Behind the Times
Observations on a new trend.
Magazine: Magazine
American Dive Bars
The dive bar is to the United States what the pub is to England.
In Praise of Free Refills
In the real-life dimensions of diners and fast-food places and hunger and thirst, America is a spectacularly generous place.
The Summer Ice-Cream Stand
The Italians have gelato; Americans, at least in the corner of New England where I grew up, have the summer ice-cream stand.
American Desserts
You can learn more about America by eating some of our unique creations than you can in a year of history class.
Why I Love Superhero Movies
Superhero movies are the McDonald’s of American arts, and everyone loves McDonald’s.
Envy and American Art
Our identity as citizens, as Americans, draws from notions of freedom the way a tree draws water.
The American Middle Class
Elites may mock the middle class in its culture and tastes, but usually the middle class has had the last laugh.
Everyday Americans: Unknown Unknowns
As I’ve aged, I’ve come to think that landscape is less an emblem of America than are its admirable and unsung people.
America’s Abandoned Places
Americans, nervous, aspiring, and perpetually in a hurry, have no patience with antiquity.