New York Magazine October 19, 2015

1 "When much of New York was sleazy and dangerous, nowhere seemed sleazier or more dangerous than 42nd Street. And when Times Square came to feel too touristy, it mirrored a parallel worry that New York itself was losing some of its intrinsic grit," wrote Adam Sternbergh in his cover story on the area's "new phase—perhaps the strangest, most inscrutable one yet" (“Live Nude Girls,” October 5–18). The story prompted a discussion among readers about which version of Times Square—and, by extension, the city—they liked best. “Anyone who says they prefer the Times Square of the late ’70s and early ’80s over what is in there now certainly never visited it before,” wrote doctordave77. "I used to walk through the Square every evening on my way back to Penn Station.…

OVER THE LAST TWO INNINGS of the Mets' tense, one-run standoff with the Dodgers in the elimination game of the Division Series, Mets fans felt The Fear. The Fear is always there for playoff games, of course; their win-or-face-a-long-cold-winter-of-the-Knicks finality is what makes playoffs appealing. But for the Mets, in 2015, The Fear felt more acute. Even for Mets fans, whose fandom is founded in fully expecting the worst fates to befall them (while, still, of course, finding a way to Gotta Believe), The Fear was unusually powerful. The Mets held a 3-2 lead in the seventh inning when manager Terry Collins tempted fate by bringing in game-two starter Noah Syndergaard, who'd never appeared out of the bullpen before. Then he brought in Jeurys Familia for the first six-out save…

MICHAEL DUKAKIS IS hunched over in his office in the Renaissance Park Building in Boston, rummaging through cardboard boxes on the floor. The political-science department at Northeastern University has just moved in, and Dukakis is still dealing with the upheaval. "For God's sake, it's sitting here!" he says, suddenly straightening up. Next to the window is the coatrack he's been looking for. "God, I'm unconscious," he chuckles, hanging his jacket up and taking a seat. At 81, Dukakis looks pretty much the same as he did 27 years ago, when he lost a presidential race in such epic fashion that moments of the campaign have become political shorthand ("Dukakis in a tank," "Willie Horton ad"). He has the same slight figure, the same owlish eyebrows, though the hair is more…

IT WAS A SUNDAY, open-gate day at the New York Marble Cemetery, a small burial ground in the East Village made up of 156 underground vaults. Caroline DuBois, president of the board and future occupant of vault No. 54, sat on a bench under two multicolored umbrellas. Brochures and a donation jar sat on a table in front of her. "I think it would be the perfect gift for a hedge-fund billionaire to give his sweetheart," she said. She was referring to the family vaults she is set on selling, each built to fit a dozen or so decedents. (Or more: Each generation gains some space as the previous ones turn to dust.) They are the last two inground burial plots openly available in Manhattan. (Trinity Church's uptown cemetery has…

ON WEDNESDAY, THE DAY AFTER the first Democratic presidential debate, almost the entire political and media Establishment was in agreement: Hillary Clinton had delivered a command performance, elevating her candidacy above the swamp of character concerns prompted by months of pseudo-scandal and political incompetence surrounding her email account. She had, it was widely acknowledged, dominated the stage and reassured anxious Democrats that she had the political skill to win. But at least one Democrat had a different reaction. "We woke up this morning, had our coffee, and went to work talking about Joe Biden and why his voice should be in the race," said Josh Alcorn, a senior adviser to the Draft Biden super-PAC. Joe Biden is running for president—a fact that has been obvious, and true, for weeks. (And…

1. TULANE UNIVERSITY Caroline likes to cuddle. Photograph by MARISA CHAFETZ Tulane class of 2017 I DIDN’T KNOW those guys in the picture at all. I still don’t know their names. I walked up to them at a party and was like, “Hey guys, I’m getting in the bed.” I needed to lie down because my back hurt. Then we all talked about how much we love cuddling. They maybe thought something would happen, but I was like, no. I think hooking up works for a lot of people. But I know I would not do well with that. I think it’s up to the person to know how they’re going to react emotionally. I’m very sensitive. It wouldn’t be worth the hurt, honestly. Also, I don’t drink. They call…