Frommer's New York City [With Foldout Map]

This book has everything I need for our upcoming NY trip in October. Restaurants, hotels, things to do. Very informative.

This is a great reference for anyone who's planning a trip to New York. Everything you've ever wanted or needed to know is in this book, from riding the subway, to staying safe, to the best places to eat.

I am a definite researcher. Seems that lately travel guide books have become a little obselete for there are so many sites online to find all the info you need. I am going to New York City in March as a birthday treat to stay in Times Square and see many shows. I don't live far, will be coming from Boston. I did much research on the area online for hotels, restaurants, sightseeing with some from frommers.com. But I want this trip to be as great as possible so I splurged and got the actual Frommers travel book. I am so glad I did. This 408 page volume is filled to the brim with well researched, detailed information for anything you may need. I found all the info i needed for Times Square plus taxi costs from the airport, amounts to tip various workers etc. - all things I needed to know. The book is so detailed not only on the biggest tourist areas but on the entire city and gets you very excited to explore different areas of this multifaceted city. I have extended my stay to be able to really feel all areas of the city. The author gives you restaurant listings, hotel listings and sightseeing suggestions for all city sections in all price ranges and interests. For each area a map is provided showing where all the places are located. There is also one huge foldout map included in the book. I must say I found this book priceless with all its up to date info. And the opinions are very honest withe the reasons backing the opinion. This helps me with making my decisions. I also give huge kudos to Frommers for they suggest throughout the book to use frommers.com and other online sites for further information. This is definitelty a guide whose purpose is to give you the most info possible. This book is an essential, honest information filled volume that is a necessity to read before and to have during your trip to one of the most famous cities in the world. Highly recommended.

I have now visited several cities for the first time after consulting various travel guide books on the market, and consistently, I find that Frommer's tends to be the best. Frommer's uses authors and editors who actually LIVE in the cities you are reading about, and so you get a local perspective along with the other basic information you need such as maps, hotel and restaurant recommendations, etc. You don't have to shy away from this aspect of Frommer's by thinking the reviews and recommendations are skewed. A great deal of effort is placed on objectivity and providing a very well presented (and diverse) product. Specifically to my recent visit to New York City, again I found this source to be my favorite as I traversed through Manhattan and ventured out into other areas for the first time. The maps were extremely helpful, and this book is organized as well as the others I've used from Frommer's. Simply due to the fact that travel within NYC presents a unique set of challenges (specifically for visitors who might not be familiar with riding the subway, or visiting the Big Apple for the first time), I do recommend buying a separate subway map (perhaps laminated) containing information about the express and local trains. I have written another review about the particular one I used, which was very good and purchased at the same time I bought this book. I'm not implying those in the Frommer's guide are not good, because they are. However, I found that using Frommer's along with my other map was extremely efficient, and used together as complimentary tools, I was much more well prepared than some other tourists I observed in the subway stations referencing multiple books and maps to hop to their next destination. I even had a couple of individuals ask me for directions, which was surprising. I suppose I seemed comfortable because my level of stress was minimized by studying the Frommer's before my visit, so I was a little "less" like a tourist (and this is a good thing).

This is a very good basic guide to New York City. It has a well-considered selection of sights, including several small yet worthwhile museums, a number of important architectural highlights, and some must-see outer borough attractions. The hotel list is useful and includes some strong budget options. In truth, no book of this type can do New York restaurants justice, but several solid choices are here and the poor-quality touristy spots (spots analogous to the Hard Rock Cafe, Olive Garden, and such) are mercifully almost non-existent -- the listings of good pizza spots, bagel joints, and deli places are especially helpful. Not sure I agree with all the "Best Bites" (Patsy's over DiFara for pizza?), but mainly solid options here. A good choice.