New York : And Pennsylvania and New Jersey (National Geographic's Driving Guides to America) (Paperback)

by Randall S. Peffer (Author), Pete Souza (Author), National Geographic Society (Corporate Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
National Geographic's Driving Guides to America: New York and Pennsylvania and New Jersey opens with this advice: "When you pass this way traveling by wheel, imagine the mid-Atlantic as frontier. Think about walking the trails blazed by the Iroquois, Henry Hudson, and Harriet Tubman, for these lands will tell you a thousand stories." You might begin your journey with a walk from Battery Park, "a sliver of green at the southern tip of Manhattan Island," through lower Manhattan, and on to the Fulton Fish Market in the South Street Seaport Historic District. Or tour Pennsylvania Dutch Country starting in Harrisburg and looping around to Lancaster and historic Gettysburg, which "marks the improbable site of the bloodiest battle in the Civil War." Along the way, author Randall Peffer acts as your guide, offering directions and travel tips, pointing out sights you shouldn't miss, and making historical connections.

The suggested routes, which include mileage, estimated trip length, and the best time of year to travel, are perfect for planning your excursion and choosing where you want to stop. Brief descriptions, complete with phone numbers and business hours of the various sites, correspond to highlighted points on the maps. Woodstock, for example, is stop #4 on the tour of the Albany-Catskill region. "Hippie folk with tie-dye shirts, long hair, beads, sandals, and granny dresses will hark you back to the sixties.... While the legendary 1969 rock concert didn't happen here (it took place 50 miles away in Bethel), Woodstock's mystique as a place of magic and inspiration for the young--and the young at heart--endures."

Sidebars on the "Jersey Tea Party" (1774), "Treason at West Point," and the "Eternal Tap" of Pennsylvania's Straub Brewery, among other topics, offer background and interesting details about the sights along the outlined itineraries. Perhaps the finest feature of the guide is the more than 120 full-color photographs, which are in keeping with the care and quality of all National Geographic publications. The stunning depictions of the view from the Olympic ski jump at Lake Placid, the eroding ruins of the Austin Dam disaster, and the waterfalls at Ricketts Glen State Park are sure to engage your imagination and inspire you to pack your bags and choose your destination. --Heidi Robinson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

Discover the region's best Driving Tours with National Geographic as your guide.

Features the region's best routes and attractions, including:

* Towns and cities, historical and cultural sites, natural areas, plus many surprises
* Entertaining, insightful commentary
* Useful travel tips
* More than 120 original, color photographs
* Detailed maps for each drive keyed to descriptions in text
* Directions, mileages, and visitor information. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792234316
• ISBN-13: 978-0792234319
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,191,781 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars National Geographic's Driving Guides To America, November 27, 2000

By	Cindy Smith (Lenoir, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: National Geographic Driving Guide to America, New York (Paperback)

I found this book to be invaluable in planning our vacation in these three states. The book gave us suggestions of routes to take with time estimations included. Places of interest were rated allowing the traveler to make maximum use of his/her time. I have since purchased others in the series and will continue to recommend these guides to friends.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, November 23, 2002

By	Diego Banducci (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: National Geographic Driving Guide to America, New York (Paperback)

Having spent much of my life in the Pennsylvania/New York region, I was delighted to find that this book contained most of the sights that I have come to love, as well as a large number that I was not familiar with. It is a "Blue Highways" (i.e., off the Interstate) type of guide, and is fun to read. Highly recommended for anyone planning a vacation in this region.

The National Geographic Driving Guides are by different authors and due to weak editing and selection, vary widely in quality. This one and the one for Texas and the Middle South are excellent. The California guide by Jerry Camarillo Dunn is awful. The Florida one falls somewhere in the middle. I have not read the others yet.