Magnetic Rock

"He could see the island of Manhattan off to the left. The towers were jammed together so tightly, he could feel the mass and stupendous weight. Just think of the millions, from all over the globe who yearned to be on that island, in those towers, in those narrow streets! There it was, the Rome, the Paris, the London of the twentieth century, the city of ambition, the dense magnetic rock, he irresistible destination of all those who insist on being where things are happening — and he was among the victors!"
Tom Wolfe, The Bonfire of the Vanities

The Motor of New York

"People are always writing about the energy of New York. What they really mean is the status ambitions of people in New York. That's the motor in this town. That's what makes it exciting -- and it's also what makes it awful many times."
Tom Wolfe, The New York Times' Book of New York: Stories of the People, the Streets, and the Life of the City Past and Present

Seeing People Jump

Metropolitan Life Tower

“The ultimate certification of your status is seeing people jump, and New York is a city set up to see people jump."

Tom Wolfe, quoted in The New York Times' Book of New York

Pandemonium

5 Pointz

"New York was pandemonium with a big grin on."
Tom Wolfe, The New Journalism