Customer Reviews

Not for Tourists 2006 Guide to New York City (Not for Tourists)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Other guides give you good overviews of what you can find in the city, but this one is terrific for finding the nearest coffee shop, bagel stand, bank, etc.., for the neighborhoods you're headed for. Although I know the city pretty well, when I venture into neighborhoods I've only briefly visited, this book will save you a lot of walking around time if you need to find quickly a basic service.

I borrowed the 2007 edition of this book from a friend during my visit to the city last fall and found it to be incredibly helpful. So helpful, that I decided to purchase the 2008 edition to prepare for my move next spring. You'll know where the grocery stores, coffee shops, parks, etc. are; making you look more like a resident, less like a tourist (which is a huge deterent for would be theives!!). And it's pocket size, so it's pretty inconspicuous . . .

I tossed up about adding Not For Tourists to my purchases of three other New York guide books for my visit in February 2008. I'm so glad I decided to take a chance on it. This books is indispensable for both tourists and locals -- I went there as a tourist and left it behind for my son and his wife, who live in Manhattan and thought it was brilliant too. In all its aspects, NFT has been intelligently thought out from the user's point of view. The book is small enough to fit easily in a handbag, it is sturdily bound, and the spine incorporates an elastic loop that keeps it open at the page you are using. The organisation of the comprehensive information NFT contains is outstanding. NY is divided into small local 'chunks' (e.g. Upper West Side -- Lower) and for each area there are three double pages devoted respectively to Essentials, Entertainment and Transport. The map on the left-hand side shows the locations of the places in that particular category (e.g. in Entertainment, the cinemas, theatres, restaurants etc) whose names and other details are listed on the facing page. There are lots of other useful features in NFT, but I'm running out of space. Suffice to say that whatever you want to do in NY, this book will make it easy. Combine NFT with a Zagat 2008 Restaurant Guide and a general guide to NY (I had Fodor's) and you can't go wrong.

This book saved my life when I was visting a friend in New York. The subway system can be complicated, but this book does a great job of breaking down the city as well as offering locations of restaurants, theatres, museums, and more. Includes a mini subway/bus map that is really helpful. As long as you know where you want to go, this book can get you there. The best way to use the book is for planning for a day ahead and figuring out routes, etc. Worth every penny.

My brother-in-law, who lives on Manhattan's upper West side, pulled out his NFT when we met for lunch in the Financial District. Immediately, I leafed through the whole thing, looking for info that I needed for my 5-day stay in NYC. It had everything - subway & bus routes, restaurants, bike paths, a decent map of Central Park - in a small profile, easily fitting into a jacket or outside pocket. One of the things I disliked about travelling in NYC is having to pull out a map when trying to navigate. This, to me, simply announces "I'm a TOURIST," which in certain areas may be considered undesirable. But the small profile of the NFT makes it easy (and quick) to focus in on the part of town your are in, as well as the part of town where you want to go.

Right after lunch, I found one in a bookstore - but in the future will think ahead to order off Amazon and save a couple of $$.

My only complaints are pathetically minor. One, the market and restaurant listings did not include a phone number, requiring access to a phone book or another call to directory assistance. Two, it wasn't always clear exactly where the subway stops were located. The 1-2-3 at 72nd Street is pretty obvious, the 3 at 110th was not.

Grab the NFT and travel swiftly and safely.

Wow. This book is amazing. AMAZING. I don't know how they can keep up with everything each year but they do. It has info on pretty much every bar, shop, restaurant, attraction in the city and outer boroughs. During my trip to NYC I stayed with friends in Brooklyn and this guide showed us a great French bistro and it was right on. The maps are easy to use once you get used to the format and made me feel like a local because I knew where the closest ATM was and where I could get quick slice of pizza.

Even the girl I was staying with had heard of this guide and I left it with her since it showed so much of the city.

Now this guide is not for the first time visitor. It doesn't go into great detail on touristy things but just gives a brief snapshot. Good if you have done the major things and want to visit NYC like a local. It is small enough to fit in a pocket and it looks like a date book so you don't look like a tourist using it. I can't speak more highly about this book!

I will get it every time before I go to the Big Apple. Great!

I wouldn't recommend this for a first time traveler to NYC as the maps can be a little difficult to follow (broken up into smaller neighborhoods). It was handy to have in our backpack because it had almost every restaurant that we could think of listed in it, along with their phone numbers, address, time they were open to, and a brief comment on the food there (including which places to avoid). If you're from out of town and need to find the nearest branch of your local bank, it's in there. If you're looking for a coffee shop other than Starbucks, it's in there.

Best guide for business person traveling to City on business. The longer there or more travel in area the better the value. Not for the tourist.

What I love about this book is the compact size and relatively comprehensive information provided, given the small size. What I don't like is the teeny little font that my middle-aged eyeballs cannot see, but I am perfectly willing to pull out the reading glasses and/or magnifier to compensate.

I purchased this for both NYC and Brooklyn and it's been a life saver. This book tells you where to find the things you need when you live in a city. Laundrymat? Banks? Coffee shop where the locals hang out? History and maps of the neighborhoods? It's all here. Also very small and easy to carry with you. One of my friends who visited for a week, prefered to carry this over the traditional guide books, due to the size.