No comments about Guide to New York City Landmarks.

3 comments about The Architectural Guidebook to New York City.

1. The most obvious reason to replace the AIA Guide with this book is size. Dealing with only one borough enables the author to go into more detail while reducing the size of the book. The AIA Guide is about half the size of a large yellow pages. The Architectural Guidebook to NYC is about the size of an average novel. That makes a big difference when you're stuffing it into your backpack or purse for a trip on subway or foot.

   The more extensive entries are very welcome. In Union Square with this book and a view of the surrounding buildings, I was able to spend a pleasant and informative hour on a park bench, for free. That's a better bargain than the Staten Island Ferry.

   Morrone keeps the architect's jargon to a minimum and knows his subject well. The historical insights and views on clashing aesthetics were skillfully presented. He pointed out a couple of museums of very high caliber that I wasn't even aware of. A book like this is a perfect jumping off point for thousands of topics, from neighborhoods to cultures to politics to construction.

   I would encourage him to write similar books on the other buroughs, or better yet, an even more detailed work on each of the neighborhoods of Manhattan: each of them has at least a thousand buildings worth writing about.




2. This book is really good and best used if you have a fair amount of time to wander around New York. It is like trailing through the city with a friend who has lived there for a long time; Marrone has great excursive lengthy interesting descriptions of a number of buildngs, and that's great. The problem is that each chapter has its own tiny map, and they are never put together in a larger overall map anywhere, making navigation difficult. If you have a lot of time, and want to do just a few buidings per day, that's fine. If you want to storm through NYC and see as much as possible in a limited amount of time, if is difficult.



3. I was a bit disapointed by this book. There is information on a lot of NY buildings, but the information does not always concern architecture and is usually very limited. Gives you an impression of all there is to see, but does not do much more than that. Photographs are not impressive. Much more intersting is The Architecture of New York City, by Donald Martin Reynolds.

No comments about Quick Escapes New York City, 7th: Getaways from the Big Apple (Quick Escapes Series).

1 comments about Let's Go Map Guide NYC (4th Ed).

1. A good little handy booklet.It is a must have, with visit to NY.very helpfool and lots of good tips.nice size and texture.

No comments about Staten Island, Ny Map.

2 comments about Stepping Out: Nine Walks Through New York City's Gay and Lesbian Past.

1. With Disney changing the face of Midtown Manhattan, "Stepping Out" is a wonderful look back at a rich and compelling history of New York City. Mr. Hurewitz's observations will appeal to any lover of New York - straight or gay. His witty prose, unique sense of humor, and detailed maps and photographs will force you to don a pair of comfortable shoes, "grab a cheese sandwich" and take to the streets. If only all travel books could be this good.



2. I'm not even through the first tour of Stepping Out, and I'm already addicted. From page one, I was hooked. Daniel writes with a humor and an appreciation for Gay History that we can all appreciate and love. The information is detailed, without being boring or stuffy. The descriptions make you feel like you're there, even if you're just loungeing in bed scanning through it. From the riots at Stonewall Inn, to strolling down Christopher Street, it's like you're there. He includes the details that matter, such as witty quotes out of some of our favorite, and even a few unknown, GLBT historical figures. I can't wait to go to New York and actually visit the places he speaks about! This is a must for anyone who is interested in GLBT history and culture.

No comments about New York City: A Cultural History (Cultural Histories).

1 comments about New York City 5-in-1 Pocket Map.

1. This is a great map, but it is hard to use on a day to day basis as a quick reference while walking the streets of New York. It has great detail of midtown Manhattan, where most tourists spend their time. The streets, subways, and nearly every landmark and store/hotel/resturant are situated to scale on the map. This is extremely helpful if you don't have the exact address of, say Carnegie Deli, you can just go to the area where you think it is, and look around till you find the actual Carnegie label. It also has great detailed maps of the other neighborhoods (the Villages, East Side, Lower East Side, Financial District, etc.) with all the major landmarks, but less detail about the stores and businesses than the midtown section. The problem with the map is it is made of that real thin, cheap paper (I mean look a the price) and it is BIG when unfolded (It's a bit awkward when you're in the subway, or in a tight line at an attraction, and you have to pull out this big old bedsheet of a map), so you have to constantly fold it back/forth/up/down against the creases and with the in and out of the coat pocket, it wasn't long before it just started shredding at the creases. It did last me the week however, and I used it daily and excessively, but it's not much good for anything now except a keepsake of our great trip. If I had it to do again, I'd still buy this map for it's exceptional detail (and cheap price), but consider getting one of the laminated maps for the day to day stuff (I think the National Geographic Destination Maps are great for this purpose, they were the best thing I used for London, Rome, Paris, and the New York one looked just as good--I should have gotten that one as well).

No comments about City Weekends: Greatest Escapes and Weekend Getaways in and Around New York City.

3 comments about Jazz Guide New York City.

1. As a jazz fan, drummer and bandleader who's listened around Manhattan for 28 years and played around Manhattan for 16 years, I'm very impressed with this book. It's extremely well researched, the production quality is high, and the quality of the writing is so good that it makes an interesting read apart from its functionality as a guidebook. My only reservation is that it leaves out a couple of obvious jazz clubs and includes some non-jazz clubs. But that aside, I'm astonished at how much the author knows about his subject, and how much I was able to learn that I didn't already know. Very highly recommended.



2. If you're planning to check out some jazz in NYC, my advice is simple: get this book. Dollar knows his stuff, and the book is so smartly written that it's worth a read even if you don't know the difference betweeen Bill Evans and Gil Evans. And if you're into cutting-edge jazz, you'll find some destinations here that will send you to postbop heaven.



3. A great resource for the conoisseur as well as the jazz illiterate (like me!). This book is a terrific guide to some fabulous joints, and is fun to read, too. Well done!