It is a little sad, yet also somewhat inspiring, and in any event altogether fitting, that New York City is marking its 400th birthday this year and almost no one gives a damn. Last New Year’s Eve the mayor, Eric Adams, promised a year-long celebration, but denizens would be forgiven for not having detected many events so far. “They’re not doing squat,” says Kenneth Jackson, an emeritus professor of history at Columbia University and the editor-in-chief of “The Encyclopedia of New York City”.