Big City

A weekly column devoted to life, culture, politics and policy in New York City. More

Ginia Bellafante has served as a reporter, critic and, since 2011, as the paper's Big City columnist. She began her career at the Times as a fashion critic, examining the way that clothes and the art of making them reflected broader societal trends.

For several years, before she joined the Metropolitan section, she was a television critic. Her work has appeared throughout the paper, including on A1 where, a decade ago, she wrote about how gay parents divide domestic labor; she has also written for the culture and styles pages as well as the magazine and the book review. Prior to joining The Times, Ms. Bellafante was a senior writer at Time magazine.

She is a native of Long Island and currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband, a professor at Brown University, and her son.

The Liberal New Yorkers Who Say They’re Tuning Out the News
In the wake of the election, some New York City news addicts are quitting cold turkey. Can they really keep it up?
By Ginia Bellafante
How a Democrat Turned Back the Trump Tide on Long Island
Laura Gillen was elected to Congress in Nassau County, where Democrats are grappling with a new political reality.
By Ginia Bellafante
A Silver Lining for New York Democrats
Proposition 1, meant to expand equal rights and codify the protections of Roe v. Wade in the State Constitution, passed easily despite a Republican campaign against trans rights.
By Ginia Bellafante
Trump Bashes Arab Americans. Here’s Why Some Like Him Anyway.
In a diverse enclave on Staten Island, some business owners say former President Donald J. Trump’s racist rhetoric and anti-Muslim policies are troubling but not disqualifying.
By Ginia Bellafante
Top Law Firms Shrink From the Heat of the Mideast Conflict
When a Columbia professor needed a lawyer because of her comments about the actions of former Israeli soldiers on campus, tensions over the Israel-Hamas war got in the way.
By Ginia Bellafante
Left Out of Trump’s New York Myth: A Reliance on Big Tax Breaks
In the new biopic “The Apprentice,” much is made of Trump’s tutelage under the venal fixer Roy Cohn. But the film shrewdly locates the secret of his success: tax abatements.
By Ginia Bellafante
The Life-or-Death Consequences of Killing Congestion Pricing
Increased 911 call volume in New York and the city’s unwieldy traffic have led to slower response times for ambulances on their way to save lives.
By Ginia Bellafante
Why Eric Adams Is Nothing Like David Dinkins
Facing a raft of corruption charges, New York’s second Black mayor is flattering himself by invoking the fate of its first.
By Ginia Bellafante
What Eric Adams and Donald Trump Have in Common
The mayor and the former president may have some different political beliefs, but their personality and style — and now perhaps their legal paths — are aligned.
By Ginia Bellafante
The Migrant Crisis Did Not ‘Destroy’ New York. But Challenges Remain.
It’s been a year since Mayor Eric Adams made his ominous prediction. City officials should treat the arrival of migrants as an opportunity rather than a catastrophe, advocates say.
By Ginia Bellafante