The Big Onion Guide to New York City: Ten Historic Tours (Paperback)

by Seth Kamil (Author), Eric Wakin (Author), Kenneth Jackson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"One could scarcely find a more informative and engaging guide than this book." -- New York History, Spring 2002

Review

“One could scarcely find a more informative and engaging guide than this book, distilled from the award-winning tours developed over the last decade by Big Onion Walking Tours...It is a delight, deeply knowledgeable, presented with wit and style. Would that more historians engage the public so well.”


- New York History, Spring 2002

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Product Details

• Paperback: 390 pages
• Publisher: NYU Press; illustrated edition edition (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814747485
• ISBN-13: 978-0814747483
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 4.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #209,582 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Have for those who Love New York, February 1, 2003

By A Customer

Whether you are a native New Yorker or a tourist visiting New York City for the first time, you need to pick up a copy of The Big Onion Guide To New York City.

Big Onion has established itself as the leading walking tour company in New York City for over 10 years. And for good reason. Their guides are American history graduate students who know and love the city.

Big Onion's first guide book is loaded with interesting facts and stories about the city's history. Their easy-to-follow self-guided tours will delight tourists exploring the city's streets and enlighten even native New Yorkers who think they know everything about their hometown.

I'm constantly using this book as a reference book to look up facts about New York history. In my opinion, two of the best tours are the Lower East Side, with its tales of immigrant life, and Central Park, which the book calls New York's "greatest public space." There is even a driving tour (which I haven't tried yet) for those who want to explore New York's "outer boroughs."

The book is concise, well-written and always informative. It's a must-have for anyone interested in New York City history.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative walking tour, April 30, 2003

By A Customer

We just came back from NYC and went on one of the walking tours in this book--guided by the author Eric Wakin (Ethnic Eating Tour of Chinatown and Little Italy). Mr Wakin took us into Chinatown and discussed how the area is a living, breathing, working neighborhood, filled with shops, pushcarts, and restaurants that cater to the neighborhood's residents. We then walked into Little Italy and noticed how the neighborhoo is nothing but restaurants designed to attract tourists. Quite a contrast. Mr Wakin discussed how the neighborhoods have changed over the centuries as the older, more established immigrants move out and new immigrants (often of a different ethnic background) come in. The author was knowledgeable about his facts and history and the the different food tidbits were a real treat!

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Big Onion Guide to New York City, March 9, 2006

By	Patricia Milburn "computergeneral" (Pittsburgh, PA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Here's everything you ever wanted to know about Manhattan in a breezy presentation of facts and intimate history about the Big Apple.