In Downtown, Pete Hamill leads us on an unforgettable journey through the city he loves, from the island's southern tip to Times Square, combining ...
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Jun 26, 2011
Jenny.p
rated it: 
I am such a sucker for love letters to New York City. I think that in some way it makes me feel more like a New Yorker when I can read these books and decode them on a personal level. I was attracted to the book because I work in lower Manhattan on a project that will necessarily permanently change downtown. I appreciate opportunities to place this project in the historical conversation and much commented on changing nature of the city. I also appreciate being able to bust out with fun facts
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Nov 09, 2010
Maureen
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I don't usually recommend the non-fiction research books that I use to collect background information on whatever work-in-progress I have going on, mainly because I usually don't read them cover-to-cover. I often search the Table of Contents and/or the Index to read the sections pertinent to my research needs. This book, however, was so engaging in its historical information regarding Manhattan that I couldn't put it down. Mr. Hamil has a very readable style, and his choice of historical detail
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Feb 18, 2011
Rolanda
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I tend to shy away from history books simply because I don't typically learn from repeat of dates, times, people or locations. They seem to all run together creating a massive mess of nothingness in my brain. It certainly was not the case with Downtown My Manhattan. Pete Hamill brought New York City to life in his writing of this book. A true love of the city that mirrors my own. A thousand pictures painted by the way he describes the creation of New York City, first as New Amsterdam and th
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Oct 08, 2010
Justin
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I should have read this before traveling to Manhattan earlier this year. Or maybe made arrangements to have Pete Hamill guide me around the city! A great read, unbelievably detailed and informative. I really enjoyed the coda, in which he touches a bit upon Uptown and Harlem. As he points out, while he loves Uptown and particularly Harlem, he never really grew to "know" it, as one can only truly know a neighborhood by living there. It was a great way of summarizing just how and why he i
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May 24, 2009
Elaine
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The reader might get the feel that Hamill was present for the Island's first immigrant arrivals and continues on to the present. It's like listening to a monologue he might be having as he walks the streets with a friend, pointing out various landmarks.
He picks out certain parts of Manhattan and tells not only of its history but about the people whose lives played important roles in the making and constant change in this district. He tells of many, many famous people including Ji More...
He picks out certain parts of Manhattan and tells not only of its history but about the people whose lives played important roles in the making and constant change in this district. He tells of many, many famous people including Ji More...
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May 12, 2008
Adam
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Lets just say that this book may have been single-handedly responsible with my fascination with the city of NY and at least partially, if not altogether, responsible for my moving here. I believe this memoir was written after Hamill got 'on the wagon'. I mention this because a lot of critics seem to believe his, and many other writers' best works, come during their hard-drinking days when all they seemed to have where a bottle and a notebook and pen in some dingy, dimly lit room in which to sp
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Aug 08, 2011
Jes
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I lived in a New York and this book brought me back to each street, building and block that I encountered. Pete Hamill does an excellent job at capturing the history of Downtown to modern day life. I feel more connected to the city after reading this book now that I know who John Jacob Astor is (Astor Place) and what the Bowling Green was originally used for. Great read, organized, and written with heart.
Nov 02, 2011
Jen
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I read this book for a class, but would have enjoyed reading it in any circumstances. Hamill takes the reader on a walk through New York City, breaking up his chapters by neighborhoods or areas. This casual approach makes the big city feel comfortable and manageable. His personal stories, interwoven with the history and the development of each neighborhood, make for informative and compelling reading.
Jan 13, 2009
Cassandra
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I liked this book a lot because it goes through - street by street - the evolution of NYC. I read this book, and I am taking it with me during our next trip so that I can take it to neighborhood by borough :) to really walk through the progression. I LOVED the story of the first sky scraper in NYC. GREAT. I wish I would have known the builders - they sound fun!
Jul 05, 2011
Jec
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i have read pete hamill before and will continue....i very much enjoyed his relaxed style of writing in this book. it was as though we were sitting at a bar with a glass of wine chatting about growing up in new york in the "ole days". the historical tidbits and personal stories makes for a comfortable curl up on the couch read. hope you enjoy it as much as i did.
Dec 20, 2011
Emily
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Beautiful book. Often a little rambling, the author sometimes indulges in long lists of celebrity sightings that enhance the ambiance for a time but then become a mannerism. But he knows New York, its past, and its very eccentric people, and he captures its spirit by weaving its history in with his own. I would have given the book three stars except for the penultimate chapter on the 1970s and the decline of Times Square. Hamill is able to describe a scandal of lawlessness and destitution with i
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Jan 02, 2011
Ml
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What a fluid style of writing, inserting history into his New York in an informative yet pleasing manner. He covers a hundred years of history, biography, geography, sociology, all the influences of the many waves of immigrants and their significant contributions. He holds your attention throughout. It made me wish I grew up in New York.
Jan 10, 2012
Jill
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If you are a fan of New York City, you will enjoy this love letter to the Manhattan downtown by the author/journalist who has lived there most of his life. He mixes his experiences with the history of places in the "downtown"....those that are extant and those which have been lost through progress. Its a fun read but somehow sad to realize the wonderful buildings that no longer grace the area.
Aug 26, 2008
John
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Pete Hamill is a newspaperman, and it seems to me that this book is a bit shallow as a result. He's very readable, but just a little superficial for my taste. Of course he admits right away, even in the title, that this will be just one person's take on the city, and in fact his knowledge of downtown people and places is fantastic. He gets into a little history, both of his own family and the general population that settled the area, from the original Dutch on down to the present. Also gets into
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May 19, 2010
Sue
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The book was poorly organized, so hard to follow. What I will remember is how several horrible areas of New York were cleaned-up and completely transformed from being dangerous places full of violence, gangs, and drugs to being parks, etc. It really gives you hope in these crazy times!
Dec 26, 2008
Mike
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But I'm a history buff. Pete Hamill reminds me of me sometimes, and never more so than in this book, in which he just walks around downtown and tells stories of each building he passes. You can tell he really likes history, and so do I. Awesome.
Aug 19, 2011
Jim
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An interesting mix of memoir, history, and critique about Manhattan, an area I know little of. Hamill is a good writer, though a bit repetitive (he should have just called the book "New York alloy"). Lots of insights, though the main theme is change.
Dec 28, 2008
Jana
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I think I might have liked this more if I had read it versus listening on audio books. Nonetheless, Pete Hamill's love affair with New York is beautiful and honest. I always learn something from Pete Hamill's books.
Nov 25, 2008
Nancy
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This was great as audio, and now I'm looking forward to reading it in paper version for the first time.
I love New York, and reading this book makes me look at the city a little differently.
I love New York, and reading this book makes me look at the city a little differently.
Jan 30, 2011
Charlye
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This book was great. It was written beautifully and cohesively, with history and present woven together as he walks through Downtown Manhattan. Everything Hamill says is how I feel about New York.
Jan 16, 2009
Catherine
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I read this when I first moved to New York and started working in SoHo, just to get a feel for the history of the place. It's very readable and I like knowing a little bit about the streets and buildings I walk every day.
Nov 17, 2011
Jenna
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Aside from his disappointingly sweeping dismissal of New York's current young population, this was a total gem. I loved the rest of the book so much that I'm willing to let it go.
Jan 05, 2009
Marge
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I listened to this, and I learned a lot about the changing cityscape of New York, over the last century. Hamill clearly loves Manhattan, and that love is evident throughout.
Aug 06, 2011
Marilyn
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I like pretty much everything this author has written, especially "Forever", and read this book for a couples book group. It was well written and I felt like I was walking along the streets of New York City with him. I grew up in Downtown Manhattan and it was nice to stroll along these streets again as well as learn some things about "Downtown" that I did not know. Next book of his that I want to read is another non-fiction by him - the one with Drinking in the title, his
May 06, 2011
Shayla
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Hamill has a really great style and is quite the story-teller. It was a fascinating read and I liked getting to know "Downtown" Manhattan through his eyes and experiences but also from a historical perspective, from the colonial and pre-colonial age. I also loved his line about the work of the NYPL, but someone should have been a better fact checker and placed the Schomburg Center on the right street...135th rather than 125th! Good book.
Jul 07, 2009
Lou
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I enjoyed this memoir about the NYC. Lot's of old stories and anecdotes. Reminded me of my father telling us bits and pieces of history while we were growing up.
Jan 16, 2010
Doug
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A love song for downtown manhattan from Pete Hamill. Though occasionally a over-breathless, it's still a fun read and good introduction to estoeric New York City history.
Oct 02, 2010
Beth
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Makes me want to live in Manhatten! It's a good story, and a "must read" for anyone preparing to visit the city. Great history of the town. The author's love for NY clearly shows.
Jan 22, 2011
Dick
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A must read for New Yorkers. History woven into loving personal tour; 9/11 into some perspective; all in Hamill's inimitable style.
May 15, 2010
Marshaferz
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Sadly, works neither as a history nor as a memoir. It's not enough of either. I like the writing style, but found myself skimming.
