1 comments about New York City 5 in 1 Pocket Map and Guide.

1. Hagstrom 5-in-1 is the best information-packed and user friendly map you can buy. It features one large map of Manhattan from downtown all the way up to 132nd Street, which is excellent as compared to the other maps which purport to show all of Manhattan, but do not. In the back, there is a small subway map, a small focus map of downtown Manhattan below Canal Street, a small focus map of West Greenwich Village, a small focus map of midtown Manhattan, and a small road map of the entire five boroughs. Details such as locations of landmarks, addresses, and a no-nonsense color scheme makes Hagstrom the best map you have have at half the cost of its fancier, and potentially less useful rivals. The map is made entirely of paper with no lamination. rkchin.

2 comments about New York City.

1. This book of postcards contains 21 high quality postcards with beautiful panaromas from around the city. My favorite is the Columbia University postcard, which portrays my future college :)

   Highly recommended!




2. I ordered this book of 21 NY postcards thinking that it was exactly the same as one that I already have from Browntrout. The images in the one I have are stunning, and I wanted to offer it as a gift. (I thought the postcards sold by Amazon were the same because the cover image shown on the site matches exactly the cover of the book of 30 postcards). What I received was completely different -- different cover, poorer quality postcards, overall a huge let-down. Don't buy this product -- make sure what you see is what you get.

No comments about ZagatSurvey 2009 New York City Pack (Zagatsurvey New York City Pack).

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

5 comments about Fodor's New York City 2007 (Fodor's Gold Guides).

1. We looked at perhaps a dozen guidebooks for NYC when we first arrived in town, and liked this one the best. Many guidebooks seem to be a bit stuffy. This one was written with warmth and panache by people who seem intimately familiar with their subject matter. The authors also included excerpts from various on-line reviews/blogs and the like which are interspersed in the text and add to the hipness of the book.
   
   Sightseeing is particularly well covered in this book. It describes the various neighborhoods of NYC, their history, sociological quirks, as well as their architectural and cultural highlights extremely well and also includes detailed lists of restaurants and shopping opportunities in each neighborhood. The book also includes a number of interesting "field trips" which many travellers might not otherwise consider, such as a foot tour of the Brooklyn Bridge (one of the highlights of our trip), a tour of Harlem gospel choirs, pub crawls, best views, festivals, boat excursions, etc. etc. Major museums, such as the Metropolitan and MOMA are covered in great detail, and there is also an entire chapter on lesser known "niche" museums as well as detailed coverage of art galleries.
   
   Hotels are reasonably well covered, although online review sites specifically devoted to hotels will be more comprehensive and current than any general guidebook can be. This book also does a good job covering theatre, clubs, bars, and restaurants with separate chapters devoted to each. Again, however, the NYC restaurant scene, in particular, is so vast that hard-core foodies will also want to check out Zagat's guide and online review sites.



2. This Fodor's guidebook does a thorough job of breaking down the different neighborhoods of NYC (with helpful maps), and there are some unexpected extras, such as a full-color section on Central Park (with maps), a section on the galleries of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (with a gallery floorplan), and a detailed section on "Ground Zero." However, this book also seems to leave out "insider tips" that I found in Frommer's NYC guidebooks (such as Frommer's "New York City Day by Day" or the "Portable NYC" guide). For instance, while the Fodor's book does explain how to catch the free Staten Island Ferry, Frommer's "Portable" guide recommends that you sit on the right side for the best views of the Statue of Liberty. Despite all its break-out maps, Fodor's guide doesn't include a theatre district map. In addition, information on transportation options for getting to and from the area airports is shoved to the back of the guidebook like an afterthought. Finally, the organization wasn't the most effective for me; attractions are organized by neighborhood, so if you don't know, for instance, that the Empire State Building is located in the Union Square district, you have to use the index. It would be nice to have an overview of famous sites at the beginning of the guide to get oriented rather than have to start out "digging" for all the places you may want to see.
   
   Unfortunately, this 500+ page guidebook is just too bulky to carry around NYC. However, it does provide a solid overview for those people still in the planning stages of their trip. I plan to take this book with me to NYC, but to pull out the lengthy sections on "Where to Stay" (I already have hotel reservations) and "Where to Dine" (I've already made dining arrangements). I do think Fodor's complements the Frommer's guides because it (Fodor's) provides great maps and interesting historical information about some sites; however, I still prefer the portable Frommer's guides, which provide compact, but meaty information.



3. This guide was extremely useful, and I'm definitely glad I bought it. However, take the price listings with a grain of salt, they are often times very inaccurate. Don't plan a budget by it!
   
   The most useful aspect of the book, oddly enough, was the pullout map. We took it everywhere with us and didn't lead us wrong!



4. This is the one to buy. Most useful for preps and during visit. The others are too much, too little and hard to understand. This one is just right.



5. Fodor's 2007 helped me plan an excellent trip. Several maps make things really easy to find. I would have been completely lost travelling to the Big Apple for the first time, but I felt like I belonged there because I had studied Fodor's NYC 2007 before the trip! It was easy to get around, the book provided excellent choices for hotels, shopping, clubbing, and of course the best attractions. Its smaller size makes it easy to carry around, too. Now every time I go to NY, I don't leave home without this book.

1 comments about The Street Book: An Encyclopedia of Manhattan's Street Names and Their Origins.

1. When people think of the street names of Manhattan, they probably think of the grid and its numbered roads. WRONG! Manhattan, especially the older neighborhoods from Houston Street south to the Battery, are filled with twisting little streets whose names resonate with Manhattan's history. This is where you'll find out why Houston Street is pronounced "HOW-ston". Where did Maiden Lane get its name from? Who was Barclay? This book will tell all. My only complaint (which prevented from giving this five stars) was with the binding: it cracked almost immediately upon opening and, right now, several pages are precariously clinging to the spine. Maybe it was only the batch that mine came out of which is so weak.

   Still this is a very informative book. If only it can tell me why New Yorkers pronounce Avenue of the Americas as "Sixth Avenue".

1 comments about South Bronx (NY) (Images of America).

1. The presentation contains memorable pictures of
   important Bronx structures and scenes over the
   past two centuries. i.e.
   o Fordham Rd. Trolley of 1940s
   o St. Roch's Church
   o The Swedish/Finnish Lutheran Church
   o St. Joseph 's at East 178th Street
   o Hall of Fame for Great Americans now Bronx Community College
   o North Side of the Board of Trade circa 1890s - 1910
   o Cardinal Hayes HS at 1947
   o Christmas Dinner circa 1919 was $1.50 for
   1/2 boiled lobster, plum pudding etc.
   o Butterfly Zone at Astor Court
   
   This acquisition would provide very memorable pictures
   for people who have lived or worked in New York over
   the period of the last 100 years.

1 comments about The Cheapskate Millionaire's Guide to Bargain Hunting in the Big Apple: The Best Deals on the Best Stuff.

1. This is a great guide for finding GREAT stuff. It contains some standard information about sample sales, Opera tickets and hair salons. What sets this book apart is the information about finding and furnishing an apartment. The fabric and furniture suggestions are the best I've found in any shopping guide, plus these places do indeed exist AND so do the prices.

No comments about Streetwise Welcome to New York Map - Laminated Tourist Street Map of New York City (6 Languge / Map) (6 Languge/Map).

1 comments about Barnes & Noble Complete Illustrated Map and Guidebook to Central Park.

1. This is a supurb directory to the joys of New York's Central Park. What could be nicer than to know where things are to plan your park experience. I love this book and refer to it often.