Customer Reviews

Moon Handbooks New York State

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Since 2000 I have used the second edition of this guide as my bible to the history, sights, and most fascinating dining and lodging spots of the central New York area where our children have gone to college. This Guide has made our trips to central New York among the most enjoyable of any I have taken anywhere in the world. The Moon Guide imparts an appreciation of its subject that is unmatched by any travel book I have ever owned. I can't wait to receive the new Third edition -- kudos to the authors!

I generally really like the Moon handbooks, and this one is no exception. Lots of space devoted to the Big Apple, of course, but plenty of that is devoted to the byways and obscurities - I think there's more space given to the "outer" boroughs than is usual in a state guidebook. It's also nice to see just as much wordage devoted to neighborhood restaurants and taverns as to swank expensive downtown bistros -- which have a tendency not to last till the next edition, anyway. Bird's coverage of upstate varies -- I like the Finger Lakes/Rochester/Syracuse sections but I think her upper Hudson valley chapters are a little thin.

As always, there aren't any pages wasted on pretty color pictures, and not a lot of maps - you can get postcards and an atlas, right? On the other hand, there is plenty of history and attention paid to what makes NY state something different from other states. Which is, after all, the point of travelling -- the differences, the specialness. 2nd edition (2001) reviewed. These Moon guides don't age as badly as a lot of other travel book series, so if you happen to come across an older edition, don't be snobbish about it.

When I want to plan a vacation or want more information about a certain area the first thing I reach for is a Moon Handbook. Though I live in New York State, there are many things to know. When I took a recent camping trip to the Catskills I found that this particular book had more information on the area than did the Moon Handbook that covered just the Hudson Valley Region, which includes the Catskills. I would have imagined that the NYS book would have been less detailed than a book specifically about that area. Anyway, the only downside is that it doesn't include some of the State parks I'm interested in, but otherwise a very good book by a publisher I've grown to trust.