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85th out of 329 books
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Waterfront: A Walk Around Manhattan
Fusing history, lore, politics, culture, and on-site adventures, esteemed essayist and author Phillip Lopate takes us on an exuberant, affectionate, and eye-opening excursion around Manhattan’s shoreline. Waterfront captures the ever-changing character of New York in the best way possible: on a series of exploratory walks conducted by one of the city’s most engaging and kn...more
Paperback, 448 pages
Published
December 18th 2008
by Anchor
(first published 2004)
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I just couldn't take Lopate's writing style anymore! I did learn some interesting things from this book, but why did he have to temper all the historical facts with his own rambling personal anecdotes and observations?
It really irked me how disdainful he was of certain waterfront areas which weren't gritty enough for him. Here's an example:
"Battery Park City...South Street Seaport...and the Hudson River Park...all have in common a certain antiseptic, deadened qualit...more
It really irked me how disdainful he was of certain waterfront areas which weren't gritty enough for him. Here's an example:
"Battery Park City...South Street Seaport...and the Hudson River Park...all have in common a certain antiseptic, deadened qualit...more
And with this ends my random-reading study of New York.
"New York's waterfront has undergone a three-stage revaluation-from the world's largest port to an abandoned, seedy no-man's land to a highly desirable zone of parks and upscale retail and residential properties-each metamorphosis only incompletely shedding earlier associations." (Book Jacket)
Probably more interesting to locals because it outlines the city's more recent history and details places that I wil...more
"New York's waterfront has undergone a three-stage revaluation-from the world's largest port to an abandoned, seedy no-man's land to a highly desirable zone of parks and upscale retail and residential properties-each metamorphosis only incompletely shedding earlier associations." (Book Jacket)
Probably more interesting to locals because it outlines the city's more recent history and details places that I wil...more
I recommend this book for a select group: those who have a good bit of familiarity with New York City and are fond of the rivers and the harbor. If you live in New York City, but you generally ignore the waterfront, you won't enjoy this book. If you love the water, but you don't know a lot about Manhattan particularly, you won't enjoy this book. If you like your nonfiction books to have a dispassionate and generally even narrator, you won't like this book. I fall into that small band that 1....more
I taught this book during the summer of 2005 as the anchor text of a content-based ESL curriculum at CUNY entitled “Stories of the City, Stories of the Sea” – it was sort of an examination of how water shapes New York Cit, literally and figuratively. First off, I should say that this is not an ideal ESL text – the narrative is too digressive, the sentences are too complex, and his style could never be translated into 5-paragraph-essay format (which, truth be told, is all most of the student want...more
I read this one a while ago, but hadn't realized I'd neglected to add a review. Good perspective on the city, makes a great complement with At Sea in the City: New York from the Water's Edge.
In preparation for my circumambulation of Manhattan this spring...A disorganizing romp through the history of the Manhattan waterfront. I didn't like the geographical discontinuity (it would have been better organized rhetorically if he proceeded in one direction). Lots of interesting tidbits and facts, but the 9/11 motivation/conclusion didn't seem satisfactory to me.
In a highly discursive, personal style, Lopate looks up close at the 30-odd miles of Manhattan waterfront, with a few bits of Brooklyn and Queens thrown in for context and diversion. Adding considerable doses of history and contemporary reportage to his walking explorations, he considers from every possible angle new uses for a once largely industrial waterfront. He finds great and small pockets of vision and adaptation but not surprisingly a central focus is elusive. The book is a great storeho...more
Part meditation, part history, part travelogue, Lopate's narrative is informative, witty and insightful insofar as the history of New York City IS in its waterfront, as Lopate argues. The rise and fall and rise again of its piers, wharves and boardwalks also chronicles its politics and tastes. Although much of the information can be found elsewhere and written by "experts," I appreciate its placement within the walking narrative. There is nothing revelational about the book except, for...more
Excellent tour of Manhattan’s shoreline with a fine mix of social history, architecture, literary lore, and descriptions of time and place. Nicely illustrated as well. Lopate’s specialty is the personal essay and each chapter is an essay of sorts, taking a chunk of the waterfront, with occasional chapter length digressions on topics such as shipworms, Joseph Mitchell, Robert Moses, and the projects. I found the book a very good read, informative and entertaining, as well as a source of ideas for...more
One of my favorite NYC books, I still find myself thinking of stories from this book when I wander around the city.
A Great showcase of a walk around Manhattan Island, from an old CU buddy.
The best thing I got out of this book was realizing the extent to which Manhattan has forsaken its waterfront, which should be its most valuable territory. Its industrial uses have faded, and while there are some nice public spaces, the current state of affairs is hard to reconcile with the image of modern New York as maximally developed and highly prosperous.
Apart from that, I enjoyed the author's writing style and digressions into history. As a resident of Upper Manhattan I'm alw...more
Apart from that, I enjoyed the author's writing style and digressions into history. As a resident of Upper Manhattan I'm alw...more
I'm not crazy about Lopate's writing, but this book is just full of fascinating information about the politics and geography of NYC's waterfront. Lopate does a nice job of highlighting the paradoxical nature of his subject--the waterfront defines New York, and yet on a daily basis it's far less present in most residents' lives than water is for residents of, say, Seattle or Chicago.
If you care about New York or urban geography more generally, this is worth the time.
If you care about New York or urban geography more generally, this is worth the time.
I think this cover is beautiful and quietly stunning. The contrast of the red tones at the top with the green tones below brings the reader's attention to the center wherein lies the text.
This is a terrific piece of non-fiction for NYC lovers, former residents, or those people interested in not just the city but the water that surrounds it. The author walks from Battery Park city up the west side, crosses town, and heads south on the east side. He gives you a clear vision of the waterfront(s) and the neighborhoods that abut them.
I had hoped for a history of Manhattan's waterfront; Lopate's flaneur's account, however, is a discursive meditation, and I neither found the implied author's observations especially illuminating nor his colic voice particularly congenial.
I can't stand Lopate's writing style (much as I can't stand his brother Leonard's interviewing style on WNYC) - it's half diary, half notes he took from every history book ever written about the city. But it manages to come off a great read anyway, being full of the city, water, and anecdotes.
i was a *little* disappointed in this. as a lover of NYC and waterfronts i had high hopes. but i recall learning a lot about nyc history. i think i didnt like it when the author slipped into more of his personal reveries. i wanted the straight facts, jack.
Written by the brother of WNYC's Leonard Lopate, this book takes you on a tour of the perimeter of Manhattan, giving you bits of history along the way. It inspired Peter's and my "Broadway Walk" from Bowling Green to 215th street. The "Perimeter Walk" is next...
While I agree his writing style can be a little irritating, this book still provides loads of insight into NY's waterfront - it made me see the city in a whole new light, and taught me essential pieces of NY history of which I was completely unaware.
I found this book boring and indulgent. Why should I care about Phil Lopate's musings while walking around the City? If it was Leonard Lopate's musings, well, that would be a different story. But Phil Lopate?
The love Lopate holds for New York is evident in every word. Beautiful elegiac descriptions of the city's most prized real estate.
Interesting if you love the New York waterfront. I walk and bike it all the time and found this pretty entertaining.
read about half - got stuck after he got to the top of manhattan.
My students are really enjoying this one.
interesting topic, icky writing style
Gabrielle
marked it as to-read
Tanya
marked it as to-read
Lauren
marked it as to-read
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Phillip Lopate is the author of three personal essay collections, two novels, two poetry collections, a memoir of his teaching experiences, and a collection of his movie criticism. He has edited the following anthologies, and his essays, fiction, poetry, film and architectural criticism have appeared in The Best American Short Stories, The Best American Essays, The Paris Review, Harper's, Vogue, E...more
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