Newspapermen of 50 years ago were a restless bunch, moving from city to city in search of fresh stories, better pay and more congenial saloons. Today journalists are less peripatetic, but they still visit almost as many cities as traveling salesmen. This gives them a special feeling for the joys and problems of urban living, a perspective that came in handy when reporting this week's cover story. Correspondent Robert Geline, who has lived in Paris, Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Philadelphia, puts Ed Koch at the top of his list of city wonders. Geline first reported on New York's flamboyant mayor in 1977, and spent a 13-hour day with him for the cover story. Says he: "If you can't afford a Broadway show, go down to city hall and catch an Ed Koch press conference. It's just about the best theater in town."

Photographer Neil Leifer, who joined TIME in 1978 after 17 years at SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, has toted his camera bag to virtually every American city on the map. Staying in his home town for this week's story, Leifer bird-dogged Koch, snapping him at public appearances, getting him out on a tugboat for the cover portrait and even snaring him as he shaved at home. The result was a revealing examination of an American politician in action. Says Leifer: "I always thought that Muhammad Ali was the best subject I'd ever have. But Koch would give him a run for his money any day." The only problem in their extended working relationship came during a sunset photo session atop the RCA Building. "The mayor was very cooperative but obviously nervous," Leifer says. "I had positioned him at the edge of the building overlooking the entire city. It was only later that I found out he was afraid of heights."

Senior Writer Roger Rosenblatt, a native New Yorker, lived in Washington, D.C., for seven years, then moved to Vermont in search of bucolic bliss. A year later he decided to find bliss in a borough --Manhattan, that is. His conclusion:

"Country life is a wonderful thing to think about--especially from the vantage point of 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue." Rosenblatt, who wrote last year's story on the nation's capital, spent time with Mayor Koch on the job and at Gracie Mansion to prepare for this week's cover. Says he: "Everything one reads about Koch--that he's driven, combative, honest--he noisily verifies in person. New York will never get a mayor more like itself."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.