City Secrets - The Beginning

In 1999, I was working on a design for a townhouse in Manhattan for the actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who was off to Rome to shoot The Talented Mr. Ripley. Gwyneth  knew I had lived in Rome, so she asked me what to see and do while she was there. 

I had won the Rome Prize a number of years before, and had lived with a remarkable group of people at the American Academy in Rome. The Academy is like a Noah's arc of Arts and Classics--two painters, two architects, two sculptors, two art historians, two archaeologists, two musicians, among others. About thirty of us, all accustomed to being the center of attention, lived together for a year in an incredible villa on the highest hill in Rome--but that's another story.

I thought of all the amazing things I had seen and done in Rome, often due to the access the Academy is afforded, and the knowledge other fellows imparted. So I called them to ask about their favorite little-known places--insider information, so to speak. Their recollections ranged from paintings and buildings, restaurants and shops, to walks and excursions. In the process, it occurred to me that the best way to see a city is through the eyes of those who know it best. And that, it seemed to me, was a good idea for a book.

City Secrets Rome led to other guides, City Secrets Florence & Venice; City Secrets London; and City Secrets New York City. As well as fellows from the Academy I asked other experts, many of them notable, to recommend overlooked or underappreciated places. Then I thought, why not apply the same concept to movies and books and music. So I started the City Secrets Arts & Letters series. City Secrets Movies came out in February and City Secrets Books on October 20th.

In this blog I hope to share the insider information I've collected about cities, movies, books, and music, as well as my personal favorites.

I hope you enjoy the blog, and look forward to your comments.

Robert Kahn