Customer Reviews

The Underground Guide to New York City Subways

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

 

 

I can't swear for the rest of the boroughs, but I can tell you that the author doesn't appear to have all his Brooklyn facts straight. A couple of examples: He talks of a stop on the "N" line at 86th Street and 8th Avenue (p.259). Not only is there not a stop there....there is no "there" there. Those two streets do not cross. Eight Avenue ends in the 70's. Also, the author talks of the view of the Ave X subway yards and overhaul center that can be "clearly seen from the "N" and the "R" Lines as they begin the Stillwell Avenue descent into Coney Island" (p.5). Problem is, the "R" train goes nowhere near Coney Island. In fact, it is underground for its entire run in Brooklyn. There were others, but I won't bore you with the details. In a book that purports to be a "guide," attention to detail is important. In a lot of cases here, we are not talking about minor details. The prose style, if you can call it that, is way too cute. All in all, if you want a guide to the subway, get the free map from the MTA. If you want to know about the neighborhoods, take a bus tour and see for yourself. Given the unreliability of the book regarding areas of the world with which I'm familiar, I'd be very hesitant to count on it for anything at all.

This book's goal is admirable to anyone who loves the city subway - visit every station and desvribe it for all to know. However, Dave Frattini, makes a pretty bad job of it. While his effort is admirable, his information as duly noted by others is often plain wrong.
His style could use some work too - how many times can one write "let's face it" in one publication??
Furthermore he includes completley unnecessary racial comments into the descriptions: why "scary black guy"??(p.180) Why shouldn't residents of Ralph Avenue watch a TV sitcom with white characters?(p.37) Van Siclen Avenue area is not a shanty town - why should it be surprising to see satelite dishes? (pp.179-180) I can't find such remarks informative or funny.
Real people live and work in all these neighborhoods - they have many more positive sides than can be seen from a brief peek from inside the station - but it seems the author did not really do this much for some of his listings...
The book presents New York, New Yorkers and the subway as the same old stereotypes from bad movies of a few decades back.
Some one should us all a favor and write a new and better book!

A no-holds-barred depiction of the NYC "underground". Frattini has a witty and audacious style that makes this book more than a guide...it's real New York adventure!

what can i say -- this book gave me everything and more about what the average New Yorker needs to know regarding the subways, and the various neighborhoods and 'burbs they traverse. If you are a New Yorker, a tourist or anywhere in between, this book will help make the underground crawl a lot more tolerable. AWESOME GUIDE !

The author certainly goes out on a limb to describe the sights and sounds of New york neighborhoods,(A few of his references to some of the poorer areas have to be read to be believed), but does it with a certain panache that screams NEW YORK ! A must read for any local, tourist, or anybody who has a passing interest in Gotham City.

Blessed with a hefty wit (and an appetite to match), Frattini has a good time bouncing his way through the New York City Underground, and his enthusiasm for the subway system he obviously loves rubs off on even the most jaded subway patron (Having spent 18 years myself riding the less than stellar "F" line, I can tell you NO ONE brings the 179 Street Station alive like Frattini does). From Duffers hocking scholky Rolexes in rundown stations to the not necessarily Hi-Class glories of New York cuisine (lovers of Greaseburgers, Indian Buffets, and Jamaican Beef Patties have a friend in Frattini), you really get a distinct feel for the less glamorous, yet no less interesting, underbelly of New York. The addition of local eateries is a Nice Touch, and I hope this "Cesar" of the Subway continues to skewer and yet love, his home town.

I'm glad to see somebody finally has the cojones to tell it like it is about New York. Dave Frattini doesn't pull any punches, and his unique writing style conveys a message in the one-of-a-kind GENERATION X savior faire.

Dave Frattini writes with wit and detail about the Subways of New York. As a native of New York, Frattini gives a very candid view of the subway stations and their decor, the subway lines and their neighborhoods and an understanding of the culture of New York City. His humor is great and pokes fun at himself as well as some of the outrageous things that occur in the City. He also gives to the point details of the best and worst of the places that you can or cannot visit. You will laugh out loud at some of the wry observations he makes about his hometown and the City. I would recommend this book to anybody who would like understand the heart of New York City and all of its many neighborhoods and boroughs. Buy it and enjoy!

I bought this guide a few years ago, when I moved to New York City. I expected a studious, serious guide to all the subway stations. What I got instead was a lazy recount, as some reviewers have mentioned earlier, that's heavy on cutesy-schmaltzy and light on the exploration.

You'd think that Fratini would worry about actual addresses for recommended food spots (some stations, when Italian fare is seemingly unavailable, have a KFC or a C-Town as recommended grub spots).

Not even the decor, which the author dedicates intense treatment, gets a factual overview. We know it's some coat of arms, but we don't know by whom.

Quite a disappointment. You can try to be snarky, but then you'd have to get at least some facts straight and do some research.

this book made me laugh more times than i can remember -- and if you're not prone to being offended by salty language and pompous wit, I'm positive that you will love this book as much as i did. A great New York epic in classic "New York" style.