Reviews

This is part of a new series of travel books designed for "cosmopolitan travelers," and the general format is more active than that of many travel books. Pages intersperse black-and-white photos cut into squares, circles, and triangles with text highlighted in black, yellow, and green. There is a lot of text, with topics subdivided into ten main areas: Engaging, Navigating, Sleeping, Sightseeing, Exploring, Exercising, Buying, Eating, Entertaining, and Planning. Descriptions are more biting than usual, e.g., the Guggenheim Museum is called a giant toilet bowl, and a "Tourist Traps" section is included. Entertaining includes Gay/Lesbian, Live Folk, and Sex, illustrating how inclusive this book tries to be. The cover is bright and appealing, but the text-intensive content may deter many. In addition, there are few maps. This book may be most useful for those already familiar with the city. Consider buying for large public libraries located near New York.‘Alison Hopkins, Queens Borough P.L., Jamaica, NY