remarkably similar over time.
Headliners
What became of ten memorable newsmakers.
The Day Everything Changed
Love him or hate him, it was Rudolph Giuliani who made the city what it is.
What Things Cost
A look at the exponential rise of New York’s cost of living over the past 40 years.
In Conversation: Gloria Steinem and Suheir Hammad
A feminist icon and a rising star on the sexual revolution, the booty-call nineties, and the Superwoman myth.
Champs
Five sports pundits rank the top ten New York athletes of the past 40 years.
Yuppies in Eden
How young urban professionals revived the city, turning it into their own personal playground.
The Most Memorable Advertisements Madison Avenue Ever Sold
A panel of New York ad executives ranks the top twenty since ’68.
The Original Gossip Girl
Liz Smith and the twilight of celebrity.
14,600 Nights Out
Four decades of parties with Andy, Bianca, Nan, Mariah, Sly, Liza, Brooke, Marc, Cher, and company.
In Conversation: Richard Price and Junot Díaz
Two New York novelists on the death of Times Square, the afterbirth of the Lower East Side, and the importance of ghosts.
The Holy House of Hip-hop
D.J. Kool Herc didn’t know he was revolutionizing pop music—he was just trying to keep people dancing.
Urban Renewal
The changing look of everyday life.
The New York Actor
It might seem specious to observe that New York actors seem more real than their West Coast counterparts. But look at them.
Brooklyn Revisited
The author returns home to find that everything, and nothing, has changed.
In Conversation: Woody Allen
New York’s hometown auteur on whether a lifetime of psychoanalysis has paid off, and why kids from Yale no longer like good movies.
In Conversation: André Soltner and David Chang
The legendary French chef and current culinary star on French vs. American cuisine, absentee celebrity chefs, and why your côte de boeuf costs $150.
The Haute-est Cuisine
What are the most important restaurants of the past 40 years?
The Single Best Meal I Ever Had
In 18,814 tries.
Enter Edamame
And sea salt. And kiwis. And ficelles. And other food-world breakthroughs.
Peep
A Times Square veteran remembers all too well how dirty sex could get.
Hamid & Sons
An immigrant family’s 40-year quest for the American dream.
Assimilation and Its Discontents
How success ruined the New York Jew.
The Never-Ending Parade
Forty years of open-air peacocking.
In Conversation: Debbie Harry and Santogold
Rock stars past and present on the invention, influence, and half-life of New York punk.
The (Anniversary Edition) Approval Matrix
Our deliberately oversimplified guide to 40 years in the culture capital of the world.
The New York Questionnaire
Notable New Yorkers on their first apartments, their craziest stories, and more.
Who’s Who, 2048
Six New Yorkers who will be players 40 years from now.
Cover to Cover
A selection of 40 favorite covers from the magazine's last 40 years.
Agenda
Duck Duck Father Goose
Time for a block party.
Bunch of Grapes
Sad as it is to see summer’s berries recede from Greenmarket stands, fall brings its own pleasures.
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