New York is too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter, and too crowded most of the time, and you can’t get a cab when it’s raining, even without a transit strike, so why does anyone put up with it? This issue is an extended, 123-point argument for why New Yorkers wouldn’t have it any other way. Start with romance. Even our graffiti is sexy. And how about the month of October, when the weather is as flawless as anywhere in the world—and on every night of the month there’s more to do than some cities see in a year. There’s the night and the morning and the way the big city can also seem like a small town, with neighbors pitching in to help friends in need. New Yorkers walk as much as any country boy used to (don’t even joke about the transit strike), in sensational, not necessarily sensible, shoes. We’re the capital of blue, but with a Republican mayor who’s really a Democrat, which somehow makes us one of the sanest cities in the country. And the safest. And really, why do New Yorkers love New York? Well, see for yourself.

See the Reasons

Related:

• Archive: “Features”
• Table of Contents: December 26, 2005 issue of New York | Subscribe!