The Little Black Book of New York: The Essential Guide to the Quintessential City

It's only about 6 inches tall and 4.5 inches wide, and it's very lightweight. So it's easy to carry in a purse or a bag. What's even better is that each map folds out. The New York guide is divided into eight sections, and includes a terrific tri-fold Subway map at the back. If you find yourself on business travel with a bit of free time, this series of guidebooks are great to orient you, not to mention the maps -- seriously, the walking-detail maps make this New York City book worth the price. There isn't a lot of detail about prices, hours of operation, and restaurants, but that information changes so quickly that oftentimes even with a brand-new comprehensive (4 pound) guidebook, by the time you get ready to take your trip, it's changed. The Little Black Travel guide books do have the basics -- the "must-see" destinations within each section of the city (which are also handily marked on the maps -- did I mention I love the maps?), as well as a few suggestions of things that kids might enjoy, along with places to eat and drink and sleep and shop. One reviewer mentioned that he would like some pages to jot down special finds. It does have those (not at the end of each section, but at the end of the book), which was one feature I loved about this series. The other thing that's great is that the pages are sturdy, so the other thing I did was to use post-it notes on the pages, if I needed to have an address or phone number handy.

This was my first trip to NYC and this book really helped me to navigate around. It was just the size to slip into a purse or backpack with nice thick pages that folded out with maps of key areas. Most of us in my group had other tour guide books, but we kept pulling this one out because it was so easy to read and use.

I brought this book with me when I revisited New York City last year, and it came in extremely handy in helping me navigate the different sections of Manhattan. The book divides the big city into eight neighborhoods, each given its own fold-out area map and chapter that gives a brief history & overview of that neighborhood, as well as suggestions and tips for activities, places to eat, and hotels at which to stay. There's also a fold-out map of the MTA subway system that's easier to use than the giant folded ones you get at the subway stations. The size of the book is perfect for carrying in your jacket pocket or small handbag, and because it's in a nice little black-book format, it's not as conspicuous as some other tourist guides. I read through the book before my trip and made good use of sticky flags to mark pages that contained info I was sure to need during my trip. I recommend this book for any first-time visitor to New York City, but it's also great if you've already been there several times but could still use a few tips.

I travel to NYC for work and I enjoy being able to explore during my free time - this book has proven itself helpful over and over again. The fold out subway map is the main reason I bought the book - I think I need to have that page laminated! Still, I have three small suggestions to make this Little Black Book even better: 1) a place to stash a pencil/pen (a small elastic loop would work) 2) two or three blank pages in the back of each section for adding our own "finds" for each neighborhood and 3) a small envelope in the front for tossing in business cards, Metro cards, etc. Can't wait for the second edition!

Very informative and splits up New York by sections to make it easy to find the area you want to see and what attractions are available.