Only in New York
An Exploration of the World's Most Fascinating, Frustrating, and Irrepressible City
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No one denies that New York City is unique—but what makes it sui generis? Sam Roberts, a longtime city reporter, has puzzled over this in print and in his popular New York Times podcasts for years. In Only in New York, updated with new tales and fascinating glimpses into uniquely NYC life, he writes about what makes this city tick and why things are the way they are in the greatest of all metropolises on earth. The more than 75 essays in this book cover a variety of topics, including:
-How do New Yorkers react during disasters?
-Maritime history (the Hudson River)
-Crowds, space, and population growth
-1908: a year in History history
-Jewish Daily Forward
-What happens when a neighborhood loses its tony ZIP code?
A winning and informative gift book for every fan of “the city,” Only in New York is elegantly written and solidly reported.
A staple among readers of the New York Times, urban affairs correspondent Roberts collects 40 of his podcasts for the Times Web site—savvy snapshots of the city that prides itself on its restless energy. Roberts (Who We Are Now) pens snappy glimpses of its personalities, trends, events and general mayhem, including topics such as the gender gap and eligible men, fat New Yorkers, the New York City pooper-scooper law, gangster Nicky Mr. Untouchable Barnes, and the terror and fear of the 9/11 tragedy. His writing really crackles when he sinks his teeth into the antics of some of those who put their stamp on the city, such as writers Norman Mailer and Jimmy Breslin in their 1969 madcap political race, Mayor Bloomberg's deep pockets for wooing voters or President Obama's early student days of roughing it in Manhattan. Street-smart, informative and occasionally hilarious, Roberts's new book is New York City as it is and always has been.---Publishers Weekly
Currently the Urban Affairs reporter for The New York Times, Roberts has covered the city for 40 years. So as we locals say, he knows from, and it shows in this fabulous collection of essays. With wit and grace, he tells stories of its citizens—some illustrious, others not; some living, others long dead. But the story he's really telling is that of New York, and he nails it.---New York Daily News
Sam Roberts has written for the New York Times since 1983, where he has served as urban affairs correspondent since 2005. He is the author of numerous books on New York City, including Grand Central: How a Train Station Transformed America and A History of New York in 101 Objects.
Pete Hamill (Foreword By)
Pete Hamill, a Meyer Berger Award–winning journalist, is the author of many bestsellers, including A Drinking Life and Forever.
Foreword by Pete Hamill xi
Preface to the Fordham University Press Edition xv
Introduction 1
Only in New York
The Biggest Apple 7
The (How) Big Apple? 9
A Streetlight Named Desire 11
Fighting Words 14
Go Figure 17
Park No Cars 19
Where the Boys Are 22
To the Wind 25
Birds of a Feather 28
Where America Begins 31
A Nose for News 33
Fat City 36
Alfred E. Newsman 39
Angels in America 42
Black Like Me 44
Who Counts Most? 47
Baseball’s Greatest Hit 50
Scoop 52
What’s That Sound? 55
Sit Tight 57
Knowledge of Wealth 60
North by Northwest 63
Christmas in New York 65
What Has Four Wheels . . . ? 67
An Open- and- Shut Case 70
Eat Your Heart Out 73
New Yorkers
A Place to Die For 79
The Best Policy 82
Survivor 85
Being There 88
No More Bull 91
Pay as You Go 94
Crimes of the Century 97
Articles of Faith 100
American Gangster 103
A Satisfying Life 106
Court of Public Opinion 109
The Mayor’s Man 112
New York’s Wild West Side 115
Dynasty 118
Hymie, We Hardly Knew Ye 121
Nowhere to Go But Up 124
History Lessons
Lost and Founded 129
The Summer of Sam 131
The Little Steamboat That Could 134
Work Is a Four-Letter Word 136
What Drives Us 139
Election Lore 142
Evacuation Day 145
The First Thanksgiving 148
Don’t Settle for Less 151
9/11 153
Dutch Treats 156
Washington Squared 159
Turnstile Justice 162
The Green Book 165
Thanks for the Lift 168
The Latest Poop 171
Let Them Eat Their Words 174
Four- Star Finale 177
Home, Sweet Home 179
Just the Other Day . . . 182
Tusk, Tusk 185
For the Record 188
The Blizzard of ’06 191
The Melting Metaphor 193
My New York
Hail Tilden High 199
Making It 202
The Apartment 205
The Other Summer of Sam 207
The Final Confession 210
Taking the Boy Out of Brooklyn 213
Something to Crow About 215
Please Don’t Stop the Presses 218
An Affair of the Heart 221
Next 224
Seen on the Subway 227
Brownsville 230
Obama’s New York 233
Acknowledgments 237
