Customer Reviews

Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides: New York (Eyewitness Travel Top 10)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Going to New York City for 1 day or a week, this is the first book you buy, this is the lightweight one, with the good maps that include subways & trains, this one has not only the top 10 sights in the city overall, but the top 10 sights by area of the city (Little Italy, Chinatown, TriBeCa, etc.), the top 10 restaurants, or 10 sights, or 10 parks, or 10 shops for each area, the 10 best museums, so on and so on for 179 pages of top tens. Eyewitness always has good graphics, photos, maps. It's felxible, lightweight, the cover is waterproof, it will fit in a coat pocket. I carry this in the street, putting post-it notes in the chapters with information from other more in-depth guides that are too heavy to carry all day.

For those traveling to New York City this is an essential guide to bring with you. The restaurant recommendations are top notch. The maps are detailed and a pocket subway guide is always helpful. Whether you are going in for a week or a weekend this is the guide you want to carry with you when you are out and about. You may want to use another guide if you are going in for a longer period of time for planning purposes but again this is the one you want to carry with you when you are in the city.

I visited NYC for the first time a few weeks ago. I took only three books about this city with me: this guide, the "Lonely planet NYC Guide", and "The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide". Truth to be told, this guide is probably the only one I couldn't have done without.

"Top 10 New York" is an extremely useful small guide that doesn't have as much information as the "Lonely planet NYC Guide", but that has the essentials, and excellent fold out maps in color that are more easily understandable than those of other guides. I would like to highlight the fact that even though I am very absent minded, I could easily find my way in NYC thanks to those maps. And if I can, everybody will be able to do that!

From my point of view, this guide is ideal for those tourists that don't have a lot of time, and want to see as much as possible during their visit to NYC (specifically Manhattan), if possible without a tourist guide. "Top 10 New York" points out quite a few places you simply must go to in the city, but also tells you about different neighbourhoods, and their history. There are many photos in color that help you to decide what you want to do, and historic data that allows you to learn about this city.

Moreover, most visitors will find the insider tips for tourists helpful, and the planned walks and itineraries a good option. Other useful sections in this guide are, for example, "Best shopping districts", "Best hotels for every budget" (I found my hotel through Internet, though), "Best restaurants in each area" and "Most fun places for children". What is more, "Top 10 New York" is almost pocket-sized, so you can carry it with you everywhere, even if your purse is tiny (not my case!), or if you have bought too many things and your handbag is rather heavy (yes, that often happens to me).

All in all, I am very happy I bought this guide, and I strongly recommend it to you :)

Belen Alcat

This book is not as detailed as some guide books on New York City but it's probably got most of the information most people need if they're going to spend a couple of days in the city. It's not as big as many of the other books on NYC but it's well illustrated & has a lot of information for its size. Plus, because of its size it was always with me during the 3 days my wife & I spent in NYC.

Great overview of the city by top 10 for the whole of NYC and by specific areas . Best part is that it easily fits into a coat pocket AND has a subway map and city map included.

I have spent some time in NYC before but had always been with a city resident and hadn't ever needed a guide. But when the opportunity came about for my husband and I to spend a long weekend there, I absolutely took it. I love the city (in small doses, couldn't ever live there), but hadn't ever had a chance to do any touristy stuff. So I read some reviews and picked up this guide.

I spent a few days reading over it, and after my trip, I would say it's a great guide if you don't know what you want to do, or how to structure your days, because it has very specific suggestions for stuff like that. It has a section for each part of the city, at the end of which is a run down on a sample day one could spend in that neighborhood.

But as far as a comprehensive while-you're-there guide? I wish I had gotten Not For Tourists. This was a great planner, and had street and subway maps that were incredibly useful, but when you're looking for a bookstore nearby to kill an hour? Nada. Also, because of the setup of the book (chock full of Top Ten lists, duh), it jumps around a lot. One museum is mentioned in four different places, and vital information is only on one of those pages, but from the index there's no way to tell which one of those pages has something important like the hours of the place, for example, so you have to check every page.

Again, great for planning, less great for a carry-along for your trip.

Great subway map! Just don't forget to read the signs in the subway, some trains only run certain days/times. AND if I remember correctly PATH is not really in the book.

I've used this guide several times on trips to NY and it is absolutely terrific. Pocketable, beautifully illustrated, wonderfully organized. We went to two of the restaurants recommended and were totally pleased. Very easy to use and filled with useful information. Will add a lot to a visit.

Manhattan made easy!

I went to the NYC recently for the first time and I loved it! This is the only book you will need. Great maps, including the subway, made it REAL easy to learn your way around Manhattan. Also, gives you interesting reading material for the flight!

I went with a wonderful person who already knew her way around, but she still kept asking me to see the book.

There are bigger books, but this one is better. It doesn't force you on specific paths, rather it highlights things along your own path. And to top it off, unlike other books, it fits in your back jeans pocket if you don't choose to carry a backpack (which I highly recommend.)

They even have a top 10 "Cheap Eats." However, they missed this great tiny fallafel place in Greenwich Village: an awesome lunch for two (including sodas) for 8 bucks! Make sure you traipse up to Washington Square Park to eat it.

Also, CBGB's at Bleeker & Bowery. It's a don't miss, but not in the book.

PS. If you go to Brooklyn, you might need another book (so you don't get lost :-). Fortunately, New Yorkers are awesome people and helped us get back to Manhattan.

Absolutely the best book I could find at national bookstores that begin their name with a "B." I wonder if that's why amazon.com chose an "A."