1 comments about Take a Paddle: Finger Lakes New York Quiet Water for Canoes & Kayaks (Take a Paddle).

1. As soon as I got a kayak this summer, I bought both this book and the "Take a Paddle" for western New York. This region is a great place to put a little boat in the water--with lakes of all sizes, from little kettleholes to the Great Lakes, plus streams, and rivers, and the Erie canal. It really helps to have a guide to tell you where you can put in and take out, the difficulty of a route, how to get there and where to park.
   These books are well designed and easy to use. I've tried out several routes and found the information very useful. Can hardly wait to get out and try more paddles next spring.

1 comments about Zagat 2007/08 New York City Nightlife (Zagatsurvey).

1. I wracked my brain to pick out a gift for my young co-workers this year. I didn't want to give a something that would gather dust. I was so pleased when I settled on the Nightlife Guide. I got great feedback, and didn't have to spend--or wrap--a lot!

5 comments about Aftermath: World Trade Center Archive.

1. Aftermath represents the efforts of Joel Meyerowitz to document the destruction and cleanup of the World Trade Center following 9/11. This is a beefy coffee table book that is large enough to give his photos some real impact. Unlike most photo essays, however, you won't find hundreds of beautiful images. After a couple of pages show what New York's skyline once looked like, you are confronted by image after image of the horrific destruction of these huge landmarks. There are also many instances where we see the people who worked the cleanup site. Many of these are the most moving images as you can imagine the emotions that sometimes overcame these men and women who were there every day for months on end.
   
   In addition to the photos, Mr. Meyerowitz also shares some anecdotes about what he went through to get these photos. He also talks about some of the people he met. I found these stories at least as powerful as his words. Most Americans were obviously distraught by the events of that day, but most of us were also able to start moving on with our lives and slowly put it behind us. But these people were there on the ground confronting the effects for months. Recovering bodies and personal objects, as well as being asked by survivors to put mementos on the pile of rubble as little memorials to their lost loved ones.
   
   This is not the happiest book you can buy. It doesn't have the prettiest photos or the most elegant prose. But it may be the most worthwhile book I've ever purchased. I would urge everyone to buy a copy and read it cover to cover.



2. I first saw photographs from this collection at the Museum of Modern Art in Salzburg, Austria. Anyone who entered the gallery was immediately struck by a panorama of ground zero on one wall, each emitting an audible gasp, then standing before it for several minutes in silence. Meyerowitz is an extremely gifted photgrapher, and I recommend other of his collections for viewing. Cape Light: Color Photographs by Joel Meyerowitz, Tuscany: Inside the Light: Inside the Light (Photography). The "Aftermath" collection is the only archive of the activities following 9/11 at ground zero, and it is quite moving. Meyerowitz had access to many vantage points to capture for posterity the many facets of ground zero and this tragic event in our history. Viewing these photos takes time and thought, as Meyerowitz has also included brief descriptions and stories about each photograph. You will be struck by many emotions, sadness, anger, shock, and awe. But, there is an eeriness and a beauty, as well as hope in these photographs, inspired by the photographer's exquisite eye for detail, composition, lines, faces, and light. Photographers, professional and amateur alike, will deeply appreciate and learn from these aspects. Anyone to whom I have shown this book has been as immensely moved as I, from the UPS driver who delivered the package, to my father, a refugee of WWII, who still cannot speak easily of the events of 9/11. This book is highly recommended as an addition for one's library.



3. Meyerowitz his taken a step out of his usual repetoire in making these remarkable photographs. He has provided us with a devastating and incredibly imporant record of all that transpired in the Aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy. We have been staurated with images of the event itself; what we see here is the heroic and painstaking recovery work that followed.



4. Aftermath: World Trade Center Archive
   Book received in perfect sealed condition,would use this seller again in a heartbeat



5. I bought this book for my dad for Christmas. He is a history nut and thought he would enjoy it. The pictures were phenomonial and eerie. He has not put it down yet. It was definately the best present he received this year. Amazon was half of what the bookstore in the mall wanted. Would definately purchase from them again.

No comments about Where New York City Shop!: Great Shopping Wherever You Are (Where to Shop Guides).

1 comments about Gerry Frank's Where to Find it, Buy it, Eat it in New York 2008-2009 (Gerry Frank's Where to Find It, Buy It, Eat It in New York (Regular Edition)).

1. I purchased this for my great niece who just moved to New York. I've
   bought Mr. Frank's book in past editions, probably 3. He comes out with
   a new book every year. When some girl friends and I went to N.Y. I bought
   the '84 edition, eventually the '87 and "89 editions. They were our Bible
   and everything we tried from the book lived up to Mr. Frank's recommendations. So I thought my great niece should have a copy also.
   She said the day it arrived she stayed up until 3 a.m. reading it.

4 comments about The Beautiful Bronx 1920-1950.

1. The Beautiful Bronx brings back to life many beautiful memories. It is truly an excellent text and pictorial review of what was once home for so many people. The words and pictures give the reader a feeling of going back into the past. Life in the Bronx from the Roaring 20's to the beginning of the Kennedy Presidency certainly experienced many changes,good and bad,like the rest of our beloved country. The book describes events and locations perhaps forgotten by many people because so much time has passed from the time period examined. To study the many pictures is tantamount to looking at a time capsule. This book is "must reading" for those folks who never lived in the Bronx during this era and also for those folks who did. Yes, you can go home again.



2. First read the book at my brothers in Florida, had to have one. So many memories, Happy ones. The RKO Royal my farther worked thier for over 25 years. The pictures were so good again memories of days gone by. I lived in Edgewater remember the Mansion and our Volinteer Fire Dept. How things have changed, but your book brought it back to life for me again, no Bronx-ite should be without one Thankyou Bill Taylor



3. I loved the book, but was very disappointed that my neighborhood which is around Mckinley Square, Morrisania Library, Fulton Avenue Y, Crotona Park and the Indian lake, Boston Road Yiddish Theater, Jennings Street with Jackie the Pickle man were not mentioned.



4. Born 79 years ago on Bway. near Van Cortlandt. Lived in Kingsbridge & Mosholu areas 27 years. Drove the trolley cars, Bx.& Van Cort., University, Webster, 167 st. xtown, etc. after WW2. Fordham Rd.,3 movies and the Windsor within a few blocks. Loews Grand, Paradise and 1 more few blocks east. What an era! Skinny dip & sleep out in Botanical Gardens. De Witt Clinton Grad. 1938. Jacob H. Schiff center. Brought back many memories. Only complaint, didn't cover enuff. Faded roses are almost impossible to revive. Still a few childhood friends left from those years. Going back brought a mixture of emotions, so many are gone. elkvppast@aol.com

5 comments about The History and Stories of the Best Bars of New York.

1. Jef Klein sure knows how to put the reader in the story-or bar in this case - I thoroughly enjoyed "touring" the old glory days as well as the existing booths at some of the most interesting places NYC has to offer. I've made a list of which ones I plan to visit first- most notably the places with deep carpets, mood music, thick leather seats, soft lighting,and perhaps a celebrity or two (just for atmosphere). Thanks JK for a lovely evening! -RG



2. I had already heard these stories about the usual suspects ("21". King Cole Bar. Fraunces Tavern. The Algonquin Hotel.)... I was looking for other bars that aren't in every other book about famous NYC bars. Basically there are no bars here that are less than 20 years old. Which is sad, because these are amazing too, and have not been done to death. Where is Red Rock West Saloon in Chelsea, which is an amazing and gorgeous place to photograph (with fire-breathing barmaids)? Flute (W. 54th St location) which at one time was owned by Texas Guinan and was a speakeasy? The Ava Lounge, an art deco masterpiece on top of the Dream Hotel?
   
   Basically, this is a pretty good book if you want to read about bars you already know about, but it doesn't take any chances with the "new" generation of what, I think, are the real "Best Bars of New York" around.



3. Mr. Klein has done a remarkable job of bringing to life some of the most well known bars and restaurants of New York to life in this photographic collection. Revisit the glory days of historic New York with this title. Each bar or restaurant has its own individual chapter, detailing the history of the location through pictures and antidotes. This form allows a more intimate introduction for the reader, especially if you are not terribly familiar with the business.
   
   This is a must have for anyone's personal collection, would make a beautiful gift for those that enjoy a leisurely stroll through history with entertaining captions along with a healthy dose of beautifully taken photographs. This is one title I highly recommend.



4. So glad I bought this book and can think of several people it would make a great gift for. I plan to use it as the basis of a few tours of New York (though at this point in my life, I'll only be sipping water at the later stops). What a fun thing to do with out-of-town guests--and the book will make you an excellent tour guide, as it contains so many great stories. You can tell that the author, Jef Klein, is a former bartender and somebody who knows and loves New York. Her passion for these places is contagious--it makes you want to visit them...or maybe head to your neighborhood bar and become part of the lore. The photos by Cary Hazlegrove are also incredible, and one of the great things is that they're in black and white, which is so fitting for the book's sense of history.



5. I've only been to New York one time and that was for a short stay on business so I didn't have a lot of time to experience the nightlife in the "city that never sleeps." But, when I do go back, I will be armed and ready with a great reference tool, "Best Bars of New York", by Turner Publishing Group. This is a gorgeous, hardcover book, loaded with great photography along with stories and histories about some of the top nightspots in the Big Apple. The locations in this book aren't the trendy, here today-gone tomorrow type places, but rather the long-established businesses that are often off the beaten track and known only to the locals...but not anymore thanks to Jef Klein's fascinating research.
   
   Klein interviewed people at over 50 locations in preparation for his book, and the stories are truly mesmerizing. As a history buff who loves to visit local historical spots when I travel, Klein's book is the perfect offering, presenting clubs, taverns, and bars that have been around for decades, sometimes centuries! Klein doesn't give you just listings of establishments with notes on fare and prices...it's not a traveller's guide per se. Rather, Klein gives readers and inside and intimate look at the thirty bars that made the cut. You'll learn about the history of each one, and hear stories as if you were sitting barside, talking to the chatty barkeep.
   
   Liquor has been dispensed at 279 Water St since 1794. The site on the waterfront is now the Bridge Café. The site has a history that is colorful to say the least. It was formerly the site of a bordello in the 1850's. When it was purchased in 1979 by the current owners, basement excavation turned up artifacts dating to not long after the revolutionary War period! Today, the café is romantic and elegant, perhaps haunted by a ghost or two, but much more quite than it was a couple of hundred years ago.
   
   Chumley's is one of the more unique bars in the book...a former speakeasy, it has no name outside to identify itself, only the number "86" on the door...one of two doors with the same number, often leading to embarrassing mistakes. The bar had secret exits so its patrons could get out quickly during prohibition-era police raids. The bar was a popular spot among literary figures and the likes of Hemingway, Kerouac, Faulkner, Mailer, Steinbeck, and many others, all tipped a drink there.
   
   The building that is now home to the Corner Bistro has been there since 1827. It's become a West Village establishment that has been frequented by the famous including James Baldwin, Bobby Timmons, Miles Davis. Al Pacino, and Robert De Niro.
   
   In all, thirty bars are covered, from meeting places of the rich and powerful, to neighborhood hangouts, Jef Klein brings you all of their unique tales. Take this book with you on your next trip to New York and start your journey to all of these bars!
   
   Reviewed by Tim Janson

5 comments about The Curious Shopper's Guide to New York City: Inside Manhattan's Shopping Districts.

1. In case you didn't notice the dimensions listed, be warned - this book is tiny! The size of your palm. At first I was disappointed, as it is fairly odd in size and content. But when I started looking through it I found it very interesting, even if I won't visit most of the places. It is a kind of local's view into some of the really old "districts", like undergarments, millinery, and diamonds. I don't think I will be shopping for any of those things on my trip to NYC, but it was a very nice glimpse into local color!



2. This book is the size of a deck of cards. Very hard to read because of it's size. I was disappointed by the content. Had hoped to discover some fun, hip shops in NYC but instead all this book contained were things like; restaurant supplies, where to find bolts of material and buttons! I don't recommend this book!



3. The book was good but it had many areas of shopping that the average shopper would not be interested in. It was petite in size which i could throw into my person while roaming around the streets in New York.
   A good deal for the price.



4. If you are looking for the little treasures and oddities, this is THE book. If you have no experience with NYC and are looking for the New York Shopping Experience, choose a different one. This is a tiny block of a volume laser-focused on the hidden treasures: buttons, beads, baubles, ribbons, resale and on and on. The directions are clear and the descriptions charming. Don't miss the editor's faves at the back--visiting this handful of locations makes a great walking tour.



5. A charming little book;not so easy to find. Amazon offered both new and used; I choose new. The book
   arrived ahead of projected ship date. Service is terrific. Love the book.

5 comments about Streetwise Midtown Manhattan Map - Laminated City Street Map of Midtown Manhattan, NY - Folding pocket size travel map with integrated subway lines & stations (Streetwise) (Streetwise).

1. We used this map to get around Manhattan during our first-ever trip there in July, 2003. It's small enough to be convenient, big enough to show the important stuff, and, best of all, laminated so it takes the wear and tear of repeated use! I will definitely hold on to this map and take it with me the next time I visit NYC!



2. I own Streetwise maps for pretty much every city I've visited in the US and abroad. They're easy to read, and are pretty much indestructible. This is my second Manhattan map but only because I wanted more current hotel info. My old one looks as good as the one I just received. I've tried lots of street maps....these are the best !



3. I have just returned from our New York trip. Let me tell you that I was the "logistician" for our little group thanks to both Frommer's and this incredible Streetwise MidTown Manhattan Map!
   
   The map is accurate, easy to read, very portable. I found the information it contained about the location of various Theatres particularly helpful.
   
   I always purchase a map such as this prior to travel, and would not go to a city without a map like this! The Transit Map of New York was also very helpful and a wonderful companion purchase. Oh and do not forget the Downtown Manhattan Map!



4. I purchased both the Midtown and Downtown maps. To my dismay, the large text block containing the Midtown map's title completely obscures Greenwich Village. To make matters worse, the Midtown and Downtown Manhattan maps do not correlate, leaving a sizable unmapped gap between Canal Street and 4th Street (and again omitting Greenwich Village). If you don't mind wandering blindly in the gap between Canal and 4th Streets, these are great maps. Otherwise, trade off some of the detail and stick with the complete Streetwise Manhattan.



5. I'd recommend this foldable laminated map to people who will live or work in Midtown area, otherwise a full Manhattan streetwise map ( Streetwise Manhattan Map - Laminated City Street Map of Manhattan, New York - with integrated subway lines and stations - bus map) would be more helpful.
   
   But I highly recommend Not for Tourists 2008 Guide to New York City (Not for Tourists: New York City) (or the most updated edition if it's not 2008) over others.
   
   I would buy both a streetwise map of manhattan and a Not For Tourist Guide. The former is for a complete view of the whole island, and the latter is for much more comprehensive information of each part of Manhattan.

5 comments about The Mythic City: Photographs of New York by Samuel H. Gottscho, 1925-1940.

1. I thought it was very apt to use the word mythic in the title of this wonderful book. Surely Samuel Gottscho as much as anyone helped to create the popular visual concept of the dynamic American metropolis, a city of towers by day and a kaleidoscope of dazzling light by night, his work must have especially influenced creative folk from comic book artists to Hollywood art directors, the graphic city image is straight out of his photos.
   
   Apart from the short intro essay the book is basically photos, divided into several sections and covering, for instance, bridges, Times Square, business, commercial and residential areas of Manhattan plus a few photos of the 1939 New York World's Fair. It is with the night photos where Gottscho really excelled. To achieve his luminous effect he took two exposures, one at dusk to define the building shapes and another some hours later to capture all the blazing window lights. I think these photos plus the ones of Times Square at night look quite stunning.
   
   Another reason I like the book is the coverage of streamline design that keeps on appearing in many of the photos, not just the skyscrapers but interiors of retail units, Radio City, some of the apartment interiors and obviously the '39 World's Fair.
   
   The book is well printed and designed and the paper makes the photos sparkle with their 200 dpi screen. The captions are basically the location, date and architect though frequently there is more detail provided where necessary. Overall I thought this was a fascinating photobook of what New York looked like in the recent past.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.



2. This book was a total waste of money and time. Boring, repetitive and uninspired photos taken years ago by an architectural photographer for his clients and I have no idea why someone thought this worthy of publication.
   
   I'm planning on returning it.



3. My husband and I used this beautiful book as a guestbook at our wedding.
   We met and fell in love in New York City. Now that we live abroad, we miss the place tremendously. The photos in the book are gorgeous and capture our love for the City. Our guests were very creative in using the book's format to write their wishes for us. I highly recommend this book if you love NYC!



4. A friend of mine travelled to NYC not long ago and fell in love with this city. So my idea was to find a beautiful album about NY as a birthday present, but I didn't want to buy anything with average photographs of skyscrapers that repeat from one calendar to another.
   Thanks to the snapshots provided to this book review I felt that it should have a personal touch and wouldn't be boring. It turned out to be true! now I'm thinking about ordering another one for myself.



5. Samuel Gottscho's wonderful photographs combine an architect's eye with the mood of an Edward Hopper painting. Cool but never cold, these photos are simply beautiful. The noir-flavored night shots are among the finest, with the chiaroscuro of a John Alton film. Gottscho had the luck to be living during one of New York's most photogenic periods, after most of the Art Deco classics had been built but before the postwar clutter of shoebox skyscrapers had set in.
   
   Technically, this collection is very well produced, with sharp, lustrous photos on high-quality paper. Highly recommended for any fan of vintage urban photographs.