Product Description
For this third edition, Clara and her staff visited nearly 500 of New York City’s elementary schools and chose 200 of the best schools to recommend. This essential guide uncovers the "inside scoop" on schools (the condition of the building, homework, teacher quality, etc.), includes a checklist of questions to ask on a school tour, and incorporates new listings of charter schools and "magnet" programs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Smart City Kids NYC Educational Advisory Services
Smart City Kids NYC Educational Advisory service has served the New York City area exclusively longer than any other Advisory Company in NYC.We are The company that schools, non-profit organizations, corporations, and agencies that serve children and families go to in order to get in depth advice on Nursery -12th Grade admissions. Our educational advisors are former Admissions Directors, Nursery School Directors, Placement Directors and Clara Hemphill has served on a few workshops with our company for several years.Her guide is the first and currently the only available book resource that gives insights, opinions and ratings on New York City Public Schools.We highly recommend this very useful tool as a first step to understanding the very complicated world of Public School Admissions.

Readers Beware:This is a Whitewash
There is no question that Clara Hemphill loves NYC public schools.Indeed, after reading this, I would not be surprised if she on the payroll of the NYC DOE.The book reviews just about every public school in Manhattan, which makes me wonder which ones are really the best if all of them rate a review.The reviews of the schools are all mostly positive, and the criticisms are really backhanded complements, e.g. "PS183 is so wonderful, but I'm disappointed that due to its popularity they will have to discontinue to the PreK program next year"!There is no real criticism of the curriculum offered at these schools, no mention of the many problems that plague NYC public schools (like the on-time graduation rate:38.2% in 2006), unbelievable statements such as "there is no cookie cutter approach to PS 87 - - the teachers each paint their classrooms different colors before the year begins".It's hard to believe that public school teachers would do that without demanding more pay or complaining that it's not in their contract.Further, the curriculum at NYC public is just that:cookie cutter.Identical math curriculums at every public school, for instance.The color of the classroom is superficial, and that's what Hemphil's book is:superficial.Reading the reviews in this book is is something like reading a positive review of a book printed its back cover - - of course, the author would not allow a negative review on their book to be shown.It's the same with "Best Public Schools" - - no real criticism that would make one think that maybe these schools aren't so great is allowed.What's shameful is that people like the reviewer above say they're moving back into NYC because of what they read in this book.They're in for a surprise.I give it one star, for its lack of any meaningful criticism, and but do acknowledge that it does contains enough information not to render it worthless.

this book has helped me to make up my mind to move back to NY
This book has helped me to make up my mind to move back to NY--helped me understand the byzantine system, and highlights specific schools that I would never have heard or read about otherwise.

Hemphill is an argument for how one must look at specific schools under particular leadership in a finite time period, instead of generalizing.And instead of unproductive nostalgizing, "schools were better in earlier days..." Really, some schools can go downhill, but others have gone uphil, and there is a need to constantly reassess.

My only gripe is that the author didn't (couldn't?) review all schools, or more schools.If a school isn't mentioned, then is it totally hopeless?Or were there page number constraints?

There is no other book like this.Every city should have a Hemphill book.

A good place to start
I agree with both previous reviewers. I am so glad this book exists because there are many wonderful public elementary schools in NYC. (My son's at one!) But this book does not always contain the very latest information, such as a change in principals. (Principals are very important.) Use this book as a starting point and then talk with as many parents, teachers as you can for the latest developments in the schools you're considering.

Not as in depth as I wanted
Not as in depth as I wanted, but I had high expectations.Good as a starting point only, tends to repeat "common knowledge." ... Read more

Product Description
If you´re not a tree lover now, this pocket-sized gem -dedicated to the idea that every species of tree has a story and every individual tree has a history -will make you one. Produced in consultation with the City´s Parks and Recreation department and the New York Tree Trust, this book is a reference to the stories of New York City´s trees, complete with photographs, tree silhouettes, leaf and fruit morphologies, and charming and informative explanatory texts. It is divided into four sections: "The Best Places to See Trees," full of insider´s tips and helpful maps; "New York City´s Great Trees," a directory of the oldest, strangest, most beautiful trees; "The Tree Guide," arranged for ease of identification by leaf shape and size; and, finally, "Sources and Resources" for future investigation.With over 700 beautiful color photographs, drawings, and detailed maps, this is the ultimate field guide to the trees of the Big Apple and the metropolitan region. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Great Book
I gave this book as a gift for a couple moving to NYC.They were so excited to receive it.They immediately looked through it and loved the information.It came in good condition and in the timeframe promised.

The best guide I've ever seen.
I now can go from one end of the year to another almost without ever seeing a tree I can't identify, thanks to this book.The book is like having an infinitely patient teacher with you: rather than just a list of species or a series of pictures of leaves (or bark, etc.), it identifies the most salient features of each species, noting key distinctions among similar species (you might not know that you can tell a sugar maple from a norway maple, despite their near-identical leaves, by plucking a leaf and looking at the sap, for instance, unless you read it here).What is more, if you are having problems with a particular type of tree, he gives the locations of specimens so you can see them in person (when you are in New York!).The selected species are excellent as well, because many species in an urban environment are non-native, and so typical "field guides" are not useful.A magnificent guide and introduction to horticulture and the love of plants.A must for a New Yorker, and probably the most useful tree identification guide for the Northeast in general.I think its format should become the standard for guidebooks.Using this book, it is very easy to go from zero tree knowledge to knowing hundreds of species at sight.

Interesting and Useful
Excellently bound and water resistant for those rainy tree-identifying expeditions.The author shares interesting background on our parks and how they relate to the history of NYC.I've not walked a park walk yet, but their promise has me looking forward to spring and summer excursions.

I found the tree data (leaf, young bark, mature bark, fruit, crown shape, and where to locate examples in and around NYC) sufficient to make many local identifications so far.

One would presumably have an existing interest in tree identification to go and buy a book like this.However, if given as an unexpected gift, there is enough sincerity and information that it just might spark an interest in finding and knowing the wonderful, living trees that cohabitate with us in NYC.

know the tree you're hugging
This book is amazing.I've just started to pursue my interest in trees in the past year.I'm surprised at how difficult it is to be sure you're looking at the particular species you think you're looking at.Not a problem with this book.Tree walks (with maps!) in parks in all the five boroughs tell you exactly what you're looking at.The book lists the best trees in every borough and pin points where to find them.Who knew there was a White Oak with a diameter of 64 inches beside the 18th hole of the split rock golf course that may be more than 200 years old?Well, now I do.Aside from all the unusual, unexpected infomation, you'll also find an excellently rendered standard tree guide that you'd expect in any good field guide.If you live in New York City and want to know more about trees, get this book.

The only guide you will need when visiting the NY area
This is a superb pocketable book that gives the full lowdown of trees in the metro area. Full color throughout - lovely photos and enough trees included to be pretty well all you need for much of the Northeast. If you believe that trees are also about the most important contributor to a beautiful environment, then this book also serves as a good guide to the most beautiful places to visit in the NY area (including NJ, Long Island and Westchester county). ... Read more

Product Description

In 1978, Ed Koch assumed control of a city plagued by filth, crime, bankruptcy, and racial tensions. By the end of his mayoral run in 1989 and despite the Wall Street crash of 1987, his administration had begun rebuilding neighborhoods and infrastructure. Unlike many American cities, Koch's New York was growing, not shrinking. Gentrification brought new businesses to neglected corners and converted low-end rental housing to coops and condos. Nevertheless, not all the changes were positive& mdash;AIDS, crime, homelessness, and violent racial conflict increased, marking a time of great, if somewhat uneven, transition.

For better or worse, Koch's efforts convinced many New Yorkers to embrace a new political order subsidizing business, particularly finance, insurance, and real estate, and privatizing public space. Each phase of the city's recovery required a difficult choice between moneyed interests and social services, forcing Koch to be both a moderate and a pragmatist as he tried to mitigate growing economic inequality. Throughout, Koch's rough rhetoric (attacking his opponents as "crazy," "wackos," and "radicals") prompted charges of being racially divisive. The first book to recast Koch's legacy through personal and mayoral papers, authorized interviews, and oral histories, this volume plots a history of New York City through two rarely studied yet crucial decades: the bankruptcy of the 1970s and the recovery and crash of the 1980s.

Customer Reviews (1)

MoreKoch than ever
When I started this book, I thought that it would be a slow and plodding reading.
Not so! It moves along nicely and really gives you an in depth look at what made
Koch the man and mayor he was. Well researched and full of the details that a
history buff would want. I am not through yet, but I love it. The author should
mimic a phrase from the subject and ask "How am I doing?" The answer is you are
doing great! Read this book and enjoy a lovely look at history. ... Read more

Product Description
From Broadway to Madison Avenue and the Hudson River to the Brooklyn Bridge, New York City is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. With this book you can take a photographic tour of the city and its landmarks, such as the World Trade Center, Times Square, and Rockefeller Center. Includes more than 100 full-color photos with informative captions and anecdotal quotations from some of the city's most famous residents. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Seeing the sights
I am a resident of New York and I have a few posters of the skyline of the city. However, after 9/11 I wanted more pictures. I've been to all of the tourist attractions and places in The City that are not so well known. This book does a good job showing the main attractions and the most famous landmarks while including some scenes that capture the typical New York. For example, there is one shot of midtown traffic (not a specific landmark, but typical of life in The City). Because New York City has so many landmarks and sights to see, it is difficult to capture all of them in a book. This book does a good job of showing the most important sights of The City from multiple and unique angles.

However, some of the pictures are disappointing. Specifically, pictures of Times Square are about 8-10 years old and it has changed significantly in that time. It was always full of billboards and advertisements, but now it is so much brighter and greater now than the way it was portrayed in the pictures. I had also expected more written information from the book about the sights. Lastly, some pictures only show parts of some of the buildings, like the public library.

Overall I have a very favorable impression of the book. The pictures are good and that's most important. Despite the afore mentioned weaknesses I recommend this book as a picture book of NYC especially in light of the price. The book was definitely worth what I paid for it. I would also recommend this book for people who have never been to NYC.

Seeing The Great: Pictures of New York City
New York is always refered to as a tourist attraction for the United States. I have never been to this city but i've always wondered what it really looked like. Sure they show the skyline on certain television shows but they never get in-depth the way the photographer has. The book captured New York's beautiful attractions and I begun to wish i lived in NYC . I was informed intelligently on everything that the book had a picture of. As an added bonus the pictures were of very high quality. ... Read more

Product Description
Ms. Rooney and her class tour the Big Apple, where they see the dinosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History, visit the Bronx Zoo, and journey to the Statue of Liberty. Original." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good book
I used this with my children when I homeschooled.It was a good book.I wish there were more in the series.

Karen

It was a great book!
Well it was a fine book it made a little sence tothe story.Well it was about a teacher when sheasked the class to see what states they where expert on.Well a girl she tells about her aunt live in Branks,NY and thatsthe story Bye. Reader,Nicholas ... Read more

Product Description
Traditional walking tours of New York City lionize the wealthyand war heroes by emphasizing what they've left behind. Rarely seenare the emblems of those buried in their wake -- the people who foughtthe establishment, pushing for a better world. In Radical WalkingTours of New York City, political activist Bruce Kayton leads readersto monuments of these lesser-known heroes. Through Kayton's lens, thehistory of New York's neighborhoods is the history of class struggles,civil rights battles, and labor movements, and the 12 provocative,educational tours presented here provide for many an eye-openingafternoon. Readers visit Emma Goldman's home in the East Village,Langston Hughes's house in Harlem, the site of Mabel Dodge's salon,the apartment where John Reed wrote Ten Days That Shook the World, thesite of Margaret Sanger's first birth control clinic, Black Pantherheadquarters, and many more little-known points of interest. FromBattery Park to Harlem, from the Lower East Side to Central Park,Kayton's tours provide a new perspective on the history of both NewYork City and American radicalism. This edition includes new stops,post-September 11 changes, and a new foreword by Pete Seeger. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

you don't have to be a radical to enjoy this book
This is a guidebook with a hard left political point of view on absolutely everything (as in communist or anarchist, not liberal). Not to be alarmed, however. My evaluation of the book is especially for those, like me, who do NOT share these views. Rather than off-putting,I found Kayton's historical comments to be concise,virtually always intersting, and highly relevant to an appreciation of the neighborhoods in question. The Greenwhich Village walk, for ecample, focuses on sites that have been the homes of famous leftists (John Reed, Emma Goldman, the Rosenbergs), left-leaning writers (Edna St. Vincent Millay), alleged bad guy capitalists (Mayor Jimmy Walker, Mayor Ed Koch), as well as important places in the history of labor (the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire), abolitionism, civil rights, gay rights (the Stonewall Inn demonstrations), and anti-war protest. The slice of New York history that these places represent comes alive from a perspective that resembles the participants'. Finally, Kayton's humor and energy more than outweigh the silliness of some of his views. I recommend it if you're looking for something different.

Disappointing
I wanted more information on the events and places than he provided. No doubt that Mr. Kayton is a terrific tour guide and NYC needs more scholarly guides; the typical guide in this great city is HORRENDOUSLY inept andignorant. Other parts of the city, aside from the Lower East Side andVillages should have been covered - I can't imagine that no radical nevercalled Murray Hill, Times Square, Turtle Bay, etc., home.

Fascinating As Browsing History or NY Introduction
I've tried several of Bruce's actual Radical Walking Tours, which he still conducts in person.He researches, writes and organizes his work better, or more consistently, than he sometimes delivers it in person.But theyare alwaysstimulating as social history, leftist political history, laborand industrial history, and even humor.Easily among the best tours I'vetried here in NYC and I've tried several.

Many "stops" in histours have changed my very sense of certain NYC blocks &neighborhoods.

This book is also fascinating browsing history as well asone of the coolest specialty travel guides I've looked over.Good for newand veteran New Yorkers alike. ... Read more

Product Description
Explore the city that never sleeps

From soaring skyscrapers to rumbling subways, power shopping to bargain-hunting, world-renowned restaurants to neighborhood pizzerias, majestic cathedrals to Times Square — New York has it all. Packed with info on must-see attractions like the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building, plus the best shopping, dining, culture, and nightlife, this guide will have you saying, "I love New York"!

Open the book and find:

• Down-to-earth trip-planning advice

• What you shouldn't miss —and what you can skip

• The best hotels and restaurants for every budget

• Lots of detailed maps

Customer Reviews (2)

New York for Dummies
This is a very informative book. I can't wait to take my trip and check out all tips and hints.

Only Dummies Can Write "For Dummies"
Traveling through the freezing cold on my way to Borders wasn't the worst part of the research experience. Getting to the travel section only to find that there were very few "For Dummies" travel guides, and even fewer on places that interested me wasn't the worst part either. The worst part came after selecting the guides and settling down on the second floor of the bookstore and opened the first guide to find that the entire book was in black and white. One would think that with at title like "For Dummies" everything would be laid out for you crystal clear with clever illustrations for humor.
What I expected was a small, colorful very simple travel guide. Something with very clear maps and not a lot of text, after all if the target audience is dummies things should be very basic. However, the "For Dummies" travel guide isn't really a guide, it's a heavy-duty book. They were about an inch and a half thick and filled with black and white text; the only images besides the occasional map were small black and white cartoons in the beginning of each section. "For Dummies" does have some useful information; both "Germany for Dummies" and "Paris for Dummies" provide a glossary of terms in the back of the book as well as an index of the seasons so travelers can decide the best time to take their trip.Each guide has a list of icons to help make choices easier for travelers, the icons highlighted things like more cost efficiency or kid friendly. The "For Dummies" travel guide has potential, but the main problem is that it's too boring to be so heavy, there needs to be more color and images instead of paragraph after paragraph about all the different hotels, land marks and restaurants there are. The lack of creative effort greatly distracts from the guides attributes; more color or more illustrations could be used to he most important aspects of the guide.
There's an entire section of the guide detected to the "bests" of New York. Everything from hotels to restaurants to clubs s listed and not only that, but it's broken down even further into different types of bests. The best four- star hotel, best kid- friendly hotel, and the best cost- efficient hotel are just a few of the awards given. While this is a great thing to have in a travel guide because it makes decisions easier while planning a trip, it's mind numbing to have to sit and read through pages of suggestions. It's understandable that "For Dummies" wants to break everything down for travelers and suggested by the tagline "Making everything easier." However, there's a line between "Making everything easier" and overwhelming the reader. In the attempt to make things easier for travelers "For Dummies" has actually made things worse, with so many suggestions on where to go and what to do it's almost impossible to make a decision.
The audience of these travel guides seems to be tailored to the type of place it is reviewing. The Paris guide encourages independent traveling and is most likely intended for women; it emphasizes all the shopping there is to do in Paris and provides an extensive list of hotels, It even provides a clothing size conversion chart. The New York City guide on the other hand was jam packed with landmarks, tourist attractions and activities only families would be interested in. This guide directed travelers to the most irritating parts of NYC and left out some very crucial ones.
Money seems to be a very important aspect of traveling to the "For Dummies" travel guide writers. Taking cost into consideration is a good thing, but when it becomes a main priority it takes away from the other aspects of the book. The "New York City for Dummies" is especially money conscious; it emphasizes the fact that New York City can be quite costly. Yes, the city can be very expensive, however most of the prices provided in the book off. Perhaps its because the edition of travel guides at Borders is outdated, but unless people plan shop only at gift shops and other outrageously priced venues, a bottle of water does not cost $2. There are thousands of delis and bodegas that understand how to reasonably price merchandise, not all the best places in New York have to violate your wallet, and while "For Dummies" claims to understand this it still contains outrageously priced items. Also, transit fares have increased, and the guide provides old metro card prices. "New York City for Dummies" directs people to experience the fake New York; it includes places that aren't worth the traveler's time. Standing online for hours to see the top of the empire state building for 20 minutes or crowding onto busses and boats for tours just does not seem worth it. There are so many places in the nooks and crannies of the city that people could explore. Instead travelers are pressured to see the mainstream New York City that most people end up hating because they encounter irritable civilians that are just as uncomfortable and cramped as they are. This type of information is very misleading for perspective travelers and while it may be an issue with the bookstore not having the most current edition in stock it doesn't help the image of"For Dummies."
When exploring the online database of "For Dummies" one will find that what's sold in stores not online. "New York City for Dummies 5th Edition" is provided online, and thank God it's been updated because the prices provided in the edition in Borders are very off. Also, "Paris for Dummies 5th Edition" is online but not in stores and when searching "Germany for Dummies" every other German related "For Dummies" book shows up except this one. A traveler purchasing one of these guides on line is going to be better informed than a traveler picking one up off the shelves, unless they intend to go to Germany, in which case they'd be better off taking the trip to Borders. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description

The Almanac of New York City is an innovative companion for urban enthusiasts. Nowhere else will you find the name of the city's first comptroller (Selah Strong) and Staten Island's most recently designated historic district (Our Lady of Mount Carmel Grotto) next to the city's best-attended cultural institution (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, with five million visitors annually) and its lowest recorded temperature (15 degrees below zero in February 1934).The Almanac identifies the borough with the most residents who relocate to Palm Beach (Queens) and the borough with the highest number of Panamanian immigrants (Brooklyn). It lists where New York currently ranks in the cost of apartment rentals, the rate of obesity in each borough, the details of executions dating back to 1639, per capita income by borough, the longest-running Broadway shows, the winners of the Wanamaker Mile, and the location of celebrated grave sites. Compiled by two longtime historians of the city,The Almanac treats readers to a real New York story, a tale that will delight anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the Big Apple's complex core.

Customer Reviews (2)

Fine But Not For Serious Research

This has been a real help over the past 8 months, not just for finding a specific number but more ofter for keeping an accurate overview - when the papers present a new [to me] 'fact', the Almanac gives me comparative information against which I can judge the importance of the 'new' datum.
That said, it really isn't deep or broad enough for use in a news room or library.About 3 decades ago one of our colleges, The New School I think, published an excellent Folio-sized paperback that seemed to me to almost match the Statistical Abstract for detail, but my copy fell apart after 10 years heavy usage and, more importantly, it was never updated

Every NY'er should own a copy!
(Reviewed Paperback version)

The main reason I'm writing this review is to include this link to the paperback version of this book.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0231140630

For some reason, it doesn't appear when searching for "Almanac New York City" on the site.Since the hardbound version doesn't seem to be available, this is a reasonably priced alternative.

Now on to the contents.
Simply wonderful for the statistician. You kinda have to like "lists" of stuff for this to be meaningful to you. However, for NY'ers who've ever wondered the specific population of each borough and the ethnic breakdown of each, or the results of Mayoral elections for the last 150 years, or the Top 100 tallest buildings in the city.All of it is here, and great fun to simply flip through.

The authors were limited by space, so they needed to exclude some repetitive items, like weather temperature highs & lows for every day.
Understandable.
However, some of their charts could be improved in explanation and clarity. Such as Migration To and From specific Boroughs.For that, I'm bumping the rating down a star.The authors leave an email address for suggestions like that, and I'm sure they will receive a lot of suggestions for subsequent editions. ... Read more

Product Description
To European explorers, it was Eden, a paradise ofwaist-high grasses, towering stands of walnut, maple, chestnut, andoak, and forests that teemed with bears, wolves, raccoons, beavers,otters, and foxes. Today, it is the site of Broadway and Wall Street,the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty, and the home ofmillions of people, who have come from every corner of the nation andthe globe.

In Gotham, Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace have produced amonumental work of history, one that ranges from the Indian tribesthat settled in and around the island of Manna-hata, to theconsolidation of the five boroughs into Greater New York in 1898. Itis an epic narrative, a story as vast and as varied as the city itchronicles, and it underscores that the history of New York is thestory of our nation. Readers will relive the tumultuous early years ofNew Amsterdam under the Dutch West India Company, Peter Stuyvesant'sdespotic regime, Indian wars, slave resistance and revolt, theRevolutionary War and the defeat of Washington's army on BrooklynHeights, the destructive seven years of British occupation, New Yorkas the nation's first capital, the duel between Aaron Burr andAlexander Hamilton, the Erie Canal and the coming of the railroads,the growth of the city as a port and financial center, the infamousdraft riots of the Civil War, the great flood of immigrants, the riseof mass entertainment such as vaudeville and Coney Island, thebuilding of the Brooklyn Bridge and the birth of the skyscraper. Heretoo is a cast of thousands--the rebel Jacob Leisler and the reformerJoanna Bethune; Clement Moore, who saved Greenwich Village from thecity's street-grid plan; Herman Melville, who painted disillusionedportraits of city life; and Walt Whitman, who happily celebrated thatsame life. We meet the rebel Jacob Leisler and the reformer JoannaBethune; Boss Tweed and his nemesis, cartoonist Thomas Nast; EmmaGoldman and Nellie Bly; Jacob Riis and Horace Greeley; policecommissioner Theodore Roosevelt; Colonel Waring and his "white angels"(who revolutionized the sanitation department); millionaires JohnJacob Astor, Cornelius Vanderbilt, August Belmont, and WilliamRandolph Hearst; and hundreds more who left their mark on this greatcity.

The events and people who crowd these pages guarantee that this is nomere local history. It is in fact a portrait of the heart and soul ofAmerica, and a book that will mesmerize everyone interested in thepeaks and valleys of American life as found in the greatest city onearth. Gotham is a dazzling read, a fast-paced, brilliant narrativethat carries the reader along as it threads hundreds of stories intoone great blockbuster of a book.Amazon.com Review
Like the city it celebrates, Gotham is massive andendlessly fascinating. This narrative of well over 1,000 pages,written after more than two decades of collaborative research byhistory professors Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace, copiouslychronicles New York City from the primeval days of the Lenape Indiansto the era when, with Teddy Roosevelt as police commissioner, the great Americancity became regarded as "Capital of the World." The sheer bulk of thebook may be off- putting, but the reader can use a typically New Yorkapproach: Those who don't settle in for the entire history can easily"commute" in and out to read individual chapters, which stand alonenicely and cover the major themes of particular eras very well.

While Gotham is fact-laden (with a critical apparatus thatincludes a bibliography and two indices--one for names, another forsubjects), the prose admirably achieves both clarity and style."Whatis our take, our angle, our schtick?" ask the authors, settinga distinctly New York tone in their introduction. No matter what it'scalled, their method of weaving together countless stories workswonderfully. The startlingly detailed research and lively writingbring innumerable characters (from Peter Minuit to Boss Tweed) tolife, and even those who think they know the history of New York Citywill no doubt find surprises on nearly every page. Gotham is ararity, reigning as both authoritative history and page-turning story.--Robert McNamara ... Read more

Customer Reviews (62)

Great experience
received this item accordingly, and a great book. Amazing experience will purchase from here again.

This book made me go back to college
This book is amazing.It's a sprawling, all-encompassing history of not just New York, but the physical landmass itself.I only managed to get through the first two hundred pages because the book is a colossus.It's roughly the size of a major metro-area phone book.But believe me, it's an engrossing look into the Area's history.Reading as little of the book as I did, I actually got inspired to go back to college and get a History Degree.Then I decided to get a Masters, and eventually get a Ph.D. and become a professor.I can honestly say that this book changed my life.

Great book but...
Its so HEAVY! They used glossy high quality paper stock which seriously added a few pounds to the thing. If it was on newsprint quality it would have been much lighter and I could carry it with me to read on trips (because its not something you read in a few days). I wish I had bought it for Kindle or iPad, especially since that would make jumping to footnotes easier.

Anyway, thats my only complaint. Otherwise its brilliant and makes my experience living in NYC so much more enjoyable to know the history behind all the names and places I saw every day. Written in a very accessible style too.

Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898
This is an astonishing book:1200 pages long, deep and rich in detail, covering the history of New York City from the arrival of the Dutch in the early 17th century to the consolidation of the five boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens and Kings counties) in 1898.The writing is magnificent, and despite the range and depth and abundant detail, the material is unfailingly engaging and just plain fun.

Wow! A page turner that is well wroth the time.
Burrows and Wallace provide the definitive account on the history of New York City up until the merge of the boroughs into present day Manhattan.Tracing history from its Dutch beginnings, to the English take over, as a seat of revolutionary power and finally finding its place as the financial capital of the United States and eventually the world.The book is detailed and focuses not only on the urban development and political development, but social and demographic changes as well.It is primarily a story of Manhattan but does spend a considerable amount of time on Brooklyn.The Bronx, Long Island and Staten Island are covered sparingly.The political development of New York from the ward bosses to centralized modern government to the corruption of Tammany Hall followed by the successive progressive movement is done very well and the authors are mindful of the competing Dutch and British heritage that give New York a unique flavor.For those who wish to have a complete overview of how modern New York came to be this is the place to start. Do not be deterred by its length for as the other reviews indicate it is not a detriment. It is through, well written and provides top notch analysis into historical developments relating to all areas of New York. ... Read more

Product Description
In the years between 1880 and 1915, New York City and its environs underwent a tremendous demographic transformation with the arrival of millions of European immigrants, native whites from the rural countryside, and people of African descent from both the American South and the Caribbean. While all groups faced challenges in their adjustment to the city, hardening racial prejudices set the black experience apart from that of other newcomers. Through encounters with each other, blacks and whites, both together and in opposition, forged the contours of race relations that would affect the city for decades to come.

Before Harlem reveals how black migrants and immigrants to New York entered a world far less welcoming than the one they had expected to find. White police officers, urban reformers, and neighbors faced off in a hostile environment that threatened black families in multiple ways. Unlike European immigrants, who typically struggled with low-paying jobs but who often saw their children move up the economic ladder, black people had limited employment opportunities that left them with almost no prospects of upward mobility. Their poverty and the vagaries of a restrictive job market forced unprecedented numbers of black women into the labor force, fundamentally affecting child-rearing practices and marital relationships.

Despite hostile conditions, black people nevertheless claimed New York City as their own. Within their neighborhoods and their churches, their night clubs and their fraternal organizations, they forged discrete ethnic, regional, and religious communities. Diverse in their backgrounds, languages, and customs, black New Yorkers cultivated connections to others similar to themselves, forming organizations, support networks, and bonds of friendship with former strangers. In doing so, Marcy S. Sacks argues, they established a dynamic world that eventually sparked the Harlem Renaissance. By the 1920s, Harlem had become both a tragedy and a triumph--undeniably a ghetto replete with problems of poverty, overcrowding, and crime, but also a refuge and a haven, a physical place whose very name became legendary.

Marcy S. Sacks is Associate Professor of History at Albion College. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Dave Lapham, Author of Ghosthunting Florida
New York is a great place to visit, and if you're at all interested in a good ghost story or in paranormal investigating, it's even better. L'Aura's book takes you everywhere you could possibly want to go in New York for paranormal experiences or just to get a good ghost story.And L'Aura writes these stories really well.I'm impressed. ... Read more

Product Description
"The Rough Guide Map New York City" will guide you along the teeming streets of this great metropolis. From the Empire State Building to the Statue of Liberty, "The Rough Guide Map New York City" pin-points the best attractions the city has to offer as well as shops, restaurants, raucous live-music clubs and cutting-edge theatres. Boasting an A-Z street finder index and an essential 'Time Map' with opening and closing times of the top attractions, the map also suggests routes for numerous day-trips. Streets and key tourist hotspots are clearly colour-coded, with unique Rough Guide recommendations highlighted. User-friendly and printed in full-colour on waterproof, rip-proof paper, this slick, fully up-to-date map presents New York with impeccable accuracy, making it an unmissable travel companion on your break away to New York City. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Love this map
I found this Rough Guide map easy to use.The information was current and we had no trouble getting around NY using it!I highly reccomend this product to any one visiting the city of New York ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Takes You There
I bought this as guide to louche watering holes around NYC but soon found myself reading the pithy essays for entertainment - quite a feat for a guide book. With humor to spare, each entry sets the scene and really tells you what to expect when you're out looking for fun/fights/cheap thrills around NYC's seedier underbelly. The author highlights a bunch of lesser-known but still classic spots in Queens, Brooklyn and even Staten Island (doesn't a place called Beer Goggles make you want to jump on that ferry?) in addition to Manhattan. Highly recommended. ... Read more

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From its origins as a primitive Dutch outpost to the sprawling urban complex it is today, the defining characteristic of New York has been constant, dramatic, and rapid change.

Customer Reviews (3)

A Great NYC History Book
If you are looking for a thorough and well-organized history of New York City this book will suit your needs. Sure, it may not be as detailed as "Gotham" but most of us will not want that level of depth.This book is wisely broken into sections that mirror the terms of the various governors and mayors of the Big Apple-and, really, why wouldn't that be the best way to present this story.The reading is quick and clear and you'll know everything the average person would want to know about NYC.

A Succinct History
A Short History is exactly that.Succinct and to the point, structured around the political evolution of the city, using New York's succession of mayors as its main vehicle.

Editing: Four Stars.Simple structure and well managed.

Copy Editing: Four Stars.One or two things slipped by.James, Duke of York, after whom the city is named, is called, oddly, Duke James instead of the Duke of York, or more properly, York.Otherwise clean copy.

deadly boring
Having just moved to NYC I bought this dog expecting to get a quick brush up on the fascinating story of America's Greatest City. Instead I was burdened with endless trivia about who was mayor or who ran Tammany Hall at any given moment in New York's history.

Obviously this angle is part of the big picture of The City, but it comes off the page very flat and, sadly, uninteresting. There is scant attention paid to the million and one other details about New York life that one really wants to hear about: art, culture, social life, transportation, etc.

The writing is intelligent enough. The author is clearly a smart person with a lot of interest in his subject. It's just that enduring this book is more like watching someone's vacation slides and less like the inspiring, terse and revealing story you hope you'd get when you bought the thing. ... Read more

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Naturally identified with the Big Apple, New York City cabdrivers hold a special place in the American folk culture writ large. Cabbies proverbially counsel, console, and confound, all the while flitting through the snarling traffic and bustling masses of the nation's largest city. Variously seen as the key to street-level opinion, a source of reliable information, or mysterious savants who don't speak much English, the hacks who move New Yorkers have been integral to the city's growth and culture since the mid-nineteenth century when they first began shuttling residents, workers, and visitors in horse-drawn carriages. Their importance grew with the introduction of gasoline-powered cars early last century and continues to the present day, when more than 12,000 licensed yellow cabs operate in Manhattan alone.

Taxi! is the first book-length history of New York City cabdrivers and the community they compose. From labor unrest and racial strife to ruthless competition and political machinations, this deftly woven narrative captures the people -- lower-class immigrants for the most part -- and their hardscrabble struggle to capture a piece of the American dream. Hodges tells the tale through contemporary news accounts, Hollywood films, social science research, and the words of the cabbies themselves.

Whether or not you've ever hailed a cab on Broadway, Taxi! provides a fascinating new perspective on New York's most colorful emissaries.

Customer Reviews (4)

Intriguing Read ABout Taxis
As a transportation professional it is interesting to peer into the history of the taxi. This book not only provides historical information but also a vivid account of the hardships and stories of the taxi driver.

not cluttered with talk
Maybe because I am a slow reader, but i dislike books that are made fatter and fluidier with made-up conversations and dialogue.I appreciate a succint book like this one.This is well researched.The sources at the back of the book is impressive.The author chose a chronological order, and maybe for me it would have been more fun if the book was ordered into themes, but then you would have a different book.I found interesting the beginning of the book, about bridging the class divide, of how uptown people can approach and communicate with the working class people (the driver).In the chapter of the sixties and seventies, I didn't see any mention of how the 1973 recession affected cab drivers, or the near-meltdown of the city in its bankrupcy verge.

A Great Way to Learn About Cabbies
Graham Hodges cares about cabbies and drivers past. It's easy to see -- while many writers only rely on economic studies or interviews with current cab drivers, Hodges plows through history and gives us the viewpoint of taxi drivers through the ages. He's able to paint a picture for readers of a New York hack's life.

One of the most enjoyable parts of this book is a photographed collection of taxi memorabilia published with the book, including taxi-themed post cards full of sexual innuendo and a picture of female cabbies filling in for their men during the war. He has a unique way of showing the place of the yellow cab in U.S. pop culture, making the book much more interesting than a "just the facts" history lesson.

Exhaustive but pedantic
Graham Hodges's new book, "Taxi!", is as thorough a study of cabdrivers in New York over the past hundred years as I'm sure one will ever see. Tracing the beginnings of the taxi business, Hodges takes the reader through many phases of its development and one thing can be certain...today's cabbies face dilemmas not unlike their predecessors. One assumes, through a back cover photo, that the author was a cabbie at one time. No mention is made of this in the book. It would have been nice to have had him offer his own reflections. Yet he is wonderfully good at educating us as to how the taxi industry works.

The problem with "Taxi!" is that it's just flat. At slightly over 180 pages of narrative it feels like a very long book. The first chapters deal with wages, strikes and way too many examples of Hollywood's mirroring and mimicking of New York cabdrivers. There are good stories of women who hack as well as African-American contributions, but by the end of the first half I wanted to give up. Going more or less decade by decade, there is a good chapter about taxis in the fifties. Here Hodges shines as he offers some good anecdotes...especially by Hy Gardner. But after that, the book loses its appeal.

"Taxi!" could have been a better book if it had been more fluid. A study is great but it has to be appealing. Hodges has given a deep insight about a segment of the population which has taken its hits but has fought back and keeps going. ... Read more

Product Description

With Access New York City, your visit will be an easy, enjoyable experience—SoHo, Greenwich Village, and the Statue of Liberty are at your fingertips.

Customer Reviews (19)

Access New York City
I have a 10-year old version of this book that I've been using all this time.I decided it was time for an update.I don't go to NYC without it.I visit my friend who lives there and she even relies on this book for guidance and suggestions.All of the Access books are great!

2008 Edition is Outdated
We were in New York July 2010.Access guidebooks are my favorite, however the 2008 edition for New York City is outdated.I gave the 2 star rating because the current edition is outdated.We were disappointed more than once to find our destination out of business.Be sure to call ahead to verify any place you want to visit, especially in SoHo and the Village, if you are using the 2008 edition.Wish I had just used my old one and not purchased the "new" one.If you have never used an Access Guidebook, you definitely need to be introduced to them.Current editions are invaluable.Organization and information are both wonderful.

Seattlites in the Big Apple
We visited New York City for the first time in 2007.In preparation for the trip, we purchased two guide books:Access New York City and the DK Eyewitness Travel guide to New York.Our goal was to see as much of street-level Manhattan Island as possible without spending a ton of money.We therefore planned on walking a lot and taking subways.Of the two guide books, the Access guide turned out to be indispensible and we carried it every step of the way.The DK guide has beautiful photographs and cool three-dimensional sketches of key city blocks, but the traditional maps provided for each area are very small and have only a few attractions noted.In the back of the book, there are several more practically sized maps but they identify little more than streets, parks and a smattering of larger structures.

The inside cover of the Access guide divides Manhattan Island into 15 main areas and the subsequent chapters cover them one at a time.At the beginning of each chapter you get a history-rich overview of the area and a perfectly sized map with every point of interest in the body of the chapter represented by a precisely located number on the map. It's literally as easy as reading the chapter and then mapping your walk, block by block.If your focus is on history, popular culture and traditional tourist attractions, the guide works quite well.As is the case with any guide book, there's always the chance that post-publication changes may lead to disappointments.The only one we encountered, however, was finding the White Horse Tavern where Dylan Thomas is said to have drunk himself to death boarded up.We were using the Twelfth Edition (2006) and suspect that the Thirteenth will account for this unfortunate closure.Only Shot At A Good Tombstone

Always the best
As a native New Yorker, I find that the Access series is always the most detailed and up to date. I recommend this guide book to anyone who wants to be fully informed on what this great city has to offer.

Has anyone told the author how out-of-date he is?
I have always loved the format of ACCESS books but to be honest, the last 3 guides to NYC have been very outdated.I feel as if the author has told a flunkie to "check the websites" of all the places listed in the book, and that the flunkie then quit his job and the author just published the edition from 10 years ago.I cannot continue to purchase the Access books knowing this is the case.I wonder if the author reads his own reviews on Amazon (I kind of doubt it).He should stop wasting his and our time by publishing out of date books. ... Read more

Product Description

• New York City reached record levels of tourists and tourism in 2008 hosting 47 million visitors, including 9.8 million visitors traveling from abroad, also a record.  (nbcnewyork.com)
• Forbes Traveler includes New York City with high honors on so many of its travel ranking and categories including: America's 30 Most Visited Cities; World's Most Stunning Skylines; Best Guided City Walking Tours; World's Best Party Cities; America's Best Street Food; Most Bike Friendly Cities; Top 10 Shopping Districts; and Sexiest Rooftop Bars.   
• The Unofficial Guide to New York gives honest opinionated streetwise advice to help experience the vast variety of New York City experiences available for every taste and budget. 

Customer Reviews (6)

Not a reliable source of info for travel to NYC
My family recently went on vacation to a couple of cities, such as Washington D.C., Philadelphia, NYC and Boston. I really found the information in The Unofficial Guide to Washington, D.C. to be immensely useful in planning our 5 day stay there. The guide was filled with useful information about touring tips, and we planned our itinerary accordingly, saving much time and effort in the process.

"The Unofficial Guide to New York City" on the other hand was utterly disappointing - there were no touring hints or strategies, and the information also seemed all over the place. The restaurant guide appeared incomplete, not covering certain sectors of the city, and on the whole, this guide was not a reliable tour guide of NYC. I also used another guide, Frommer's, and found that much more useful. Pass on this one.

Official Disappointment
Unlike other titles in the series, the Unofficial Guide to New York City doesn't have suggested touring plans or "must see" lists.The restaurant desciptions are lacking (for example, there are NO restaurants listed on 9th Avenue Midtown and there are NO restaurants on the Chinatown map!).There is a brief introductory chapter on the history of the City and that is worth reading.

The Walt Disney World's guide is much superior
The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World is excellent, the best Disney guide, specially for it's details. I wanted a New York guide, so I guessed this would have the same quality. I was wrong. It doesn't comes close. Fodors is a better choice with more useful information. The Unofficial also needs a more careful update. It's written that I could find a Warner Bros store at Columbus Circle, but the Warner stores closed many years ago. Fortunately I was already well informed.

Not very useful
If you need a guidebook that will help you plan an itinerary, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE! This book, while chock-full of information, gives no practical tips whatsoever about how to arrange activities while touring. I read through it twice and came away with snippets of information but nothing that helped with actually planning how my family would spend each of our four days in the city. The index is incomplete and much of the information is sketchy at best. I would NOT recommend this as a resource, especially for first-time visitors.

Unofficially, it's inconsistent
Who wouldn't like to get the unofficial word on a big complex city?Who wouldn't like to feel that they were going to be able to find the places that make a city memorable, and that they weren't going to stick out as easy pickings while doing so?

These guide books promise, essentially, that you will know what you are doing before you've actually had the experience, removing some of the nasty anxiety of going horribly wrong as you set out to find urban magic.Some of their features are excellent.The hotel section, for instance, is comprehensive and gives several ways of looking for a hotel that might match your needs.Neighborhood overviews are also very fine.

HOWEVER! other aspects are both annoying and silly.Addresses are often wrong; hours of operation ditto; information about public transporation is (to be charitable) out-of-date.Nothing quite beats hopping confidently onto a bus with a pocket full of dollar bills, only to discover that busses only accept tokens or quarters.

They don't do badly at explaining what attitude you need to take to manage in New York, but neither do they do well.They hint, for example, at the importance of tipping, but do not convey the underlying fact that tipping in NYC is essentially small-time protection money.Not that that's a bad thing.Similarly, restaurant coverage was unimaginative, but maybe there is no way to predict whether a tourist would prefer a very very safe and bland experience, or is more adventurous and would prefer places where the locals eat.Even then, which locals?

This book helped us find a hotel that pleased us.Still, the other aspects annoyed us sufficiently that we left it behind in JFK before we took off. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

A distracted dog, separated from his family, explores New York City from top to bottom
While Pete and his family are vacationing in New York City with Larry, the beloved family dog, Larry is left behind when he jumps out of a subway car to steal a bite of discarded pizza. Larry sets out in search of his humans, embarking on a journey that takes him to Grand Central Terminal, Times Square, Yankee Stadium, Columbus Circle, and many other places. His family is nowhere to be found, however. Fortunately for Larry, a young girl and her mother join him on his search, and the family is ultimately reunited, romantic-comedy style, on the roof deck of the Empire State Building.

Larry's determined quest is only part of what makes this book--and the other books in the //Larry Gets Lost// series--so engrossing; there are also sidebars with fun facts about the New York landmarks Larry encounters, such as that the Metropolitan Museum of Art contains over two million artworks and that traders met on Wall Street as far back as the 1800s. Readers who haven't yet visited the city will finish this book with a pleasant bite from the travel bug.

Reviewed by Margo Orlando Littell

Love This Book
What a wonderful book!!!If you are planning a trip to NYC or want to teach someone about it, this is the perfect resource!All of THE places to see and go to are highlighted along with a cute story about a boy and his dog.The author has similar books for a few other cities.I hope he continues to write more- I'll certainly buy them!

A dog's eye view of New York City
Larry, a geographically challenged pup, has gotten lost in cities such as Seattle, Chicago, and San Francisco. You'd think his owners would know by now to put him on a leash, but lucky for us, they don't! On a trip to the Big Apple, the hapless pooch hops off a subway when he spies a slice of discarded pizza. Quicker than you can say 'fuggetaboudit' he's on his own, searching for his family at the various landmarks of New York City. Part travelogue, part adventure, this beautifully illustrated book may be aimed at children (my seven-year-old goddaughter loves it) but adults will appreciated the well-researched information givenabout the many points of interest of this fascinating city. ... Read more

Product Description
Designed for visitors and locals alike, Frommer’s With Kids Guides show how to plan family trips and outings that are fun for kids of all ages.

• Written by parents for parents

• Exact prices

• Star-rated reviews of family-friendly hotels and restaurants

• Age recommendations for most activities

• For those traveling with children ages 2 to 14

... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

This is all I needed for our trip to NYC
This book had everything I needed for planning our trip to NYC in October.We had a great time and I have to say-New York is FABULOUS!Get this book before traveling.Extra note:The Big Apple Greeters mentioned in the book was a wonderful recommendation.We saw SO much.

Compact Kids Trip Planner
I was pleasantly surprised to find a compact guide with so much relevant information about a city that practically changes overnight. Chapter 10, "Entertainment for the Whole Family" contains a bevy of ideas of things to see and do, and the precise prices and discount packages for each. The historical, eco-friendly urban experiences my family enjoyed will forever be a part of my child's life. Unlike the previous reviewer, when taking my child on vacation, I favor the experience of learning and exploring, not trips to stores to fill bags full of video games.

2009 edition and no mention of nintendo world store?
Taking the family to NYC this year. Kids are saving their money for Nintendo's flagship store in Rockefeller Center. Seriously, this is a true kid-friendly destination spot, yet not a single word about it. Nothing. Under games, gaming, arcades.... the only list EBgames (a big thick paragraph about EBgames found in every mall around the country is featured here), no Nintendo World Store. This is the brand new, January 2009 edition. How can I now trust this book on anything else if it fails to leave out such an important site for families? If you don't believe me, you're either not a Nintendo fan or you got this book, visited NYC and didn't know to go. [...] ... Read more