No one denies that New York City is unique-but what makes it sui generis? Sam Roberts, longtime city reporter, has puzzled over this in print and in his popular New York Times podcasts for years. In Only in New York, he writes about what makes New York tick and why things are the way they are in the greatest of all cities on earth. The forty essays in this book cover a variety of topics, including:• Why do we have doormen?• Is it noisier in the city or in the country?• Are New Yorkers really as liberal as the rest of the country thinks they are?• Why wasn't Manhattan's cross-town street grid oriented by the points of the compass?• If a neighborhood loses its tony zipcode, does it lose its cachet? 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
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."
