The Historic Shops and Restaurants of New York: A Guide to Century-Old Establishments in the City (Historic Shops & Restaurants Series) (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Steve Radlauer (Author) "THE OVERSIZED LEDGER BOOK DATED 1905-1906 IS FRAGILE WITH AGE..." (more)
Key Phrases: prime meats, New York, Lower East Side, World War (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a lovely travel companion..." -- The Washington Post

"This small but stately book offers a different way of seeing the city...and a wealth of details." -- The Los Angeles Times

Product Description

In the fastest-changing city in the world, there still exist dozens of shops and restaurants that have been serving New Yorkers for more than a century. The Historic Shops and Restaurants of New York points out these hidden spots while revealing their long and interesting history. Stepping through the doors of any one of the featured establishments transports the reader to an earlier time and place. Discover venerable Old World dining rooms, gas-lit taverns, art jewelers, and old-world apothecaries and tobacconists from the New York of George Washington, Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, Boss Tweed, Harry Houdini, and P. T. Barnum. Visit a backstreet speakeasy, a print shop specializing in rare maps and engravings, and the haberdashery where Abraham Lincoln traded in his backwoods cap for a silk top hat. Explore original Lower East Side delicatessens, Greenwich Village coffee merchants, and shops where purveyors of riding boots, andirons, brass beds, and vintage colognes have plied their trades for generations. The address, phone number, subway stop, and hours for each of the many featured restaurants, gourmet shops, cafes, saloons and bars, hardware stores, and home furnishing stores are included.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 350 pages
• Publisher: Little Bookroom (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892145154
• ISBN-13: 978-1892145154
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 3.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #114,462 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #71 in	Books > Travel > United States > States > New York
  #72 in	Books > Travel > Reference & Tips > Tourist Destinations & Museums
  #99 in	Books > Travel > United States > Regions > Northeast > Mid Atlantic

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for New Yorkers!, December 11, 2002

By A Customer

I am a native New Yorker who has spent the past five years living in other cities, and being a little homesick, I still read the New York Times every day.

As I was reading the morning paper, I found an ad for this book, ordered it, and immediately fell in love with it! It is beuatifully laid out and wonderfully written. What's more, I always thought that I knew a ton about the city, but I learned so much from reading this book -- I had no idea that some of the restaurants and shops reviewed in the novel were so old. I also read about some really interesting places that I had never heard of.

I plan to give this book as a holiday gift to all of my fellow New Yorker friends -- both to those who are far away from the city they love, and to those who are right at home!

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even New Yorkers Need This Book!, September 6, 2002

By A Customer

New York can be a shopping paradise or shopping hell. One thing that anyone can always use is a real New Yorker to guide one through the city. That's what this book is. It's like having a best friend show you the way around, to the best places, the best shops you don't find in travel guides or online.

As a former New Yorker, this book took me back to the streets, the way it is to really experience it -- on foot, not from a taxicab or a rental car. The authors clearly know their way around. From bargains to classics to places just full of colourful history and anecdotes, it's a holiday guide for more than just shoppers. In fact, even New Yorkers will benefit from the pages of info, presented in a fun-filled, rewarding style. There are places I'd gone to for years and yet never knew so much about until reading this book. In fact, it's so much fun, it's like a weekend in New York. Okay, maybe not, but it sure will make you want to get there.

Now if we could only get one like this for Los Angeles... Oops, wait, that's impossible. I think I'm just missing New York...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Old friends., June 27, 2008

By	H. Arnholt (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The listings in this book are like old friends. See them before they all fade away.