This book has been extremly helpful. Every time I go into the city with my children, I open this book. Every restaurant in here is fantastic! My life would not be complete without this book!

I first ran into this book at one of the reviewed diners (The Comfort Diner) and snapped it up in a minute. The listing of destinations and the restaurants near them is particularly helpful, even for us native New Yorkers!

In a mad search for a good book about NYC, I came across the Knopf version. It's silver cover caught my eye at first, but when I opened the book and saw the pictures, maps, restaurant summaries, etc. I was sold. This book not only helped me find my way around the city, but also helped me to figure out what I wanted to do on a day trip. One of the best things about this book compared to others is that it includes many pictures of the sites you are likely to visit. Most other books that I saw only included a description, I like to know what I am looking for.

Overall, I gave this book 5 stars. It really captures what I need to know about New York.

"Knopf City Guide: New York" is a thorough and winningly-portable guidebook.

The seven authors provide excellent advice on where to stay, eat, shop, and visit. All this is beautifully coordinated with a hodgepodge of maps, photos, and charts.

Though the pictures are generally small, they couldn't be brighter or sharper. Whether it's the opulent lobby of the Marriott Financial Center or the extraordinary biscuits and muffins at Sarabeth's, the photos are a joy to survey.

Just as colorful and helpful are the multitude of maps. You certainly won't have any problems finding your way around the city using their sterling graphics and location indicators.

Like all the Knopf City Guides, "New York" is a grand little guidebook.

Leave it to Charlie to find even more Pennsylvania streams! He even includes notable waters in NJ and Ny. This book gives you the opportunity to fish streams that don't get the pressure of some of the more famous waters. The author's cover waters large and small. The book is a bargain, and at retail price equates to 39 cents per stream! Try to find a guide for that.

One of the most interesting books I've read. It has been great for someone that has "cabin fever" this winter. I read about a different stream every night before bedtime. Great reviews on Pocono, Manada, and McMichael Creeks! J. Edwards

Ellen Tifft deftly paints a story of the past, of a time when carnival sideshows traveled the country, when carved wooden horses seemed to come to life on carousels, and when simple things like truth and honor and love were still important. Tifft masterfully weaves together two stories of love: one is the tale of a young sideshow dancer named Zelma who somehow manages to find the keeper of her heart even though fate seems to have other plans, and the second is the Indian myth of two doomed lovers forever associated with the bottomless Aldridge Lake. But the true beauty of the novel is the fact that Tifft has the commendable ability to take the reader to a deeper level of involvement with the characters, beyond that of mere observers of the central love stories. She allows the reader a unique and uninhibited look into the very essence of her soul, and the experience proves to be both exhilirating and cleansing. The further one delves into the lives of the characters of Tifft's novel, the more real they seem and, despite the difficulties they endure, the more at peace the reader feels. Mrs. Tifft's poetic powers are obvious, and the imagery she employs lends an almost magical element to her prose, sweeping the reader up in a tale of love and sacrifice and courage. Zelma is no cardboard character, she is full of innocence and desire and verve. She is a dreamer whose naive actions lead to consequences which appear to wipe out any chance of her realizing her dreams, which would smother the passion and exuberance of most, yet she somehow manages to persevere. Zelma is a wonderful example of the modern literary hero, as she encounters various faces of evil and despair without losing her sense of intergrity and hope. Mrs. Tifft offers the reader a remarkable ride on a carousel of the imagination which is sure to haunt and to please.

Ellen Tifft, lifelong resident of Elmira, New York, has published poetry and short fiction in a variety of literary magazines, including The New Yorker and Poetry, for the past forty some years. Moon, Moon, Tell Me True is her first published novel, but it reads like something she's been preparing for all her life. Set in Annovia, a fictionalized Elmira, from 1947 to 1956, the novel's heroine is 19 yr old Zelma Prokova, daughter of Gene Tunney Prokov and his wife Peg. Gene and Peg are the stick man and fat woman of a traveling sideshow that spends five months on the road and six months in Annovia. Zelma has been performing since she was five and is a regular dancer in the "girly show," but she dreams of performing for much larger audiences than the side show world brings in. All of this sounds realistic, but Tifft is a home grown magic realist. Her characters, from Mister and Al, the side show's Indian fortune teller and hermaphrodite, to Raymond-Guy, the itinerant, foreign-born sidewalk chalk painting artist, who sweeps Zelma off her feet, inhabit a world in which the villainous Dwain Slocum, sideshow manager, attempts the rape and even murder of our heroine Zelma. Zelma dances herself into mystical trances, falls in love, gives birth on a river barge, and is almost lured into death by drowning in the lake at Aldridge Park. And all of this Tifft achieves through a language, half dialect, half poetry that captures the offhand way people talk better than anything I've ever read. But you really have to read this unique novel for yourself. It will take you on a journey through mythic realms to a resolution as satisfying as the end of The Tempest or The Magic Flute.

Having spent much of my life in the Pennsylvania/New York region, I was delighted to find that this book contained most of the sights that I have come to love, as well as a large number that I was not familiar with. It is a "Blue Highways" (i.e., off the Interstate) type of guide, and is fun to read. Highly recommended for anyone planning a vacation in this region.

The National Geographic Driving Guides are by different authors and due to weak editing and selection, vary widely in quality. This one and the one for Texas and the Middle South are excellent. The California guide by Jerry Camarillo Dunn is awful. The Florida one falls somewhere in the middle. I have not read the others yet.

I found this book to be invaluable in planning our vacation in these three states. The book gave us suggestions of routes to take with time estimations included. Places of interest were rated allowing the traveler to make maximum use of his/her time. I have since purchased others in the series and will continue to recommend these guides to friends.

This is a very enjoyable and informative guide to the 61 natural areas in Pennsylvania, which are usually far from the beaten path of the cities, major highways, and even well-known hiking trails. Fergus spent a whole year personally exploring every one of these areas, and proves it with his first-hand descriptions. Therefore this book is based on real experience, and was not written by someone who has never been to the places they're writing about (such as the error-prone Longstreet Highroad Guide to the Pennsylvania Mountains, which I can't totally recommend). As an extensive hiker in PA myself, I've been to some of these natural areas and can attest to Fergus' accuracy. He focuses on the flora, fauna, and topography of these natural areas, and tips on how to get to the more remote ones that may not even be accessible by trail, all in lively prose that walks the fine line between poetic and overly sentimental. Fergus tends to avoid the bad news on some of these areas, especially pollution, which would make the chapters on Little Tinicum Island (near Philly) and Sheets Island Archipelago (almost within sight of Three Mile Island) more informative; plus the complete absence of maps is a problem for the larger natural areas. But still, this book greatly succeeds in making the outdoorsy Pennsylvania fan yearn to visit these hidden secrets.

The landscape of Pennsylvania has endured such intensive logging, mining, and urbanization over the years that it's a wonder any wild places still exist within its borders. But they do, and Charles Fergus has hiked in all 61 of them. The natural areas he's talking about here are located in state forests and have few recreational amenities, so they're open only to foot traffic. Habitats range from the tidal waters around Little Tinicum Island in the Delaware River to the forested crest and tower at the top of Mount Davis in Somerset County, the highest point in the Commonwealth. Many of these areas gained governmental protection within our lifetime, and I'm sure other natives will learn about sites they never heard of before. Basic road atlases don't usually acknowledge these places. Fergus provides detailed directions for access, writes about the uniqueness of each site, and recommends the best seasons for visits. His commentary is accompanied by black and white photos and may include smatterings of geology, history, anthropology, botany, and zoology. Wildlife ranges from bears and bobcats to salamanders and the tiny critters they feast on. There are bird migration routes, sites for butterfly aficionados, many tall trees and rare plants. A path falls onto land where chips of indigenous tools can still be found, and another turns onto a trail made more recently by an illegal all-terrain vehicle. A map, list of resources, and list of forestry addresses contribute to the usefulness of this guide. Scanning just a few pages will have you reaching for your boots and daypack in no time.

This book is sooooo detailed that it makes day tripping a true pleasure! It even tells you where to park. I've tried the rest but this one is the best.

If you live in New Jersey or are going to visit, make sure you have a copy of this book!

I have beeen waiting for a book like this for a long time. I have read all the rest and they all seem flat compared to this one. It is alive and fresh. A delicious tour of the great state of New Jersey!

Well worth it. The newest, most complete and most up to date book on the subject of NEw Jersey Day trips.

Browsing through a bookstore or online, it sometimes seems that there are as many books of photography of New York City as there are yellow cabs or unemployed dot-com workers. So the first question is why do we need another, followed by, and why this one in particular? The answer is simple. Mark Crosby has an extraordinary eye for this city, and much like Walker Evans, captures the essence of what makes it wholly unique. In Crosby's beautiful and oftentimes surprising images, he reminds you that no matter how well you think you know New York, look again, the city just may surprise you.

Mark's ability to capture the energy and essence of a scene or a life is incredible. His pictures are definately worth more than a thousand words.

Sites of NYC captured in this book are great, even for someone who lives in the city. Sometimes I marvel at how did he get that shot or even "Where is it?". A book this beautiful must have been created by natural talent - skill could never be perfected to this level.

I can't wait for the third book!

This is the best travel guide series there is. It presents NYC, (Manhattan, plus many interesting sites outside Manhattan) in enough detail to help you decide if you want to go there, but not so much as to make the book overwhelmingly large. It is a portable guide (we took it everywhere with us in NY) that has all the essentials. In addition to sites, it lists hotels, restaurants, information on getting around, and much more. And the index is exhaustive, so finding something quickly is easy. The pictures are informative, the maps are detailed, the information up-to-date. I reviewed a lot of guide books before buying this one. This is the best guide you could possibly want.

As a New York City aficionado, who visits the city about four times a year, I find this book to be the best I've read. Visually, this guide is amazing. The glossy, clear and beautiful photos throughout the book, make it even more worthy of buying and the maps (including one for the subway) are also easy to understand.

The book is divided up into sections based on each area of town and then there is a chapter titled "Travelers' Needs," which includes places to stay, all types of restaurants, shopping and much more. The "Survival Guide" is also extremely helpful with its practical information. You'll also find history about New York all throughout the guide, which I find very interesting.

Another really nice thing about this book is that it is friendly to foreign visitors, explaining things like how to use a pay phone and the U.S. currency.

If you are planning on going to NYC, this "Eyewitness Travel Guide" is an absolute must have! Everything you want or need to know about this fabulous and one-of-a-kind city is right in this book.

I bought this book back in 1999. I am a New Yorker and I wanted a book that showcased all of my wonderful city. I never, in my wildest dreams, thought that I would have to look at this book in order to ever see the World Trade Center again. After the attack on New York City on Sept.11, 2001, my whole world as I knew it changed forever. This wonderful, beautiful book is my only reminder of the New York City that I have known and loved all my life. I know the Twin Towers will rise again! Until then I have my book!

I bought the book based on the coverphoto. Regarding that I in fact wanted a book on New York, I cannot say I regret it. The book is fully illustrated with beautiful photographs of New Yorks five boroughs. Though I`ve been to New York five times before I`ve only been to Manhattan and Queens, but I surely was tempted to see all five boroughs when I go back during fall -99. The photographs has a soul in a way and all represent a motion or a mood that I catched right away. I could actually feel the smells the sounds and the dynamic pulse New York stands for. Pete Hamill's text as an introduction to each borough gives the reader a fully good and poetic insight in New Yorks majestic soul.