On New York subways in the 1980s: Riding on the IRT is usually a matter of serving time in one of the city's most squalid environments-noisy, smelly, crowded and overrun with a ceaseless supply of graffiti.

Architecture begins to matter when it brings delight and sadness and perplexity and awe along with a roof over our heads.

New York grew up before the automobile. And even though it's full of cars, its shape and form didn't get created around the automobile.

I try to do everything from thinking about big issues like how a building fits into the larger stream of architectural history to practical issues such as how it feels to navigate your way through its interior.

The taste of people with large bank accounts tends not to be on the cutting edge.

A suburban mall turned vertical.

I don't usually go in for reviews of buildings that aren't yet built, since you can tell only so much from drawings and plans, and, besides, has there ever been a building that didn't look great as a model?