1 comments about Fifty Hikes in Central New York: Hikes and Backpacking Trips from the Western Adirondacks to the Finger Lakes (50 Hikes in Louisiana: Walks, Hikes, & Backpacks in the Bayou State).

1. I found this book to be a great way to learn about public hiking trails in CNY area. It has many details about access, estimated time, and conditions on the trails. One particularly useful feature is that it has a copy of a topographic map of the area with the trail clearly marked. Has a map showing the relative positions of each trail across the region with the table of contents. I like this book because it gives me ideas about new places to explore with lots of specific information.

No comments about New York 24/7.

4 comments about Take A Hike! Family Walks in the Rochester (NY) Area (Second Edition) (Trail Guidebooks).

1. There is a new edition of this book. It is fully updated & expanded to cover 60 trails. The new edition is ISBN # 0965697479. Type this number in the search field to read about the new edition.



2. Bought the book yesterday and did the 8.2 mile hike on the Hojack Trail in Webster where I live. It was easy to find, the history about the trail in the book was interesting and we are looking forward to finding other hikes around our home we didn't know were there! Very user friendly book. After each hike there is a place where you can jot down notes, great for keeping track of hikes you want to repeat.



3. 5 minutes after receiving this book I learned something that I have shared with friends as far as New Jersey! Great book, I look forward to hitting some of the trails listed. The only thing I wish this book had that it doesn't is child friendly. I travel with a 3 year old and 10 month old and would love to know just how "child friendly" the terrain is. BUT since that is ever changing I can see how that type of information would be difficult to track and the book does allow sections for notes :)



4. My husband, who is a teacher and home with the kids all summer, has a hiking morning with them once a week, using this book as his guide. Everyone loves it. The kids were 4 and 6 last year when they started and I think this is something they will enjoy for years. I can't believe how many trails are so close by and so interesting in different ways, and I can't imagine how we'd know about them otherwise. No one with kids wants to just set off on a walk and have no idea how far it will go before looping back!
   
   Never hiked with young kids? Doesn't seem fun? Try it. They love looking for the trail blazes, and feeling like they are exploring. Let them lead and explore, and rather than dragging their feet grumping about the walk, they are peaceful and happy. (However, our kids do not consider it a hike unless it is in the woods. Fortunately, this book describes the scenery and terrain.)
   
   I appreciate this book even more since the kids have wanted to hike while we were visiting my parents south of Buffalo. That area offers a lot of interesting parks as well as Zoar Valley and Allegany State Park, but getting information about trails is tough. My biggest complaint about this book is that we got spoiled and we want the same sort of information about every park and trail in the state!

3 comments about Cruising Guide to the Hudson River, Lake Champlain & the St. Lawrence River: The Waterway from New York City to Montreal & Quebec City.

1. We purchased this book in anticipation of a Lake Champlain cruise this summer (2005). Excellent description of anchorages, which is exactly what we were looking for. Many photos, too bad they are all B&W.
   The only thing I would like to see is a new edition, the current one is 4 years old, and as such, I would expect some of the marina information to be out of date.



2. I bought this mostly for Lake Champlain, but it seems to be a fairly comprehensive guide to boaters along the Hudson River, through Lake Champlain and on up to the St. Lawrence River. It offers information on the local marina's and sightseeing. I wish the maps had been a little more comprehensive, but in general I think I will find alot of use for the book.



3. A previous review noted they had an outdated version. This is the new 2006 version that I just received. Great read and a must book to keep on board if you are cruising any of these waterways.
   Contains Restaurants, Marinas, Gas, Food Supplies Side trips and Safe bays to Anchor along the way etc.
   
   Pictures and history of each town and port you will be approaching. Shipped free and makes a great gift for any boater who be might traveling to the covered regions. Nice coffee table book if you live in the regions too!

2 comments about New York: The Movie Lover's Guide: The Ultimate Insider Tour of Movie New York.

1. I used to live in NYC, and still visit often...but not often enough. This well-researched book will be great for my next trip, as a walking tour guide; in the meantime, I'm having a lot of fun reading and remembering the movies and their locales.
   I recommend this book to all travelers to NY!



2. This is a terrific book for New York lovers like me! I highly recommend it to anyone!

5 comments about Odyssey to Ushuaia: A Motorcycling Adventure from New York to Tierra del Fuego.

1. The reader should not expect to learn much about any of the Latin American countries that the author visited. This is a book about what goes on inside a Yankee motorcyclist's head, not about Latin America. The author seems ill-informed about the places he travels, so can say very little about them.

   One star because it is very well written, very readable.




2. I have never read a "Travel" book before, let alone a "Motorcycle Travel" book so I may not be qualified to say that this is more of a tale of adventure than a guide of any sort. That said, this book has been a page-turner that has me looking for something similar to replace it now that it is over. Andre's makes you feel like you have been on the road (and off the road) and conveys, often at his own expense, a sense of the ups and downs of his relationship with his two riding partners.
   This is not a Moto-Travel reference. It is not a guide to where to stay or what to eat. It is a true-life tale of a dream come to life. I hope to follow in Andres, Peters and Robert's footsteps some day.



3. The author describes his journey through the eastern and southeastern portion of the U.S. and on to Mexico, Central and South America with two riding companions he met over the internet. Although the story doesn't really begin until he and his riding partners reach Mexico. His humor stands out throughout the book and his shenannigans with the local woman are quite entertaining. He does dicuss the route and the difficulty at many border crossing along with the problems that arise while travelling south of the border. The sometimes difficult relationships he has riding with two people he doesn't know well and the difference in riding abilities. As I said it's not a travel guide, if you are planning a trip down south, it may give some insight on various questions one may have. A worth while read for any adventure tourers.



4. He tells some pretty good stories here and there. Some good advice is given about border crossings. However, it was annoying how he letcherously pursued the women along the way. Ick.



5. If you're interested in a book more about feelings of a poorly organized motorcycle trip than learning about riding thru the Americas, this one's for you.

5 comments about Nosh New York: The Food Lover's Guide to New York City's Most Delicious Neighborhoods.

1. It was so nice to see neighborhoods in the outer boroughs covered here--they are so often overlooked. Ms. Alperson's passion for the food and culture of New York comes through on every page. Well done!



2. Here is a book that helps you to enjoy the wonders to be found in all those little amazing neighborhoods in the 5 boroughs of New York City. This marvelous book overflows with both eating and touring adventures. Each page brings a new surprise, a hidden market here, a De La Vega mural (a variation of Picasso's Guernica) as well, a garden there, Her tours bring you tastes you couldn't imagine...the Nosh adventures go way beyond the food. Another added surprise are the recipes sprinkled throughout the book. This book gives a range of shopping tips as well. Ms. Alperson provides excellent maps as well as detailed travel instructions so that you can find your way around the and exciting areas and experience your very own nosh walks. It's like touring the world and never leaving New York. Ms. Alperson is at the cutting edge of culinary discoveries...check it out!



3. I actually did not read this book but did take an actual tour of Sunset Park, Brooklyn with Ms. Alperson (I rate the tour 4 stars). Ms. Alperson has a sense of humor and is passionate about food, as are those who take the tour. The whole point of the book is to get you into these neighborhoods to sample the foods. So if you aren't a book lover, go to Ms. Alperson's website (www.noshwalks.com) and sign up for a culinary tour. It's a great way to meet people, get to know a different NYC neighborhood, and try stuff you never would have otherwise. I have recommended the tour to friends who have really enjoyed it.



4. The first trip I took using this book was to Brighton Beach Avenue and the address of the first establishment I looked for, Goldfield Bakery, is given as 358 Brighton Beach Avenue. However, there is neither a bakery nor store at that address since the street numbering for the 300 block ends below 350 and the street numbering for the next block starts at 400. Not very auspicious.



5. If you are interested in exploring New York's vibrant, delicious underbelly, and are willing to venture deep into the boroughs to experience the many cultures of this great city, this book is a good place to start.
   
   I thank the author for getting me into neighborhoods that I might not have otherwise ventured into. I have used it to explore about a dozen locations in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. You are pretty much guaranteed an interesting afternoon if you follow one of these walks, in spite of the book's many weaknesses.
   
   The organization of information around neighborhoods is a good starting point, but beyond that the infomation is not presented in a way that is easy to follow on your feet. Yes there are maps, but the maps do not delineate the routes of the walks nor do they show any of the places mentioned in the text. The text gives addresses of restaurant and shops but rarely gives cross-streets. A little more information on the maps that visually shows the route of the walks and location of the points of interests would have made a huge difference here.
   
   The book is bulky and just not well designed for walking tours. It is very difficult to find your way walking while trying to keep your place in a page of text. And besides the weaknesses in design, many of the points of interest are inaccurate or outdated. It just seems like the book was put together very quickly and cheaply. It is obvious that some neighborhoods were not researched very extensively when the author mentions that a restaurant looked interesting but she did not try it on her [single] trip to the neighborhood.
   
   Overall, I do recommend this book simply because I know of no other guide like it for NYC. But use it just to put yourself in the right neighborhood, don't waste too much time searching for specific places listed here. I use this book as a starting point and supplement it with more current and intensive infomation from chowhound.com.

1 comments about The Out Traveler: New York City.

1. Finally a guide for the traveler (who happens to be gay) which provides just the perfect amount of culture, local insight, history, places to eat, sleep, shop and things to do to round out a wonderful day in NYC. This was like a perfect meal - not too much or little, not to heavy or light, perfect spice...hit the spot.
   
   Loved that it was organized by neighborhood. As I read it, I was reminded of great places I've been...and introduced to a good many to visit. So glad it was not the usual laundry list travel book. The history sections (and I am not a history buff) were a surprising, wonderfully written addition. Please do Chicago next!

1 comments about The Rough Guide to New York City 10 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

1. Nice guide. It lacks more pictures, for people who buy this book but will not travel to NYC.

4 comments about Short Bike Rides in and around New York City, 3rd (Short Bike Rides Series).

1. I've been a cyclist for more than 20 years and there are few ride guide for the New York Ciity that presents detailed routes as well as this book does. The authors are obviously seasoned veterans who have spent more than their fair time pedaling the NY-NJ-CT tri-state region. Maps are clear and the step-by-step "Directions at a Glance" make following the routes almost foolproof. This is a far better way of bringing the reader along for the ride than many other books on the subject.

   Highly recommended!




2. This book serves as a decent guide for cycling beyond theconfines of New York City. It is definitely geared towards the tourist or out-of-towner who is looking to tour certain areas of New York via a bicycle. However, as a longtime resident and cyclist of this fine city, I would hightly recommend AGAINST such an endeavor. As anyone who's at least visited New York City can tell you, traffic and other cyclists wait for no one, and pedestrians are even more of a hazard than anything on wheels. Pedaling slowly and taking the time to stop and view the sites is extremely dangerous.

   All that aside, the detailed descriptions and historical explanations of what you encounter on these trails is very interesting. Listing the facilities that are available to the rider is a plus. After downing liters of water it's always good to know where that public restroom is! The maps are easy to read and the authors give you clear instructions of where and how to get to the trails, either by car or public transportation. I found that this guide serves better for the sections dealing with the counties and boroughs outside of Manhattan. Since there was so much great detail into the sights and surrounds along these rides, I wish that there had been just a bit more about biking the routes, not just the basic explanation of "hilly", etc. Overall this is a nice book to have for easy weekend rides.

   Just as a little footnote. The authors say to ride on the right side with traffic. In New York City this is only partially usefull advice. While biking in NYC, yes, always ride with the traffic. If it's a two-way street, stay on the right. However, if it's a one-way, (which most of the streets and avenues are), stay on the left. The drivers see you better and you have less of a chance of getting "doored." Also, the bike lanes are always on the left... They have a link from their website that will lead you to some city-issued throughly detailed maps of New York City, complete with all the bike paths, all color coded so that you know which are bikes only, which are shared roadways, and which are shared but pecarious, etc. Plus the maps are free!




3. This is my fourth book in the "Short Bike Rides" series. This one, especially, was well worth the purchase time, several times over. There were several things that I learned from the book that I did not see online or in other books. At least, without many hours of additional searching. Very worthwhile.



4. This book is an invaluable tool for anyone desiring to bike for pleasure or recreation in the New York Metro Area.
   
   I did many of the rides listed and, with a few rare exceptions, the instructions given were up to date, clear and informative.
   
   As a resident of New York City for 15 years (moved out last year) I can honestly say I would never have discovered much of the beauty of the City without this book. Some of my fondest memories of the most scenic and beautiful parts of the City I discovered either mapping out these routes or while riding on them.
   
   Particularly noteworthy: Ride #7 - Queens Greenway. Queens is basically a cyclist's nightmare: extremely busy streets, a zillion highways and mostly poorly maintained roads and bikeways. But this book enables you to see some beautiful sites while avoiding most of the dangers. My favorite part of the ride: eating lunch under the Whitestone Bridge in Francis Lewis Park.
   
   On a side note: I agree with the previous reviewer who warned against non-New York residents attempting these rides. However, if extreme caution is exercised, and the cyclist has some inner-city cycling experience, I believe all of the routes are navigable.