Paul Karr has done his homework and he receives an A+ for the information in his Hostels Ireland book. My wife and I spent 7 weeks treking Ireland summer '99 and found his book to be invaluable. The information was clear, concise and accurate. Things change and so do hostels and some hostels he recommended we liked better than others. But we did not stay any where we disliked or felt the information in the book had misled us. Hostel Ireland was our bible and served us well. It was our "Lonely Planet" for where to stay. He did a great job and I'm looking forward to any future editions.

I leave for Ireland in 10 days for a 2 week stay. This book was invaluable in planning my trip and I'm sure has cut down on the expenses. I was able to read it in one night and quickly scanning the reviews was made simple by clever icons giving each hostel the thumbs up, thumbs done, a cleanliness factor, party index, and general brief review.

Paul Karr offers a comprehensive, honest, regional survey of the best hostels in Ireland. I had the opportunity to stay in four of them recently and I disagree with the ratings that he presents, espe cially in the section "Paul's Picks". Both the Old School House Hostel in Dun Laoghaire and the Bru Hostel on Inisheer Island were average, uninspired hostels, adequate, but certainly not worthy of special attention. I did, however, stay in 2 other hostels which were rated "thumbs up" and found them to be wonderful - clean, friendly, spacious and fun. They are the Old Mill Hostel in Westport and the Aille River Hostel in Doolin. I would not have had the pleasure of staying in either of these without the help of this book. Thanks, Paul!

I had spent a great deal of money and endured hours of gastrointestinal agony in search of my grail: a tasty, inexpensive meal in NYC. I had given up and was living on calcium supplements and communion wafers when, at last, someone took pity on my wallet (and my digestive tract) and produced Hungry? NYC. Praise be! Now my coffers are refilling, and I have removed the plastic coating from my furniture. (Note: the reviews for Downtown Brooklyn are exceptionally well written).

Having been a food critic for a small independent newspaper in New York for over a decade now, I am amazed that this is the first comprehensive work to truly capture excellent dining in such a quagmire of a topic. First, I reluctantly call this book a "restaurant guide" because such a title is well below the actual essence of what is captured inside the pages. Most guides (Zagats, Let's go, etc.) tend to cater to touristy generic eateries and often lack any real personal flavor (no pun intended). While reviews from "prestigous" food critics (the Times) are superficial and overly scripted.

Estrada and Cleemann seem to found of blend of both "hominess and sophiscation" without having sold out ot either. Their reviews are excellent and right on the money. The book is easy to navigate and completely accurate (speaking from my experience- and I tend to think I know what I'm talking about).

Hungry? is a necessary resource for both NYC visitors and locals. It won't take long for the pages to be curled back and for the spine to start to crinkle!

Not only is this a fabulous book, but Joe Cleemann and Marie Estrada are fabulous authors and wonderful human beings. It is rare to find a book of this quality that can have such a impact on one's life. I am a better person now that I have read it. ... It should be required reading for anyone planning a career in public service.

This book is fabulous. I recently travelled to NYC with my 15 month old daughter, and was looking for a book with suggestions fo fun places to take her, and also wanted to know where the "cool" clothing and toy stores were. This book was right on target-answered everything I wanted to know and more.

Finally a "Zagat-like" guide for families. Although I have lived in the New York area all my life, New York with kids is a whole different place. This book has the inside scoop on activities, restaurants, shops and a ton of things I did not know. What's more-it's easy and it's fun to read.

All of my friends in New York were talking about this book, so I bought one before my trip. It's great to have everything from shopping to restaurants, to what to do in one book and be able to carry it around. It really made New York with kids easy and fun!

Francine Silverman, where were you when I needed you?

When I was a teenager growing up in Montreal in the 1950s I would look forward to my summers visiting my sister in Long Island, New York.

It is too bad I did not have at the time a copy of Francine Silverman's comprehensive travel guide, Long Island Alive. All I ever knew about Long Island were its beaches.
Anyone reading this wonderful guidebook will have to agree that Long Island is not only about beaches- it has a distinct character and soul.

Silverman is a veteran feature writer for newspapers and magazines.
These days Silverman's passion is travel writing. Her first guidebook, Catskills Alive, was very well received, and I am sure Long Island Alive, will be equally successful.

Long Island Alive concentrates on different geographical areas of Long Island: Nassau County' North Shore and South Shores, Suffolk County's North and South Shores,
Fire Island, and Suffolk County's North and South Fork.

Dividing these areas into subsections, Silverman describes their history, geology, geography, wildlife, and environment and also provides us with useful maps.

In addition, the author provides information highlighting the heartbeat of the area with all its activities, attractions, lodging; restaurants, events, festivals and other goodies that make Long Island come alive. There is even an entire section devoted to farm markets.

Scattered throughout the book are sidebars of tidbits of fascinating information.
Did you know that when Dutch explorer Adrian Block sailed around the island in 1614 he named in Lange Eylandt and the name stuck?
Sea turtles and whales occasionally wash up on beaches along the South Shore.
Coyotes, bobcats and black bears that are common to New York State are no longer to be found on Long Island.

Each section also includes a listing of some vital resources: medical facilities, shopping malls and streets, houses of worship, health and beauty clubs, banks, museums, historical societies and tours, bars and clubs, motels, parks, tennis facilities, newspapers, liquor stores, wineries and even animal adoption centers.

As for those of us who are interested in where to dine and stay, considerable space is devoted to the best places to lodge and eat. Where applicable websites are even listed.

Silverman succeeds in evoking Long Island's charm and color, and should prove to be an invaluable asset for travelers to this very interesting area.

This review first appeared on the reviewer's own site
bookpleasures.com

We residents of Long Island will be tickled pink with the author's thorough research of Long Island's length and breadth, 100 miles long and 20 miles across at its widest point. It will also provide a sweeping view for the visitor to the island. Before it was named in 1614 by Dutch explorer Adrian Block, our island was home to Indians for thousands of years and Indian names from Amagansett "plenty of good water" to Wyandanch, the chief who befriended the white settlers, are still many across the island.

Silverman's exhaustive investigation of every aspect of Long Island gives the reader a complete picture of every area, covered and explained. From geographical details of its two counties, with Nassau and Suffolk's north and south shores, and latter's north and south forks, all readers' questions are answered, from its largest ethnic group (Italian Americans, 27 percent( to its highest point (Jayne's Hill in Melville at 400 feet above sea level). We are flat!

The author's 10 reasons to visit Long Island (and we should be proud) are 1) 23 state parks and more than 50 county parks; 2) superb restaurants; 3) scenic waterways, 4) gilded-age mansions open to the public; 5) world-class concert halls and arenas; 6) hundreds of miles of white sandy beaches; 7) more than 100 museums; 8) 7,000 structures built prior to the 20th century; 9) unique architecture and 10) animal refuges and preserves. Sounds like something for everyone.

From recreations of all sorts from biking and hiking, horseback riding and fishing to golf, tennis, boating and beaches (the 2,400-acre Jones Beach State Park and famous beach draws six to seven million visitors from around the world each summer). In this, the nation's fourth wealthiest area, residents support 1,196 shopping centers in addition to chain stores, boutiques and shops, found in virtually every town. Long Island is described as a microcosm of New York City, offering something for everyone, from restaurants and late night bars with live music, to celebrated concert halls featuring top names in entertainment, lounges, piano bars, comedy clubs and nightclubs. The book lists festivals, events, medical facilities, houses of worship, etc. in addition to accommodations and restaurants across the county, with price scales for each.

Under Nassau County's North Shore, the reader is afforded an interesting listing and description of specific "Mansions to Museums" - from the Falaise Castle to the Tee Ridder Miniature Museum. Detailed information is given as well for the county's South Shore, before venturing to the less-densely populated Suffolk County.

This lesser-known area of Long Island, its many historic sites from Stony Brook's Grist Mill to its wildlife preserves, its Film and TV Foundation and its many family-fun facilities, music, theatre and art offerings, spas, cruises, all sports, shopping, museums, accommodations, restaurants and more, are presented in detail by the author. From its South Shore's William Floyd 1724 famed Bayard Cutting Arboretum to its picturesque North Fork with its 25 wineries welcoming the public for visits and tasting and farm stands featuring fresh picked crops from the area's vast farmlands are many and popular with natives and tourists alike.

Its celebrated 32-mile Fire Island with its pencil-thin barrier beach, no more than a half mile wide from ocean to bay, with its 17 communities' 200 families year round are joined by thousands of visitors every summer. No road or cars here and it's reached by ferry.

"Let's not forget the island's famed Hamptons, which the author describes as "like nowhere else on the planet," with celebrities underfoot on the streets, markets, restaurants and shops. Like Long Island's Gold Coast, excess wealth abounds, with real estate up to "$ million a pop." All this plus award-winning beaches, museums, windmills, historic sites, water and land sports and lots of shopping, from surfboard to sand paintings and a wide choice of high-tone fashion; a shopper's paradise even for merely the "window-type." Restaurants, theatre, dancing and live entertainment are available after dark. The road to the Hamptons is a traffic nightmare during summer weekends, with tourists vying for the view of "life among the super rich on America's Riviera."

Easy-to-read maps accompany each area text, excellent advice for additional sources and a helpful index afford readers easy access to Long Island Alive!'s ample array of Long Island information, border-to-border, coast-to-coast...

Pros
' In depth information about Long Island
' Geographic arrangement of chapters is very helpful
' Excellent descriptions of attractions

Cons ' Maps are very small

The Bottom Line - If you are traveling around Long Island, keep this book in the car. Long Island Alive! packs a lot of information into a portable package. With a cover price of $, you'll get your money's worth.

Description
' A travel guide for visitors to Long Island and a resource guide for those who live here.
' You'll find information about places to stay, restaurants, museums, and historical landmarks.
' This book also lists houses of worship, parks, movie theaters, animal hospitals and shelters, etc.

Long Island Alive! author Francine Silverman has put together a wonderful resource both for visitors to Long Island and those who live here. You'll find information about museums, dining, houses of worship, animal shelters, shopping, and entertainment. Long Island Alive!, published by Hunter Publishing, Inc., is arranged geographically using the Long Island Expressway as the dividing line between Nassau and Suffolk Counties' North and South Shores. Looking for a museum on the North Shore of Nassau County or somewhere to get a light bite on the South Shore of Suffolk? You'll find it in this book. Do you need to find a farm market? It's in here too. Keep this chubby paperback in your car. You never know when it will come in handy. Dawn Rosenberg McKay -

This is the same book that was formerly stocked by Amazon as the Longstreet Highroad Guide to the Chesapeake Bay - I think it's being printed by a different publisher now. It's an excellent guide, particularly if you are interested in nature. It includes a nice overview of the natural history of the Bay and then goes on to list attractions around the Bay, divided up into different regions. Each section includes maps, general attractions, parks, natural areas, fishing and boating opportunities, restaurants, driving directions, lodging and campground information.

This book povides a lot more then visitor information. I've read several guides to the Chesapeake Bay region and this is the only one that gives the reader a real feel for the area. Places an emphasis on the natural environment. Some guide books spend a lot of time on things around the Bay and ignore the BAY itself. This one has it all. I find myself going back to it often.

This is a very comprehensive guide to enjoying the natural beauty of the Chesapeake Bay and its surrounding rivers and parks. I have on several occasions used the phone numbers on the book to contact fishing holes and parks, and they all have been reliable and true to their descriptions on my visits.

The book gives ample attention to the lesser known regions of the area, and spends equal amounts of time exploring Maryland, Virginia and the Delmarva penninsula. In each geographical section, the authors describe the natural and historic draws, as well as give directions, cite a few restaurants and hotels (with prices). Very helpful for someone who is not very familiar with the area.

The thing I really liked about this book was it explained wildlife and history of the Bay region well, as well as explain the delicate environmental state of the Bay in the last 100 years. This book is a must have for those exploring the Bay region.

Although this title seems to be for tourists,it is so thoro--& accurate ,can be used by recreational hikers,all the way up to "Thru-hikers",& is highly recommended by the Appalachian Trail details...it will wins awards in category/genre.

This is a great book, not only as a guide to camping and being in the great outdoors in Pennsylvania; but as a book for nature lovers Young and Old !! It has wonderful illustrations of the animals and "bugs" found in PA and gives a wealth of information in the captions of the illustrations and in the shaded boxes throughout the book. This would be an excellent book for the young naturalist (boyscouts and girlscouts, etc) to learn about the unusual animals in their "backyard". A great book to relax with and leaf through and LEARN a lot about nature.

Just by picking up the book and leafing through it, you will be delighted with the wonderful illustrations of plants and animals found in Pennsylvania. It would be wonderful for a "beginning wildlife lover" to be able to identify the trees, shrubs, birds, etc. all around PA. Plus the illustrations are just beautiful to study. Even a young student would be delighted with all the information about the bugs and reptiles that is found in the highlighted areas of the book. It's a lovely book!

This is the best map I've seen - unlike many other maps, it includes more than just a few of the main attractions. When I was in Boston on a trip, I suddenly needed to find a shoe store within walking distance of my hotel. To my surprise, I found one listed on my MapEasy map! The map is large so it's a little bit hard to use while you're walking around town, but for planning out your trip and finding the best places to visit, it's invaluable. Don't leave home without it!

I have a MapEasy Map for each city I have ever visited. They are fun to look at, easy to follow and make excellent recommendations. This is a great map

Being new to solo business travel, it was either stay in a hotel room or get out and play! MapEasy maps are a walking tourist's dream. I can spot-check my location instantly vs. just by street. There are places listed on the map, simply because of their building by building reference, that standard guidebooks would never mention. Boston was my first map - I now get one for each city that I visit.

Hey! I like 'em. I've used these books for most of my trips for many years and they really are unmatchable time savers. ... With these books there is enough detail to find the feature you are looking for, yet not overly detailed as to require a lot of page flipping. ...To use as a fine detail map for driving they give terrific information about which streets to take. We used ours to try to negotiate the traffic at rush hour in Salem, Mass. ... The book was able to show us alternatives to avoid the worst of it. I also like the DelOrme software on my computer. ...

Some back roads in western MA are incorrectly named. An otherwise excellent resource.

The 80-page book is loaded with topographic maps showing in detail important information, like trails, rivers, forests, hills, and more. The Gazetteer is loaded with important information such as state and recreational areas, hiking and biking trails, paddling opportunities, golf courses, wildlife viewing areas, downhill and cross-country skiing areas, private campgrounds throughout the state, museums and attractions, and city maps of Boston, Springfield, and Worcester. For example, under wildlife viewing is liested Barre Falls Dam Project. Barre is famous for song/perching birds, upland birds, hoofed mammals, barrier free access, parking, picnic areas, restrooms, hiking, non-motorized boating, cross-country skiing, hiking. Folks! I have been here and what is listed is 100 percent true.

Armand J. Courchaine, The Mansfield Buzz, May 27, 1999

This excellent handbook is arranged by neighborhoods, allowing you to find all the places of interest in your immediate area without flipping back and forth. In addition, for the person that was looking for a particular type of food/etc. (that could be anywhere in the city), the author includes an appendix which has restaurants (listed according to cuisine), accommodations (listed by price), museums (by type), shopping (by type of item). The restaurant descriptions were concise and extremely accurate and included the average entree price (as a dollar amount rather than a range). The author also tells what the establishment is famous for (if anything) and the type of crowd it draws.

In addition to clever organization and attention to detail, this guide is filled with many humorous and intriguing histories of numerous places that I've actually been but until now didn't have any idea about. For example, in a sidebar entitled "Only in New York" the author refers to the gorgeous 23-acre Riverbank State Park built on top of a sewage treatment plant.

After looking at every guide in a large bookstore (for over an hour), I decided to purchase 3 guides each with a different strength. After 'reading' them more carefully it became clear that The New York City Handbook is without a doubt the most useful and most interesting. One guide had a stronger coverage in specialist shops the other guide had more information, but it was much less readable and not totally necessary. My suggestion is if you must buy only one guide, buy this one.

It was my bad luck to discover this book only after visiting Manhattan, but the fact that it was still an interesting read says a lot. Organized by neighborhoods, the flavor of each one is vividly and fairly described. Many interesting historical facts are thrown in, yet none intrude on the presentation of New York City as it is today. A nice surprise was a subtle sense of the author's kindness (yes, in New York!)throughout. While no guidebook can cover everything, this one will surely help anyone get the most out of their visit in a city that's too big and too interesting to waste any time in.

From Times Square to Central Park, this fun to read guide to the Big Apple is full of indepth information to guide readers through its wonderland. It puts the "new" back in "New York."

I decided to bring Moon Metro New York City with me on my first trip to the Big Apple. I couldn't have made a better decision! This guidebook never failed me once in my travels through the city. I loved how easy it was to read, the colorful pages, the insightful descriptions, and the pocketbook size. I'm going to make sure my next vacation will be a destination that Moon Metro covers! Avalon Travel Publishing and Moon Metro New York City deserve five stars.

I've used lots of different travel guides in the past but have always been disappointed with something about them, so I usually end up bringing two or three books with me, which [stinks] big time. That's why I really like these Metro books. Small, chock full of info the I need, and easy to use. Besides the cool blue covers, what really makes them stand out is the foldout maps. I've used the SF and NYC Metros and regretted buying the Fodors and Let's Gos. Save yourself some luggage space, time, and money and pick up one of these books instead of a pile of the others.

I've never written one of these reviews before, but after using Moon Metro: New York City on my last trip, I simply had to say how helpful it was. The maps were fantastic and made a city that was new to me incredibly accessible. My friends and I picked several restaurants and shops at random from the book and were never disappointed. The reviews were right on. I fell in love with New York and I can honestly say my experience would not have been the same without this guide.