This is 50: NY Times Editor Dan Saltzstein Responds to The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire

"After I turned 50, a colleague I like and respect called me a 'young 50.' I’ll take it."

From the time I was 10, I’ve been obsessed with what it means to grow older. I’m curious about what it means to others, of all ages, and so I invite them to take “The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire.”

Here, New York Times senior editor Dan Saltzstein responds. -Sari Botton

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Dan Saltzstein. Photo by Isaac Fitzgerald.

Dan Saltzstein has worked at The New York Times for almost 25 years, currently as a senior editor on the Special Projects team. Before that, he spent nine years as an editor at the Travel section. His writing has appeared in Arts & Leisure, The Book Review, Food, Travel, and (this is how old he is) the long-defunct City section. He grew up in Scarsdale, N.Y., and lives in Woodside, Queens, with his wife, daughter, and cat.  

How old are you?

50

Is there another age you associate with yourself in your mind? If so, what is it? And why, do you think? 

Whatever that age is, it’s significantly younger than 50. When I was a teenager and a 20something, I was a big Seinfeld fan. When the show started, Jerry was, I believe, 35; when it ended, he was somewhere around 45. At the time—even when the show started—he was, to me, old. Anyone older than, say, 30 was old. I still “see” myself as younger than both versions of Jerry.

Turning 18, 21, 25—none of it hit me hard. But 27 did. It took me a while to figure out why: It was the year 2000. When I was a kid, I’d think, “How old am I going to be in the very far off year 2000? 27?! Will there be jetpacks? Flying cars?!” I’m now almost twice that. And still no jetpacks or flying cars.

Do you feel old for your age? Young for your age? Just right? Are you in step with your peers?

I feel younger in the sense that I think of 50 as beyond middle age (which technically I suppose it is), but I don’t see myself as even having started middle age. Maybe that’s partly life circumstances (for one thing, I had a daughter fairly late, at 39). I mostly hang out with people around my age, but when I’m around people younger than me, I don’t really notice it—until someone mentions how old they were when some major event happened. (“The Challenger explosion? Oh yeah, my parents told me about that.”)

On the other hand, after I turned 50, a colleague I like and respect called me a “young 50.” I’ll take it.

When I was a kid, I’d think, “How old am I going to be in the very far off year 2000? 27?! Will there be jetpacks? Flying cars?!” I’m now almost twice that. And still no jetpacks or flying cars.

What do you like about being your age?

It took about 40-plus years, but I’ve let go of some things that were really weighing me down, and I don’t think I consciously knew it. I’ve worked at The Times for almost my entire adult life, which means I’ve been surrounded by a lot of hyper-ambitious people. I only recently accepted that I’m not one of them. Obviously I’m ambitious to a degree, but I’m no longer climbing a ladder. I’m OK where I am.

The second realization was that I have other things I want to do besides being a journalist and a husband and a dad, and that’s OK. I think for the first, say, 25 years of my adult life part of me thought that I wasn’t “living up to my potential,” that I was letting things pass me by. But I was (and am) doing the things that bring me joy. That’s life and it's fun and exciting. That doesn’t mean I can’t add to the list, or push myself beyond it. But my “real life” doesn’t exist beyond my grasp. I’m holding onto it right now.

Left, with his wife, Nancy, on the Isle of Skye, in Scotland, while reporting a travel story, in 2009; Center, with his wife and daughter in Belize in 2019; Right, with his wife and daughter at Musee D'Orsay in Paris recently.

What is difficult about being your age?

The obvious: My body has—slowly, luckily—started to fall apart. A few years ago, the ball of my foot started hurting. Had I bruised it somehow? No, the podiatrist told me, “you’re getting old”—and when you get old, fat disappears from weird places (and, of course, appears elsewhere, my mid-section would be quick to remind). What could I do about it? Nothing. There is no treatment. Besides orthopedic shoes. I never thought I’d be an orthopedic shoe wearer, but now I wear orthopedic shoes and sneakers and slippers and flip-flops (expensive and fairly stylish ones!). In the grand scheme of things, it’s minor. But boy does it feel symbolic.  

The less obvious: Though I’m very proud of my career at The Times, I can’t help but think about what I could have done if I had either taken a different path or been better at balancing a job and outside projects. (I also wish I wasn’t so hung up on regrets.) But the reality is that I’m a work-to-live person, not a live-to-work person, so I was never going to be the guy who worked a full day, spent a couple of hours with my family, and then gone back to work for a few hours.

What is surprising about being your age, or different from what you expected, based on what you were told?

Maybe I was told this and just don’t remember, but: gaining confidence. I just don’t care as much about what people think of me, or that I’m an imposter. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a neurotic and probably always will be. But I feel like I’ve made it this far (mostly) by being myself, so I must be doing something right.

What has aging given you?

It’s a cliché, but it’s given me perspective. (See above for the whole work-to-live/live-to-work thing.) And the ability to accept my successes. Still waiting for the ability to not obsess over or reconceive my failures.

I’ve worked at the Times for almost my entire adult life, which means I’ve been surrounded by a lot of hyper-ambitious people. I only recently accepted that I’m not one of them. Obviously I’m ambitious to a degree, but I’m no longer climbing a ladder. I’m OK where I am.

What are some age-related milestones you are looking forward to? Or ones you “missed,” and might try to reach later, off-schedule, according to our culture and its expectations?

Bluntly: I thought I’d have written a book by now—or at least attempted to. I do have a book coming out next spring, but it’s a sort of anthology that I did some writing for, but just as much project management. Is it possible that I will write a book? Sure. But: name three people who published their first piece of fiction after 50. Raymond Chandler! Richard Adams! Annie Proulx! Frank McCourt! That’s about it. So my plan is to give it a shot and keep my expectations low.

What has been your favorite age so far, and why? Would you go back to this age if you could?

Probably my 30s. I’ve enjoyed every decade in different ways, but I did a lot of fun stuff in my 30s and it was when I started to feel the most like myself. I also got married, had a kid, bought an apartment, and, most importantly and permanently, got a parking spot in New York City.

Left, at 25 on the Amalfi Coast; Center, on the Greek isle of Irakleia in 1997, with the woman who rented him a room there; Right, in Israel in 1997.

Is there someone who is older than you, who makes growing older inspiring to you? Who is your aging idol and why?

Friends of my parents, a couple who were New York school teachers who retired very early (in their 40s, if memory serves) and moved to the south of France. He was an artist; she was a musician. They settled in a tiny village in Côtes de Provence. I visited them a number of times (in fact, the chateau at the top of the village is where I proposed to my wife) and they always seemed happy and content. He died a couple of decades ago; she died last year, in her 90s. That always seemed like a pretty great way to spend the second half of your life.

What aging-related adjustments have you recently made, style-wise, beauty-wise, health-wise?

Modest exercise 4-5 days a week (20 minutes in the morning, as soon as I wake up), meditation (Transcendental Meditation; also 4-5 days a week), and an anti-inflammatory smoothie of my own design. I drink it every morning. I have no idea if it’s actually doing anything, but like the exercise and meditation, I think of it as maintenance: At least I’ve done this today. (For what it’s worth, my wife says my complexion has had an extra glow since I started drinking it.) Here’s the recipe:

• Ice

• 1/2 cup low-fat kefir

• A small handful of frozen pineapple

• One to two knobs of fresh ginger, chopped

• 1/3-1/2 of an avocado

• High-quality turmeric (probably a teaspoon)

• A few grinds of black pepper (it supposedly helps to activate the good stuff in the turmeric)

• A handful of baby spinach

• Some water to get everything moving.

I blast it in a Nutribullet and drink it slowly. It actually tastes pretty good. (Editor’s note: This is the first Oldster Magazine Questionnaire to feature a recipe!)

Is it possible that I will write a book? Sure. But: name three people who published their first piece of fiction after 50. Raymond Chandler! Richard Adams! Annie Proulx! Frank McCourt! That’s about it. So my plan is to give it a shot and keep my expectations low.

What’s an aging-related adjustment you refuse to make, and why?

I should definitely drink less. I love wine (white only; I had to give up red years ago), cocktails, and whiskey. (And have a pretty impressive collection of the last.) As I get older, the drinking definitely takes more of a toll. But it’s also one of the true pleasures of life and unless I absolutely have to stop, I plan not to.

Dan Saltzstein

Dan Saltzstein on Instagram: “I was so honored and delighted to celebrate my 50th with the reunion of my ’80s karaoke band, Sexy American Girlfriend, and a gathering of so many wonderful friends. Swipe for some Bowie and Pixies (plus an @isaac.fitzgerald cameo). 📸 and 🎥: @nankleav, who does it all. 😘”

June 2, 2023

What’s your philosophy on celebrating birthdays as an adult? How do you celebrate yours?

Though I had a blowout bash for my 50th that involved playing four hours of music and seeing friends I hadn’t seen in years, I’m generally happy with a good, somewhat pricey meal with my wife.