New York: The Rough Guide

by Adrian Curry, Martin Dunford, Jack Holland

INTRODUCTION

The most beguiling city in the world, New York is an adrenaline-charged, history-laden place that holds immense romantic appeal for visitors. Wandering the streets here, you'll cut between buildings that are icons to the modern age - and whether gazing at the flickering lights of the midtown skyscrapers as you speed across the Queensboro bridge, experiencing the 4am half-life downtown, or just wasting the morning on the Staten Island ferry, you really would have to be made of stone not to be moved by it all. There's no place quite like it.

While the events of September 11, 2001, which demolished the World Trade Center, shook New York to its core, the populace responded resiliently under the composed aegis of then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Until the attacks, many New Yorkers loved to hate Giuliani, partly because they saw him as committed to making their city too much like everyone else's. To some extent he succeeded, and during the late Nineties New York seemed cleaner, safer and more liveable, as the city took on a truly international allure and shook off the more notorious aspects of its reputation. However, the maverick quality of New York and its people still shines as brightly as it ever did. Even in the aftermath of the World Trade Center's collapse, New York remains a unique and fascinating city - and one you'll want to return to again and again.

WHAT TO SEE

You could spend weeks in New York and still barely scratch the surface, but there are some key attractions - and some pleasures - that you won't want to miss. There are the different ethnic neighborhoods, like lower Manhattan's Chinatown; and the more artsy concentrations of SoHo, TriBeCa, and the East and West Villages. Of course, there is the celebrated architecture of corporate Manhattan; and there are the museums, not just the Metropolitan and MoMA, but countless other smaller collections that afford weeks of happy wandering. In between sights, you can eat just about anything, at any time, cooked in any style; you can drink in any kind of company; and sit through any number of obscure movies. The more established arts - dance, theater, music - are superbly catered for; and New York's clubs are as varied and exciting as you might expect. For the avid consumer, the choice of shops is vast, almost numbingly exhaustive in this heartland of the great capitalist dream.

Genres: Travel, Reference, Nonfiction, American

480 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1994

Reviews

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty handy guide, useful for the maps which took me (plus wife and kids of course) to the Dakota Buildings and Moma and everywhere else. Also useful for finding bars, eg The Delancey which my 20 something daughters liked - we went up on the rooftop bar - they said the drinks were mixed very strong (i drank Brooklyn lager). A good potted history of new York too at the back.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't remember why I decided on the Rough Guide instead of Lonely Planet or another one, but this ended up being a decent guide book.

When I moved to New York I intended to be a perpetual tourist and to use this book pretty often, but I think I actually only ended up using it to look up phone numbers for museums and landmarks. I ended up working and hanging out with the roommates when I got to New York and by the time I got around to seeing the city on my own I didn't really need a book anymore.

It is still on my shelf, but now it has a bunch of clippings from Time Out and the Village Voice of places I wanted to check out but never got around to (to rubber bands keep it closed).

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is great to read before taking a trip to NYC to get an idea of what to visit and what to avoid. I wish I had taken this with instead of Let's Go, because that really caters to students looking to travel on the cheap, and I was looking for a really authentic visit. Because I had read this guide, though, I was able to recognize a lot more.

[Charlie' (MyBooksAreCorrupted) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up at the last minute, I have been planning this huge road trip to the USA for years now. And I wanted to find some of the best places in New York to see/eat/etc.

I found that this guide wasn't as helpful as some of the other guides I have recently looked at. Although, I did note down the list of '18 Things Not to Miss in New York'

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

New York... far more wonderful than those of you that have never been could even possibly begin to imagine.

The Rough Guide is by no means the best [nor worst], yet its simple formula makes it a very comfortable read for those familiar with the series.

[Philip Hollenback · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visiting or moving to NYC? You should read this book. Excellent suggestions and reviews of things to do and places to say. This edition is a little outdated so pick up a newer one.

I took a 6 year journey in NYC with this book and it was the most amazing experience of my life.

[Cherie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very good to remind me of what's rad abt NYC, but I don't like the Rough Guides

[Marte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't wait to go there in September! Rough Guides are always inspirational and this is no exception.

[Quinn Daley · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, the Rough Guides are the best way to get around an unfamiliar place. I was there with my girlfriend who has lived there for 12 years but having a "tourist" guide was still essential!

[Daniel Halliday · Rating 3 out of 5]

This served us well for a first trip to New York - we checked out a hell of a lot of Manhattan, along with a bit of Brooklyn and Queens. Solid.