Frommer's New York City 2009 (Frommer's Complete Guides) [Paperback]

Brian Silverman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2008 | Series: Frommer's Complete Guides (Book 595)

America’s #1 bestselling travel series

Written by more than 175 outspoken travelers around the globe, Frommer’s Complete Guides help travelers experience places the way locals do.

• More annually updated guides than any other series
• 16-page color section and foldout map in all annual guides
• Outspoken opinions, exact prices, and suggested itineraries
• Dozens of detailed maps in an easy-to-read, two-color design

Explore the city with a real New Yorker, who gives you inside tips on hotels, restaurants, attractions, and nightlife.

• The best places to eat, from vintage delis to pizza joints to power palaces.
• Off-the-beaten-path experiences and undiscovered gems, plus new takes on top attractions, and the latest news on the newest hotels, restaurants and hotspots in the City that Never Sleeps.
• The most frequently updated travel series on the market. Plus, online updates are available at Frommers.com so travelers don't have to worry about out-of-date information.
• Opinionated write-ups. No bland descriptions and lukewarm recommendations. Our expert writers are passionate about their destinations--tell it like it is in an engaging and helpful way.
• Exact prices listed for every establishment and activity--no other guides offer such detailed, candid reviews of hotels and restaurants. We include the very best, but also emphasize moderately priced choices for real people.
• All Complete guides offer user-friendly features including star ratings and special icons to point readers to great finds, excellent values, insider tips, best bets for kids, special moments, and overrated experiences.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Frommer's. The best trips start here.

Experience a place the way the locals do. Enjoy the best it has to offer.

• Take a bite of the Big Apple with a native New Yorker, our expert author, who knows what's up (the Bronx) and what's down (the Battery).

• Outspoken opinions on what's worth your time and what's not.

• Exact prices, so you can plan the perfect trip whatever your budget.

• Off-the-beaten-path experiences and undiscovered gems, plus new takes on top attractions.

Find great deals and book your trip at Frommers.com

About the Author

Brian Silverman is a freelance writer whose work has been published in Saveur, The New Yorker, Caribbean Travel & Life, Islands, and Four Seasons. Among the many topics he writes about are food, travel, sports, and music. He is the author of numerous books including Going, Going, Gone: The History, Lore, and Mystique of the Home Run, and the Twentieth Century Treasury of Sports. For Frommer’s, he has written Complete, Portable, and Budget guides to New York City, as well as New York City For Dummies. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Frommers; Revised edition (September 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470285621
• ISBN-13: 978-0470285626
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #632,047 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brian Silverman has written about travel, food, sports, and music for publications such as Saveur, Caribbean Travel & Life, Islands, American Way, The New Yorker, and The New York Times. He is the author of several books including Going, Going, Gone: The History, Lore and Mystique of the Home Run and co-editor of The Twentieth Century Treasury of Sports. Brian lives in New York, New York with his wife and children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb must have New York City guide, January 8, 2009

By 

barry (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Frommer's New York City 2009 (Frommer's Complete Guides) (Paperback)

I am a definite researcher. Seems that lately travel guide books have become a little obselete for there are so many sites online to find all the info you need. I am going to New York City in March as a birthday treat to stay in Times Square and see many shows. I don't live far, will be coming from Boston. I did much research on the area online for hotels, restaurants, sightseeing with some from frommers.com. But I want this trip to be as great as possible so I splurged and got the actual Frommers travel book.

I am so glad I did. This 408 page volume is filled to the brim with well researched, detailed information for anything you may need. I found all the info i needed for Times Square plus taxi costs from the airport, amounts to tip various workers etc. - all things I needed to know. The book is so detailed not only on the biggest tourist areas but on the entire city and gets you very excited to explore different areas of this multifaceted city. I have extended my stay to be able to really feel all areas of the city.

The author gives you restaurant listings, hotel listings and sightseeing suggestions for all city sections in all price ranges and interests. For each area a map is provided showing where all the places are located. There is also one huge foldout map included in the book. I must say I found this book priceless with all its up to date info. And the opinions are very honest withe the reasons backing the opinion. This helps me with making my decisions. I also give huge kudos to Frommers for they suggest throughout the book to use frommers.com and other online sites for further information. This is definitelty a guide whose purpose is to give you the most info possible.

This book is an essential, honest information filled volume that is a necessity to read before and to have during your trip to one of the most famous cities in the world. Highly recommended.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another "No Regret" Purchase from Frommer's, January 2, 2009

By 

B. Olive (Pikeville, KY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Frommer's New York City 2009 (Frommer's Complete Guides) (Paperback)

I have now visited several cities for the first time after consulting various travel guide books on the market, and consistently, I find that Frommer's tends to be the best. Frommer's uses authors and editors who actually LIVE in the cities you are reading about, and so you get a local perspective along with the other basic information you need such as maps, hotel and restaurant recommendations, etc. You don't have to shy away from this aspect of Frommer's by thinking the reviews and recommendations are skewed. A great deal of effort is placed on objectivity and providing a very well presented (and diverse) product. Specifically to my recent visit to New York City, again I found this source to be my favorite as I traversed through Manhattan and ventured out into other areas for the first time. The maps were extremely helpful, and this book is organized as well as the others I've used from Frommer's.

Simply due to the fact that travel within NYC presents a unique set of challenges (specifically for visitors who might not be familiar with riding the subway, or visiting the Big Apple for the first time), I do recommend buying a separate subway map (perhaps laminated) containing information about the express and local trains. I have written another review about the particular one I used, which was very good and purchased at the same time I bought this book. I'm not implying those in the Frommer's guide are not good, because they are. However, I found that using Frommer's along with my other map was extremely efficient, and used together as complimentary tools, I was much more well prepared than some other tourists I observed in the subway stations referencing multiple books and maps to hop to their next destination. I even had a couple of individuals ask me for directions, which was surprising. I suppose I seemed comfortable because my level of stress was minimized by studying the Frommer's before my visit, so I was a little "less" like a tourist (and this is a good thing).

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A big help.., January 7, 2009

By 

Christi Eveland "readin' mama" (Penn Yan, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Frommer's New York City 2009 (Frommer's Complete Guides) (Paperback)

Frommer's NY City 2009 was a big help on our recent weekend getaway to NY city. The maps were especially helpful. Each attraction had subway directions as well, which made getting around via train very simple.