Product Description

Editorial Review
Excerpt from New York Times 10/12/08

You may think of Fodor’s as dependably bland, but its “New York City 2009” (Fodor’s Travel, 552 pages, $18.95) is the can’t-go-wrong choice for just about any first-timer to the Big Apple. First, it’s beautiful — great layout, nice maps, easy-to-read font on thick paper. And design matters with guidebooks: they have to be legible in low light, on crowded buses and in airports when you’re jetlagged and your contacts are killing you.

The best way to break up this mammoth city is by neighborhood, and Fodor’s devotes about 200 pages to that task. The neighborhood guides pack information into breezy prose, and have sections like “Where can I find ...?” which gives you two choices each for a coffee stop, “a quick bite” or cocktails in each neighborhood, eliminating possible excuses for entering a Starbucks or McDonald’s. If you’re browsing in the bookstore and you want a quick sense of why Fodor’s stands out, look at their seven-page section on ground zero that starts on page 48 and somehow manages to explain the site and the history in depth while also hitting the right notes about the tragedy.

To view full article go to http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/travel/12weekend.html

Product Description
Fodor’s. For Choice Travel Experiences.

Fodor’s helps you unleash the possibilities of travel by providing the insightful tools you need to experience the trips you want. Although you’re at the helm, Fodor’s offers the assurance of our expertise, the guarantee of selectivity, and the choice details that truly define a destination. It’s like having a friend in New York City!

•Your vacation never looked better. This Fodor’s full-color guide paints an unforgettable picture of New York City with vibrant maps, vividly illustrated features, and stunning color photos.

•Updated annually, Fodor’s New York City provides the most accurate and up-to-date information available in a guidebook.

•Fodor’s New York City features options for a variety of budgets, interests, and tastes, so you make the choices to plan your trip of a lifetime.

•If it’s not worth your time, it’s not in this book. Fodor’s discriminating ratings, including our top tier Fodor’s Choice designations, ensure that you’ll know about the most interesting and enjoyable places in New York City.

•Experience New York City like a local! Fodor’s New York City includes unique photo-features that impart the city’s culture, covering the best ways to experience the Statue of Liberty, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Ground Zero, and much more!

•Indispensable, customized trip planning tools include “Top Reasons to Go,” “Word of Mouth” advice from other travelers, and tips to help save money, bypass lines, and avoid common travel pitfalls.

•Full-color pullout map

Visit Fodors.com for more ideas and information, travel deals, vacation planning tips, reviews and to exchange travel advice with other travelers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #663143 in Books
• Published on: 2008-08-26
• Released on: 2008-08-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 552 pages

Review
"In terms of comprehensiveness of coverage, the very accessible format, and the enthusiastic tone, this series remains one of the best on the market." –Booklist
 
"Fodor's super-informative guidebooks are known for accuracy and attention to detail…" –The Sacramento Bee
 
"The Fodor's guides are notable for their ratings of sights, restaurants, shops, accommodations and attractions." –Chicago Tribune
 
"The great detail, infectious spirit, and attractive format are distinguishing traits of these guides, which are entries in one of the top series in the business." –Booklist
 
"Fodor's can help you plan the perfect adventure" –The Arizona Republic
 
"Always thoughtfully written and easily readable, Fodor's travel guides have become a must-have when traveling to unfamiliar destinations" –Mid South Magazine
 
"Widely recognized as the gold standard of mainstream travel" –Honolulu Advertiser

About the Author
Each Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by resident experts

Customer Reviews

Too big to travel
This Fodor's guidebook does a thorough job of breaking down the different neighborhoods of NYC (with helpful maps), and there are some unexpected extras, such as a full-color section on Central Park (with maps), a section on the galleries of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (with a gallery floorplan), and a detailed section on "Ground Zero." However, this book also seems to leave out "insider tips" that I found in Frommer's NYC guidebooks (such as Frommer's "New York City Day by Day" or the "Portable NYC" guide). For instance, while the Fodor's book does explain how to catch the free Staten Island Ferry, Frommer's "Portable" guide recommends that you sit on the right side for the best views of the Statue of Liberty. Despite all its break-out maps, Fodor's guide doesn't include a theatre district map. In addition, information on transportation options for getting to and from the area airports is shoved to the back of the guidebook like an afterthought. Finally, the organization wasn't the most effective for me; attractions are organized by neighborhood, so if you don't know, for instance, that the Empire State Building is located in the Union Square district, you have to use the index. It would be nice to have an overview of famous sites at the beginning of the guide to get oriented rather than have to start out "digging" for all the places you may want to see.

Unfortunately, this 500+ page guidebook is just too bulky to carry around NYC. However, it does provide a solid overview for those people still in the planning stages of their trip. I plan to take this book with me to NYC, but to pull out the lengthy sections on "Where to Stay" (I already have hotel reservations) and "Where to Dine" (I've already made dining arrangements). I do think Fodor's complements the Frommer's guides because it (Fodor's) provides great maps and interesting historical information about some sites; however, I still prefer the portable Frommer's guides, which provide compact, but meaty information.

Good resource
This is a good resource if you are thinking of visiting New York City. Frommer's is another resource, too.

However, this volume has a number of very important pluses. For one thing, there are well detailed maps of different parts of the city.

For another, there are very helpful maps of museums. For instance, the floor plan map of the American Museum of Natural History would be most useful for people wanting to explore this facility. Just so with a map of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And so on.

As with other publications, there are sections on hotels, restaurants, shopping, entertainment, etc. Very well done in this volume. The problem, of course, is that there is much change. Restaurants come and go; the same with other facilities. Nonetheless, this volume provides enough depth that such matters are only secondary.

All in all, this is a good reference for those who are thinking of visiting New York City.

Useful but not comprehensive
I found this guide slightly cumbersome due to the breadth of information, but what can you expect when covering such a vastly rich expanse such as New York City? I enjoyed the pictorial nuances and especially the "Word of Mouth" section that includes what you might expect: thoughts, recommendations & suggestions from native New Yorkers. These tid-bits are included in various parts of the guide--I thought this was an exceptionally informative touch. The introduction is well written, especially the suggestion on seeing the sights on foot.

As a side note: I have visited New York on many occasions but had never invested in a guide. I would certainly recommend the Fodor's over perhaps Frommer's, but would also caution those to purchase a secondary guide as well. There are a couple of wonderful publications around the superficial premise of "secrets" of New York--these are actually helpful and insightful guides. I'd also recommend: The Best Things to do in New York: 1001 Ideas.