Twenty years after Bright Lights, Big City, New York is cleaner and far more prosperous and frankly duller. Until fairly recently, I would have said safer. Crime is way down, but the fear of the stranger on the dark street has been superseded by a new anxiety. I was sitting at the bar at the Odeon last week, a restaurant where I logged a lot of hours in the early '80s. The place is featured on the cover of Bright Lights, Big City. The artwork depicts a young man, my fictional alter ego, standing next to the Odeon, looking up at the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Hip restaurants generally have a brief life span, and the way I was living back then — let's just say I wouldn't have sold myself life insurance. I never could have imagined that 20 years later only the two of us would be left standing.

Originally posted Dec 13, 2004 Published in issue #797 Dec 17, 2004 Order article reprints
Page 1 2 3
You Might Also Like

Add your comment

The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk * indicates a required field.

500 characters remaining