Amazon.com Review
Knopf is the handbook to turn to for an exceptionally convenient, streamlined guide to New York City. It cuts straight to the chase, starting with "42 Things You Need to Know," such as public holidays when institutions are closed, getting there (with maps of the major airports), getting around, and getting by. This is followed by chapters on "Where to Stay," detailing 76 hotels in 14 neighborhoods, and "Where to Eat," with 93 restaurants divided into 18 categories (some by district, like Upper West Side or Little Italy, others by theme, like delis, brunches, or restaurants with views). There's a section on "After Dark" (delineating cocktail bars, jazz clubs, Broadway, cabarets, and such), another section on "What to See" (detailing 40 New York attractions), plus "Where to Shop" (with 91 stores across the city) and "Further Afield," exploring 27 excursions around New York's boroughs. Then there's the appendix of seven shiny maps that provide cogent access to New York's subway system and bus network, as well as detailed street maps of downtown, Midtown, the Village, the Upper East and West Sides, and Harlem. With pithy text set off by lots of color photos and inset maps, this is a guide that's attractive, practical, and easy to use.
--Stephanie Gold
From the Inside Flap
These striking new guides to seven major destinations are so appealing that you won't be able to put them down--even after you've stopped traveling. Slender and light, they fit into your purse or pocket. The traveler gets a rich flavor of a city through 600 vibrant color photographs while being guided through the 400 best hotels, restaurants, shops, and cultural sights.
Each guide is divided into nine sections:
Everything You Need to Know takes you into a given city and explains local transportation once you are there;
Where to Stay lists 80 hotels with a wide range in price;
Where to Eat includes everything from diners to four-star restaurants;
After Dark shows you the clubs, discos, theaters, and concert halls;
What to See guides the traveler from museums to cultural monuments and other places of interest;
Further Afield provides 36 excursions just outside the city to historic houses, botanical gardens, zoos, or museums; and
Where to Shop features 80 different boutiques, department stores, and markets. At the back are subway and bus routes and 10 double-page spreads of city
Maps. Also included is the
Business Reference Guide, with information for the business traveler on the city's stock exchange, major banks, business newspapers, television and radio stations, as well as a schedule of conventions.
SOME HIGHLIGHTS
The guide to NEW YORK takes you after hours to the Bottom Line and the Apollo Theater, and to such restaurants as Florent, Aureole, and Le Bernardin.