No comments about Fodor's New York City 2009 (Full-Color Gold Guides).

1 comments about Doin' New York With Your Pooch: Eileen's Directory of Dog-Friendly Lodging & Outdoor Adventures in New York (Barish, Eileen. Vacationing With Your Pet Travel Series.).

1. I found this guide indispensable to traveling with my golden, Molly. After I exausted every resource to run away for the weekend, and was at wit's end, Eileen's guide came to the rescue. I have referred to it, time and time again, with happy results. I recommend it to anyone who wants to travel with their pooch and not feel like a criminal.

4 comments about Frommer's Memorable Walks in New York.

1. This is a super book packed with great information! Reid Bramblett, while working within the generally great guidelines of the Frommer's travel series, also brings out his quirky and appealing sense of humor and warmth. (I actually sought out this book because I had bought another guide he had written.) He tells these great stories about SoHo, for example, that make it more than just a listing of information.

   Like all the Frommer's guides, this provides great details on what to see, but encourages you to explore on your own as well. I have practically planned my trip around Reid's advice on the neighborhood walks, and this little book is a much more convenient and authentic way to experience New York than on a bus or something.

   Like I said, any Frommer's book is great. The extra bonus on this book is the author's humor and warmth.




2. My wife and I just returned from a great ten days in New York City where we made great use of this book. We both enjoy walking through cities, and this is a nice guide for suggested routes through the different neighborhoods and things to see along the way. It's a good jumping off point for exploring on your own as well. For example, on the Harlem walk the guide brushes past Marcus Garvey park, but with further exploration, you can climb to the top of the hill and get a good overview of the whole city as well as see where real people come to relax and play. Central Park is the same thing. The walking tour there walks you past the highlights, then you can explore from there. For fans of this type of travel, I'd suggest a full day in Central Park.
   
   On the downside, I would point out that only Manhattan is covered in the book with the other boroughs getting no coverage. As an introduction to the other boroughs, I would recommend a walk to and/or from Brooklyn over the Brooklyn Bridge. You can take the subway one of the ways if you like. The pedestrian walkway above the car deck is a boardwalk and you get views of Lower Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, etc. We walked back at sunset which was very nice. While in Brooklyn, be sure to stop in someplace for some beer and a slice or two of pizza either at the famous Grimaldi's or another pizza place you find.



3. We recently returned from a trip to Manhattan and used this book (among others) to take a few self-guided walking tours. This book was easy to carry and filled with useful and fun information. The walks cover the following areas of Manhattan (but not the other burroughs): Lower Manhattan/Financial District, Chinatown, Jewish Lower East Side, SoHo, Greenwich Village Literary Tour, East Village, Midtown, Central Park, Upper West Side, Upper East Side -- nothing above the park. With those deficiencies in mind, we still found this guide useful and informative. It's well organized and includes info on nearby restaurants and transportation. Emphasis on the cultural, literary and political history of each area.



4. I had to return this product 3 TIMES! Each copy was missing the same pages. I eventually asked for a refund.

5 comments about The Spiritual Guide to New York: Yoga, Buddhism, Wicca, Kabbalah and Beyond.

1. Finding anything, from the perfect bagel to the best socks, in NYC can be daunting, because there are always so many choices. Waage and Applestone help attenuate this difficulty by doing the hard work of culling through the thousands of offerings for alternative spiritual activites in NYC. The breadth of their analysis is striking, as is their insight into the range of activities and facilities available throughout New York. My friends from Europe were particularly happy to find a guide that was as thorough, clever and fun to read as this one.



2. I'm not much of a freaky religous person, so this book was perfect for me. I enjoyed it as an opportunity to learn more about the very diverse and numerous ways in which people seek out and find their spiritual needs. If finding a place in NY that fits your personal needs is your goal, this book is definitely for you. If having an open mind and understanding the way others fulfill their inner-self, this is also a good read. Could have had more pictures, but I guess it helps to leave it up to your mind as to how to interpret the zillion locales in NY.



3. I had just started a program of meditation at my local Buddhist center when I traveled to New York for a conference. Thanks to this book I did not miss a beat in my new regime and I made some new friends.



4. This book is Great! I bought it because I
   was looking for a good yoga studio in my neighborhood. The reviews were
   right on and I found a place that I LOVE. Next stop, a meditation class...



5. I used to know everything about everything in New York. When I lived there. Now that I go back on extended visits, this book has helped to keep me in the know and introduced me to places, not just in the city, but when I go to the Hamptons on the weekend and need a good Yoga class.

   The reviews are written in a way I can relate to -- I feel like I can take the authors' word for it. Even if you're only going to spend a week in NY and don't want to miss out on your yoga class (or your wicca circle), this is a great resource.

2 comments about Moon Handbooks New York State.

1. Since 2000 I have used the second edition of this guide as my bible to the history, sights, and most fascinating dining and lodging spots of the central New York area where our children have gone to college. This Guide has made our trips to central New York among the most enjoyable of any I have taken anywhere in the world. The Moon Guide imparts an appreciation of its subject that is unmatched by any travel book I have ever owned. I can't wait to receive the new Third edition -- kudos to the authors!



2. When I want to plan a vacation or want more information about a certain area the first thing I reach for is a Moon Handbook. Though I live in New York State, there are many things to know. When I took a recent camping trip to the Catskills I found that this particular book had more information on the area than did the Moon Handbook that covered just the Hudson Valley Region, which includes the Catskills. I would have imagined that the NYS book would have been less detailed than a book specifically about that area. Anyway, the only downside is that it doesn't include some of the State parks I'm interested in, but otherwise a very good book by a publisher I've grown to trust.

1 comments about New York's 50 Best Places to Renew Body, Mind, and Spirit: A City and Company Guide (City and Company).

1. This is the book I have been looking for. Who'd have thought there could be such wonderful opportunities for renewal in NYC? This book really addresses the needs of city dwellers. If you have just a few minutes, a day or a week, you can benefit from the opportunities to turn the stress down that this book offers. And even better you will experience some unique and fascinating sites. It is concise but informative giving all the information needed to go to each place.

1 comments about Night+Day New York (Pulse Guides Cool Cities Series).

1. My girlfriend and I recently picked this up to help with our trip to New York and I have to say it was fantastic. Not your typical guide of typical outdated touristy things to do. It was extremely well written, obviously a lot of care and research was done to put it together. It uncovered some hidden gems and seemed to be really on the cutting edge with what was hip and happening in the city.
   
   I'd totally pick it up if you're looking for some good insight into what New York can really be like. We're also going to look at picking up some other in this series for some other trips that we have planned.

No comments about Hagstrom Long Island: New York City Road Map.

1 comments about New York, New York: The City in Art and Literature.

1. Not quite an anthology, not nearly a history, and yet, in its own way, a very satisfactory sampler of New York culture and history. Introduced by the indefatigable Brooke Astor, "New York, New York; The City in Art abd Literature" gives you little tastes of the different eras, neighborhoods, and peoples that have populated this monumental city. Don't look for any depth or probing information here; this is strictly for the coffee table. Still, the quality of the prints and the printing is superior, and the literary selections are a little off the beaten path--which makes the book more interesting than one would think.

2 comments about New York: The Unknown City.

1. If you have been to New York and think you know everything about it, this is the book for you. Fresh, funny, and leads to interesting dinner time conversation!



2. Did you know that pickles originated in New York? This is a pretty mundane fact among a book FULL of interesting stuff. A bit more a wacky history book than a travel guide, but it will give you plenty of ideas for things to see and do, especially if you live in New York or have already seen the main touristy things. A very fun & interesting read, certainly not your run-of-the-mill book.