The New Yorker

[Wilfrid]

I am not a big Zadie Smith fan but that is a good story. And makes me want to read Grace Paley, who apparently inspired it.

[Wilfrid]

Well done: today's cover.

[Wilfrid]

I was not familiar with Mac DeMarco, but he has some funny lines in his profile. Well done, Amanda.

[bloviatrix]

On 8/4/2025 at 5:55 PM, Wilfrid said:

Well done: today's cover.

That painting was even more impressive in person simply because of the scale.

[Wilfrid]

Yes, and there are even bigger pictures in the show. I see it just closed.

[StephanieL]

Disappointed that Helen Rosner didn't mention the North Jersey Sloppy Joe, which is basically a club sandwich.

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-food-scene/the-sloppy-joe-makes-a-kicky-comeback

[Anthony Bonner]

Its more interesting than just that that tho . Cole Slaw, Russian - but more interestingly they slice the bread into three slices the length of the loaf and slice it into triangles.   I'm not sure its special - but its interesting. Also in a culture where everyone expects sandwiches to be made freshly, its very common around here to see a good deli with a pile or premade sloppy joe's sitting in the case. 

[Wilfrid]

Nice snapshot of Patricia Lockwood's writing style by Alexandra Schwartz in a profile for the new issue.

Quote

Patricia Lockwood ... writes with the impish verve and provocative guilelessness of a peeing cupid

The profile is as hilarious as one might expect. I think I knew Lockwood's second novel is due, but was surprised to read that she also has enough poetry for a new collection which would be her first in about ten years.

[Wilfrid]

How wonderful to see the Smothers Brothers pop up in Talk of the Town this week with comments from Dick. Time spent scrolling YouTube for Smothers Brothers clips is never wasted; so funny and good guys.

[hollywood]

The New Yorker just raised my subscription rate from $169 to $209.  😠

[MitchW]

39 minutes ago, hollywood said:

The New Yorker just raised my subscription rate from $169 to $209.  😠

I haven't opened the email yet - but I'm guessing mine says the same thing.  That's more than I pay for MLB for the whole season!

[StephanieL]

4 hours ago, hollywood said:

The New Yorker just raised my subscription rate from $169 to $209.  😠

Considering that it's now up to $10 an issue, it's a relative bargain.

[hollywood]

Yes and no.  In the old less expensive days they had many fewer ads which I assume is a major source of their revenue.

[Wilfrid]

Ouch.

A friend gifted me a New Yorker tote bag last week. He knew I'd been a subscriber for a million years* and didn't have one.

*Okay, 28.

[small h]

Anyone who gives me a tote bag goes straight to the top of the enemies list.

[Wilfrid]

Noted. No New York Society Library tote bag for you.

[small h]

Thank you for your thoughtful non-gift. I have an insane number of totebags. I never use any of them.

Edited October 11, 2025 by small h

[Wilfrid]

Hannah, nobody calls it Alphabet City any more. Lower Eastside Girls Club: there's a clue in the name.

[sourbroughten]

Except for most of us that ever lived in Alphabet City, and use the term as a specifier that we did /do not live south of Houston.

[small h]

20 hours ago, Wilfrid said:

Hannah, nobody calls it Alphabet City any more. Lower Eastside Girls Club: there's a clue in the name.

Alphabet City refers to the letter avenues, none of which are the on the LES, because its northern border is Houston Street.

[MitchW]

1 hour ago, small h said:

Alphabet City refers to the letter avenues, none of which are the on the LES, because its northern border is Houston Street.

Where's Sneak when we need him?

The Lower East Side:

Historically, it was understood to encompass a much larger area, from Broadway to the East River and from East 14th Street to Fulton and Franklin Streets.

[small h]

Yes. And historically, the Second Ave Deli was on Second Ave. But not anymore.

[sourbroughten]

3 hours ago, MitchW said:

Where's Sneak when we need him?

The Lower East Side:

Historically, it was understood to encompass a much larger area, from Broadway to the East River and from East 14th Street to Fulton and Franklin Streets.

Which is why I said what I said. 😀

[Wilfrid]

9 hours ago, sourbroughten said:

Except for most of us that ever lived in Alphabet City, and use the term as a specifier that we did /do not live south of Houston.

I lived on Avenue D for many, many years and that expression was way out of date. It's also worth noting that it's a relatively recent expression (circa 1980, per Wikipedia). Guess what the area was called before that? The whole expanse below East 14th Street  was called the Lower East Side. (Repeating MitchW) That included the East Village, a term from the 1960s.

Google Henry Roth's 1934 novel, Call It Sleep. It's referred to by everyone as set on the Lower East Side. It's specifically set on Avenue D, where Roth lived as a kid. I wonder if he ever used the term Alphabet City.

[small h]

1 hour ago, Wilfrid said:

that expression was way out of date

From today's NYT.