Tom's review
Up in the Old Hotel
by Joseph Mitchell
Tom's review
Up in the Old Hotel by Joseph Mitchell
Tom's review
rating:
recommended for: everyone
Joseph Mitchell's articles from the New Yorker illuminate life in the city during the early part of the twentieth century: Long Island oyster fields, Gypsies, grimy-ass Bowery flophouses, and the recently closed Fulton Fish Market. These long essays basically defined the form of the New Yorker profile. Start with "Mohawks in High Steel" and then the lead story "McSorley's Wonderful Saloon." My personal favorite is the essay of "beefsteaks", which is mouthwatering juxtaposition of urban fiefdoms and ridiculous mores.
