This hasn’t been the easiest, or the most easygoing year. The news—natural disasters, corruption, lies, stupidity!—has put us all on a constant involuntary anxiety drip. But every day, something good happened. New York Magazine’s December 11-24, 2017 issue cover story compiles 344 reasons to love this city, one a day, all year long.
In conceptualizing the cover, New York Magazine photography editor Roxanne Behr says the idea was to highlight three beloved New York couples that exemplify three reasons to love New York in a moment when we’re all looking for joy. “Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa’s long relationship brings people joy. They’ve also rarely been photographed together.” In deciding who the other couples would be, Behr says she and the photo department thought about unconventional couples. “Isabella Boylston and David Hallberg are dance partners. He recently came back from a career-threatening injury and will dance alongside Isabella as the Romeo to her Juliet at the American Ballet Theater. We thought Colin Jost and Leslie Jones would be the perfect next beat in the series, as they’re such a great comedic duo.”