In his book, "As Far Aas the Eye Can See", David Brill takes the reader on a soul-sirring adventure along the rooftop of eastern America. He tugs at heart strings as he overcomes the grueling day-to-day trials and tribulations that plague long distance backpackers, and he lifts the reader's spirit as his soul soars to lofty heights as the beauty of Nature's bounty unfolds. Couch-bound? Not to worry. Mr. Brill evokes pictures with his dynamic and descriptive prose that carries the reader alongside, step by step. A must-read! J.R. "Model-T" Tate, author of "Walkin' on the Happy Side of Misery"

Mr Brill's book was the first of several I have read on hiking the AT, and it is, so far, still my favorite. He tell's about the hardships without moaning and groaning, and also lists the good things. You can get a good idea of what to expect about the AT from reading this book.

By the time you finish this book, you'll be ready to throw a pack over your shoulder (a large one) and head for the AT. Hikers and non-hikers alike will appreciate Brill's wonderful book about his journey. A must read for anyone who has walked or dreams of walking this national treasure. (His more recent book is another must read - called "A Separate Place.")

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.

Chuck Katz's Walking Tours is an enchanting way to see New York. It's fun, light and humorous. I was charmed and delighted with my tour. A past resident and current occasional visitor to New York, I relived some of my favorite movie scenes and felt a part of them at the same time. If you're a New Yorker, you'll never see the places you visit on the tour without feeling a little nostalgia. If you're a visitor, each time you see a New York movie scene, you'll relive your New York visit. It's really great fun! I highly recommend this clever, witty, well written, and entertaining book.

The author has put together a wonderful collection of places in New York where famous movie scenes were filmed. The photos and other graphics are terrific, the writing is witty and to the point, and there are enough reminders about the scenes to jog your memory. This reviewer also appreciated the travel guide size of the book; easy to carry with you as you work your way from one movie memory to another.

Comming into New York for a long weekend, a friend of mine suggested taking "The walking tour". We were only able to do two of the tours but it was a great way to spend the day. The author writes with humor and provides alot of very interesting locations that really brought back memories. The tour was great, and the book was really fun to read. I loved it, and can't wait to finish the other tours....

Not bad, but typical Newsday style- a brief version. History Lite would be a good term for it.

I have lived on Long Island all my life, but never really appreciated its incredible history until I read Long Island: Our Story. I bought a copy for each of my children as a keepsake.

This is a great book. It's the stories that made up the Newsday series and might be the best book I've ever read on Long Island History!

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!

I purchased this book among others prior to my recent trip to the "Big Apple". I found this book full of rather impractical and unuseable ideas and really a "come on". Wouldn't recommend it. Other guides were much more helpful. This was a waste of money.

As a relatively new resident of New York City, I found this book to be a great source of ideas. I have already done a number of the activities suggested by the Cheap Bastard including Sunday jazz in Washington Heights, swing dancing on the Hudson River pier and at a dancing school, and free outdoor movies downtown. It seems especially good for the summer months, with lots of outdoor events. My boyfriend is not a big spender so it suits us well! Thanks!

Finally! This book is simply fabulous -- a treasure trove of information organized with wit and panache. It's fun, it's informative and best of all, it's incredibly well researched. Whether you're a tight-wad New Yorker or a financially challenged tourist, this book is a must have. I only hope it becomes a series.

P.S. It makes a great gift!

Being a native of New York, I find Mr. Laermers book right on the pulse of the city. He knows the in's and the out's, the up's and the down's. Laermer does not miss a beat. Fodors, Fromers and the such don't hold a candle to this book and lack the personal involvment that Laermer adds to Native's Guide. It is easy to read, easy to find what you are looking for and the subtle humor is great. Mr. Laermer is an excelent author.....and I look forward to his next book.

Just like the title says, Laermer's book is THE handbook for anyone in the 212 (or 646 but don't want to admit it). There's no silly maps, pencils and pull-outs in Native's Guide, just the real scoop on places New Yorkers need to go. The club reviews are up to date and real and beyond that, NG is the only guide I've seen that goes into outdoor resturaunts, public readings, things for free, etc...

Laermer's sidebars - heavy with yenta rants and raves - shed some light on New York urban legends and fun facts too, like how an egg cream earned it's name and just how those cab recordings got there.

He's got a cute headshot too.

I just got back from my annual summer trip to New York City. This time I was lucky enough to bring along the fifth edition of Native's Guide to New York. My advice: don't travel to New York without it.

Before I left home I mapped out my vacation - day by day - using tips from the book.

Each day was made more special than the next by following Laermer's advice.

I simply never would have known to do 75 % of the things I found myself doing without his help. Native's guide helped to eliminate the guesswork from entire days and small individual moments.

Each page has the kind of information that I couldn't have been privvy to without this book.

I also enjoyed the attitude - if only more of the people I encountered on my trip were as much fun as the author. I felt as if a good friend was telling me what he knew about New York through years of trial and error.

I found the information on target - up to date and invaluable.
Going to New York? Native's Guide to New York is a must.
( unless you'd prefer to get your suggestions from cabbies )

Already live in New York? Native's Guide just might help you to experience your town in a wonderful new way.

Thanks Richard, you made my trip to NYC almost perfect.

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 Gotham Guide is, admittedly, one of its kind--the only comprehensive listing of NY's clubs and bars. But the problem is the authors simply don't have their fingers on the scene. Wonder Bar is not, contrary to what the authors say, filled with "ragged old drag queens," instead the crowd is surprisingly lesbian for a gay bar and very East Village: young, hip, and laid-back. The three Merchants bars are far from being the "hottest and hippest" lounges in the city. They're great bars, especially for a drink after work, but they're filled with suits. (Every New Yorker knows that nothing north of 14th Street will ever be the "hottest and hippest" thing in the city.) Idlewild, which has brought the unfortunate theme bar concept to the Lower East Side, gets three martini glasses! Please! I could go on and on, but the main point is that readers should take everything the guide's authors say with a grain--or perhaps a large lump--of salt. Kudos to The Gotham Guide for providing a handy phone directory of nightlife and a toast to the next edition providing more accurate reviews.

The only guide I could find in NYC with extensive coverage

As someone who doesn't frequent New York too much, this guide was able to give an honest, succinct and humorous dipiction of the clubs and lounges. I was able to choose what kind of atmosphere [live music or not, smoking or not,etc] that I was in the mood for! Bravo for GOTHAM GUIDES!

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.