50 Places to Find Peace and Quiet in New York: A Guide to Urban Sanctuaries

Book Description

The only nature guide to New York City endorsed by the Urban Park Rangers.

Here at last is a valuable resource for those parents who have always held the love of nature as an integral part of their lives, and wish to share it with their children. This book is filled with activities and information about how to find and experience nature in all five boroughs. With the cooperation of NYC's Urban Park Rangers, author Sharon Seitz has written a book about nature in the city and how to enjoy it with your children.

Families who want to explore nature in an urban setting through hiking, biking, camping, fishing, and other outdoor activities now have the ultimate resource. This book offers dozens of suggestions for fun learning for both you and your children, from toddler to age 11:

Kayak the Hudson River, free of cost, with your child, at nonprofit boat-rental facilities
Enjoy a sleep over next to the NY Aquarium shark tanks with your kids.
Watch for red-tailed hawks nesting on Fifth Avenue skyscrapers; wild turkeys in Manhattan's Riverside Park; ring-neck pheasants in Brooklyn; deer on Staten Island; flying squirrels in Queens; even a bald eagle in Manhattan!
Tend a family section of one of the city's community gardens.

All activities are rated per age appropriateness—from stroller accessible to toddler friendly to moderate to strenuous (up to 11 year olds). 50 black & white photographs, 6 maps, index.

New York for New Yorkers: A Historical Treasury and Guide to the Buildings and Monuments of Manhattan

Average customer rating:

Worthless.
Travel Guide Hall of Fame
Pleasant Sojourns Down New York Way
Pleasant Sojourns Down New York Way
Pleasant Sojourns Down New York Way

New York for New Yorkers: A Historical Treasury and Guide to the Buildings and Monuments of Manhattan
Liza M. Greene
Manufacturer: W W Norton & Co Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

North America | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books

Accessories:

New York (5 Episode PBS Boxed Set)

ASIN: 0393038831

Customer Reviews:

Worthless........2007-08-27

Where to begin. The pictures are small and unimpressive. The order, as already mentioned, is in chronological order which makes finding things nearly impossible unless you already know when the structure was built. But I'm willing to bet if you already know when a structure was built you already know MUCH more about that structure than this book will tell you.
My biggest gripe with this poor excuse for a book is it doesn't give cross streets, so if you actually want to visit the place you see on a page you'll have to do your own research to find it.
A guide book for New Yorkers is a great idea but the implementation here sucks balls.

Travel Guide Hall of Fame.......2001-12-30

This is one of the finest guides to New York City that it has been my pleasure to use and peruse. It is strong, unique, and essentially "nonpariel." There is really nothing on the market that has such natural down-home photography. In other words...none of the "faux-monumentalism" and deceptive proprtioning of space and matter which is the downfall of most guides. Ms. Greene accomplishes a Baedeker-style simplicity,with her perfectly concise and edited text. The size,format and substantiality of this book, as well as the ease in carrying it in a tote or rucksack make this guide a complete success. After the tragic events of September 11th, 2001...this book takes on an added poignancy, because so many of the treasured that Ms. Greene has unearthed, collated, collected, and memorialized are not directly connected with specifically "The Ground Zero" area of the Island of Manhattan...she helps to illuminate the complete diversity, universality, timelessness, and the raw raging dynamic power that shall forever be Manhattan"s legacy to the World, and future generations. This book is one of the strongest entries in its class since the Post-World War Two Era bagan. A thoughtful,encouraging,and Ms. Greene never puts herself above or between the wonders that she is illuminaring. She gets the information to you without the boredom of its conveyance. A remarkable job all the way around.

Pleasant Sojourns Down New York Way.......2001-06-16

I purchased Liza Greene's book last Spring at my local bookstore and I have been very pleased with it. I have bought dozens of books and guides to New York City over the years. I am a married housewife with four daughters with a workaholic husband and my particular reward and gift from my family is that I get to go to New York City about four times per year for a little shopping, The Pierre, some nice dinners, the Met, Lincoln Center, and a few shows. I am originally from Dallas, Texas and I was just raised that way, and of course I realize that I am just an old dinosaur from a bye-gone time, but that was my generation. I have always thought and known that I was missing alot of New York City by being tethered to such a limited agenda. Last year I decided to broaden my horizons. Well, I couldn't be more pleased with Liza Greene's book, and I have used it as a blueprint, and a guide to some very exciting visual experiences that are just not to be found in any other guidebook. I just think that this book is a peach, an absolute peach. I am very glad that Liza Greene wrote it, and I am very pleased with its very nicely proprtioned size and portibility while it also gives a feeling of heft and substance. I don't think that the writer or the publisher could have done any better of a job of it. This is just a perfect little source and it has improved my feeling of grasping New York City a thousandfold. Thank you Ms. Greene for helping an old woman to get out of her rut.

Pleasant Sojourns Down New York Way.......2001-06-16

New York Literary Lights: William Corbett

Average customer rating:

In Manhattan, surrealism is invisible

New York Literary Lights: William Corbett
William Corbett
Manufacturer: Graywolf Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Science | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books

Essays & Travelogues | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

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North America | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1555972721

Amazon.com

New York Literary Lights is an encyclopedic collection of New York writers, their works, haunts, glories, and foibles. Meticulously researched and written with a sensitivity for the nuances of character, William Corbett reveals that Edna St. Vincent Millay lived in a house seven feet six inches wide; Russian immigrant Irving Berlin once said, "Everybody ought to have a Lower East Side in their life;" Jack Kerouac entered Columbia University on an athletic scholarship; Carson McCullers's birth name was Lula Carson Smith; and playwright Edward Albee found the name for his famous play, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? scrawled on the mirror of a 10th Street bar.

Covering not only writers, but publishers, agents, magazines, bookstores, libraries, neighborhoods, and institutions, Corbett has met his goal of allowing the reader to appreciate, but not get lost in, the past--for New York thrives on the "rhythm of unceasing change." From the Academy of American Poets to Louis Zukofsky, hundreds of entries bring a freshly humble view of some of the biggest names in writing history. Whether you're seeking history, reference, or travel guide, Corbett's collection will satisfy. As Russell Banks says, "Reading it is like taking a leisurely stroll through the history of writing in New York City alongside a brilliant local historian who is as droll and sharp as he is learned." --Kathryn True

Book Description

William Corbett takes an expansive look at the ghosts, the landmarks, and the current denizens who make New York City so popular with the literary crowd. Ranging from Paul Auster to Zora Neale Hurston, from the Algonquin Round Table to the Nuyorican Poets Café, from Edgar Allan Poe to the Beat Generation, Corbett takes us on a dizzying ride through the literary highlights of New York.

Illuminating a city rich in famous writers against a combustible mixture of cultures and commerce, Corbett shows us how New York's multifaceted literary present has emerged from its constantly evolving past. New York Literary Lights travels through both time and place to provide an altogether enlightening, entertaining hybrid of history, gossip, and reference book.

Customer Reviews:

In Manhattan, surrealism is invisible.......1999-03-11

I remember the first time I saw New York. I was with my parents and we drove down through Pennsylvania from Canada, over the Susquehanna and into New Jersey. As we came around the turnpike, I recognized a city scape rising up over my left shoulder. Through the dusty car window and the haze, perspective was compressed and the distant city looked like jutting grey teeth. Emotionally I realized it was THE CITY, before I could make sense of the angle. It didn't fit with all the t.v. vistas and documentary pictures I had been raised on. It was unique, and it was fresh and it was my discovery.

As years go by and a once distant and monumental city becomes rationalized by repetitive experience, it is easy to lose the first sense of discovery, that dreamy feeling of seeing a great city for the first time.

"New York: Literary Lights" restores that magical quality. The book is an alphabetical listing of most of the great writers, publishers and writing haunts and events that have shaped the modern american mythos. More than just a back to back of mini-biographies, it is a secret map of the vital human side of New York. Streets that had begun to fade jumped back to life for me when I read that one of my favourite writers lived or worked there. The biographies are primarily about writers, but weave a rich fabric that depicts the literary history of New York. As I read deep into the book I found myself flipping back and forth, trying to pick up the trail of a place, or an event and its recurrant impact on New York literature. The writing is deft and chatty, the kind of writing that satisfies like gossip, but stays in mind much longer.

Although some of the stories and characters are legendary and quintessentially Gotham, like, say, Hart Crane, Norman Mailer, or the bar where Dylan Thomas took his last twelve drinks, the bulk of the book is deeper and more penetrating. There are several excellent entries on the Harlem scene, as well as the Jewish scene before and after the second world war. And I learned much about the generous nature of Nathaniel West. The merit of the book however, is Corbett's ability to go beyond the merely encycopedic- to bring out aspects or facts about a writer's life that I did not know. I learned more about people I thought I knew such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Edgar Allan Poe.

Although I did not expect such devices, there is an excellent sectional map of Manhattan and Brooklyn which details the districts in which famous writers worked. As well, there is a nice glossary of quotes about New York, containing both the old familiar ones such as Hemingway's "Literary New York is a bottle of tapeworms trying to feed on each other" to Rem Koohaus' "In Manhattan, surrealism is invisible".

I managed to read this book before my last trip to New York. I regret this action, because if I had saved it, I could have extended the inevitable imaginal travel that takes place only when you have physically left a place behind.

Book Description

URBANHOUND, the single most essential guide for New York dog owners, explains it all in 12 fact-packed chapters that cover everything from dog runs and dog walkers to dog health, dog law, dog fun, dog travel, and dog supplies. Do vets make house calls? Can dogs get West Nile Virus? If my dog barks a lot can I be evicted? Where can I find reliable doggie daycare? A comprehensive Index with listings from Accessories to Woofstock provides instant access to everything you need, want, or wonder about in New York¹s amazingly diverse canine community.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Book.......2005-03-16

A terrific resource and a must have for every NYC dog owner.
NYC Dog Walkers, LLC - Bonded , insured, Safe, reliable, professional dog walking service in Manhattan. NYCDogwalkers.com

New York City dog walking and pet sitting.......2004-01-07

This is a great resource for every dog owner. Whether you are looking for a dog walker, pet sitter, doggie daycare ,vet, kennel in new york city. Nina is a great writer.

Petaholics- New York City's premiere in-home pet care service offering dog walking and pet sitting to busy professionals, www.petaholics.com

houndpraise.......2001-12-14

Urbanhound is the best book on dogs and New York possible!
Great format, comprehensive and user-friendly... and playful.
great pictures, too.

The World in a City: Traveling the Globe Through the Neighborhoods of the New New York

Average customer rating:

The World in a City: Traveling the Globe Through the Neighborhoods of the New New York
Joseph Berger
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0345487389
Release Date: 2007-09-25

Book Description

“The whole world can be found in this city. . . .”
–from the Preface

Fifty years ago, New York City had only a handful of ethnic groups. Today, the whole world can be found within the city’s five boroughs–and celebrated New York Times reporter Joseph Berger sets out to discover it, bringing alive the sights, smells, tastes, and people of the globe while taking readers on an intimate tour of the world’s most cosmopolitan city.

For urban enthusiasts and armchair explorers alike, The World in a City is a look at today’s polyglot and polychrome, cosmopolitan and culturally rich New York and the lessons it holds for the rest of the United States as immigration changes the face of the nation. With three out of five of the city’s residents either foreign-born or second-generation Americans, New York has become more than ever a collection of villages–virtually self-reliant hamlets, each exquisitely textured by its particular ethnicities, history, and politics. For the price of a subway ride, you can visit Ghana, the Philippines, Ecuador, Uzbekistan, and Bangladesh.

As Berger shows us in this absorbing and enlightening tour, New York is an endlessly fascinating crossroads. Naturally, tears exist in this colorful social fabric: the controversy over Korean-language shop signs in tony Douglaston, Queens; the uneasy proximity of traditional cottages and new McMansions built by recently arrived Russian residents of Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn. Yet in spite of the tensions among neighbors, what Berger has found most miraculous about New York is how the city and its more than eight million denizens can adapt to–and even embrace–change like no other place on earth, from the former pushcart knish vendor on the Lower East Side who now caters to his customers via the Internet, to the recent émigrés from former Soviet republics to Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach and Midwood whose arrival saved New York’s furrier trade from certain extinction.

Like the place it chronicles, The World in a City is an engaging hybrid. Blending elements of sociology, pop culture, and travel writing, this is the rare book that enlightens readers while imbuing them with the hope that even in this increasingly fractious and polarized world, we can indeed co-exist in harmony.

Avant-Guide New York City: Insiders' Guide for Urban Adventurers (Avant Guides)

Average customer rating:

Useful and truthful
Well Done
Complex experience

Avant-Guide New York City: Insiders' Guide for Urban Adventurers (Avant Guides)
Dan Levine
Manufacturer: Empire Press Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Tourist Destinations & Museums | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Insiders | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1891603205

Book Description

Avant-Guide books live at the intersection of travel and style. Thorough and trustworthy, they feature dynamic prose, innovative design, and a brutally honest cosmopolitan perspective. Avant-Guide New York City is a comprehensive travel guidebook containing easy-to-use information on the most exciting and stylish facets of the city. Then it digs deeper, offering the inside scoop on local culture via short, candid interviews with "Avant New Yorkers," major artists, musicians, filmmakers, chefs, and others at the epicenter of each scene. Avant-Guide New York City reveals eye-opening statistics, how and where to catch TV show tapings, the lowdown on organized neighborhood tours, where to grab a bite after midnight, and tips on speaking "New Yorkese." Four-color, foldout maps and high production values ensure that each Avant-Guide is as substantive as it is playful. An exhaustive index that is highly detailed, intelligently cross-referenced, and built for travelers on the go completes the package.

Customer Reviews:

Useful and truthful.......2003-07-14

It is a cool guide. Complete, structured and precise. I went to a different club every night and never was I dissatisfied. The rest of the guide is as informative as the Nightlife section with a wide range from exclusive places to the alternative ones.

Well Done.......2003-07-13

I especially appreciate the section on Planning. It made my first trip to New York a pleasure. The guide is well organized and contains valuable information. Its layout is fun with many cool photos.

Complex experience.......2003-07-13

This travel guide made my visit to London a complex experience. It offers all the basic sites, but it also gives you a chance to linger into the less central areas without the feelings of uncertainty.

Average customer rating:

Useful and Interesting--Especially for New Yorkers
Fascinating guide
Exhaustive Guide to the Greatest City in the World
The City in your hand
Keep it close

AIA Guide to New York City

Manufacturer: Harcourt
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Criticism | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0151040400

Book Description

Since the AIA Guide to New York City was first published in 1967, it has been recognized as the ultimate guide to the metropolis's buildings, in all five boroughs -- Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island -- from nineteenth-century brownstones and tenements to modern high-rise apartments and museums. The latest edition of this urban classic takes a fresh look at the architectural treasures that define New York -- from its most characteristic landmarks to its less famous local favorites.

        To prepare this edition -- the first revision since 1987 -- Norval White has visited and revisited more than 5,000 buildings, making this by far the most complete guide of its kind. This generously illustrated handbook presents the structures of the New York City--from the magnificent to the obscure -- in over 3,000 new photographs, more than 130 new maps, and hundreds of revised and new entries. Beyond the skyscrapers and historical buildings, the guide also leads the way to the city's bridges, parks, and public monuments.

        From the tip of the Empire State Building to the brownstones in Brooklyn, the AIA Guide to New York City reveals how the city's spirit, fortitude, and character are captured and expressed in its architecture. Thoughtful and humorous descriptions include fascinating bits of local information that bring the city's history to life, telling the stories behind the bricks and mortar. Together, the maps, photographs, and expert critiques invite you on a special grand tour of the city at your own pace.

        This guide is a definitive record of New York's architectural heritage and provides a compact, authoritative directory for lovers of New York City all over the world. Its portability and encyclopedic quality make it an ideal traveling companion for any walker in the city. For the sightseer, the architect, or anyone on a casual stroll, the AIA Guide to New York City is the book to grab on your way out the door.

Customer Reviews:

Useful and Interesting--Especially for New Yorkers.......2006-12-06

This book may seem like nothing more than a tourist guide to New York City, but that assumption could not be further from the truth. This book is insightful, interesting and very eye opening, even to myself who has lived in NYC for some time. It helped me appreciate this city as a living work of art, a place where every style of architecture comes together on a truly unique canvas.

A real selling point are the walks outside of Manhattan that this book offers. This shows off a side of New York hardly ever covered by other book or looked into by tourists, and it is very interesting.

The pictures are few and far between, and not large enough to give you an in depth look at the buildings described, but the walks layed out in the book are well organized, easy to follow and very interesting.

Buy this book and go explore one of the greatest city in the world!

Fascinating guide.......2006-01-18

This guide really opens up a perspective of Manhattan with tons of information on architecture and building styles. It gets you thinking about the structures that you see every day. I am learning a lot from it.

Exhaustive Guide to the Greatest City in the World.......2005-02-17

This book is the benchmark for books of this type. It doesn't just focus on Manhattan, it does justice to the wonderful architecture in the other buroughs. It is just amazing how many great buildings this city has, the book just goes on and on. The quality of the book is first rate and the pictures, though B&W, are crisp, though understandably small. The latest update was 2000, so the World Trade Center is mentioned as extant, and some of the newer buildings in N.Y., like Time Warner and Bloomberg are not mentioned, but that is for the next update I suppose, New York is ever changing.

The City in your hand.......2005-01-19

What can we say about New York that hasn't been said? It's an awesome place, and its architecture is truly astonishing in scope, diversity and importance. This book is a selective catalogue of the City's most important historical structures. I say historical because this guide just happens to be that way. There are significant gaps in the presentation of important modern buildings, which probably reflects the artistic preferences of the editors. So, this is a book for architectural historians, curious tourists and general readers. The entries are many, so the words included with each are few. Readers are not treated to long narrative histories of imporant landmarks but, rather, to a book which is exceptionally wide and quite shallow. This is what one expects from AIA Guides, so there should be no surprises. Buy this book to take New York's lovely historical architecture with you wherever you go. And by all means, go to see it!

Latest edition is 2000, so World Trade Center towers are included.

Keep it close.......2004-03-15

I have been a New Yorker all my life and thought I'd known it all. There were buildings/structures that I knew to be older than most and probably landmarks, but never got around to checking them out. Then I picked up the AIA Guide to New York City sometime in 2001. Ever since, I have kept it with me at all times: in my back pocket, my briefcase, my jacket... Sometimes I go to some of these places in advance, with the intent of looking at them after I'd read about them. Other times, when on my way to or from work or lunch, I will see a building, stop, and look to read about what it is. My hunches aren't always correct, of course: not all the buildings I think are landmarks are. But I always keep this Guide on hand to find out.

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