The Gilded Age Lives on in Manhattan’s Mansions

New York's Historic Dream Homes Reflect Changing Tastes and Economic Shifts

Sixty-six floors above Midtown Manhattan, Donald J. Trump lives in a fantasy world copied from the French royalty of the 18th century. His residence, an enormous three-story penthouse that has been valued at more than $100 million, embodies his tastes and expresses his understanding of himself. With floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto parts of his real estate and licensing empire, the penthouse was apparently inspired by Louis XIV’s Versailles Palace. According to the numerous articles that Trump’s publicists have arranged to be written about it and placed in design …

By Clifton Hood | March 14, 2017

Alki the Town of Dreams

By EJ Koh | September 9, 2016

Facing east towards water, a dozen porch benches
overlook an isle of skyscrapers; but nearer, a strip

of gray beach sand, a pier house selling hairy muscles
each second, then …

The Secret Is Out, South L.A. Is One of the City’s Hottest Housing Markets

When You Get the Keys to Your Home, You’re Getting Soul, Affordability, and Some Headaches Too

By Heather Presha | July 7, 2016

Buying real estate in South L.A. is not as easy now as it used to be. The market is packed with buyers eager to get in on one of the …

South L.A. Is a Story of Both Segregation and Desegregation

Homeownership in the Area Has Been Gaining Since the 1990s, Even as Prosperous Residents Move Out

By Eugene Turner and James P. Allen | July 7, 2016

The first big change in South Los Angeles over the last half-century has been the shift of concentrated black communities westward into newer and better housing. The second big change …

Life in Iran Is a Wistful Elegy for the Past

On a Trip Back to My Father’s Homeland, I Found a Country Made Generous by Its Sorrow

By Cameron Zeyd Lange | March 29, 2016

It was late April, and the snow had only just melted in Meygoon, a mountain town north of Tehran.

I had arrived in Iran the night before and was staying …

Tater Tot Hotdish, Minnesota Soul Food

My Home State’s Favorite No-Fuss Meal Is a Tribute to Its No-Nonsense Spirit

By Lori Ostlund | February 29, 2016

I am a Minnesota writer. I realized this only after my first book was published in 2009. One reader called it “a crash course in being Minnesotan.” Reviewers noted that …

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