Is New York City becoming a massive, overpriced suburb-a sanitized urban Disneyland for tourists and the wealthy elite? Short answer: yes. At least that's the overwhelming impression one gets from the 14 essays collected here. Fortunately, the writers are interested in exploring the historical and political forces behind this transformation and not just complaining about how many Starbucks there are in the East Village (three, if you're wondering). Still, it's hard not to feel nostalgic for the gritty 1980s downtown Manhattan that Maggie Wrigley recalls in her introductory essay: "all color and personality, unpredictability, and yes, some peril." And now? "You cannot legally smoke in a bar."