The city of New York represents a number of different things to Vivian. Its atmosphere is lively and energetic, which is the opposite of the stultifying home environment she endured during her early years. Vivian’s banishment to the big city sets her free. No one in the city judges her harshly for her attitudes or her actions. She can slip around the city at night without her movements being reported back to her parents by small-town gossips. Of course, this heady sense of freedom results in a near catastrophe when a big city gossip columnist learns about one of her escapades.

Vivian holds a special place in her heart for the city as it was in 1940. It represents the pinnacle of the glamour and excitement available to her during her first year there. Over time, the city itself changes as does Vivian’s relationship to it. During the war years, she calls it coarse. In the post-war building boom, it becomes hungry to devour old neighborhoods like the one where the Lily Theater stood.

After Vivian’s banishment and subsequent return, she begins to explore the city on bicycle, learning its various neighborhoods by heart. Vivian’s relationship with Frank is closely tied to the city itself.