Morrell's Soul of New York ricochets between the best of what's au courant and the hole-in-the-wall spots that have withstood the test of time. Combining high and low, posh and humble, raucous and peaceful, Soul of New York is a love letter to a city that was pummeled by Covid, but pushes on, as ever. Morrell's discerning taste as a food writer steers readers toward the city's finest dim sum as well as its delicacies and she's constructed her book as much around people watching and the pageantry of pounding the pavement from one place to the next as about the destinations themselves. Peppered with interviews with and recommendations from other interesting New Yorkers, and with sleek photographs by Liz Barclay, whose work has appeared in the New York Times, with lush original watercolor illustrations by artist Abbie Zuidema, the book is compact yet chock full of places that visitors should prioritize and locals should be reminded to seek out and support.

By Tarajia Morrell - Photographs by Liz Barclay - Illustrated by Abbie Zuidema