Gone to New York: Adventures in the City

by Ian Frazier, Jamaica Kincaid (Foreword)

Welcome to Ian Frazier's New York, where every block is an event, and where the denizens are larger than life. Meet landlord extraordinaire Zvi Hugo Segal, and the man who scaled the World Trade Center. Learn the location of Manhattan's antipodes, and meander the length of Route 3 to New Jersey. Like his literary forebears Joseph Mitchell and A. J. Liebling, Frazier makes us fall in love with America's greatest city all over again.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Travel, New York, History, Memoir, Short Stories

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Ian Frazier (b.1951) is an American writer and humorist. He is the author of Travels in Siberia, Great Plains, On the Rez, Lamentations of the Father and Coyote V. Acme, among other works, all published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. He graduated from Harvard University. A frequent contributor to The New Yorker, he lives in Montclair, New Jersey.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/ianfra...

Reviews

[Left Coast Justin]

Frazier is capable of transcendent writing. I will not soon forget his chilling portrait of a man described in his book On the Rez; a man who decided to open a liquor store within fifteen feet of the border of a Native American reservation that had banned the sale of alcohol within tribal lands due to high rates of alcoholism and related violence. A man who 'looked like Santa Claus with security cameras for eyes'. "If the devil exists," concluded Frazier, "he is probably sober."

On a similar note, I'm glad he included a description of Laser Malt Liquor, which has "Beam me up" imprinted on the label.

In this book, I appreciated his description of the Holland Tunnel (named for Clifford Holland, its chief engineer and a highly dedicated and competent man) and the problems faced, and overcome, during its construction. His tours of Brooklyn and Queens had some fun parts. Maybe I'm too demanding, but I believe a prerequisite to writing a fulfilling book about NYC is that you love the place. Frazier tolerates it and mines it for a few interesting stories, but unlike many transplants from the Midwest, he never really becomes a New Yorker. These essays come off as flat and lifeless compared to those of E.B. White or David Rakoff, to name just a couple.

There are not one but three separate essays in this slender volume describing his efforts to pull down plastic bags entangled in tree limbs. Apologies in advance to anybody who enjoyed these essays, but: Who cares? I am reminded of the (unbearably pretentious and overpraised) film American Beauty, in which we are instructed to believe that a film of a plastic bag blowing around in the eddying wind of an alley is High Art. (At the risk of sounding pretentious, there is more art in the preceding sentence than in two hours of that godawful movie.) His take on the World Trade Center attacks was, to me, unmoving.

To be fair, most of these essays were written quite a long time ago, and many of his descriptions of things that seemed impossibly exotic at the time have lost their shine at a time when you can sit down at a Pho restaurant in Yadkinville, North Carolina or eat credible Uigher food in Goodman, Mississippi. But this book is really for either Ian Frazier or New York essay completists.

[Martin]

I'm doubting that this book is really about New York. I've read a few books about cities...city memoirs, I suppose, and I usually walk away with the feeling that I know the city a little bit. This book seemed much more about its author than the city. Mayber its unfair since I've been to New York twice and I alrteady have my own opinions, but I just didn't feel like the author ushered me in...at all. This book could have just as easily been about any other city, and sure, it might not have had the same richness...but the vast majority of the content would still be in place....this is a failure of the book in my estimation, but I realize I haven't bothered to make much of an arguement as to why.

[Lindsay]

This was a very interesting read for me...I think anyone could enjoy it, but I also feel that the only people who can truly appreciate Frazier's NYC experiences are those who are very familiar with the city and probably have lived there...someone without enough knowledge of NYC most likely wouldn't pick up on a lot of the quirks and intricacies that he makes so very colorful. Having said that, if you have any NYC experience or live/have lived there, this is a must read! It's really well written and was definitely hard for me to put down anytime I had to.

[Michael]

Random thoughts, descriptions, observations and few pieces of history about a city; what could be a better read each morning on the bus en route to work.
Bags in trees. The obsession with bag removal was something I could relate to. The authors’ descriptions of his observations were so crystal clear in my head, especially his description of an early morning walk under the El. Antipodes and typewriter man were my two favorites. Something about typewriter man made me want to run out pick up an older typewriter that I could set out and use for those moments when the printer on the computer is way too cumbersome. For instance, printing an address on an envelope. If nothing else, the typewriter cannot be beaten when it comes to addressing one or two envelopes. And the appeal of imperfectly aligned type stimulates the senses. Each typewriter is a manufactured machine one is like the other, yet each has unique characteristics that give it individuality separating itself from the others.
Canal Street was also interesting. I was fascinated with the short history lesson of the construction of the Holland tunnel. My interest is probably a combination of it being an architectural engineering feat similar to that of the grand bridges. And the designer was another who spent his life contributing to the built environment only to end up in a sanitarium in Michigan. Not sure which is my true felt connection, that he died in Michigan or that he worked himself crazy slowly destroying his bodies’ ability to keep going. He loved his work. Tangent, do you know what a Sandhog is?

[Stephen]

I picked this up after an event at which Ian "Sandy" Frazier read. At the event, he had me laughing so hard that tears were rolling down my face. So, imagine my surprise when I began reading this collection of essays and found a more serious tone. And imagine my further surprise, when I discovered this different voice of Frazier's was infinitely more poignant.

The book contains essays about New York City, and they are marvelous. I told a friend of mine, who used to live in the City that she should read the book, and her response was "Does it talk about how crappy the City is?" (She didn't enjoy her stay here, by the way.) Well, the answer to that is no. But an equally fair question (and one that receives the same answer as the first question is "Does it talk about how great the City is?"

The essays are filled not with great praise or harsh criticisms, they are simply written, with honest admissions and fascinating observations. I assume that one could argue Frazier's lauding the City simply by compiling a collection of essays about it, but I don't think that would be fair. He doesn't clean things up to make the City any better or worse than it is, he simply does his best to call a spade a spade.

And, in large part, I feel like what his observations point out illuminate much of what I feel about the City. There's a balance to this place, more than I think I've noticed in any other place I've lived. There are things about New York that are truly amazing and you feel almost humbled by being in a place that offers such a wide range of experiences. Equally true, though, is that there is much to dislike about the City. It's far from perfect. And the resounding sentiment of those who live here (and plan to keep living here) is that the balance is well in favor of the good things. (Perhaps they are the 70%/30% people.) Those who live (like my friend) are more like 30%/70% people. It's a matter of taste.

Frazier actually does a great job of showing this, laying the City bare for those who want to see.

[Rebecca]

A quick little read. I think I finished this book in one day. I would hate to buy a book like this, as it’s just a collection of previously published magazine articles. But from the library, sure, why not! They are little stories over like 30 yrs from someone who moved to NYC from the Midwest and just their stuff. Stuff like this can be lame most of the time, but since this was a quick, easy, PAINLESS read, I’ll accept it. The writer lived in different parts of the city (including by the end when he had a family, JERSEY! EW!) which I liked a lot and I think says a lot about a persons lifestyle and the time of their life. Lower east side in some dingy walk up above immigrant stores when they first move. Park slope in bklyn when they have grown up a little and have more money. And of course, the inevitable move to Jersey with your family.

Grade: C

[Peter]

What is it about Fraser's writing that makes me want to learn more about whatever subject he is writing about? I have the same reaction when reading John McPhee. This book made me want to learn more about the Holland Tunnel, and just about any other subject he wrote about. A lot of other writers would put me to sleep if I read an essay about the Holland tunnel, but not Ian Fraser.

I do think that the title is a bit deceptive. The book is not so much "about" New York itself, as it is how the city has changed him over the years. So don't expect to get a collection of travel essays or a good guide to the city from this book. It's a very personal journey about how a place can change a person.

[Allan]

As someone interested in any reportage to do with NYC, this book would have to have been pretty bad for me not to enjoy it. I'd already read extracts from it in Heather Reyes' 'City Picks' book on the city, so knew to some extent what to expect, and I more or less got this, in a number of articles written for newspapers and magazines about Frazier's life in and around the city. The quirkier articles included several about plastic bags caught in the trees around the city, but these were offset by some excellent articles about the likes of life on Canal Street, experiences in Brooklyn and the making of the Holland Tunnel.

Not the first book I'd recommend if wanting to read about the city, but a perfectly enjoyable one for those with an interest in life there.

[Canice]

My response to each in this collection fell into one of three buckets for me: "Eh, I don't care"; "Hmm, interesting"; and "Gem". Sadly, only a small handful fell into the last bucket -- but those that are gems are real gems. My biggest disappointment in the book is how little the book felt to me like it was about NYC.

I hate how disrespectful this sounds, but the book was right for its place in my literary life: I saw it on a cart of used books outside a bookstore near my office. At lunchtime, when I'd just finished my current book and couldn't bear the idea of a bookless bus ride home.

[David]

I took this book from the shelf at the store because I liked the color. I flipped through the first few pages, and I was caught. I'm not sure why it so appeals to me. Maybe it's because Frazier's observations seem to capture elements of the city so well; maybe it's just because I like his writing style. Either way, I only put the book down last night because dinner called. It took too little time to finish reading today.

[Scott]

I read this because I read his Lamentations of the Father in a humor collection and liked it very much. This book was fun to read before a trip to New York - I wandered streets that he mentioned and experienced them today compared to his notes years ago. Ian's sense of humor and his experiences were very interesting. I'm reading Acme vs Coyote next...

[Colleen]

I have enjoyed the musings of Ian Frazier over the years in the New Yorker and now Outside magazine. So I was surprised when at times I lost interest in this collection. However it does offer a few gems.

[Carl]

Uneven overall, but there are enough gems that it's worth checking out. My personal favorite is the one about Rt. 3 in New Jersey (and not only for the imagery of a New Yorker writer fighting his way through the wild vegetation alongside a busy New Jersey highway).

[Theo]

I loved this book. Ian Frazier tells insightful and wonderful stories about his life and observation in and around New York City. He gives great insight into the local history and his quirky adventures from his past and into present day.

[William]

An uneven collection of essays that nonetheless becomes an engaging portrait of the New York city area as drawn by a transplanted small-town boy.

[Luna]

Well written and you can tell he cares about the places he talks about, but for some reason it didn’t do it for me

[Jim]

Source Hoopla Ebook. a good description of his living in an apartment above an army navy surplus store and what his street and people on it was like circa 1975.

I like the books variety. An essay on his friend who climbed the world trade center and discussed his feelings. Collection of comments from the guest book of the Brooklyn Art Museum exhibit of Frederic Bazille. Plastic Bags in trees that he has seen on his walks.

[Beth]

A few wonderful essays and many so-so.

[Stop]

Read the STOP SMILING interview with author Ian Frazier

Of No Fixed Accord
By Nathan Kosub

(This interview originally appeared in STOP SMILING The Documentary Issue)

Ian Frazier is a staff writer at the New Yorker, where he began his career over 30 years ago. In April 2005, he revisited the legacies of Baghdad's historical invaders. ?It seems that so much of the foolish and horrible things that people do come from being adrift in the world,? Frazier told me. Against that, a book is ?an efficient way to record something? ? to situate a person or an era. Frazier's non-fiction includes chronicles of family, the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and the Great Plains. He lives in New Jersey, and is currently at work on a book about Siberia.

Stop Smiling: There's an article in your recent collection about walking in New York in a place where a violent crime occurred. Over time, the memorials and the record of what happened there become less and less. Does it seem that that happens all too quickly? That it's forgotten and becomes just a place again? Or is that a necessary reaction?

Ian Frazier: You end up with so much ? the weight of the past is so huge ? that sometimes you want to forget it. America was founded on that ? the idea that, well, we're not going to worry about the stuff that happened before we got here. A lot of the country is a place where, especially out West, you're beginning anew. Nobody cares who you were in Philadelphia. You're in Wyoming now, and whoever you are is who you're going to be. Not who you were before.

There's a parallel phenomenon that I noticed when I was doing the book about my family. The people who know their ancestry usually have children who want to marry somebody who doesn't know his or her ancestry. You get so fed up that you want to marry someone who says, ?Yeah, I know who my grandfather was, but before that, I don't.?

That, I think, is a natural phenomenon that naturally limits the amount of information that you have. If both sides of your family save everything and know everything, as a kid you get that and you're buried under it. Physically. It's such a huge amount of stuff. The amount of stuff that physically I took from my parents' apartment when they died is a lot. If you imagine that piling up over generations, pretty soon someone's going to have a house that's full of nothing but handwritten genealogies.

Read the rest of the interview...

[Gabrielle]

So this non fiction book is pretty good. Mr. Frazier writes in such a style that you can tell he is passionate about something: he is passionate about New York. He believes that city has a story to tell and indeed, he is not wrong.

My personal favorite story is "The Morning After"--about 9/11. It sounds morbid and strange to say that was my favorite title in this volume, but it is the truth. There is an honesty and vulnerability that shares many of the same emotions I felt. But his are more "alive" because he lived there

Now the task begins of writing a 6-11 page paper copying his style. This college assignment should be fun. *note the sarcasm*

[Stephen]

Maybe not the best of Frazier's books -- three or four of the pieces could have been chopped without much loss. But when Frazier's good, he's really good. He'll sort of pan across a streetscape, noting everything that comes into view, then suddenly fix on something almost at random and dive deep into it, dredging up amazing histories and personal stories. He notices ordinary "found" details that everybody else overlooks -- like grafitti carved into library desks, or visitor comments at a museum -- and examines them with an always original eye.

[Chris]

Ian Frazier is one of my favorite writers, and though I didn't think that this was one of his best books, there were a number of essays in the book that I enjoyed very much. The Typewriter Man essay and the "Bags in Trees", series of essays, were amusing and interesting. I also enjoyed the somewhat longer essay about Canal Street. Frazier is one of the funniest writers writing, I believe, and though this book of essays does not contain his most humorous writing, his somewhat more serious writing, such as his essay in this book about his move to New York City, can be quietly moving.

[Susan]

I think I have encountered the drawback to the essay. They have an expiration date.

I would say this gets a mixed review for me. There were some good pieces and one that stood out for me, but for the most part they were flat and fillerish.

I had pickled this up for two reasons: My current fixation with essays and my pending trip to NYC. I thought this might just be the ticket. I think I would have been better of going back and reading Slaves of New York by Tama Janowitz.

I am not going to be running out to find any of Frazier's other books.

[Evanston Public Library]

My daughter and I went to New York City to visit an ailing relative. For the flight I picked up this collection of Big Apple-focused comic nonfiction by Sandy Frazier, the only two-time winner of the James Thurber prize (for humor writing). Frazier is a jester with a great heart, just what I needed for a bittersweet trip. Several essays cheered my 12-year-old companion too. Guaranteed belly laughs, plus something more enduring. (Jeff B., Reader's Services)

[Adrian]

A collection of short pieces by the writer from The New Yorker about the wide variety of place and people found in that city. Topics include the building of the Holland Tunnel, a man who has repaired and refashioned manual typewriters for a living for over fifty years, the author's obsession with plastic bags caught in tree branches and freeing them, and finding the site of the Burr-Hamilton duel in New Jersey. And much more. Really good stuff.

[Brian]

(3.75 stars). Frazier is at his best in the longer pieces, where he serves as a charming tour guide, both urbane and eccentric. The four best essays here share the same building blocks: gentle humor, a flaneur's keen eye, and the dual perspective of someone who is both a New Yorker and yet not a New Yorker. "Canal Street," "Take the F" (Brooklyn), "Someplace in Queens," and "Route 3" (Weekhawken/Seacaucus, NJ) are what anchor the collection.

[Jim]

Although listed as travel by my library, this actually is a collection of mostly personal reflections of his life in New York (as well as NJ and Ohio), that while not overtly humorous is funny in many ways and, I thought, heartwarming. I really enjoyed it. He mixes in a little history and description of community; having never been to New York, I found it fascinating. I have read him in The New Yorker, and am glad I picked up this collection. I think you will too.

[Rebecca]

I loved New York but the same can be said for “Gone to New York”. The facts and figures can’t rescue a boring topic. After the first try I just didn’t want to pick this up on my morning commute for the rest of the week but powered through. I’m giving Ian Frazier’s essays just 1 star.

See more about what I thought on my blog: https://whatrebeccasread.wordpress.co...

[Megan]

An excellent compilations of short essays!

If you haven't read Ian Frazier before you need to start now. I hadn't read him before and I had no idea what I was missing. I now look to the future and all the Frazier ahead to be invested in.

If you have any suggestions for what to read next of his please let me know.

[Noel]

This book was average. The only interesting bits were the chapters written about Brooklyn, but only because the author lived in my neighborhood and I was familiar with what he was talking about. NY is a tough place to write about because of the vast array of experiences to be had here. It's not enough to be able to chronicle the neurosis of the residents.