false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171721359m/116170.jpg 116170 2 Kate Ascher could not have chosen a much drier topic for a book than water mains, parking meters, railroad classification yards, and the other doodads of city infrastructure. But in Ascher's captivating book, <I>The Works</I>, the innards of New York City come alive. Wonderfully illustrated, the book combines text, maps, and other graphics to tell the story of the systems that keep America's greatest city running smoothly. How are traffic lights coordinated? How do potholes form and which areas have streets with the best "smoothness score"? How is mail processed? What happens when you flush the toilet? Ascher, who has a PhD in government from the London School of Economics and is now executive vice president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, dissects the colorful workings of all these systems and much more. <p> <I>The Works</I> contains a section on pretty much every aspect of the Big Apple's infrastructure. You'll learn the mystery of the shiny silver tanks that have become a familiar sight on New York streets. (They prevent moisture from damaging underground phone lines.) Ascher explains how the city's 23 million daily pieces of mail are processed. We also learn about the 27-mile underground pneumatic mail tube that used to carry canisters with 500 letters up to 30 miles per hour around Manhattan. Also interesting: the story of the nine-foot-long, 800-pound robot submarine that city engineers send to probe leaks in the Delaware Aqueduct--which, it might interest you to know, is the world's longest continuous underground tunnel. And you'll find out all about Colonel Waring and his "White Wings." A great coffee table book for New York lovers or anyone with a curiosity bone. <I>--Alex Roslin</I> 261210 3 11 2005 The Works: Anatomy of a City total:144|5:53|4:60|3:28|2:3|1:0| 144 595 311 37 5 1 false false Wed Mar 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 25 11:23:07 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 11 15:50:20 -0700 2009
Am only halfway through this but love love love this. Exactly the sort of thing the young geek I was would pore over for days and weeks. Great...more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Aug 16 18:34:13 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 16 18:35:36 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Jun 29 18:07:02 -0700 2008 Sun Jun 29 18:24:59 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Jun 28 18:35:01 -0700 2008 Thu Sep 04 14:06:01 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Jan 11 17:19:42 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 11 17:24:54 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sat Mar 15 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 07 12:13:04 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 07 12:19:20 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 09 19:29:52 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 09 19:31:31 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Fri Jan 02 08:30:55 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 02 08:33:02 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Mon Apr 06 21:08:54 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 21:08:54 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sat Nov 22 19:00:03 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 22 19:02:09 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Wed Dec 10 17:12:36 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 10 17:13:24 -0800 2008 5 0 false false Fri Mar 06 10:31:21 -0800 2009 Fri Mar 06 10:31:54 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Mon May 25 06:14:34 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 10 09:35:10 -0700 2009 Mon May 25 06:14:34 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Tue Mar 17 13:27:35 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 17 13:27:35 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 31 10:32:01 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 31 10:33:36 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Fri Nov 09 16:01:55 -0800 2007 Fri Nov 09 16:01:55 -0800 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Sep 06 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Sep 07 08:28:20 -0700 2008 Sun Sep 07 08:44:29 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Feb 25 18:46:44 -0800 2008 Sun May 25 20:32:04 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Jul 02 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Jan 13 18:18:43 -0800 2008 Sat Jul 05 08:30:00 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jul 24 00:31:20 -0700 2008 Thu Jul 24 00:36:26 -0700 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=116170