"A cultural architectural and historical guide to twenty walks around and through New York
led by the NYT chief architecture critic during the height of COVID-19. As New York came to a
standstill in March of 2020 Michael Kimmelman composed an email to a group of architects
historians writers engineers and city planners and invited them to take him on a walk. As
the chief architecture critic for the New York Times he was no stranger to the city. But
during a time of uncertainty and confusion-where being outside seemed safer than staying
inside-he hoped that these strolls around town led by a group of people who could offer
innovative ways of thinking about the city might function as a public good. They would provide
distraction consolation and joy not only for himself but for his readers. This series
which began with a walk down 42nd Street amidst the darkened theaters of Broadway quickly took
on much larger meaning at a moment when the news and social media were conjecturing about the
death of cities. The walks and the accompanying interviews between Michael and his guides
together became not only a testament to the city but a declaration of New York City's
resiliency. Interspersed with over one hundred stunning photographs all taken while the city
was shut down The Walks bears witness to the city's unyielding beauty and inspiration even in
the midst of great trauma. Each route is thoughtfully conveyed for the native New Yorker and
visitor alike guided not only by avenues but the windowed facades of skyscrapers cornices of
townhomes and the public art to be found throughout the city. Honoring the Mannahattan of the
past when rivers flora and fauna covered the island and through the engineering
breakthroughs design trends economic booms and busts waves of immigration and the
weathering of time here is both a thoughtful and kaleidoscopic portrait of New York City
itself and a promise-to the millions who call it home-that it will endure"--
