"New Yorkistan" is the title of the cover art for the December 10, 2001 edition of The New Yorker magazine. It was created by Maira Kalman and Rick Meyerowitz who did the actual painting, and is (according to the American Society of Magazine Editors) #14 on the list of the top 40 magazine covers of the past 40 years. It depicts the boroughs of New York City, as well as individual neighborhoods within the city, giving each a humorous name (a "funny mixture of Yiddish, Persian, and New Yorkisms") based on the history or geography of that area of the city, while playfully using names or suffixes common in the Middle East and Central Asia, such as "istan". Thus the title, "New Yorkistan".
The cover gained unexpectedly popularity, with the New Yorker making approximately $400,000 by February 2002 by selling copies of the picture as signed lithographs (all 750 copies of which sold out within 4 days) and unsigned posters.
According to Kalman, the inspiration for the cover arose in a car on the way to a party. She and Meyerowitz were talking about tribalism. At one point she came up with the idea of "Bronxistan", to which Meyerowitz replied "You know, we've got a map here." Originally, the picture was to be run on the back page of the magazine, but editors liked it so much that it was decided to make it the cover picture.
Jarratt describes the cover as "lampooning both New Yorkers' city-bound geographic consciousness and a nationwide ignorance of the geography of Central Asia". Jarratt notes that it was one of the first "humorous interventions" since the events of September 11, 2001. Urschel notes that this timing of the cover's publication was fortunate. Kalman herself commented on the timing, saying that "if [the cover had come] out earlier, many would have been infuriated, and if it [had come] out later, no one would have cared."
The places depicted, with their explanations (according to the artists or to commentators), are as follows:
Al Quarantine Rikers Island, New York's largest jail.
Al Zheimers Alzheimer's diseaseArtsifarsis Situated in the theater district, this is a play on the term "artsy-fartsy", as well as a reference to the Persian language, which is the official language of Iran.
BadBadassinBlahniks The
Upper East Side where "everyone can afford
Manolo Blahnik shoes"
Botoxia Botox
Bronxistan The BronxBulimikhs Bulimics
Central Parkistan This is
Central Park in Manhattan.
Chadorstore Jersey City, home of a Muslim community where women wear a
chador. Also a pun on The Door Store, a well-known New York furniture store.
Cold TurkeystanE-Z Pashtuns E-ZPass, an electronic toll collection system, based in New Jersey.
Extra StanFashtoonks From a Yiddish adjective meaning "stinking, smelly" describing the sometime aromas of the New Jersey industrial wastelands just beyond the Palisades along the
Hudson River.
Fattushis There is a popular Middle Eastern Restaurant in that part of
Brooklyn called Fattoosh
Feh and Ptooey Yiddish expressions of negativity ("feh!", "ptooey!") for a part of
The Bronx that is considered dangerous.
Flatbushtuns Flatbush, Brooklyn
Fuhgeddabouditstan This is in Brooklyn, where this place name sounds like the local pronunciation of the popular local expression "Forget about it."
GadzhooksGaymenistan The neighborhood of
Chelsea, currently a very "
gay" part of Manhattan.
Gribinez The Hudson River. "gribenes" (conventional Yiddish-English transliteration) is an Eastern European Jewish delicacy, "cracklings from rendered chicken fat"
Halibutz HalibutHarry Van Arsdale, Jr., Blvd. This is the actual name of the road depicted and is the only real name on the map. According to Meyerowitz, the reason is simply that the name is
inherently funny: "The name never failed to make me laugh when I approached it."
Hiphopabad Hip hop with -bad nameplace ending. This overlaps roughly with Bedford-Stuyvesant, the most heavily African-American neighborhood in Brooklyn.
Irant and Irate A reference to ranting and being irate, as well as to Iran and Iraq.
Khaffeine ... (Also note the jagged lines marking the territory, a reference to the effects of caffeine.)
(Conn.) Khakis Southwestern
Connecticut, a wealthy area that could be considered a stronghold of WASP culture and the article of clothing often associated with them.
Khandibar A pun on
candy bar and
Kandahar.
Khantstandit "Can't stand it"
Kharkeez This is in southern
Connecticut, with the translation being "car keys", a reference to the many NY workers who commute to the city from Connecticut.
KhkhzksKhlintunisia This is in
Harlem, the "Khlintun" part being a reference to President
Clinton's office location in Harlem. Also, "Tunisia" is a primarily Islamic/Arab country in northern Africa.
KhouksKhurz Curs and
KurdsKvetchnya A pun on
Chechnya and "kvetch".
Le Frakhis LeFrak City, a housing complex in
QueensLesbikhsLiberaci Presumably referring to Morningside Heights, neighborhood of
Columbia University, a primarily "liberal" institution.
Lowrentistan The former location of the World Trade Center.
Lubavistan Named after the Lubavitch branch of
Hasidic Jews, most of whom live in Brooklyn.
Moolahs Wall Street and the financial district of Manhattan. "moolah" is a common slang term for money.
Mooshuhadeen Combination of 'mujahideen' and '
moo-shu', referring respectively to the Arabic term for those involved in a struggle ("
jihad") and to
Chinatown and 'moo-shu' dishes in
Chinese-American cuisine.
MuzaksMutterersNotsobad The one area of The Bronx that is not considered dangerous to go to.
NudniksOuter PerturbiaPashmina A pashmina is a
Kashmiri shawl often made of
cashmere. This is in an affluent area of the city, where women can afford cashmere and may be drawn to the stylish use of pashminas.
PerturbiaPsychobabylon PsychobabbleSchmattahadeen shmatta is Yiddish for "rag", also jocular for clothing in the fashion industry.
Shatoosh Shatoosh is a type of fine
Kashmiri shawl made of antelope down hairs. It is located in the center of an affluent are of the city, where women can afford such a luxurious shawl.
SnitSoporifiksSpitStan This is
Staten Island. It's just plain "Stan" because of its nondescript nature.
Taxistan This is the location of
LaGuardia Airport in Queens, with its large contingent of taxis waiting for arriving passengers.
The Potatoes These islands (2 are North Brother Island and South Brother Island) are shaped much like potatoes, at least in the drawing.
Trumpistan an "area of future development", presumably by New York developer and
Apprentice star
Donald Trump.
Turban Sprawl urban sprawlUnmitigated GaulsUpper Kvetchnya Kvetch is Yiddish for "complain".
VeryverybadWretched KurzYhanks This is the
South Bronx, home of the
New York Yankees and
Yankee Stadium.
Youdontunderstandistan
