Walking Brooklyn: 30 Tours Exploring Historical Legacies, Neighborhood Culture, Side Streets and Waterways

I love this book, and have gone on several of its tours. I love how Onofri takes me off the beaten paths and mentions really fascinating facts along the way. The walks are thorough and not too rigorous (maybe more so if, like me, you're carrying a few pounds of lenses, water bottles and so on). I've gotten into the habit of tearing her pages out for my walks, and have figured I needed to buy a second copy since my first copy is now practically "unbound." But now that it's on Kindle, I no longer need to rip out the pages! A navigation note for Kindle users: the table of contents' links take you to the text for each walk. However, on the page before the text, there's a map of the walk. The map at the "end" of your selected walk's text is for the next walk. So, when clicking on a link to a walk, go to the prior page to see the map. (Maybe some day there will be a version that keeps an active link to the map on every page of the walk?) A bit of caution: one walk we did was a complete dud. It had us starting off with a walk through Fort Hamilton, and then on to Bensonhurst. You can't walk through Fourt Hamilton any longer (maybe it's a post nine-lem thing) and that Bensonhurst just could not make up for that. Aside from that one, all the other walks I've been on have been wonderful.

Bought this book for avid New Yorker who loved to give tours to visitors. She really loved it.

Walking Brooklyn should have a built-in audience, since legend has it that one in seven Americans has some connection to Brooklyn (born there, went to school there, family member born there, etc.). The detailed descriptions in this tour guide to 30 sections of the borough have something for everyone: lovers of architecture, art, shopping, movies, trivia ... ice cream. The book lists the residences and resting places of the rich and famous. There are many tidbits of information about the sights and sites that inspired great writers, filmmakers, and others. (Opera great Enrico Caruso was a caricaturist? Who knew?) The book will even tell you where scenes from your favorite movies and TV series were made. Walking Brooklyn reads as if it entailed a lifetime's worth of meticulous research. It would certainly make an excellent gift.

A friend turned me onto this book after attending a reading (and a mini-walk) by the author. I thought that I already knew Brooklyn, but -- boy! -- was I surprised! Who knew how much I was missing by not looking upwards (which the author, thankfully, reminds us to do constantly) or the history behind buildings that I constantly dismiss, passing them by without a second look and with hardly a thought? I've already done three of the walks and plan to do more in the fall when it's not so hot. They are easy to follow and make for a more interesting outing than the usual weekend social fare, such as dining, shopping and movies (lots of dining and shopping options are recommended in the book, too, though_ -- bars, as well). Also,the easy-to-read text is further enhanced by great photography that just jumps off the page. I plan to give copies of this book to friends as gifts. (My hard-to-buy-for boss will love this, I think.) For anyone who wants some excercise, fresh air and a leisurely day of looking and learning, this book is a must-have. I hope that the author plans to do other boroughs as well.

I really enjoyed reading this attractive, well written guide and learned a great deal about Brooklyn. I'm looking forward to going for some walking tours and using this as a guide. Highly recommend to tourists and anyone interested in shedding a few pounds while walking through Brooklyn with this handy, informative, fun guide.