Customer Reviews

New York Neighborhoods

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There are many wonderful things about this book: the maps are beautifully designed and easy to read; the drawings are lovely and truly capture the spirit of the neighborhoods; and the food glossary is very good. But the content vastly oversimplifies the neighborhoods - and thus shortchanges the reader - and in some cases the suggested walking routes seem dubious. Since I also write about food and have led bicycle and walking tours in the neighborhoods since 1983, I am perhaps hypercritical about this type of information, but I feel that readers are entitled to accuracy and, for those intrepid enough to do the tours the author lays out, the best possible experience. Frankly, I had to wonder how thoroughly the author actually cased out the areas she wrote about; she often writes as if she is in a huge hurry! In some instances, she lists a few food items you'll find in a restaurant or market, but I was curious about whether she'd actually tried the items she mentioned! (No, it's not necessary to try everything - but it would be nice to have some anecdotes about the eating experience.) Her portrayal of Astoria, Queens, as a Greek neighborhood overlooks the fact that Astoria is much more ethnically complex (including south Asian, Eastern European and Latin American), and has several blocks of Egyptian cafes and markets - unique in NYC. Her recommended walking tour of Harlem includes two blocks of 124th Street - an ugly stretch in an otherwise landmarked area - and some wrong information, i.e. Apollo Theater is incorrectly marked. I don't know how much editorial oversight the author had on the maps, but these errors are misleading. Books like these are hard to do well - information changes even as the books are being written and are in production. But misinformation or inadequate information reflects less than thorough research.

It is only fair to mention that Myra Sara Alperson is the author of a competitive title.