New York Magazine

Stories Readers Liked

january 6 Gina. Rosanne. Guy. What three January 6 insurrectionists wanted — and what they lost. By Kerry Howley
appreciation Joan Didion’s Greatest Two-Word Sentence The power of an ice-cold, unflinching gaze. By Molly Fischer
first person My Penis, a Love Story I didn’t need a penis to be a man. But I needed one to be me. By Gabriel Mac

the national interest

The right turns out to be anti-anything that makes vaccine skeptics feel bad. By Jonathan Chait

politics The Rights Blue States May Lose If the GOP Returns to Power Today Republicans are all about states’ rights. If they win in 2024, they’ll likely embrace federal activism on everything from abortion to voting. By Ed Kilgore
the city politic A New Mayor, a New Beginning As the curtain rises on the Adams administration, it’s worth looking back at how previous mayors have handled the act of taking office. By Errol Louis
games The 10 Biggest Sports Stories of 2021 Ohtani and Giannis were almost enough to make us forget about COVID for a while. By Will Leitch

covid-19
Where to Get Home COVID Tests & Why They’re So Hard to Find Biden said free home COVID tests won’t be available until January. Here are your current options, where to buy them, and why they’re often sold out. By Margaret Hartmann

explainer The Latest on Prince Andrew’s Epstein Sex-Abuse Lawsuit Oral arguments are scheduled to begin next week. By Matt Stieb

court appearances It Doesn’t Matter Why Ghislaine Maxwell Did It Her trial ended without narrative closure, but some semblance of justice was done. By Choire Sicha

¡hola papi!

By J.P. Brammer

my two cents My Boyfriend Bought Me an Expensive Gift. What Do I Do? You don’t need to spend the same amount. But you should talk about it anyway. By Charlotte Cowles
interview ‘Ghislaine Maxwell Is Worse Than Epstein’ Virginia Giuffre reacts to the conviction she knows is long overdue. By Angelina Chapin
auto-refill 11 Beauty Products This Love Island Host Swears By Arielle Vandenberg couldn’t find the “perfect” lip balm — so she made her own. By Daise Bedolla

obits National Treasure Betty White Has Died at the Age of 99 Just a few weeks shy of her 100th birthday. By Charu Sinha
nervous state How Mindful Masturbation Got Me Through 2021 When my usual form of stress relief stopped working, I had to get creative. By Syeda Khaula Saad
goodbye 2021 In Hindsight, 2021 Was the Year of the Nose From viral nose trends to nose jewelry, this year was marked by nostrils and nose bridges. By Laura Pitcher

remembrances

She’s owned the medium—in multiple ways—for its entire history. By Matt Zoller Seitz

hp reunion Emma Watson Reveals When She Fell In Love With Tom Felton “I just don’t know how to say it, I just fell in love with him!” By Alejandra Gularte
10 points to slytherin Helena Bonham Carter Is the Most Spellbinding Part of the Harry Potter Reunion “I stole quite a lot.” By Rebecca Alter
now streaming New on HBO and HBO Max: January 2022 Peacemaker, The Gilded Age, Euphoria season 2, and more. By Savannah Salazar
dementors Is J.K. Rowling in the New Harry Potter Special? Yes and No. They bring out Joanne B-roll. By Rebecca Alter

movie review
The Pitiless Excellence of The Lost Daughter Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Elena Ferrante adaptation for Netflix is the best movie of the year. By Alison Willmore

this place’s incredible My Favorite London Hotel Is the Ned, a Universe Unto Itself It has the nicest gym — not just hotel gym, gym period — I’ve ever been to. By Chris Black
year in review The Best Thing I Bought This Year: An Aqua-Blue Sewing Machine for Teenagers It comes with Gen-Z-friendly YouTube tutorials. By Katherine Gillespie
celebrity shopping What Actress Ashley Greene Khoury Can’t Live Without “I might buy an extra one just to have it because God forbid this one goes out on me after a couple of years.” By Jenna Milliner-Waddell
micro sales Save Up to 60 Percent During Zappos’ Post-Christmas Sale Some of our favorite brands including Uggs, Levi’s, Crocs, and Cole Haan are on sale. By Lauren Ro
year in review This $15 Bluetooth Shower Speaker Is the Best Thing I Bought All Year It makes my long showers genuinely fun and entertaining. By Rio Viera-Newton

developing

The skyline-, neighborhood-, and city-changing projects forward this coming year By Kim Velsey

our mayor Eric Adams Is Returning His Well-worn Borough Hall Mattress to Aide You know, the one he’s had in his office for the past two years. By Christopher Bonanos
covid-19 Speaking With City Workers Who’ve Been Forced Back to the Office “As soon as I get an offer, I’m leaving.” By Amelia Schonbek
21 questions Zoe Fisher Loves a Goofy Gallery Name The director of Salon 94 Design answers Curbed’s 21 Questions. By Diana Budds

gone upstate One of the Most Popular Upstate Airbnbs Is Now on the Market The Barn at Tivoli has a woodburning stove that has been called “a real treat.” By Jenny Xie
getting around The New Department of Transportation Commissioner Is a Clear Improvement Ydanis Rodriguez has a long track record of pushing safer streets policies in New York City, unlike his predecessor. By Valeria Ricciulli
year in review Curbed’s 10 Most-Read Great Rooms Stories in 2021 They include stories about a storefront church, a rock-star journalist, and a 300-square-foot East Village studio. By Wendy Goodman

where to eat

New York Magazine’s restaurant critic eats his way through a changing city, reconnecting with old favorites and discovering new ones.

luxury mustard At Least the Snacks Were Fantastic in 2021 The year in boutique provisions. By Rachel Sugar
the grub street diet The 55 Best Lines From 2021’s Grub Street Diets “Being on the subway with a book, heading toward a meal, I honestly can’t think of anything better …” By Chris Crowley
omicron At Balthazar, COVID Cases Are Up and Staff Morale Is Down “It’s like they don’t care at all.” By Caleb Pershan
interview Painting With Frankies Co-founder Frank Falcinelli “To create a space and then to create in the space is always very rewarding.” By Liz Barclay

reopening
As Omicron Surges, Restaurants Are Scrambling Owners are extending temporary COVID closures into next week and next year. By Chris Crowley

where to eat 66 of the Best New (or Newly Relevant) Places to Eat Here’s your official summer 2021 restaurant guide. By Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld