Customer Reviews

Zany's New York City Apartment Guide, 2000

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This book gives thoughtful reviews of the types of people living in the areas of New York -- as well as quick reference boxes for each area that really helped me narrow down my search. How close is it to midtown? What kind of people are comfortable here? Safety? Stuff like that. It's fun and easy to read - and very helpful for those not so familiar with this amazing city.

This is a great place to start your New York apartment search -- especially if you're new to the area and don't know much about the neighborhoods. But be careful, because some of the statistics are inaccurate or outdated. For example, if you can find a 2-bedroom apartment in Astoria, Queens, for anywhere near $875 per month (the average price, according to the guide), you are a far better apartment hunter than I. Also, there are several popular neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens that Zany's leaves out entirely.

Zany's NYC Apartment Guide 2000 gives readers a solid grounding in how and where to find an apartment in The City. While the information is in general good and appears accurate, given the time constraints the authors no doubt faced, Zany's suffers from some editorial and content problems.

The beginning section of the book contains brief background information on such general topics as Brokers & Fees, Doormen, Loft Living, and Roommates. While these short explanations are helpful, the writing appears rushed, and does not go into enough detail in most cases.

The intro sections are also not well integrated with the bulk of Zany's, namely its profiles of NYC neighborhoods (emphasis on Manhattan). Each neighborhood profile contains a brief history, rental information, demographic statistics, and so forth. These profiles are quite useful, but lack sufficient differentiation, especially in the "Final Words" section, which makes every Manhattan neighborhood sound prohibitively expensive and not quite what one is looking for.

Everyone already knows that NYC costs a lot and has quirky neighborhoods, but Zany's needs to do a better job than just repeating the obvious. Still, this guide is a helpful reference for NYC apartment hunters.