New York Magazine: October 6, 2008 Issue

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.

Issue Contents

Table of Contents

October 6, 2008

New York at 40

40th Anniversary