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My First New York: Early Adventures in the Big City
A book as effervescent and alive as the city itself.
My First New York features candid accounts of coming to New York by more than fifty of the most remarkable people who have called the city home. Here are true stories of long nights out and wild nights in, of first dates and lost loves, of memorable meals and miserable jobs, of slow walks up Broadway and fast subway rides downtown.
The contributors—a mix of actors, artists, comedians, entrepreneurs, musicians, politicians, sports stars, writers, and others—reflect an enormous variety of experiences: few have arrived with less than filmmaker Jonas Mekas, a concentration-camp survivor on a UN refugee ship; few have swanned in with more than designer Diane von Furstenberg, a princess. And an extraordinary number managed to land in New York just as something historic was happening—the artist Cindy Sherman arrived in the middle of the Summer of Sam; restaurateur Danny Meyer came on the day John Lennon was shot.
Arranged chronologically, these moving and memorable stories combine to form an impressionistic history of New York since the Great Depression. They also provide an accidental encyclopedia of New York hotspots through the ages: from the Cedar Tavern and the Gaslight to Lutèce and Elaine's, from Max's Kansas City and the Mudd Club to the Odeon and Bungalow 8, they're all here, dots on the unbroken line of the Next Next things.
Taken together, My First New York is a collection of fifty-six testaments to a larger revelation, one that new arrivals of all stripes and all eras have experienced again and again in New York, regardless of how the city proceeds to treat them: what the songwriter Rufus Wain-wright calls "having cracked the code of living life to the fullest."
Contributors include André Aciman, Susanne Bartsch, Yogi Berra, Mary Boone, Naomi Campbell, Graydon Carter, David Chang, Chuck Close, Judy Collins, Nick Denton, Danny DeVito, Agnes Deyn, David Dinkins, Ashley Dupré, Nora Ephron, Harold Evans, James Franco, Ira Glass, Michel Gondry, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Albert Hammond Jr., Keith Hernandez, Lauren Hutton, Jenny Joslin, Zoe Kazan, Larry Kramer, Padma Lakshmi, Daniel Libeskind, Michael Lucas, Lorin Maazel, Colum McCann, Audra McDonald, Jonas Mekas, Danny Meyer, Lorne Michaels, Liza Minnelli, Mike Myers, Parker Posey, David Rakoff, Dan Rather, Chita Rivera, James Rosenquist, Andy Samberg, Amy Sedaris, Chloe Sevigny, Cindy Sherman, Gary Shteyngart, Nate Silver, Liz Smith, Paul Taylor, Tommy Tune, Diane von Furstenberg, Rufus Wainwright, Kara Walker, Jann Wenner, and Tom Wolfe
My First New York features candid accounts of coming to New York by more than fifty of the most remarkable people who have called the city home. Here are true stories of long nights out and wild nights in, of first dates and lost loves, of memorable meals and miserable jobs, of slow walks up Broadway and fast subway rides downtown.
The contributors—a mix of actors, artists, comedians, entrepreneurs, musicians, politicians, sports stars, writers, and others—reflect an enormous variety of experiences: few have arrived with less than filmmaker Jonas Mekas, a concentration-camp survivor on a UN refugee ship; few have swanned in with more than designer Diane von Furstenberg, a princess. And an extraordinary number managed to land in New York just as something historic was happening—the artist Cindy Sherman arrived in the middle of the Summer of Sam; restaurateur Danny Meyer came on the day John Lennon was shot.
Arranged chronologically, these moving and memorable stories combine to form an impressionistic history of New York since the Great Depression. They also provide an accidental encyclopedia of New York hotspots through the ages: from the Cedar Tavern and the Gaslight to Lutèce and Elaine's, from Max's Kansas City and the Mudd Club to the Odeon and Bungalow 8, they're all here, dots on the unbroken line of the Next Next things.
Taken together, My First New York is a collection of fifty-six testaments to a larger revelation, one that new arrivals of all stripes and all eras have experienced again and again in New York, regardless of how the city proceeds to treat them: what the songwriter Rufus Wain-wright calls "having cracked the code of living life to the fullest."
Contributors include André Aciman, Susanne Bartsch, Yogi Berra, Mary Boone, Naomi Campbell, Graydon Carter, David Chang, Chuck Close, Judy Collins, Nick Denton, Danny DeVito, Agnes Deyn, David Dinkins, Ashley Dupré, Nora Ephron, Harold Evans, James Franco, Ira Glass, Michel Gondry, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Albert Hammond Jr., Keith Hernandez, Lauren Hutton, Jenny Joslin, Zoe Kazan, Larry Kramer, Padma Lakshmi, Daniel Libeskind, Michael Lucas, Lorin Maazel, Colum McCann, Audra McDonald, Jonas Mekas, Danny Meyer, Lorne Michaels, Liza Minnelli, Mike Myers, Parker Posey, David Rakoff, Dan Rather, Chita Rivera, James Rosenquist, Andy Samberg, Amy Sedaris, Chloe Sevigny, Cindy Sherman, Gary Shteyngart, Nate Silver, Liz Smith, Paul Taylor, Tommy Tune, Diane von Furstenberg, Rufus Wainwright, Kara Walker, Jann Wenner, and Tom Wolfe
259 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 23, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
April 26, 2021
Simplemente amo leer acerca de Nueva York
June 14, 2010
Wow. This book is TERRIBLE. Annoying, boring, trite, poorly written 'tales' of first encounters with the city. Even celebrities and writers I admire have shameful contributions of mere crap in this book. I feel the fault must be in the editors and/or how they approached the contributors on how to write their pieces. I am a huge fan of about-new-york literature and memoir, and thought this could be a great gift for people new to the city. It is, however, junk, and no one should ever buy it. {Although it did cement my disdain for Chloe Sevigny when she bragged about how all the gay boys were jealous of her because the boys they liked all had crushes on her. I used to feel I unfairly loathed her, now I feel justification.}
May 12, 2025
3.5 stars. This is a collection of essays from (mostly famous) folks who have lived in NYC, starting from arrivals in 1933 through 2009. Each are only a page or three long, and delivered in a sort of stream-of-consciousness style as if the person is talking to you. Which makes sense, because I think they are transcribed and adapted from interviews. For me, it was a super quick and fun read. Even if you're getting a warped perspective since even among the famous people selected, arts and culture icons are getting the spotlight.
I am probably uniquely susceptible to enjoying this book since I spent 16 years in NYC, and my arrival year was within the book's timeline (it doesn't include anything after 2009). For me, reading was a heady mix of historical times often heard about but still strange (e.g. what the hell was an Automat that everyone in the 50s seems to mention??) and nostalgia from my own bygone era in the city.
I inherited this from my father's book collection and to my knowledge the only time he was ever in NYC was the one time he visited me there. So I guess that goes to say there's some appeal even for people who only know the mythology of the city. This book certainly leans into building on that.
I am probably uniquely susceptible to enjoying this book since I spent 16 years in NYC, and my arrival year was within the book's timeline (it doesn't include anything after 2009). For me, reading was a heady mix of historical times often heard about but still strange (e.g. what the hell was an Automat that everyone in the 50s seems to mention??) and nostalgia from my own bygone era in the city.
I inherited this from my father's book collection and to my knowledge the only time he was ever in NYC was the one time he visited me there. So I guess that goes to say there's some appeal even for people who only know the mythology of the city. This book certainly leans into building on that.
March 1, 2015
I have a mad crush on the city of New York. The entire city. Of all of the places in the world that I would love to visit, New York City is always at the top of my list. I constantly read books, and watch movies and TV shows that are set in the city, imagining what it would be like to be me, only living there. Alas, it is an unrequited crush, New York has no idea that I even exist.
"My First New York: Early Adventures in the Big City (As Remembered by Actors, Artists, Athletes, Chefs, Comedians, Filmmakers, Mayors, Models, Moguls, Porn Stars, Rockers, Writers, and Others)" is a collection of "first time" stories about coming to the Big Apple as told or written by an amazing group of people, originally put together for a magazine feature story. The stories are as different as the people who tell them. Starting with former NYC mayor David Dinkins, who first arrived in 1933, and ending with aspiring actress Jenny Joslin who arrived in 2009, "My First New York" is a record of the city as seen through the eyes of newcomers who came from all over the world, some with little more than the clothes on their backs and their dreams of conquering the city that never sleeps.
For the record, I am pretty sure that my first New York will somehow involve me falling into an open man hole as I stare up at the sites of the city, mouth all agape.
"My First New York: Early Adventures in the Big City (As Remembered by Actors, Artists, Athletes, Chefs, Comedians, Filmmakers, Mayors, Models, Moguls, Porn Stars, Rockers, Writers, and Others)" is a collection of "first time" stories about coming to the Big Apple as told or written by an amazing group of people, originally put together for a magazine feature story. The stories are as different as the people who tell them. Starting with former NYC mayor David Dinkins, who first arrived in 1933, and ending with aspiring actress Jenny Joslin who arrived in 2009, "My First New York" is a record of the city as seen through the eyes of newcomers who came from all over the world, some with little more than the clothes on their backs and their dreams of conquering the city that never sleeps.
For the record, I am pretty sure that my first New York will somehow involve me falling into an open man hole as I stare up at the sites of the city, mouth all agape.
December 24, 2013
Purchased at The Strand and started in NYC. 56 short chapters spanning 1933 to 2009. All were good. Some of my favorites were Amy Sedaris, who used to throw used tea bags into her spare bedroom and watch them freeze. David Rakoff, whose goal was to resemble one of the many characters in MANHATTAN...in other words, be a New Yorker! Gary Shteyngart's story was wonderful. He wrote about his move from the Soviet Union to New York in 1979. It was "equivalent to stumbling off a monochromatic cliff and landing in pure technicolor".
Note to self: Read some Shteyngart!
Note to self: Read some Shteyngart!
August 17, 2017
One of the books that I picked up on my trip to NYC last Christmas - an enjoyable anthology of coming to New York stories as told to New York magazine by famous people, and arranged chronologically to give a definite sense of the changing city. A quick and enjoyable read, if a little light content wise in places in comparison to some similar titles that I've read.
August 21, 2015
You couldn't ask for a better selection of stories to read if you are still starry-eyed and hopeful about living in or moving to New York. You can almost feel the memories come flooding back to the story tellers as they recall the good times and the bad with very rose colored lenses.
November 28, 2025
Makes me love New York even more
August 17, 2021
Dozens of people are featured in this book. The chapters begin with their names, their professions, and the year they arrived in New York City. Different decades and perspectives pop up, making this a fascinating read. This rich and vibrant city has deep meaning for its residents.
April 16, 2020
i just LOVE reading books about new york.
February 8, 2020
Fun read! Picked this up in a great bookshop in NY - Three Lives. If you love great independent bookshops, check this one out.
July 20, 2022
A wide-ranging collection of short essays about arriving in New York City—funny, frank, and often gritty.
December 18, 2012
I just had to cherish every little story in this book. I wanted to sort of read it when I'm feeling depressed or tired or sad...
I love New York. In fact, I am in LOVE with New York. Everything I read in this book just brings me back to MY FIRST New York. No, I do not live in New York, never have. New York has been that place in my dreams - where my favorite movies took place, where my favorite stories & characters are from.
I can tell a something I'm watching was shot in New York even though I haven't lived in New York. I've been there twice, and every time I was there I would walk aimlessly. I always find myself walking from Penn Station to the MoMA. Then back to SoHo having Dinner somewhere in Little Italy or just having drinks with my cousins.
I love Central Park so much that I often dreamt of being proposed to at the famous bow bridge in Central Park one Autumn afternoon. (Still waiting for my New York Moment! haha).
This book brings me back to exactly how I felt when I first walked the streets of Manhattan, finally seeing Broadway and Times Square. My parents, aunts and uncles were wary that I'm walking Manhattan alone every time I'm there, but I just felt more free and I could breathe better when I walk these streets alone.
The last time I was there was when I needed to recover from a cheating husband and my unemployment for nearly a year. The two weeks I spent with this city rejuvenated me and gave me strength to go on with life. True enough, I got a job 2 weeks after and went upwards since.
It is true - this is a concrete jungle where dreams are made of.
If you love New York - this is a book you need to have in your shelves.
I love New York. In fact, I am in LOVE with New York. Everything I read in this book just brings me back to MY FIRST New York. No, I do not live in New York, never have. New York has been that place in my dreams - where my favorite movies took place, where my favorite stories & characters are from.
I can tell a something I'm watching was shot in New York even though I haven't lived in New York. I've been there twice, and every time I was there I would walk aimlessly. I always find myself walking from Penn Station to the MoMA. Then back to SoHo having Dinner somewhere in Little Italy or just having drinks with my cousins.
I love Central Park so much that I often dreamt of being proposed to at the famous bow bridge in Central Park one Autumn afternoon. (Still waiting for my New York Moment! haha).
This book brings me back to exactly how I felt when I first walked the streets of Manhattan, finally seeing Broadway and Times Square. My parents, aunts and uncles were wary that I'm walking Manhattan alone every time I'm there, but I just felt more free and I could breathe better when I walk these streets alone.
The last time I was there was when I needed to recover from a cheating husband and my unemployment for nearly a year. The two weeks I spent with this city rejuvenated me and gave me strength to go on with life. True enough, I got a job 2 weeks after and went upwards since.
It is true - this is a concrete jungle where dreams are made of.
If you love New York - this is a book you need to have in your shelves.
June 6, 2011
For anyone who has a fascination with and desire to experience New York, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU. I very much enjoyed reading about the experiences of those people who, through the decades, came to New York for the first time in their lives.
For me, I first visited New York as a little boy in August 1971. My memories of that experience are contained in fleeting vignettes. Since that time, I have visited New York 4 other times: April 1982, July 1995, August 2003 (shortly after the Great Blackout), and September 2008. I am fairly ambivalent about the place. But I can appreciate why so many other people come to New York and fully embrace what it has to offer. After all, New York is a very lively, engaging, and colorful city that never sleeps.
For me, I first visited New York as a little boy in August 1971. My memories of that experience are contained in fleeting vignettes. Since that time, I have visited New York 4 other times: April 1982, July 1995, August 2003 (shortly after the Great Blackout), and September 2008. I am fairly ambivalent about the place. But I can appreciate why so many other people come to New York and fully embrace what it has to offer. After all, New York is a very lively, engaging, and colorful city that never sleeps.
December 18, 2014
Have never been to New York, never seen it with my own eyes, but have always wanted to live there since I was about ten years old, which is when I realized that life and this world is bigger than the limits of my rinky - dinky town.
Although this book is not the best piece of literature to exist, it was very good and really makes you feel like you're the one strolling the sidewalks of the city, visiting the shops and clubs, etc. Some stories sort of don't have much meat to them or make sense, occasionally, in my opinion, but overall if you're just looking for a light read about the big city - you have found the right book.
I can only hope that one day I have a fabulous New York story like all of these incredible people.
Although this book is not the best piece of literature to exist, it was very good and really makes you feel like you're the one strolling the sidewalks of the city, visiting the shops and clubs, etc. Some stories sort of don't have much meat to them or make sense, occasionally, in my opinion, but overall if you're just looking for a light read about the big city - you have found the right book.
I can only hope that one day I have a fabulous New York story like all of these incredible people.
November 25, 2012
Such a quick, fantastic read.
September 18, 2015
Fun collection of New York memoires that make me very excited to create my own.
April 22, 2019
I identified with every written testimony. Moving into NYC in the 80’s...it was a different city than it is today.
April 10, 2020
Traveling through the memories of others.
So much fun to read. Very easy to read quickly but take the grime to enjoy everyone's New York story.
So much fun to read. Very easy to read quickly but take the grime to enjoy everyone's New York story.
December 24, 2021
“My First New York” is a book compiled of many people’s episodes about the first time when they started to live in New York. These episodes come from all kinds of celebrities in different fields from actors, chefs to political analysts.
All the episodes in this book made me realize that there are so many ways New York intrigues people. Some people feel it’s a city to make a crucial decision in life without turning back. Other may be fascinated by the diversity the city holds (cuisine, primarily.) Some people hate the congestion and filthiness but love the chaos among people of all kinds.
Regardless of the turning point and timing, New York is the city that take a significant part of people’s lives.
My favorite quotes are below:
"The phrase 'burn the boats' means there's nothing but forward, onward, no turning back or running home scared. It's a motto for New York as much as for Texas. When you move here, if you're any good at all, you burn the boats."
"One should not take advantage of a foreigner. We are tougher than people born here, and we achieve more because we are fighting for it."
"I started to appreciate how in New York, as opposed to Paris, you can have an idea in the morning and make it happen in the afternoon."
"...New York tends to attract people who want to participate in the life of the city, which I think by and large are people who are outgoing and interested, networking and working hard but having fun. Here you're always trying to reach for something - maybe you don't even know what, exactly."
All the episodes in this book made me realize that there are so many ways New York intrigues people. Some people feel it’s a city to make a crucial decision in life without turning back. Other may be fascinated by the diversity the city holds (cuisine, primarily.) Some people hate the congestion and filthiness but love the chaos among people of all kinds.
Regardless of the turning point and timing, New York is the city that take a significant part of people’s lives.
My favorite quotes are below:
"The phrase 'burn the boats' means there's nothing but forward, onward, no turning back or running home scared. It's a motto for New York as much as for Texas. When you move here, if you're any good at all, you burn the boats."
"One should not take advantage of a foreigner. We are tougher than people born here, and we achieve more because we are fighting for it."
"I started to appreciate how in New York, as opposed to Paris, you can have an idea in the morning and make it happen in the afternoon."
"...New York tends to attract people who want to participate in the life of the city, which I think by and large are people who are outgoing and interested, networking and working hard but having fun. Here you're always trying to reach for something - maybe you don't even know what, exactly."
February 25, 2024
There's that saying- "Everyone remembers their first time".
It's true- I remembered my first time in the big apple. The thought of moving to NYC always lingered in my mind since high school. Fast forward 7 years later- I arrived to NYC not as a visitor but as a resident.
My first stay in NYC was in Midtown- a neighbourhood centred between Time Square and West Village. It houses Koreatown- no shortage of food and karaoke bars. It was close to Flatiron- hello Eataly.
Second neighborhood I called home was Nolita- north of Little Italy. South of Houston and east of Soho. It was the perfect location- walking distance to Parsons (where I attended post-grad) and LES.
I also remembered the first time visiting Brooklyn- that was an adventure in itself. Williamsburg would later become my third neighbourhood I called home.
However, way before any of this. I remembered my first NYE experience (before I was a resident), dining at Morimoto in Meatpacking. It was pouring rain and my gf and I hopped into a "black" taxi and made our way to Downtown- The Dead Rabbit for cocktails.
Many many firsts...this book vividly brought back many grateful memories. Highly recommend.
It's true- I remembered my first time in the big apple. The thought of moving to NYC always lingered in my mind since high school. Fast forward 7 years later- I arrived to NYC not as a visitor but as a resident.
My first stay in NYC was in Midtown- a neighbourhood centred between Time Square and West Village. It houses Koreatown- no shortage of food and karaoke bars. It was close to Flatiron- hello Eataly.
Second neighborhood I called home was Nolita- north of Little Italy. South of Houston and east of Soho. It was the perfect location- walking distance to Parsons (where I attended post-grad) and LES.
I also remembered the first time visiting Brooklyn- that was an adventure in itself. Williamsburg would later become my third neighbourhood I called home.
However, way before any of this. I remembered my first NYE experience (before I was a resident), dining at Morimoto in Meatpacking. It was pouring rain and my gf and I hopped into a "black" taxi and made our way to Downtown- The Dead Rabbit for cocktails.
Many many firsts...this book vividly brought back many grateful memories. Highly recommend.
July 3, 2017
This was a quick and easy read. Perfect for the subway as I navigated around the city explained in its pages. While there was nothing life changing about this book it is interesting to read of so many different experiences. Everyone remembers their first time in New York. I sure do, and how I immediately fell in love with the city. Some people are eloquent and descriptive in their memories, while others are short and to the point. I may not know who many of the people are, but, in some weird way, I feel like I understand them. That this wonderful city has connected us.
July 1, 2023
This book has been on my to-read list for a loooooong time. I first came to New York in 2006, and back when this book was published, I was still at least a little starstruck with the city. However, at this point in my time out here - not so much. Still, I wanted to read this and knock it off my list. Some of the essays are interesting. (Danny DeVito rooming with Michael Douglas?) And others are ... short. Like, why even include a paragraph from someone? If they couldn't do the assignment, then they don't get included. But that's just me.
May 27, 2018
A bunch of short and sweet essays, or rather reminiscences of prominent New Yorkers on how they came to live in the Big Apple. It was inspiring to boot, because you keep reading about these poor and often desperate people who land up in the one of the biggest, ruthless city in the world and they make it, all thansk to their gumption and hard work. Must read for anybody visiting NYC shortly, or having even the lightest interest in New York city.
November 24, 2018
Interesting
Not exactly what I was expecting, but an enjoyable read. I grew up in Jersey, 10 minutes from the outskirts of NYC. Haven't been there in a while, & miss it terribly. As I read, realized I fit into the category of tourist, not a true New Yorker. Would certainly be interesting to live there for a while, though I'm too old & wornout at this point. Good to read what it was like to actually live there.
Not exactly what I was expecting, but an enjoyable read. I grew up in Jersey, 10 minutes from the outskirts of NYC. Haven't been there in a while, & miss it terribly. As I read, realized I fit into the category of tourist, not a true New Yorker. Would certainly be interesting to live there for a while, though I'm too old & wornout at this point. Good to read what it was like to actually live there.
March 11, 2018
This book isn’t going to stick in your mind forever, but I’m not sure it needs to. As a collection of short accounts, The New York Times have put together and interesting peek into the city over the years. Now it’s time to explore the city for myself…
Read my short and sweet review on my blog: https://whatrebeccasread.wordpress.co...
Read my short and sweet review on my blog: https://whatrebeccasread.wordpress.co...
March 15, 2020
I am admittedly addicted to New York books and this one didn't disappoint. The stories told of the contributors' first experiences when moving to NYC made me think fondly of my own experience. I suppose I should right it down one day. I just might. Wonderful book for anyone who moved to NYC, or would like to some day. Loved it.
November 26, 2020
I bounced between 2-3 stars, however, the book could have had so much more charm to it. Some stories were funny, some relatable, but most not merely a story at all. Only read this because it was in the local books section of Book Culture here in the city. I wasn’t expecting magic anyway, but definitely missed something.
May 20, 2017
I was quite looking forward to reading this book, but once I started the stories didn't leave me wanting more. I kept reading thinking I would find something exciting and memorable but nothing happened.
October 20, 2017
Fun book but extremely short. I thought the chapters would have breadth. One or two pages are the limit for the vignettes. If someone gets easily bored, they could enjoy the piece. It almost feels shallow to see such brevity.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews