No comments about Central Park Wildlife: An Introduction to Familiar Species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fishes and butterflies in New York City's Central Park (Pocket Naturalist - Waterford Press).

No comments about New York State (America Series).

1 comments about Greater Syracuse: Center of an Empire (Urban Tapestry Series).

1. Syracuse, a great city and my hometown, has an interesting history, but unfortunately this books decides to spend a few pages on it. This book seems like it's intended for people who are looking to visit the city, so it has the depth of a AAA travel guide. It does get rather in depth to what the people of Syracuse look like, which is pretty stupid, since people from Syracuse look pretty much the same as people in other cities. It does show some landmarks of the city, but does little to explain their reason for being. To top it off, most of the photos in this book will be dated in 5 years - the list of companies in the end already is. It got 2 stars because it's worth flipping through at a bookstore or library, but not worth purchasing.

1 comments about Notable New York: The West Side & Greenwich Village: A Walking Guide to the Historic Homes of Famous (and Infamous) New Yorkers (Notable New York series).

1. This is a remarkable book. The author has divided the western half of Manhattan, from Greenwich Village up to 106th Street, into four parts, and then further divided each part into sections of no more than a few blocks apiece. In each one of these sections, he has called out the homes of "famous (and infamous) New Yorkers" and given readers a few paragraphs of information about each. Clearly, a lot of research went into this volume -- and, I would assume, into its East Side companion as well.
   
   So much research, in fact, that although this book is only 250 or so pages long, I despair of being able to use it effectively -- or, I should say, extensively -- when I'm in New York a few weeks from now. On West 71st, 72nd, and 73rd streets between Columbus Ave and Central Park West, for example, Plumb identifies no fewer than 10 significant locations, ranging from the site of the house where General William T. Sherman died to the famous Dakota building where John Lennon lived and died and where, Plumb tells us, thirteen other noteworthy people also lived and where exterior shots of "Rosemary's Baby" were filmed. It's all fascinating stuff, but far from being a "walking guide," I think it would be more of a "standing-around guide" as you move slowly from street to street. I can't imagine that if you gave each site its due, absorbing the information the author gives us, you'd get very far in a day or two of touring.
   
   Which may not be a bad thing. In her books about England, author Susan Allen Toth advocates what she calls "the thumbprint theory of travel," in which you settle yourself into a small part of a country or region -- the kind you could cover with a thumb on your map -- and then instead of traveling far afield, concentrate on that area and get to know it as a local would. That may be the way to approach this guide as well. Don't try to absorb the whole city this way, but instead pick an area that interests you and stroll it intently. "Notable New York" may be tailor-made for that.
   
   Of course, if you already live in the city, then this and its companion would be, I would think, almost essential reference works. If, at least, you have any interest in who may have haunted those streets before you.

No comments about Nineteenth Century Houses in Western New York.

No comments about Pets Welcome: New England (Pets Welcome New England/New York Edition: A Guide to Hotels, Inns &Resorts That Welcome You & Your).

No comments about Walks in Nature's Empire: Exploring the Nature Conservancy's Preserves in New York State (Backcountry Guides).

No comments about The Feder Guide to Where to Park Your Car in Manhattan (and Where Not to Park It!) - Midtown/Uptown Edition.

1 comments about Rand McNally Greater Rochester, New York: Street Guide (Rand McNally Greater Rochester Street Guide).

1. The street index is hard to read for the over forty crowd. If the font size was 12, it would have been much easier to read.

2 comments about Fun with the Family New York, 6th (Fun with the Family Series).

1. Bought this for our trip to Upstate NY and Manhattan. Great tips for family travel. Would have liked to see more restaurant recommendations but otherwise a great tool!



2. There are several things this book is good for. Let me suggest a few: 1. Propping up a table with one short leg. 2. Doing arm curls with to build biceps. 3. Fanning yourself on a hot day.
   
   Otherwise, I'd say it was all but useless. We recently took a four-day trip to the Catskills with our preschooler, and we came to the conclusion that either the authors had never actually been to the Catskills and were basing their recommendations on web searches, or that they had a wildly different idea of what, for instance, the difference between a museum and an amusement park is than the rest of the population. The descriptions are terse at best, misleading or downright wrong at worst. (One rail "museum" we visited, for instance, was quite literally a garage. And what is "Slabsides"? All we can tell you from the book is that it's under the category of "Other things to see and do.")
   
   We were very disappointed indeed, particularly because we had only bought this book, thinking, "Ah ha! How perfect!" I would strongly recommend finding another book, at least for the Catskills, or doing a web search ahead of time, which would certainly give you better information.