Michael Kimmelman

During Covid lockdown Michael Kimmelman, architecture critic for the New York Times, connected to architects, architectural historians, chroniclers of New York, and community organizers. His goal was to walk through parts of the city and explore what makes New York special. He shares fascinating pieces of history that highlight the city's resilience. The conversations had on these walks were published in the Times. (Some of the things that made it to this book did not end up in the paper, show more and some of the pieces that made the paper did not make it to the book.) The series is very Manhattan-centric, but there are fun pieces set in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx too. (Nothing in Staten Island other than a passing reference in the introduction, and that is fine with me.) It was great to see my own neighborhood get its due! The wanderings included a walk down my sidestreet. I also loved getting the history of neighborhoods I frequent like Jackson Heights, Brooklyn Heights (my home for a time many years ago) the Lower East Side, Chinatown, and Harlem. Also fun was the piece on East Midtown. I would have identified East Midtown as the most charmless and least interesting neighborhood in Manhattan, but it turns out to be fascinating from an architectural history perspective. I look out on the hideous 432 Park Ave from work, and it was fun to hear architectural experts explain why I find it such an eyesore, and also what a nightmare it is for its residents. It was also fun to hear the love for 500 Madison and 270 Park which are favorites of mine. (They say bad things about One Vanderbilt, which I kind of love. I am in offices near the top of that building frequently for work-related reasons, and I think it has the single best east-facing view in the city.)

Different conversations were more or less interesting to me, but I learned a ton listening to all of these and had a lot of fun doing it. This may be best suited to people who really know the city. I think a lot of this would be boring to people who don't have memories linked to it all, but for me and others who love (and also sometimes hate) this place, it is a joy. show less

I loved this book. Kimmelman is The New York Times' architecture critic, and as COVID largely shut down the city, he invited architects, engineers, urban planners, landscape architects, and others to take walks with him through various neighborhoods of New York. The resulting conversations cover natural history, cultural and social history, land use issues, public vs. private space, among other things. It was fascinating. I learned so much from the journey(s) - whether about the natural show more history of the Bronx, the development of Rockefeller Center, the use of green space in Forest Hills.... I could go on. Every single entry was eye-opening. My only quibble, as the best friend of a Staten Islander, is that the Forgotten Borough was once again ignored - not a single walk covered it.

For anyone who loves New York, this is a must read. It would also be a great guide for visitors to the city to move beyond the usual tourist areas.

I listened to this on audio and I think the format worked well with the conversational style of the book. That said, I plan to get a hardcover edition for my permanent library.

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The book is a series of essays each one taking a slightly different perspective on life as art. Although the material is substantive it reads smoothly and with a gentle ease often lost in this type of philosophical art critic. The content was entertaining and could lead to an extended lunch in order to complete the last few pages of a chapter. But in the end the overall book was not memorable. I can recall to you high level themes; art of collecting, simple pleasures or the art of making a show more world, but int he end the imprint this book made on me was shallow. Is was an entertaining but not a life changing read. http://nicolevlozano.blogspot.com/2008/01/recent-read.html show less

M. Kimmelman is a gifted writer with soft, yet determined voice that succinctly delivers his thoughts on the delicacy of art.