Customer Reviews

Only in New York: An Exploration of the World's Most Fascinating, Frustrating and Irrepressible City

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Sam Roberts has written a wonderful book for any current New Yorker, ex-New Yorker and wannabe New Yorker, a potential readership of roughly--what shall we say?--50 million people around the world. Mr. Roberts, a veteran of the New York Daily News and The New York Times, is the perfect guide to a city he so clearly loves, potholes and all. His subjects range from the funeral of the Rosenbergs to the closing of his high school (Samuel J. Tilden) to whatever strikes his always inquisitive fancy. As a former New Yorker (born in Brooklyn, bred--if that's the right word--in Queens) who writes this while sitting in a fog-bound house in northern California while wearing a Brooklyn Dodgers cap, I can only urge you to buy and enjoy this book. And don't wait `til next year.

There are things here that are amusing and curious and I don't agree with the previous reviewer can be found in any other city. What about the sound art installation in Times Square? I'm going out in search of that one! I've lived here my entire life and agree with the statement in the book "New York is the greatest city in the world and everything is wrong with it." It's the city we love to complain about and can't wait to come back to when we're gone too long. There's no place in the world like it and Sam Roberts' book may introduce you to places you'd never bump into unless you've read the book.

Reads exactly like what it is: a collection of columns about New York City, some good, some very good, a few great.

You don't have to live in the City to appreciate this book, but living there might help one appreciate it more.

Lots of "good stuff" here. Anyone who loves or even likes the City will find something here to titillate their senses and their minds.

Good, easy read, one that can be read, put down and picked up again...savoring it to the last column.

I have never seen one of Mr. Roberts' podcasts but, if these little articles are any indication, I'm sure they are quite interesting. As you read through these seventy-odd short pieces, you can almost hear how they are made for a voice to read them aloud. It's a pleasant way to while away a few hours; especially if you are someone like me: a transplant to New York City who likes to learn as much as possible about my home of the past decade.

Mr. Roberts has divided his book into four sections: "Only in New York," "New Yorkers," "History Lessons," and "My New York". Unfortunately, the slowest moving (and longest) section is the first. Granted, there's a lot of fascinating stuff, but there's also a lot of statistical data of various types. In the individual, bite-sized chunks of these stories, it's not bad reading but it's difficult for story after story.

After this first section, however, things pick up considerably. I'm always a fan of history and learning about New Yorkers (both well-known and less so) and the city itself is a real treat. And yet, the best section is the last. Mr. Roberts' personal stories are probably the most engaging. The story of sharing an apartment with his niece and the story of acquiring the "stop the presses" button from a New York Times auction are my favorites. I've even repeated these stories to friends of mine.

It's clear that Mr. Roberts is well-versed in New York City, its history, its people, and its quirks. Anyone interested in the City would be well-advised to check this book out.

For those who love the City of New York, this is a delightful book and an easy-read. Written by the excellent Sam Roberts, a veteran New York Times reporter and native NYer who obviously loves this city, it is a collection of brief stories about the people and places that make this city so unique. Roberts has the reporter's knack for finding the quirky and fascinating details in this complex bee-hive of constant activity. He also has a delightfully droll sense of humor which makes this easy-to-read collection even more fun.

I loved New York before I knew it was something other than my grandparent's home. I've laughed out loud at the fact that movies filmed on the streets there often never drew an out of the ordinary glance from the passing crowd; after all, what was different from the movie fantasy and everyday life around them.
Sam Roberts writes essays of this city which this book contains.
If you don't know New York you can learn much by reading this. There is much demographic information and descriptions of the city and its' history. Most of the stories are not humorous but they are observant of the surrounding city life.
You probably have to be really curious or interested in New York City to enjoy this book. "Only in New York" is a statement that is frequently made, but if truth be told many other cities could have similar stories to most of the ones presented here.