New York is a city of secular churches—and for three months the pews have been empty.
Yes, the city is home to famous sanctuaries like Riverside Church, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and Église St-Jean-Baptiste. But more than any other city in the world, New York is known for its thousands of theaters, museums, galleries, studios, concert halls, bars, and hole-in-the-wall performance spaces that create a cultural mecca for both artists and patrons alike.
Sure, Paris has the Louvre. London has the West End. Sydney boasts a world-famous concert hall, and Rio de Janeiro has the Theatro Municipal.
But New York—New York has everything. It’s got Carnegie Hall, and miles of subway platforms where buskers cut their teeth while harboring visions of grander stages. It’s