I am a big fan of the Avant-Guides. I used this book almost exclusively for a trip to NYC in the spring of 2002--thus some of the information had changed. Otherwise I would have rated it at a 5 star. The information on the museums and where to get the best deal on theater ticket was very helpful. I have since ordered the guides for Las Vegas, New Orleans and Toronto in hopes of finding the same cool, underground type of information provided for NYC. PLEASE--do guides for Montreal, Washington D.C. and Seattle.

Honestly, I've been living in New York for the past two years, and I think I have a reasonably fair grasp on its nighlife, restaurants, whathaveyou. Not only did this book have a listing of some of my favorite spots, but it talked about some places I wish I'd known about earlier. Some good stuff here.

I love to travel and I love guidebooks. This one is the best series Ive seen. it makes me laugh, has a great senseability about the places I like and really feels like it was written by a friend. I never write these reviews, but Im inspired to write this one because the book is so good.

Shallow book with not enough information about accomodations or activities, both in amount of coverage as well as in-depth of each issue.

The e-book does not let you print copy/paste, nothing!! even though it is the same price as the paperback. For a book that you need with you on your trip, unless you feel like lugging around your laptop you are stuck.

I didn't know that I can't even print out any pages, so I was surprised.

The paperback maybe is worth it, but the e-book -- don't touch it.

Less than a day's drive from New York City, Boston or Philadelphia, the Catskills have long been a popular weekend and summer retreat for city folk. The area offers fine accommodations, top-notch dining and spectacular surroundings.

This book profiles hundreds of hotels and restaurants, with an emphasis on the very best places. Daytime activities - shopping, antique-hunting and more - are featured. In-margin icons allow you to see at a glance what is being covered in the text.

"If you're headed to the Catskills, you must read this book. If you already live there, you must read this book - you'll learn things about your area you never dreamed of.... Fran Silverman brings alive this wonderfully diverse area for everyone." Travel Smart

This is a cute little book that would probably be fun for someone who had recently moved to New York City and was trying to find their way to fun things to do and see. We didn't find it very useful for our very brief visit to the city. The references to fun places to have "girl stuff" done were intriguing, and, as I said, would probably be fun for someone who lived in the city. Overall, for planning a quick visit -- or a first-time visit -- I don't think people would find this book very helpful.

This book will become your new best friend. You will absolutely refuse to take a trip to NYC without it. It has everything you need to know to feel like a native of the city.

Without a doubt - my favorite New York Travelers book that goes so far beyond the usual "tourist" finds. This book is for the unknown and "local" treasures. "Savvy in the City: New York City" a - See Jane Go Guide to City Living by Sheridan Becker and Jayne Young is a wonderful little gem that breaks down those hard to find places by neighborhood and category. Each of those contains :

Eats ... (from the best and greatest - to those small little gems)
Treats ... (from massages to tattoo's)
Traumas... (for when you break your Prada heals)
Treasures ... (those really whims)
Twilight... (all the great clubs)
Tripping ... (for those with adventure on their mind)

You'll find great little sections such as best cheap manicures and diviest pubs. It's all those must haves for young woman in the BIG CITY. Great resource and really user friendly. Loved the whole feel and illustration.

Cheers!

After searching websites and finding some pretty interesting pictures, I expected this book to really contain what it boasts "downright shocking.... astounding", but doesn't show half of what is shown on the internet! Honestly I was disappointed - but DEFINITELY look at Studio 54: A Legend. Absolutely worth it - much more story and TRUELY Fabulous! pictures!!!

Gives you a great idea on what the club-life was like in late 70s and early 80s...

Bobby Miller is a friend and an artist. That's how I know him. He is a fun and fabulous friend, and his art in uncompromised and unadulterated fun and fabulousness. Let him take you by the hand into the womb of the 70's: smell the smoke, the sweat, the cheap cologne. ( Stained dresses were a dime a dozen, I'm sure.) This book is a pictographic history of the big bang of the Age of Aquarius. It's an authentic item for those culturally inclined, no matter what your persuasion. Give it to yourself and think of it as a history book with lots of pictures (and great writing, too)!

When you are limited on time the last thing you want to do is
waste it going to places in which have changed thier hours and
days they are open. Some stores had moved. It should have only been a 2001 guide not 2002! There were to many errors! They might have been related to 9-11 as far as the hours changing
However, it is not fun to waste precious time.

The new 2003 edition of this great guide book contains a ton of new, updated information -- particularly openings, closings, and new hours and events in light of 9/11 and the major resulting changes in downtown Manhattan. It's still a good idea, as the book says in many places, to call ahead before you make plans based on hours and locations printed in any source, but the information has been right 100% of the time that I've used this new, fully rewritten edition.

I highly recommend Ellen Shapiro's book. I just returned from a trip with 7 family members to New York and I used the book to help decide where to stay and planned our daily outings based on her excellent recommendations. The book is well organized and fun to read. Ms Shapiro's reviews of resturants and shopping areas are particularly helpful. I used this book along with the green Michelin Guide to New York City which contains wonderful maps and descriptions of the sights. These two books gave us everything we needed to have a wonderful stay in NYC!

The first thing that happened when I opened this book is that the Statue of Liberty fell out into my lap. Then I discovered that the Empire State Building doesn't actually pop up; you have to pry it up, and hope that you're not wrecking something in the process. This is true of most of the "pop-ups" in the book. Also, lift-up tabs get in the way of some of the pop-ups (or vice-versa). I'd say it's a lot of clever ideas badly executed. Probably the makers were trying to do too much. But in spite of all this, I still like it, and if you collect pop-up books, you probably will too. Just be ready to re-construct and re-glue a lot of the stuff.

I purchased this Pop Up Book for a 14 year old friend who enjoys Pop Up Books. At the last minute, I decided to purchase one for myself. Both of us are going to New York in the future and thought it might be a good guide. This book is absolutely wonderful. I have enjoyed each page. The detail is tremendous. The writing is entertaining and informative. The Pop Ups give you a feeling of "being there".

This is a fabulous paper construction that astounds me each time I open it. In addition to popups of the Brooklyn Bridge and other landmarks, the pages overflow with tiny newspapers, letters and magazines you can pull out and read. I grew up in the city, so it's even more fun to see it in paper. (My favorite? I think the Hirschfeld popup of the original cast of "Guys & Dolls.") A lot of fun, and one for which clean, dry hands are a must! Oh--the text aint bad either.

The cover looked so promising, but once i opened this boook up and took a good look inside I was very dissappointed.
It really looked like it was going to be the coolest B-boy hip hop style from back in the days book ever, but fell short in a big way in my opinion. That's too bad.

Growing up in Brownsville, Brooklyn this book depicts the look and feel of NYC during this era. Brothers was rocking the shearlings tough, punks was getting their Lee patches taken and the flygirls was rocking the bamboo earings. Before the MTV era (although we did have Video Music Box) was setting the trend for how we looked and spoke, we looked within ourselves and let the streets define whether we were fresh or corney. Jamal represented in this book for real before the word was exploited. One

If you used to sit in front of the TV, after school, watching "YO MTV Raps" and "Rap City", then this book is for you. Just like how Moms and Dads can reminisce about the 60's & 70's, we can finally look back and remember the days when the only debt we had was a pager bill. Bamboo earings, asymmetric hair cuts, converse shoes and "TIGHT" jeans were in style. I usually don't spend over [price] on one book (I'm not that much of a reader) but I HAD to get this one. Definitely, a must have for those rainy days, or when you just want to sit back and "chill".

I felt the authors made too great of an attempt to sound savvy and "hip". After visiting some mentioned locales, I have decided not to refer to the book except in jest.

The best thing about this book is that the author is just a normal guy like you and me; he doesn't have to try to sound savvy or hip. This book is like having a cool best friend take you around the city. I refer to it whenever I want to go out on the town, especially downtown.

If you're not so much interested in how to beat the lines at the Statue of Liberty, and more attuned to where you can sip Long Island Ice Teas while staring at bona fide fashion models and New York's notoriously secretive cognoscenti, this book is for you. Much more than a guide to the city's geography, it is a rare insight into the raison d'etre of the au courant. Forget Fodor's, Let's Go, and all the broad-spectrum filth. Finally, there is a book for the people who need it. Anyone can see the Statue of Liberty from miles away. Citytripping goes below the surface.

My boyfriend and I just returned from a day hike in the Adirondacks yesterday and we were so disappointed with this book for numerous reasons. First, the directions given to the actual hike were very vague and I had to spend almost two hours on the internet beforehand trying to get specific directions to the trail. Basically, what should have been a one hour drive ended up being two. Second, once we were on the hike we found this book hard to follow and distances were off. Trails that the book claimed were present were not and specifics of landmarks, bridges, streams, etc. were also absent, leaving my boyfriend and I to "guesstimate" what location the author was actually referring to. About 4 miles into the hike, we put the book in our backpack and there it stayed. Despite this we still had an enjoyable hike, however, if you are thinking of purchasing this book...take the author's advice and BRING A COMPASS since a lot of the trail directions in the book rely on N, S, E, and W. Also, be prepared to spend some time hunting for specific directions and try to hook up with someone who knows the trails since we missed the "climax" of the hike due to the book's poor directions and out of date landmarks. An updated edition of this book should be published.

This guide has easy trails and hard trails all in one for a pretty low price

Barbara McMartin is one of those few resident Adirondackers that has supplied the world with great information, anecdotes and history about lesser known trails in the Adirondacks. Keeping to the less over-run trails, the reader is treated to beautiful trails to remote mountaintops, caves, fire-towers, unique wetlands and historic sites.

This newer edition is only slightly different (three more hikes), but it includes great topo maps, directions, trail and destination descriptions and just a ton of interesting local folklore to keep you going. A great find.

Having spent much time in the Adirondacks, and with a child at school in Saratoga Springs, I was extermely disappointed with the scope of information in this "complete guide". While the historical, geographical and quasi-scientific narrative that Ms. Folwell has compiled is interesting, the information that a traveler/vacationer/tourist (especially one who's new to the area) would need is sorely lacking. The meager information that is available is unusually skewed toward what seems to be the author's limited personal taste in facilities, activities and likes.

Apparently, Ms. Folwell does not like hotels or resorts, since most of them (and there are several in the Adirondacks) were glaringly missing from this book. Also oddly missing were some of the best restaurants in Lake Placid, Saranac Lake and Saratoga Springs. (I concede that "best" is subjective, but there were just too many missing from her book.)

The Adirondacks are a haven for camping, yet this book glossed over that topic with a minimum of information. What about the amazing campsites on the islands of Indian Lake? Or the available lean-to locations in the High Peaks region?

Finally, the organization of this book is antithetical to a good travel guide. Rather than approach the Adirondacks by region, the author divides the book by topic. Since the Adirondacks are relatively large, it's most likely that a visitor will be spending the bulk of her time in a single area. This guide offers no comprehensive list of data about any given area or town, and requires you to jump around and compile your own data sheet if you're staying in one area.

Rather than "A Complete Guide", it would be more appropriate for this book to be called "An Introduction to the Area," since that is in fact exactly what it is, and no more.

The Adirondack Book is written with a heart for the place it describes, and with a nose for just the right level of detail. The author is clearly a native of the area, with an understanding of its people and its ways, and this shows in her tack on nearly everything she wrtes. Her descriptions of many of the events and places are dead on, and good information is given to the reader about how to find said place or event, and how to find out more information about the subject. Her asides in particular (for example, short essays about blackflies, wildlife, and hypothermia) are well written and dead on target, great advice for the traveler. Finally, she resists speaking overly much about the many topics, and this is a good thing: a book fully describing every last item she mentions would be several thousand pages long! Still, Folwell's book is a boon for the traveler, a great starting place for exploring the biggest park in the contiguous 48.

The only drawback in this book is that of organization. The book is sectioned by activity/attraction, then by region, then by town, instead of region/town/activity. This makes it much more difficult to, say, find out everything you want to know about Speculator or Lake Placid. Still, the entries one finds are clear and concise, and with some extra effort you can find all you want.

Ok, I like to shop when I travel, so I was pleased (make that delighted) to see lots of quirky stores owned by artists and crafters listed in the Adirondack Book. Their stuff was good, not tacky or touristy. And when I go shop, I like to stay in interesting places and eat at restaurants where an actual chef prepared the meal I found that info in the Adirondacks book with more detail than Fodor's, etc.