5 comments about Manhattan Block by Block: A Street Atlas.

1. I bought this weeks before my vacation in NYC and it helped in my planning - AND it was invaluable during my stay. The bus maps were highly useful (tourists: take the buses, it's a great way to get from point a to point b) and having the building called out is great. The varying levels of detail are also great. I can't say enough good things about this book. Also, everyone I have shown this book to (both tourists and native New Yorkers) loves it.



2. I purchased this earlier this year, just prior to my trip to New York City.
   It was really handy, especially considering it's size.
   It's really easy to read, and it makes using the subway simple.
   
   The street numbering is also very handy.



3. In this city, knowing EXACTLY where you're going is valuable because we are on foot most of the time: it's important to be able to plan what subway and/or bus combination it will take to get to a destination without extra walking/trudging about the city aimlessly.
   
   Having every single major building number marked on this street atlas is also helpful as I am not the type that does the "formulas" found in the tourists' books to determine cross streets based on building numbers.
   
   I have lived in NYC over 5 years and am astounded by the value this little book has. Buy it so you know where you're going in NYC!



4. If your new to visiting New York or you have been there before, this is great to have on you. I found a copy at my local library, wanted one for my trip, no one else had any in stock. Needed it in a week and Amazon delivered in two days. This is a great book, it has everything you need.



5. I recently took a trip to NYC and I got this and a few other maps in advance to get to know the layout of the land. This is an excellent, detailed close-up map. It would be especially helpful for those who are moving to NYC or are there on a long trip.

5 comments about New York City For Dummies (Dummies Travel).

1. This book was very helpful. I enjoyed the brief history of NYC and the simple easy descriptions of different sections of NYC.

   They have very good suggestions on Cabs, Subways, Buses, Eating, where to stay, suggested itineraries, etc. Loads and loads of contact information for museums and sights to see.

   Easy to follow index to look up anything you might want to do or need info on.




2. We loved this book! We especially liked the author's opinions. Our hotel was right on and so were the restaurants. We appreciated the fact that the author was opinionated.............who needs another book that simply lists all to see and do. We actually felt like real New Yorkers and not just tourists. Kudos Brian!



3. Make it this one if you are going to NY. I bought several books and this was the best laid out of all the books and it doesn't try to be a resource for ALL restaurants or ALL stores - it just gets to the best.
   
   I loved nearly every recommendation. The only one that I had a beef with was the "Kid friendly" rating of Mickey Mantles. Not sure how a small bowl of pasta for $10 and no sides is "kid friendly."



4. This is a terrible excuse for a guidebook. Its maps are blatantly incorrect: the subway map is a ballpark approximation, at best, and things in Central Park are not located where the map says they are, among others. Its attraction descriptions neglect crucial information about the details you actually need at the sites (the Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty in particular), and the restaurant descriptions do not show the complete picture. I don't throw out books I dislike, but this one is going straight to the recycling bin.



5. Great book if you've never been to New York before. I found it extemely helpful in planning our trip with lots of advice and "secret" things I would never have seen or planned on. Has a lot about prices, places and pitfalls. The only thing I would have liked to see was some information on travel from the ports.

5 comments about The Summer Tree (The Fionavar Tapestry, Book 1).

1. OK, fantasy is never believable, strictly speaking; but I do appreciate an internally consistent world that "makes sense" if one accepts certain premises. With The Finovar Tapestry trilogy, I didn't find that--I simply can't believe that just the right five people were assembled on just the right evening to get transported to an alternate reality where they *all* have mythic roles to fulfill and are *all* relatively happy to do so. Worse, the tone and narrative voice of these novels alternates between the mythic (like The Silmarillion, in which Kay had a hand) and the pedestrian in an uncomfortable and somewhat bewildering way. I didn't give up until a little into Book 3, however, so these books do have something :) You may very well find them worthwhile, depending on your tastes. Still, if you want to read this author, I would more highly recommend "Ysabel," which combines the modern and the mythic much more successfully--with an emphasis on the modern rather than the mythic--or the entirely fantastic Tigana.



2. A Canadian academic tells a small group of students that is a bit more than they thought he is. He lets them know he is a mage from another world, and offers them the chance to journey with him back to this place, for a celebration.
   
   Dave, one of their number, is a little suspicious and breaks away, ending up being transported to another place, and learning to be an axe-wielding warrior type.
   
   There is a bit of a Wounded Land thing going on, because their king, clinging to power, doesn't want to present himself as the usual ritual sacrifice to keep things going.
   
   Paul, one of the students, does the whole tree ordeal thing in his place.



3. I had been dying to read this trilogy for months when I finally picked it up. Sadly, as much as I tried to get through it, the only way that I could make it to the next chapter was by taking a red pen and changing his sentences.
   
   It's not the topic itself-- the concepts and ideas Kay presents are intriguing. Because of this fact I get why many people love this trilogy. It just seems to me that he either had a really bad editor or none at all.
   
   I have a background in literature and writing, and being a writer myself, I found it unfortunate that he didn't reflect more on his composition choices. Choices such as repeatedly using a character's last name, every other time we read about his/her exploits, gets old. Another bad choice he makes is inserting the word "though" and "yet" in spots where it does not grammatically make sense.
   
   Therefore, if you happen to be at all picky about sentence construction, you might want to pass this up, because his repetitive sloppiness in his writing will leave you ready to tear the pages out.



4. Sorry to all those people that seemingly loved this book, but i am afraid that i found it just woeful. It was the sort of book that gives fantasy a bad name. Indeed it is so inferior to such "B" grade fantasy as the Belgariad series that it would need a catergory all of its own. As so many other reviewers have said it is an amalgam, a "hash" of Tolkien, Narnia, Arthurian myths and a myriad of other borrowed themes. Surprisingly, upon acknowledgement of these borrowings, most reviewers go on to say this it was still a fine book? The characterisation was stereotypical and superficial with little or no exploration of the potential for culture shock that C21st americans might experience in what would be their technological equivalent of a third world country. There is so little to recommend this book that i am truly surprised that it has such a strong following.



5. After reading only 30 pages, this book feels more like a role-playing game than a novel. There's just not enough substance to keep the plot progressing. The characters were forced into a situation that never seemed plausible even for a fantasy story. I kept going though, but on page 128 something about the character's response to a childhood game made me put the book down for good.

4 comments about City Walks: New York: 50 Adventures on Foot.

1. What a great idea. 50 adventures that you can stick in your pocket and enjoy without looking like you are a tourist. I pulled out a few cards written about parts of the City I know and love to see if the author knows her stuff. Take card 15 - the Ms. Fay touches the high spots: Abingdon Square, Ottomanelli's, Zito's, Murry's Cheese, Rocco's Pastry and more. Walk these streets led by her map and prose and you'll have a wonderful visit. Flipping through the cards, I think every significant neighborhood has been captured. I know in warmer weather, I'll use a couple of her cards to explore Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens - boroughs that are a lot more of a mystery to me than Manhattan. Naturally, with a map on one side of a 4X5 card, there isn't much room left for text. Having said that, I wish we had more detail about each area - a small complaint. Maybe in V.2.0 some folded cards?
   
   I collect anything NYC oriented and I am happy to add this pack of cards to my library but I wondered what the market is for these cards. My guess is that locals will use them to learn about streets outside their sphere. Out of towners will be able to stick one or two in a pocket and stroll through one of the most fascinating cities in the world. If you are a NYC fan, you need to get your copy of City Walks New York.



2. We've spent a lot of time in NYC, and I can attest from experience that each walk is well worth taking. The format is easy to use, with a master card showing the location of all the walks, and clear directions in the cards.
   
   Each card has red circled numbers and letters on the maps, and NO explanation of what the numbers and letters signify. Are they bus and subway numbers? Are they points of interest? I'll figure it out when I'm there next week, but it would be nice to know ahead of time.
   
   The boroughs are an important omission. We've been to Manhatten three times, and intend to concentrate on Brooklyn (the 4th most populous city in America, if it was a city unto itself) this trip. Many of the 50 Manhatten walks could be consolidated, to allow 10 walks for Brooklyn, and 5 each for Queens and the Bronx. Brooklyn has Prospect Park and Park Slope, Coney Island, and so much more I'm unfamiliar with.



3. I bought this to give as a Christmas gift. It arrived in used condition although it was sold as new. There was no wrapper so when I removed it from the shipping box, the contents spilled. There was a barcode sticker placed over the original barcode on the bottom of the box. As far as I can tell the contents are intact. This is the first time I have received anything from Amazon that was less than expected. I hope you don't have any similar experiences.



4. Our family recently returned from a visit to Manhattan. We used 5 or 6 texts as well as this boxed set of walking tours. The set consists of 50 3-3/4 by 5-1/2 inch heavy stock cards and a folding master card that shows all the walks in the context of a five bouroughs map.
   
   There are 5 walks in Central Park, 8 Midtown, 3 north of the park and 19 south of the Flatiron Building. Two walks cover The Bronx, two are in Queens, 5 in Brooklyn. Each walk card shows a map on one side, of about a square mile, complete with Metro stops and a trail marked out; on the other side the text (which is smallish, but I'm glad for that because there's such a wealth of information one could fit on each card!) that points out historic buildings and architectural features and tells a few stories about the character of the area as well as its characters.
   
   It was very convenient to grab a few cards as we went out the door. Also, after we got back and looked at pictures, it was easy to find that tour and get some information about it.
   
   The only complaint is predictable. Each walking tour could handle a booklet, so a few hundred words is, of course, inadequate. There is no information about restaurants; again, that's understandable, but maybe more information could be included on the maps?
   
   I would buy them again.

3 comments about City Lights: Stories About New York.

1. It's the Sunday before Christmas. First thing this morning, pre-coffee, pre-bowel movement/ablutions, pre-church, I went into the front yard to retrieve my copy of the New York Times. I knew the pages would be filled with column after column of depressing dispatches from Darfur, Wichita, Whereveristan, mass homicide, sub-prime scandal, suicide bombing, official doublespeak about why torture is a crime except when practiced by CIA/Blackwater, the inexhaustible ineptitude/fathomless arrogance of the Bush administration, and opposing platitudes/feckless fulminations by Frank Rich.
   God's mercy on us all.
   I didn't rescue the Times from pelting rain and soot-ridden snow, however, in order to batter my wounded/aged soul with the alarming/ deteriorating condition/direction of our country/world. My intent was to turn immediately to Dan Barry's latest report from the homeland/ hinterland and to see what redeeming/enlightening observations had come from the pen/laptop/PC of the single-most powerful, poetic, sublime columnist at work at this moment in these Disunited/Dispirited States. (And, caveat lector, Dan Barry is not to be confused with satirist Dave Barry.)
   I wasn't disappointed by what I read. One again, I was amazed. (I almost wrote "astounded," except that the end piece in the NYT Book Review of several months ago by Joe Quinlan--a satirist every bit as good as Dave Barry and a lot more savage--has rendered that word verboten by anyone attempting a review.) Here in the face of yet another merciless deadline, Dan Barry had managed to pinpoint a revealing angle on a familiar story (check it out for yourself, "A Place Just like Every Other Place. Only Not," 12/23/07) and produce a precisely chiseled, exquisitely faceted journalistic gem of finely cut reporting and lyrically evocative writing.
   My original introduction to Dan Barry's writing was in his "About New York" columns, a selection of which is reproduced in his newest book, CITY LIGHTS. Barry's predecessors in this spot included the newspaper equivalent of Gerhig/Ruth or Mantle/Maris (Yankee fans, take your pick)--the inimitable Meyer Berger and the nonpareil Francis X. Clines. Barry has not only matched their achievement but set a whole new standard, producing column after column that exposes/celebrates/ investigates/ mourns/explores the incessant/inexhaustible tragedy/comedy/ soap opera/ burlesque/masque that unfolds in New York each and every day.
   I'm sure that I read every single column in CITY LIGHTS when it first appeared in the Times. But as I read and re-read this book, I'm astounded (sorry, Joe Quinlan) anew by how utterly fresh/invariably perceptive/carefully observed each and every article is. Years from now, this book will be taught in journalism schools (if such institutions still exist) and devoured by historians (if such a profession still exists) interested in what life was really like in New York during the first decade of the 21st century. Those who are neither collectors nor teachers nor historians will simply keep it by their bedsides, reading it over again, a story at a time, to remind themselves of the dignity/ intensity/complexity of life as lived by Gotham's extraordinary/ ordinary people.
   Attention book collectors: At some point, Dan Barry will be awarded the Pulitzer Prize--why he didn't get it for his reporting from New Orleans on the consequences on Katrina, eludes me--which will make this book especially valuable. Non-collectors also take notice. If you simply love great writing, buy this book. If you're fascinated by New York, buy this book. If you're bewitched/bothered/intrigued by the human condition, buy this book. And if none of the above categories applies, but you love to read anything by Alice McDermott, buy this book. Her introduction is worth the price of admission. CITY LIGHTS will endure as long as New York does.(And if journalism ain't your cup of tea but you want to imbibe THE BEST memoir to come out of suburban New York, get a copy of Barry's PULL ME UP.) Thank you, Dan Barry.



2. Whenever I read the NY Times over the past few years and became despairing of the state of the world and humanity, I always knew I could turn to Dan Barry to "pull me up." Barry's collection of columns are really prose poems, filled with soul and spirit of the Hidden New York City: cello playing bus drivers, workin' stiffs, everyday Janes and Joes, whose lives Barry illuminates with a style that is a pleasure to read again and again. These columns were my daily vitamins. Rereading them in this collection is truly a revelation that the spirit of the common people is what gives NY and America its uncommon soul. Buy this book. Then buy another and give it to a friend. Read it and feel renewed. It will "pull you up" too.



3. Dan Barry writes about New York as if it was a village. Its size is not as important as the individuals who live there, the people who inhabit it, make it the alive, vibrant and wonderfully alluring city it is.
   
   This is not about New York, the city. It is about the flesh and blood of the city, about the people and characters of the city, and it's hard to imagine a city anywhere that has more characters and color to write about than New York City. Dan Barry does a good job of capturing their individuality, their uniquenss and their inevitable ties and bonds to the city.
   
   Obviously, this review is written by an unabashed lover of NYC...and from Alabama, too.

5 comments about The Traveler's Guide to the Hudson River Valley: From Saratoga Springs to New York City (Traveler's Guide to the Hudson River Valley) (Traveler's Guide to the Hudson River Valley).

1. I have used this book on many of my forages into the Hudson River region and I have always found its inspired commentary, accurate information and insightful observations make it the perfect book for exploring this region. I highly recommend this book for all who visit and seek more information about the Hudson River Valley.



2. We purchased this book for our INN guests who are interested in learning more about the interesting history of the Hudson Valley of NY. We have owned it for about 3 weeks and at least 5 guests have taken it overnight to read and each guest has returned it to us with very positive comments on the accuracy of the contents. We highly recommend this book for anyone who is going to visit the Hudson Valley of NY! Pat and Bill, Innkeepers



3. I read this lovely book for genealogical purposes. The migratory path of our family was from Westchester County in the 1600s to Schoharie County in the 1800s. There are a few towns mentioned here where our people had lived.
   The book begins in Albany going toward New York City. I read it backwards one chapter at a time to really make the trip in the same direction that our family went!
   Who knows if I will really take this trip? I collected travel brochures on France for a dozen years and then I really went three times. When I take this trip I am bringing this guide.



4. On the mark and very interesting. I want to make some trips to the Hudson Valley.



5. I met Tim Mulligan many years ago when living in the Hudson Valley and he signed one of his books for me. I've been to many places in the states/abroad in my travels, but the Mid-Hudson Valley is one of the most beautiful and life-affirming places I know of - and yes, I've been to Big Sur and Olympia Park.
   I wrote a little blurb on my blog at: [...]
   about a few places I inhabited while living there. Don't miss the Mohonk Mountain House (hike around the trails above the lodge), the old Catskill Mountain House site and overlook (gasp!), or Olana in Greenport area. That special light in the Catskill Mountains viewed from the other side of the Hudson River is awe-inspiring. Keep in mind that some of the food places Mr.Mulligan has referenced have closed, such as the Cafe Pongo in Tivoli. Oh! long gone are the magical Tivoli days rocking away on the old 1940's front porch glide rocker with a whole grain baguette filled with roasted vegetable, pesto and goat cheese with dogs and cats at your feet free to enter and exit the cafe with the owner supplied pet food and drink dishes scattered about with the smell of those wild flowers wafting on the warm breezes.

4 comments about Frommer's New York State (Frommer's Complete).

1. I found this book lacking in good ideas and it seemed to be written by somebody with a strange view of what is interesting and what is not. The writing is boring - maybe the author was trying to meet a deadline. I would skip this book.



2. My husband and I have recently semi-retired, and have spent considerable time traveling throughout the Finger Lakes as well as some other areas in New York State. We found the information contained in this guidebook to be well researched, concise, infomative and accurate. It is easy to find specific interests in the book, and we would highly recommend it to anyone interested in touring NYS.



3. We recently purchased the Frommer's NYS 3rd edition Travel Guide and it is wonderful. Packed with great info on best places to visit. We were especially excited about the info we got about the FingerLakes Canandaigua area and the review's about the Bed & Breakfast's in the area.
   The Chalet of Canandaigua, apparently a NEW B&B in the area seems an awesome place to stay based on the descriptive 3 star review! The book is great to use,the What's New Section which leads you to the detail area section was a great way to guide your decision on where to stay, what to do when you get there!!!
   I would highly reccommend getting this book to help plan a vacation or simply a quick getaway whether your from another country, another state or a NYS resident!



4. I was looking for a book to consider taking a trip to the Adirondacks. There are not many with just that topic. In the past I have used Frommer's travel books happily. I knew this would have good information. It was more than I wanted, covering the whole state which would require a lot of info on NYC, but it was worth my while to purchase.

5 comments about Aftermath: Unseen 9/11 Photos by a New York City Cop.

1. I think it was a well done book - I could have done without the close ups of Bush and Cheney!



2. IF you have been collecting books, videos and material about 9/11 [I'm a history teacher]
   this is a nice addition. The copy is more interesting than the pictures that we've all seen,
   sadly.



3. This book meets the criteria of the film noir movies of the 40's and 50's: oneiric, strange, erotic, ambivalent, and cruel. Well, not erotic. And unlike the films of those days, the pictures here, and the stories that they tell are true.
   
   This is a book composed of pictures made in the days after 9/11. They were taken in black and white, and are somewhat grainy. The photographer, John Botte, a police detective and world-class photographer, was assigned by the police commissioner to document the aftermath at the World Trade Center. He was there, day after day, breathing the dust from the concrete, the insulation, and everything else - getting a lung condition that almost cost him his life.
   
   Out of the thousands of photographs he too, he has selected this couple of hundred and created captions that sometimes explain, sometimes just comment on what is being pictured.
   
   It is indeed a fitting AFTERMATH to 9/11.



4. Former officer John Botte has done a wonderful job putting together images of the immediate aftermath of 9/11. The black-and-white photos show both the tragedy and hope of the people involved in the rescue -- and later, simply the clean-up -- of this horrific event.
   
   The only thing I would have enjoyed more would have been captions for all of the photographs. As it stands, only about one in ten of the pictures has any type of explanation.



5. This book contain hard and touching images about the aftermath in New York city.

5 comments about Brooklyn! The Ultimate Guide to New York's Most Happening Borough, 3rd Edition.

1. I've owned both of the previous editions of this guidebook and the new one is the biggest and best yet. While I've hit a lot of these places before, the authors seem to have found a few new ones that even this veteran of Brownstone Brooklyn didn't know about. What I enjoy most is taking the book along and just cruising a new neighborhood from one end to the other. That's how I discovered Brighton Beach, with this book under my arm. I give this one a two-thumbs up and five stars. Want to know Brooklyn? This is the book!



2. This book is the best resource for everything-Brooklyn! This book puts Zagats to shame. It is the perfect guide to key Brooklyn neighborhoods, and you should not leave home without it! In fact, I keep a copy in my car, just in case... If I could give a book a 6 star rating, this book would get it!



3. I think this book is a great resource for someone who is new to the area. It gives a listing of various events, businesses, etc. in Brooklyn. It divides the borough up by neighbhorhoods which makes it user-friendly. I recommend this book for someone who is new to the Brooklyn area.



4. Not having lived in New York City since the early 1980s, until my niece graduated from Yale and moved to Brooklyn, I still thought that all of the action was in Manhattan. This riveting book furthered her endeavor to disabuse me of that illusion, even though I will always be an inveterate Upper West Sider at heart.



5. Apparently there is a DUMBO neighborhood, and a BAM neighborhood, there is also a BQE, and a BAC. Not once are any of these acronyms explained. Whenever I read a newspaper article they always have in parenthesis an explanation and spell out what the acronym stands for.

No comments about DogFriendly.com's East Coast Dog Travel Guide: Includes New England, New York, the Mid-Atlantic States, Florida and the Southeast.