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It's been a great guide to help me organize how I'm going to spend my time for the weekend. It's a fabulous book for residents and visitors; it made me more excited about moving there someday and more confident that I'll NEVER run out of things to do. Some of the destinations no longer stand, but i still took the initiative to go and look anyway, since they provided a little historical summary. They tell you about things you can see all the time, as well as the festivals/activities that go on seasonally. I LIVE to go to the city on the weekends and this book has definitely turned out around my New York experience. I've been visiting New York since I was a child, and finally just moved to Long Island to finish my undergraduate degree. The authors divide the book into sections for what you're looking for (classics, arts & entertainment, food, 24-hour fun, etc). They also organize everything in the back by district or part of New York, so you won't be running all over the city.
There were so many great recommendations and wonderful things that I didn't even know existed. If you are planning on making a trip to NYC, this is a must read.
A great resource - only wish I'd bought it when I first moved here. For instance, since buying this book, I've made sure to visit City Bakery in February to experience its different flavor of hot chocolate every day of the month, to compare pizza slices from the 'Eating and Drinking' section's "Slices of New York" list, visited a number of movie sites (there's a list), "engaged in a legendary NY food war" (I compared pastrami sandwiches from Katz and Carnegie Deli), saw the narrowest house in the city, found the Bela Bartok plaque in midtown, and finally learned what the number counter in Union Square is (it's called Metronome and tells the time to the second). Every time I open this book, I seem to fall on a page I haven't read before - The Best Things to Do in New York doesn't focus on the main touristy attractions, like going to the Statue of Liberty or Empire State Building - it's much more specific, and brings out tidbits of New York Culture, which I find refreshing and delightful. The authors also really cover the gamut of New Yorkers - every chapter is helpfully sub-categorized -- in particular, the food chapter names some of the city's most authentic international restaurants by cuisine, (of all price ranges), by New York tradition (donuts, pizza, hot dogs, sandwiches, etc)., and by price range. Having lived in Manhattan for a few months now, I foolishly thought that I had seen all that deserves seeing. Bored, I picked up this book and found so many new places to explore that I hadn't heard of before. Still, I've barely touched upon the other ideas in the book - though there are no pictures, each idea is dressed with a story or explanation, often funny, but always helpful, with appropriate website and contact information, and subway directions.
I will be using this approach prior to my next NYC excursion. Now I have some great info for my next visit, but this is definitely a book to peruse while having a cup of coffee in the advance planning stages of your trip. I emphasize this because I waited until the last minute to order this book. It is much less useful to take with you around the city for planning activities on the fly. However, it is definitely a book to obtain several days or weeks prior to making your journey.
Get the good stuff out of this book before you go, and then use your travel guide to help you make those reservations and get to the points of interest. After seeing what interesting things I could have planned, but did not because I was too rushed to give this book the attention it deserved before hopping on a plane, I later had some regrets about not getting this text sooner. Unlike a travel guide book, which tends to be designed for quick referencing or thumbing through for the specific information you want, the particular organization of this book is not amenable to a "quick review". This book has some very interesting information about New York City and all the attractions and experiences one can have during a short or extended visit. The reviews are concise and well written, but to really get the most from this book, I would recommend taking your time and absorbing the content before making out a specific itinerary for your visit.
Used in this manner, I would highly recommend it.
If you plan to visit NYC, you have to buy it. This is one of the best guide of NYC that I ever used. You can find good restaurants, great tips and a lot of unique and uncrowded places to visit.
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