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Born Joan Alexandra Molinsky to Russian immigrants in Brooklyn in 1933, Rivers - a stage name later taken from her first agent, Tony Rivers - always returned to her east coast roots, even after her career brought her to Hollywood.
Vulture's Jennifer Vineyard spoke to Rivers last year and earlier this year "about her childhood in, and favorite parts of, New York."
We pulled our favorite bit from "Joan Rivers' Sweet Ode To New York City" below:
New York has so many opportunities. You want to be an artist, it's there. You want to go into publishing, it's there. You want to do fashion, it's there. New York gives a child choices; it's not a one-horse town. It's not like Houston: You go into oil, or you don't go into anything. Life is an adventure, and New York is the place to have it. I tape Fashion Police in Los Angeles, and I'm on the red eye home Friday nights because I want the weekend in New York.
This is my ideal day. Saturday morning: I love to get up to go to a museum. I always take a taxi, and only open the door into the bike lane. Because I love to see how many Citi Bike riders I can pick off. I love to spend mornings at MoMA, where I eat M&Ms and I sneeze on Jackson Pollocks, just to see who can tell. I try to get to a Mets game if they're in town, because they have a great ticket plan: If you buy one, you get one free; if you buy two, they let you pitch.
There's nothing like Broadway at night, and I try to go to Mamma Mia! if possible, because I like to watch 15,000 Japanese tourists in the audience trying to sing "Waterloo." If you don't go to Broadway, you're a fool. On Broadway, off Broadway, above Broadway, below Broadway, go! Don't tell me there isn't something wonderful playing. If I'm home in New York at night, I'm either at a Broadway or an Off Broadway show. We're in the theater capital of the world, and if you don't get it, you're an idiot.
Joan concluded the essay with, "I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm never bored in this city."
Read her full ode to NYC on Vulture >
Joan was an active resident of New York until the day she died at Mount Sinai Hospital.
She participated in charity walks in Central Park: Peter Kramer/Getty Images
She frequented Broadway shows and attended the opening of "Kinky Boots" in 2013. Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for Kinky Liqueur Andy Kropa/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week
And always hit the streets with her E! "Fashion Police" microphone. Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Wee
New York City will miss Joan Rivers. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images