Since E.B. White’s Here is New York was written in 1948, the city “that seldom seems dead or unresourceful” (White 25) has inevitably undergone change.
White discusses how “no matter where you live in New York, you will find within a block or two a grocery store, a barbershop…a shoeshine shack, [and] an ice-coal-and-wood cellar” (White 35). If this were written today, I think the author would include different types of locations, such as the many coffee shops and convenience stores, like Starbucks or Duane Reades, that line the streets today.
I am particularly intrigued by White’s description of the different people who make up New York City. His description of the commuters as keeping the city restless, the natives as providing the city with continuity, and those seeking NYC as an end goal as contributing passion and energy, seem to accurately describe the people of New York today. I would, however, suggest that commuters today spend more time in the city than in previous years as modern transportation makes it more convenient for those living in the suburbs to reach the city quicker and stay here longer.
White also describes New Yorkers as spending the majority of their time in smaller, separated neighborhoods within the city. Although this remains true, I think people today travel a great deal throughout the boroughs for both work and leisure.
White’s discussion of race is also rather outdated. Although race remains an issue in some components of the city, White’s discussion of unequal treatment in hotels and restaurants does not seem as relevant today as it was in 1948. White celebrated the advancement of racial equality in the subways, for example, something that also does not seem as relevant today.
If this book were written in 2014, it would perhaps mention the increase in prices, such as the subway fare that was once 10 cents, as well as the increase in the city’s population. It might also mention accommodations, such as more subway lines, that are continuously made to address this growing population.  Although the irritability and tension of the increasingly crowded city continue to impact New York, perhaps the aforementioned accommodations work to lessen this issue today.  I also think today’s version of this book would discuss the increased police surveillance and security following such violent events as 9/11.
Although several changes have inevitably impacted the city since 1948, some characteristics White discusses remain relevant today with only minor needed adjustments.