This book, like others in this series, is really a set of easy walks, not hikes. Admittedly, I am an avid hiker, but nothing longer than 8 miles is present (not a single overnight hike). Also, many of these hikes are somewhat roundabout. While I'm all for loops, these are on not-too-clearly labelled areas with quite a few road walks. It seems like there must be more in Massachusetts than this.

This book is great, especially for a beginner at hiking (which I am). It gives you great spots to check out, lets you know how long the distance is and about how long it will take to hike it. You can find hikes from .6 of a mile to 8.5 miles. There are plenty of hikes for every level. The only thing I wish the book had slightly more detailed trail maps, but usually you can get them easily enough.

It certainly is a cute little book, very portable. The maps are nice and I can just imagine myself walking down the street and whipping out the book to find a cozy little bar in Chelsea.

However, the book it is very out of date. Here is an example excerpt "WHERE TO START DAY 2: World Trade Center. The twin towers practically define the lower Manhattan skyline....."

If it still has info about the WTC, then perhaps the other info is also not quite up-to-date?

This is a cool little guide for a weekend in the Big Apple. Designed for travelers with two days to burn, it shows you the highlights through walking tours. A small map is included, providing a quick overview of New York's layout. The city is broken down into districts (ie. SoHo & Greenwich Village, Chinatown and East Village) with a selection of restaurants, stores, and attractions for each one. All in all, a good deal. One note of caution however: this guide is the same size as a credit card, but the covers are magnets. So don't put this near any of your credit cards or computer disks. It could do a number on your Visa!

I tried five restaurants in this book. Of those, three didn't exist!! I walked up and down the streets like an idiot searching for places that weren't there. One restaurant I did find was at a different address than listed. To add to my frustration, neither of the restaurants I managed to locate were very good. Obviously, I would not suggest this book.

If you want to know all the great restaurants in New York, this is the book to buy. Much more engaging than Zagats, the author, Robert Sietsema, clues you in to the best dining in the five boroughs. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is a fun read and will lead to many memorable dinners.

This book is a greatly expanded version of Robert Sietsema's previous book, Good and Cheap Ethnic Eats.

This book was a disappointment. Gershman mainly suggests the stores that fit her style which is, in her words, non-trendy and older. She omits many of the one-of-a-kind boutiques that make New York a truly unique shopping experience...a time to savor and discover the new styles that one only reads about in magazines and sees on the E! channel. Instead, she leads shoppers to chain stores and common mall fixtures, which would be ok...I do want to know where the Gap is located. But, she mentions the same stores over and over...pointing out each location all over the city. If purchasing a shopping guide, consider Fodor's CityGuide New York. It contained every single bit of information as Born to Shop plus much more.

This pithy, unrelentingly cheerful guide book is quite useful. Even if you aren't a power shopper the book gives you a clear picture of NYC and what's fun to do there. It gave me the most up to date answers about taxis fare, the subway and how much a limo from the airport will cost(don't bother). As for Suzy's reccomendations. Well, her taste may be different than yours. As far as she is concerned there are only certain places in NYC worth shopping in so if you are curious as to the best place to have lunch in Harlem this aint the book for you.
I haven't been to NYC since I was a kid and had forgotten everything I knew about getting around. Suzy's book was a big help.

This book would be more useful for those who are VERY frequent vistors to the Hamptons -- but I found it to be less introductory than I wanted as someone who doesn't care where to find a good chimney cleaning company.

This is, hands down, the best and most practical guidebook to the Hamptons I have seen! Chock-a-block full of really useful information--and done in an anecdotal style that is really easy to read!

Does this book come with a dinner or what? I think i'll check out the public library or just sit back and wait for the movie...

I have read and grown quite fond of this book, it is the moist in depth, wonderful collection of Hudson River photography I have ever seen ! I highly recommend this book to anyone who would be intrested in a photographic tour of one of the most beautiful and history filled rivers in existance.

Insiders Guide to the Adirondacks reads like warmed-over tourism material. I was disappointed in the organization and lack of real "insider" info. Generic looking throughout.

I found this to be not only comprehensive, but very entertaining and lighthearted. This is one of the few travel books I've read that actually made me laugh out loud here and there. Living near the region covered, I know you have to have good "local knowledge" to enjoy the Adirondacks. This book has plenty of it. I particularly liked the dozens of "insider tips" throughout.

Ever read the Chamber of Commerce description of a town only to find upon visiting it that no such place exists. Beware, these guys either have low standards or Governor Whitman has hired them to write this book. I included their advice in two day trips I took with my wife, and was embarassed to have driven out of my way to see sights most peoople would pass by. I advise you use the book to fill in the possible dull moments, but don't base a total trip around their suggestions.

We've used both editions of this wonderful book endlessly. It's a great blend of the off-beat to standard places to visit. Nothing is overlooked, from outlet malls to antique stalls. The bed and breakfast recommendations are faultless. The food sites range from gourmet to subs. We've had a ball investigating the off-the-beaten-track museums and other tourist attractions the authors recommend. Included, just to spice up the reading, are local legends and profiles of the towns and local celebrities. A guaranteed good time -- even if you pass on actual travel and just read the book!

Spiritual memoirs tend to follow the same plot line. It's the boy meets girl story with God substituted for the girl. There's nothing wrong with the formula, the author's job is to make it fresh and interesting. Dan Wakefield doesn't get the job done. The structure of "Returning" is linear, the pace is ponderous, and the insights only moderately interesting. In fact, the entire book is an exercise in moderation, written by a moderate talent, who, on the evidence presented, has lived a moderate life. It's no wonder Bill Moyer's, a paragon of moderation, liked this book. There are parts of this book where the author could have revealed more. The account of his nervous breakdown is scary, but all too brief, and on too many occasions - bouts of adolescent [activity], unsuccessful psychoanalysis, addiction to alcohol - Mr. Wakefield seems like a kid in a confessional. He rushes through his sins in order to be unburdened, but also undiscovered. It doesn't work. If we give the penitent the benefit of our attention, he should give us the benefit of a compelling story.

I started reading this book while Comet Hale-Bopp was at its brightest. I quickly came to understand that journalist/novelist Dan Wakefield's journey was the spiritual version of a comet. He begins with a fairly typical midwest Christianity, then moves to agnosticism, then moves to atheism, then moves to attending a Unitarian church, within which he moves back into Christianity.

His journey, like that of a comet, took him far from his home, his roots, his faith, his God, to the cold and darkness that filled his life. But when the return journey began, like a comet, his life grew brighter as he came nearer to the faith that he found to be the center of his journey.

As he looks back, Dan Wakefield sees the ways that God has been with him throughout the long journey. Like the gravity that calls a distant comet to make its journey back toward the sun, so was God pulling on Wakefield. Reading the story of his return was more stimulating than watching Hale-Bopp on its journey.

Upon arriving at an Inn listed in your book and referred to as 'well kept' and 'luxurious' we found it to be a disgrace. It was dirty, moldly, and in a terrible state of repair. We could not stay a second night as we had planned.

I bought the first edition of this book many years ago, and was quick to buy the 2nd edition when I found out about it. Ms. Brox organizes her book by season to visit and within that, the various areas she recommends for that season. Within each area, she gives reviews of places to stay (lots of B&Bs!) and restaurants (organized by which meal she'd recommend going for). Plus she details activities such as historic sites, shopping, sports activities, and theater - and finally tells you how to get there from the closest airport and the nearby highways. Very good information, and we've found her opinions to fairly accurately reflect our impressions.