The 10 best New York City moments of 2013

1. The cronut debuts

Will there ever be a more extreme example of New York City’s obsession with food? When real-life Willy Wonka Dominique Ansel unveiled his croissant/donut mashup at his Soho bakery this summer, it became an instant sensation, inspiring three-hour-long lines and daily sellouts. Impostors popped up across the city, country and world, as new interpretations — from the crumbnut to the s’monut — exploded. Only time will tell where New Yorkers’ culinary fascination will land next.

2. Dante de Blasio’s afro shines

The new first family of New York is a dramatic shift from the buttoned-up Bloomberg era, with Bill de Blasio’s son, Dante — and his giant afro — becoming stars in their own right.

But nothing summed up the family’s fresh new style better than election night, when Bill, his wife and two kids took the stage to perform their signature dance move, “The Smackdown,” a synchronized slap to the floor that screamed “Victory!” Imagine Bloomberg doing that.

3. Anthony Weiner is Carlos Danger

It’s possible that erstwhile mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner is not a real person but actually a robot created in a dream laboratory by the city’s tabloid editors.

Just when we thought Weiner was out of our lives, he reinserted himself in a big way, jumping into the mayoral race (and actually holding a lead in the polls for a short period). That was, of course, before we learned about “Carlos Danger,” a screen name he used for online sex chats.

The story had all the makings of a true New York City scandal: a loud-mouthed kid from Brooklyn who didn’t know when to shut up, a gorgeous and wronged wife, a contentious mayoral primary and strange, perverse sex stories.

4. Edie Windsor celebrates gay marriage victories

This summer, with the whole country watching, the US Supreme Court struck down both the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage, in a huge victory for gay rights advocates across the country. New Yorker Edie Windsor was the plaintiff in the DOMA case, and there was only one place she wanted to be: “I wanna go to Stonewall right now!” she said after the verdict came down, referring to the Greenwich Village bar where the gay rights movement began. When she got there, hundreds of supporters cheered her on during a party that lasted all night, as the verdict serendipitously coincided with the start of NYC Pride Week.

5. Coney Island’s Astrotower comes down

Coney’s Astrotower — one of the few remaining symbols of the amusement area’s heyday — was finally torn down this July due to safety concerns. It was a symbolic moment not just for Coney Island itself, which has struggled to find its new identity in the wake of rezoning and new development, but also for the area’s post-Sandy recovery. While most of Coney Island got back up and running after the storm in time for the summer, the Astrotower incident happened over the Fourth of July, forcing many businesses (including the Cyclone) to remain closed over the lucrative holiday week and missing out on crucial post-Sandy revenue.

6. These savvy entrepreneurs started charging for Banksy

British street artist Banksy embarked on a residency in New York City this fall, with a new piece of art popping up each day somewhere in the five boroughs. But when he hit East New York, neighborhood residents didn’t just let art tourists pass through their streets: They covered it in cardboard and charged people $20 a pop to see the piece, a stenciled beaver. It’s that only-in-New-York hustle at it again.

7. New York outreaches Chicago

The new World Trade Center building was officially named the tallest building in America in November, edging out (barely) Chicago’s Willis Tower. While the competition led to some good-natured digs from Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who ridiculed the Trade Center’s vertiginous spire, the best shockwave from the news was “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart’s rant against Chicago-style pizza, which definitely settled the issue of why New York’s slices are superior. Chicago pizza, Stewart says, is “tomato soup in a bread bowl. . . . I don’t know whether to eat it, or throw a coin in it and make a wish.”

8. People waited eight hours for rain

The city’s second-longest line of the year (after the cronut, of course), fans lined up for up to eight hours this summer for a chance to walk through this interactive exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art. Using motion sensors, a room let visitors walked through rain without getting wet. The huge popularity of the limited-time exhibit reminded us that culinary creations aren’t the only thing New Yorkers are willing to spend their whole day in line to see.

9. Citi Bike is a hit

Despite concerns that accompanied the rollout of Citi Bike, the city’s first bike-share program, it has proved to be hugely popular (even Leonardo DiCaprio and Louis C.K. were spotted on them), with 5.5 million trips taken since the debut in May.

And without the feared increase in major accidents or injuries resulting from hundreds of new cyclists on the streets, it looks like the bikes are here to stay.

10. 5 Pointz gets whitewashed

The graffiti mecca in Queens faced a fate worse than demolition this fall: While the building was slated to come down to make way for condos, the owners whitewashed the exterior overnight in November, covering up the colorful walls of the 20-year-old complex. The move was a heartbreaker for fans of graffiti art, who had still hoped to save 5 Pointz. Many considered it a sign of what’s to come in New York City, as its grittier past gets torn down in favor of glitzier condos.