The New Yorker Festival began in 2000, in celebration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the magazine. It started a tradition of our writers and editors coming together with notable figures of the day, to bring alive what the magazine does in its pages—illuminate intricate ideas, complex histories, the latest news, and larger-than-life personalities—on stages across the city. The New Yorker turned a hundred last year, and the Festival, now in its twenty-seventh year, remains a multifaceted and sophisticated lens on what’s happening in culture, politics, and the literary world. Here is the schedule of the New Yorker Festival weekend. We hope you can join us.
Jump to: Friday, October 23 | Saturday, October 24 | Sunday, October 25
Hannah Einbinder Talks with Rachel Syme
6 P.M., Webster Hall, at 125 E. 11th St.
The comedian and actress Hannah Einbinder is perhaps best known for her role as Ava Daniels, a forlorn yet subversive comedy writer, on HBO Max’s “Hacks,” for which she was nominated for five Emmys and four Golden Globes, winning one Emmy and a Critics Choice Award (and proving herself, beyond all doubt, not a hack). Einbinder’s début standup special, “Everything Must Go,” was released in 2024. This year, she starred in the gory, genre-bending film “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,” which premièred at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Queer Palm. Einbinder and the staff writer Rachel Syme sit down for what’s sure to be a lively chat.
The Art of Humor Writing
6 P.M., the T. Rowe Price Theatre, at 150 W. 17th St.
A serious talk about a not-so-serious subject: Just what exactly turns a Whispers & Mumbles into a Shouts & Murmurs? Find out at this master class. The veteran Shouts & Murmurs writers Ian and Cora Frazier—who also happen to be father and daughter—join the articles editor Susan Morrison for a discussion about humor writing at a magazine that was founded, in 1925, as a “comic weekly.” Ian Frazier is a two-time recipient of the Thurber Prize for American Humor, for his essay collections “Coyote v. Acme” and “Lamentations of the Father.” Cora Frazier has contributed humor writing to The New Yorker since 2012. There will be readings, an audience Q. & A., and surely lots of shouts, murmurs, and, of course, laughter.
Ken Burns Talks with Michael Luo
6:30 P.M., the Joyce Theater, 175 8th Ave.
The filmmaker Ken Burns once said that “the great arrogance of the present is to forget the intelligence of the past.” In the course of forty-five years in the business, with investigations ranging from “The Civil War” and “The Vietnam War” to “Baseball” and “Country Music,” the documentarian has done his best to stay humble. Recently, he turned to the phenomenon that determined the course of our country—“The American Revolution.” Burns stops by the Festival to discuss his work with Michael Luo, an executive editor at the magazine, and the importance of chronicling history at a time when more and more is being written over and erased.
King Princess Talks with Amanda Petrusich and Performs
8:30 P.M., Webster Hall
“Girl Violence,” the third and most recent album by the singer and multi-instrumentalist Mikaela Straus, a.k.a. King Princess, ushered in a new era for her experiments in sonically fluid sapphic pop. If “1950,” her breakout single, from 2018, was emblematic of a vintage musical matrix that she has spent much of her career so far riffing on, “Girl Violence” longs to synthesize those sounds into something more peerless and forward-thinking. Straus, equal parts pop agitator and quirked-up rock star, wants to add more ferocity to songs of the queer canon, and she brings her learn-as-you-go energy to a performance and talk with the staff writer Amanda Petrusich.
Parker Posey Talks with Michael Schulman
8:30 p.m., the Joyce Theater
From party girl to teacher’s pet, Parker Posey, named Time’s “Queen of the Indies” in 1997, has delighted audiences for three decades with her exasperated-quirky-girl zingers and her uncanny embodiment of indignance. Last year, in Mike White’s third season of “The White Lotus,” Posey sunk her teeth into the plummy accent and soul-subsuming wealth of a Southern princess turned ill-equipped matriarch. This fall, she appears in Martin McDonagh’s new movie, “Wild Horse Nine,” as the wife of a C.I.A. agent who’s been dispatched to Easter Island, played by Sam Rockwell. At the Festival, Posey joins the staff writer Michael Schulman to talk about her career as a sui-generis actress.
Critics at Large Live, Featuring Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz
8:30 P.M., the T. Rowe Price Theatre
Are you in need of some guidance? Do you feel lost, culturally, socially, or just generally? Never fear: your favorite trio of culture gurus are here to help. The Critics at Large podcast hosts come to you live with their special segment “I Need a Critic!,” dishing out advice that they may or may not be qualified to give. Chime in with your questions, concerns, gripes, and hopes, and be prepared to have your life changed for the better—or, at the very least, to laugh a lot.
Ann Patchett and Louise Erdrich Talk with Deborah Treisman
10 A.M., Webster Hall
Ann Patchett, the author of “Bel Canto” and, most recently, the Times best-seller “Whistler,” is the great conjurer of chosen families, crafting unlikely bonds between characters under duress. Louise Erdrich, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and the award-winning author of “The Night Watchman” and a new collection of stories, “Python’s Kiss,” is the premier voice memorializing the severed ties of family and culture among Native peoples. Both authors have invested in their home communities as owners of a local bookstore: Erdrich’s Birchbark Books, in Minneapolis, and Patchett’s Parnassus Books, in Nashville. The New Yorker fiction editor Deborah Treisman hosts the discussion.
The Future of A.I., Featuring Jill Lepore, Gideon Lewis-Kraus, and Andrew Marantz, with Joshua Rothman
10 A.M., the Joyce Theater
In early September, a former Anthropic employee said that the people building A.I. believe it could kill us all in less than ten years—a deeply unsettling proposition, especially for something that has already infiltrated our daily lives, in both obvious and invisible ways. Is that really where we’re headed? Is there any hope for regulation? And, if so, what will happen to all those chatbot boyfriends? The writers Jill Lepore, Gideon Lewis-Kraus, Andrew Marantz, and Joshua Rothman will parse through questions such as these, contemplating what the future holds for a technology that, for better or worse, seems here to stay.
Michael Douglas Talks with Ariel Levy
12:30 P.M., Webster Hall
Gordon Gekko embodied the nineteen-eighties Zeitgeist when he said—as delivered by a slick, suspender-clad Michael Douglas, in perhaps his most iconic role, in “Wall Street”—“Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.” Is it greedy to sustain a half-century career in Hollywood, win two Academy Awards, and receive A.F.I.’s Life Achievement Award? Maybe so, but then again Douglas also gives back, as a U.N. Messenger of Peace. You can read about it in his new memoir, “One Helluva Ride.” He speaks with the New Yorker staff writer Ariel Levy, who knows her way around an iconic octogenarian actor: she is Dustin Hoffman’s co-author for his forthcoming memoir, “Look at Me.”
Who Gets to Be an American?, Featuring Isabel Wilkerson, Jonathan Blitzer, and Jelani Cobb, with Michael Luo
12:30 P.M., the Joyce Theater
With an increase in ICE raids and violent arrests across the U.S., the topic of American identity is at the forefront of our political climate. What does it mean to be a part of this country, and how has that definition changed in recent years? Isabel Wilkerson, the author of “The Warmth of Other Suns” and “Caste,” joins the New Yorker writers Jonathan Blitzer and Jelani Cobb and executive editor Michael Luo for a roundtable discussion about the question of citizenship and the ways the Trump Administration has put its finger on the scale in the never-ending debate of belonging.
The Political Scene Live, Featuring David Plouffe, Susan B. Glasser, Jane Mayer, and Evan Osnos
3 P.M., Webster Hall
As the midterm elections approach, America’s future is up in the air and the stakes have never felt higher. Will the Democrats get themselves together and win the majority? If they do, will it make a tangible difference? Or will Republicans hold steady, insuring that President Trump stays bolstered by Congress? The country turned two hundred and fifty this year—will it last another quarter millennium? The hosts of The Political Scene podcast, Susan B. Glasser, Evan Osnos, and Jane Mayer, will be joined by the Democratic campaign strategist David Plouffe for a live taping, to discuss this pivotal moment in our history and how they think events might unfold.
Lorna Simpson Talks with Thelma Golden
3 P.M., the Joyce Theater
Visual art has the profound ability to act as a gateway and a solace, as a meditation and a statement. Perhaps no one is more representative of this breadth than the multimedia artist and photographer Lorna Simpson. One of the first African American female artists to exhibit at the Venice Biennale, Simpson has made a career capturing the conversation around the relationship between identity and memory. At this year’s Festival, she will sit down with Thelma Golden, the chief curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem, to discuss the power of the image and the fulfillment and responsibility that come with creating.
The Pursuit of Equality
3 P.M., the T. Rowe Price Theatre
The feminist activist Barbara Smith co-founded the Combahee River Collective, a pioneering group that called attention to intersecting forms of oppression facing Black women in America; she also co-founded Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press, in 1980, to amplify the voices of people of color in publishing. She will join the staff writer Jia Tolentino to discuss the history of the feminist movement, the legacy of Gloria Steinem, and the role of activism in the modern world.
Cole Escola Talks with Julian Lucas
5:30 P.M., Webster Hall
Cole Escola burst onto the theatre scene in 2024, with their insanely irreverent, wickedly funny Off Broadway show, “Oh, Mary!,” in which they played Mary Todd Lincoln, a lush and a scamp, who just wants to sing cabaret. But Escola had been making uncanny videos (see “Pee Pee Manor,” about an especially unlucky real-estate agent) and TV appearances—on “Search Party,” “At Home with Amy Sedaris,” “Difficult People”—for years. “Oh, Mary!” is now enjoying an extended run on Broadway, with a rotating cast of Marys; Escola joins the staff writer Julian Lucas to talk about their career as an ingenious comedic scallywag.
Cartoon Improv, Judged by Josh Gondelman and Alison Leiby, Hosted by Emily Flake
5:30 P.M., the T. Rowe Price Theatre
The cartoonists Ellie Black, Ellis Rosen, Will Kiley Santino, and Drew Dernavich battle it out to prove that the pen is mightier than the sword, at this year’s installment of live cartoon improv. The comedians Josh Gondelman and Alison Leiby will serve as judge and jury, and the purportedly impartial cartoonist Emily Flake m.c.s. If you’re questioning this group’s qualifications for such a smackdown: Black has been contributing to The New Yorker since 2019; Rosen’s graphic-novel series about an evil squirrel will be released next year; Santino’s first book of cartoons will be published in 2027; and Dernavich has had more than three hundred cartoons in the magazine. Over on the judicial branch, Gondelman is a four-time Emmy Award-winning writer, and Leiby has contributed to television shows including “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Flake is the recipient of the 2026 Thurber Award for Cartoon Art, so don’t heckle her.
Matthew Broderick Talks with Naomi Fry
6 P.M., the Joyce Theater
Life moves pretty fast for Matthew Broderick, the Tony-winning, Emmy-nominated actor who, for some, will always evoke the clarion call “Bueller . . . Bueller . . . Bueller.” Fresh off back-to-back theatrical performances, in “Ulster American,” at the Irish Rep, and “Celebrity Autobiography,” on Broadway, and looking ahead to an upcoming film aptly titled “The Best Is Yet to Come” (in which he reunites with his “Ferris Bueller” co-star Alan Ruck), Broderick sits down with Naomi Fry, a co-host of The New Yorker’s Critics at Large podcast and a staff writer covering pop culture. Broderick used to hang out with Marty Reisman, at a table-tennis parlor uptown, and Fry had a cameo in “Marty Supreme,” the Josh Safdie film based on Reisman’s exploits—does that count as six degrees of separation?
The Pixies Talk with Amanda Petrusich and Perform
8 P.M., Webster Hall
In the four decades since the Pixies dropped their début album, so much pop music has been shaped in their image. A few punks from Boston became the architects of a tectonic alt-rock sound that swung purposefully between noise and quiet, and the band’s 1988 masterpiece, “Surfer Rosa,” became a testament to its artsy thrasher sensibility. The music bore an awe--inspiring, cathartic quality that the group carries with it into its work today, most recently on the subtly charged 2024 album “The Night the Zombies Came.” In addition to diving into its catalogue for a live performance, the Pixies’ current foursome—Black Francis, Joey Santiago, David Lovering, and Emma Richardson—sits down with the staff writer Amanda Petrusich.
Benito Skinner Talks with Michael Schulman
8 P.M., the Joyce Theater
The comedian Benito Skinner—known as Benny Drama to his millions of followers on TikTok and Instagram—brings the drama to his conversation with the staff writer Michael Schulman. Skinner’s comedic stylings and vast collection of wigs are showcased in his original sketches and celebrity impressions; you might recognize the character “Jenni the TMI hairstylist,” along with nearly every Kardashian sister, from his videos. Skinner is the creator of the series “Overcompensating,” in which he stars as a fictionalized version of himself, closeted in college. In 2025, Skinner received the Critics Choice L.G.B.T.Q.+ Rising Star Award. All signs point to Skinner getting interviewed as, well, Benito Skinner, but an appearance by “Kris Jenner” is not out of the question.
Theater of War Productions Live, with Paul Dano and Bryan Doerries
8 P.M., the T. Rowe Price Theatre
Paul Dano has played a remarkable range of characters, from Brian Wilson, in the bio-pic “Love & Mercy,” to twin brothers in “There Will Be Blood.” For his next performance, he’ll read a New Yorker piece by Andrew Lipstein, about what it feels like to live with obsessive-compulsive disorder and its unruly symptoms. It’s a live production with Theater of War, a company that works with actors to present seminal texts. Its artistic director, Bryan Doerries, a writer and translator, will guide an audience discussion after the reading.
Trivia Night with The New Yorker, Hosted by Mina Kimes
8 P.M., the T. Rowe Price Theatre
Get ready for a night of quizzical fun for folks who read—or, at least, attempt to read (it counts)—the magazine cover to cover. The “Celebrity Jeopardy!” champion Mina Kimes hosts a rollicking evening of trivia crafted by members of The New Yorker’s Puzzles & Games department. Kimes won the top prize on “Celebrity Jeopardy! All-Stars” this year. And, when she’s not winning big, she’s an analyst on ESPN’s flagship football program, “NFL Live.” Pro tip: a sports-trivia category seems very likely.
Min Jin Lee and Elizabeth Strout Talk with Katy Waldman
10 A.M., Webster Hall
Min Jin Lee dazzled the literary world with her second novel, “Pachinko,” chronicling the struggles of a Korean family in Japan during the turbulent twentieth century. Elizabeth Strout, the bard of Maine, is best known for detailing the complexities of small-town life in such books as “Olive Kitteridge” and “My Name Is Lucy Barton.” The writers’ stories, set in vastly different places, converge around the unique responsibilities shouldered by women. Lee’s much anticipated third novel, “American Hagwon,” released last month, charts a Korean family’s diaspora; Strout’s new novel, “The Things We Never Say,” follows the fallout of a boating accident in New England. They’ll chat with the New Yorker books writer Katy Waldman.
Portraits in Power, Featuring Isaac Chotiner, Clare Malone, Jane Mayer, and Lawrence Wright, with Daniel Zalewski
10 A.M., the Joyce Theater
Writing about any subject can be a delicate and formidable practice. When that subject happens to be one of the most powerful individuals or institutions in the world, it becomes a whole other challenge. In this Festival roundtable, the journalists Isaac Chotiner, Jane Mayer, Clare Malone, and Lawrence Wright will join Daniel Zalewski, an executive editor, to discuss what it’s like to excavate the hidden realities of titanic figures—whether it’s an architect of war (Chotiner), dark-money billionaires or Pete Hegseth (Mayer), Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (Malone), or the Church of Scientology (Wright)—unearthing hidden details that the subjects would probably rather be left buried.
Ben Lerner and Valeria Luiselli Talk with Cressida Leyshon
12 P.M., the Joyce Theater
The MacArthur Fellows Ben Lerner and Valeria Luiselli share a proclivity for pushing the boundaries of fiction. Lerner, in his most recent novel, “Transcription,” tells his story via an interview unravelling in real time, the protagonist’s recording device breaking just before a crucial moment. Luiselli derives inspiration from sonic essays that she makes—capturing volcanic noise or the speech of strangers—and notes sound as a major inspiration for her latest book, “Beginning Middle End.” It’s up to the audience, and Cressida Leyshon, The New Yorker’s deputy fiction editor, to distinguish between interview and autofiction when these two critically acclaimed authors sit down for a discussion.
Aaron Sorkin Talks with Tyler Foggatt
12:30 P.M., Webster Hall
The subject of influence has never been more relevant, or more complex. Enter Aaron Sorkin, with such projects under his belt as the TV show “The West Wing,” the movie “Steve Jobs,” and the play and subsequent film “A Few Good Men,” which is getting a Broadway revival this fall. Sorkin has made his career exposing the nuances of political, and personal, power dynamics. This year, he takes to the Festival stage, in a discussion with the senior editor Tyler Foggatt, just in time for his new film, “The Social Reckoning,” the follow-up to “The Social Network.” The movie is based on the true story of a whistle-blower who exposed Facebook’s secrets. There might just be a special guest appearance—though probably not from Mark Zuckerberg.
Ethan Hawke Talks with Emily Nussbaum
3 P.M., Webster Hall
Gen X underdog heartthrob, graphic novelist, Shakespearean actor, foil to Julie Delpy, and muse to Richard Linklater—Ethan Hawke wears many hats. Whether coming of age in “Dead Poets Society,” fighting to stay on the straight and narrow in “Training Day,” or aging before our eyes in “Boyhood,” Hawke is an inveterate entertainer. In last year’s “Blue Moon,” his ninth movie with Linklater, which earned him his fifth Academy Award nomination, he plays the lyricist Lorenz Hart, embodying a bitter and jealous endurer of humiliations, in a performance that Richard Brody called “exalted and startling.” He now stars in the TV crime drama “The Lowdown,” and a new film, “The Weight,” co-starring Russell Crowe, about a Depression-era road gang. He speaks with Emily Nussbaum, the magazine’s theatre critic.
Tessa Hadley and Colm Tóibín Talk with Deborah Treisman
3 P.M., the T. Rowe Price Theatre
Tessa Hadley and Colm Tóibín were born within a year of each other, with just the Irish Sea between them. Their writing, though both full of empathy and mounting tension, couldn’t be more distinct. Hadley, whose novella, “The Party,” will be published in paperback in 2027, pressurizes complicated domestic lives to the point where the sitting room is a war zone. Toíbín places his characters on cultural and institutional fault lines ripe for fictionalization, as in his next novel, “The Bridge,” publishing in December. In what promises to be a transatlantic treat, the New Yorker fiction editor Deborah Treisman talks with the pair.
Colson Whitehead Talks with Julian Lucas
3:30 P.M., the Joyce Theater
Colson Whitehead, a native New Yorker, won back-to-back Pulitzer Prizes for “The Underground Railroad” and “The Nickel Boys.” His most recent novels, which together constitute his Harlem Trilogy, are “Harlem Shuffle,” “Crook Manifesto,” and “Cool Machine.” This summer, the New Yorker staff writer Julian Lucas wrote an eight-thousand-word Profile of Whitehead, following him from a Manhattan bench with his name on it to his East Hampton home and a reading in Wyoming, ultimately shining light on the man that Time magazine called “America’s Storyteller.” Apparently, they only scratched the surface, so Lucas is returning for a deeper conversation with the award-winning writer.
Conan O’Brien Talks with David Remnick
5:30 P.M., Webster Hall
The flame-haired former late-night host Conan O’Brien swaps sides of the proverbial desk (there will be no desk) with the editor of The New Yorker, David Remnick. O’Brien, who is apparently a hundred-per-cent Irish, is much less than a hundred-per-cent lucky: he has been nominated for an Emmy Award thirty-six times, and won six. His most recent win was for his work as the host and executive producer of “Conan O’Brien Must Go,” on HBO Max, where he capped off one of the longest tenures in late-night-talk-show history, with a total of twenty-eight years as a host; he was the 2025 recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. In addition to producing a podcast series, “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” he has kindly agreed to host the Academy Awards once again, next year.
Dr. Becky and Emily Oster Talk with Dhruv Khullar
5:30 P.M., the Joyce Theater
The best-selling author Emily Oster will join Becky Kennedy—also known as Dr. Becky, the clinical psychologist who founded the parenting platform Good Inside—to talk with the physician and New Yorker contributing writer Dhruv Khullar about family matters. Oster’s data-driven books include “Expecting Better” and “Cribsheet,” works that have helped many an overwhelmed parent find the facts. Kennedy’s compassionate approach has proved similarly useful for caregivers trying to raise resilient, confident kids. If you have children, you won’t want to miss this panel.
Mahershala Ali Talks with Vinson Cunningham
5:30 P.M., the T. Rowe Price Theatre
From “Moonlight” to “Green Book,” “House of Cards” to “True Detective,” Mahershala Ali doesn’t just steal scenes—he runs away with the project and leaves the indelible mark of his character onscreen. Among many accolades, he is the first Muslim man to win an Academy Award. Before conquering Hollywood, Ali played Division I basketball (standing at six feet four) and released rap albums under the name Prince Ali. This fall, Ali stars in Bassam Tariq’s thriller, “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.” He will be in conversation with Vinson Cunningham, a critic at the magazine and a fellow basketball obsessive.
Atsuko Okatsuka and Chris Fleming Talk with Emma Allen
8 P.M., Webster Hall
The standup comedians and general goofballs Atsuko Okatsuka and Chris Fleming join the cartoon editor Emma Allen for a lively discussion that may or may not end with Okatsuka’s viral Drop Challenge. Okatsuka and Fleming are known for their signature locks: Okatsuka for her coiffed bowl cut and Fleming for his cascading curls (tragically shorn for a recent role). Fleming, a self-proclaimed “showpig” who got his start on YouTube, playing a stay-at-home mom named Gayle, and who recently appeared in the first season of “Widow’s Bay,” released an Emmy-nominated standup special, “Chris Fleming: Live at the Palace,” this year. Okatsuka’s second special, “Father,” premièred last year, nabbing a Webby Award for best standup.
Mariska Hargitay Talks with Rachel Syme
8 P.M., the T. Rowe Price Theatre
Mariska Hargitay, coming off a successful turn hosting the Emmys, is the embodiment of a safe space for many people who know her as Captain Olivia Benson, the character that she’s played on “Law & Order: S.V.U.” for twenty-seven years. In real life, she founded the Joyful Heart Foundation, dedicated to changing society’s response to sexual assault and domestic violence. Beyond the realm of criminal justice, Hargitay recently put out the documentary “My Mom Jayne,” and made her Broadway début, in “Every Brilliant Thing.” She speaks with the New Yorker staff writer Rachel Syme, who writes about Hollywood and fashion, and who will hopefully address Hargitay’s record-breaking number of outfit changes at the Emmys.
Wynton Marsalis Talks with Nick Trautwein and Performs
8:30 P.M., the Joyce Theater
The distinguished New Orleans-born musician Wynton Marsalis has worn many hats: dynamic trumpeter, intrepid composer and bandleader, and artistic director for Jazz at Lincoln Center, which he founded, in 1987. He is a Pulitzer Prize winner and a multi-Grammy holder—the only to win in both jazz and classical in the same year—but, chiefly, he is an ambassador for those traditional forms across generations. His most recent recordings with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, “We the People” and “Let Freedom Swing,” seek the intersection of arts appreciation and political involvement. Marsalis samples his expansive repertoire in performance and is joined in conversation by the senior editor Nick Trautwein.
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There has been a tremendous amount of recent development in Chelsea, but, ever the story in New York City, as beloved old places close their doors, new favorites emerge. A wonderland of park space has been created along the Hudson River, where you can partake in kayaking or jogging or sunbathing, or escape to leaf-peep the maples and dogwoods of Little Island. You could spend hours taking in art of all kinds in the still thriving gallery district in the far West Twenties; for your book fix, stop in at Printed Matter, Inc. (231 Eleventh Ave.), heavily stocked with zines and art journals, or at the well-curated, charmingly tiny 192 Books, on Tenth Avenue at Twenty-first Street. Over on Seventh Avenue, Books N’ Cup is a cozy new coffee shop; if the literary environs cause a sudden urge to type the old-fashioned way, you might check Gramercy Typewriter Co., on Seventeenth Street, for vintage models for sale. Food meccas include Pier 57 (hit Nom Wah for legendary dim sum, or LoLo’s on the Water for the fish fry) and, of course, Chelsea Market (try Miznon’s pita cheeseburger and roasted cauliflower, and Ayada’s mango sticky rice). For drinks and elevated snacks close to the Joyce, Konban is an adventurous Japanese izakaya; the Lobby Bar in the storied Hotel Chelsea serves a mean margarita, and Shukette throws a party complete with addictive dips and wood-fired breads. A jaunt in Chelsea would not be complete without a stroll on the High Line, pausing near Thirtieth Street to contemplate a twenty-seven-foot Buddha sculpture, by Tuan Andrew Nguyen. Keep walking north for a treat at Mercado Little Spain, in Hudson Yards, where you can sample the platonic ideal of pan con tomate, on the correct Catalan pan de cristal, and José Andrés’s famous bursting Liquid Olives, a throwback to the heyday of molecular gastronomy—remember that?
The East Village is, let’s be honest, not what it once was, but then, is anywhere in New York? The city is the rare global metropolis that has little preciousness about living in the past; the only constant is change. The East Village is no longer the city’s preëminent gritty haven for punks, artists, and eccentrics—St. Mark’s Place, once a hashish--scented playground full of leather clubs and piercing studios, is now a manicured promenade where young professionals go to drink spritzes en plein air—but that doesn’t mean it’s without delights, both old and new. If you’re in the area for The New Yorker Festival, you could do far worse than to dip into some still-going classic establishments, such as Veselka, for borscht and pierogi; John’s of 12th Street, for penne alla vodka; or Veniero’s, for coffee and cannoli. If you’re after even more sugar, you can stop into Lady Wong Patisserie for delicate little cakes, Librae Bakery for Middle Eastern pastries, or SLIK for Scandinavian pick-and-mix candy. Need a drink? Rabbit Books & Bar is a new spot that is half bookstore and half low-lit lounge, or there’s Madeline’s Martini, a veritable temple to the classic cocktail. The East Village is also a vintage shopper’s haven: there’s Tokio7 for designer clothes, Fabulous Fanny’s for glasses, and Cure Thrift for delightful bric-a-brac. (Hot tip: Cure is where the iconic downtown magpie Amy Sedaris drops off her gently used goods.) After a brisk stroll through Tompkins Square Park, you can hop across the street to the cult-favorite Superiority Burger—everything on the menu is vegetarian, but you won’t miss the meat. Lastly, try ducking into Casey Rubber Stamps, founded in 1979, in the West Village, and a neighborhood fixture since 2003. Some of the old Village is still lurking there, if you squint.
P.S. Good stuff on the internet: