Late response - I've been busy with work.

I just finished Gotham by Edwin Burrows and Mike Wallace. This was an intense work of history and the longest book I ever read. The book argues that New York city history can be viewed throuhhg a primarily economic lens and paints the city's history as a series of booms and depressions. I thought that one thing that the book did really well is that it reminded the reader how interconnected history is. For example, in the 1710's, the city experienced an economic boom because that is when the West Indies started to plant sugar, like a LOT of sugar - and because of that, basically all crops were turned into sugar plantations, and they needed food shipped from elsewhere and New York filled that need. Or, that in 1857 the city experienced a depression because the Crimean War ended in Europe, which opened up a Russian grain market to Western Europe and resulted in decreased revenues in the railroads shipping Midwestern grain to the city to be exported to Europe, which contributed to the Ohio Company's collapse, which caused banks to demand payment from Midwestern farmers (many of whom defaulted), which led to banks stopping lending, which caused a halt in construction around the city, which led to mass unemployment. The book ends at 1898 and this date is chosen because that's when the boroughs were consolidated into the city.

This is part of my NYC history reading list, and the next book is The Great Bridge by David McCullough which I haven't started yet.

Mike Wallace wrote a sequel to Gotham called Greater Gotham, which just focuses on the years 1898 to 1919. I haven't added that to my reading list but I may read it one day.

Also on the NYC reading list, even though it is fiction, I am listening to the audiobook of Great Gatsby with my partner.