The Rough Guide to New York City (Paperback)

~ Martin Dunford (Author), Jack Holland (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

A SUPERB SERIES THAT NEVER MISSES A BEAT

New York Newsday

Product Description

INTRODUCTION

The most beguiling city in the world, New York is an adrenaline-charged, history-laden place that holds immense romantic appeal for visitors. Wandering the streets here, you’ll cut between buildings that are icons to the modern age – and whether gazing at the flickering lights of the midtown skyscrapers as you speed across the Queensboro bridge, experiencing the 4am half-life downtown, or just wasting the morning on the Staten Island ferry, you really would have to be made of stone not to be moved by it all. There’s no place quite like it.

While the events of September 11, 2001, which demolished the World Trade Center, shook New York to its core, the populace responded resiliently under the composed aegis of then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Until the attacks, many New Yorkers loved to hate Giuliani, partly because they saw him as committed to making their city too much like everyone else’s. To some extent he succeeded, and during the late Nineties New York seemed cleaner, safer and more liveable, as the city took on a truly international allure and shook off the more notorious aspects of its reputation. However, the maverick quality of New York and its people still shines as brightly as it ever did. Even in the aftermath of the World Trade Center’s collapse, New York remains a unique and fascinating city – and one you’ll want to return to again and again.

WHAT TO SEE

You could spend weeks in New York and still barely scratch the surface, but there are some key attractions – and some pleasures – that you won’t want to miss. There are the different ethnic neighborhoods, like lower Manhattan’s Chinatown; and the more artsy concentrations of SoHo, TriBeCa, and the East and West Villages. Of course, there is the celebrated architecture of corporate Manhattan; and there are the museums, not just the Metropolitan and MoMA, but countless other smaller collections that afford weeks of happy wandering. In between sights, you can eat just about anything, at any time, cooked in any style; you can drink in any kind of company; and sit through any number of obscure movies. The more established arts – dance, theater, music – are superbly catered for; and New York’s clubs are as varied and exciting as you might expect. For the avid consumer, the choice of shops is vast, almost numbingly exhaustive in this heartland of the great capitalist dream.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Rough Guides; 8th edition (February 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 185828869X
• ISBN-13: 978-1858288697
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,929,014 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great content, could have been easier to use, March 17, 2001

By	Matthew T. Phillips (Winston-Salem, NC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Rough Guide to New York City, 7th Edition (New York City (Rough Guides)) (Paperback)

I just returned from NYC guided by this book. The content on places discussed is wonderful, but the neighborhood organization leaves you flipping back and forth sometimes, as another reviewer describes.

I can't imagine how anyone purchases a tour book on-line (I have to browse at a physical store and then come here to buy!), but here are a couple of things I noticed:

1. This guide, while it advises travelers to use the subway, does not provide suggested stops for individual attractions. The exception is in the museum section. As a result, I had to walk around always having this book and a subway map on hand, with my companion and I shuffling through the two to figure out which stops lined up with which street addresses the best.

2. The restaurant section was not very helpful because of its organization. I would have preferred to have restaurants listed with things they are near in the neighborhood sections. For example, most of our days were organized by going to the things as listed in a neighborhood section of the book, but when we wanted to know what to eat, we had to stop and find the appropriate section way in the back of the book under restaurants and then cuisine headings.

3. As the editors suggest in the introduction, this book does a great job of suggesting bargain options for getting to, getting around, and getting entertained in New York City, but it still presents other options as well. People who like to travel on a budget but also like to splurge every now and then will be well-informed on both fronts.

4. The authors do a wonderful job of providing background information about sites listed in the book, which we found to increase our appreciation of places visited greatly. It also made it easier to decide ahead of time which places we wanted to see and which we could do without.

This is a great guide, but be sure you find a tour book that fits your style, especially for a city as daunting as New York.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful and detailed, May 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: New York: The Rough Guide, Sixth Edition (Rough Guide New York City) (Paperback)

This was my first trip to NYC and I found the Rough Guide very helpful. There were detailed maps of the bus system, the subway system, lodging and places to see. There was also information on the outer boroughs, useful for my trip into Brooklyn. The one thing I didn't like was that restaurants weren't listed in the index. You had to go to the restaurant section of the book and look in the neighborhood, then under the type of cuisine. Which meant when my friend recommended a specific place, I couldn't look it up in the book easily, or even be sure it was listed.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Art & Architecture Buffs Rejoice!!, December 17, 2003

By A Customer

Let me just say this, if you are interested in Architecture and Art, this book is wonderful!!! It goes into great detail about all of the neighborhoods historical buildings.

I am a traveler who goes to see the buildings and this book has given me a great insight into where I can go see what, and at the best angle.