[pdabbadabba]

Yes. It's called literary nonfiction and many people enjoy it.

There's a funny irony here in your suggestion that the New Yorker writers have, in a sort of solipsistic error, forgotten to write for anyone but themselves. In fact, I'd suggest that it's you who have forgotten that not everyone (even on HN, it would seem) shares your tastes!

That's not to say that this piece is an ideal example of the craft. But there will be plenty of readers who appreciate it.