High life | 26 October 2017

I hate to say this, but the quality of life in the Bagel has crashed in a Harvey Weinstein-like way. The city has always had a sort of rollercoaster feel, its ups and downs driven by Wall Street and budget cuts, but its present state is the worst I’ve experienced by far.

When I first came to New York, it was the true centre of the world. It was after the war and Europe was in ruins. What glamour there was in the world resided in the city. People dressed to the nines, women wore hats and gloves, and manners were far more important than money. It was a feast for the eyes: Rockefeller Center and the chic crowds that skated on its ice rink; the beautiful women shopping on Fifth Avenue; the black-tied swells emerging from the Stork Club and El Morocco; the preppies and Joe Colleges under the clock at the Biltmore.