Product Description

The latest on new, unique, and fashion-forward hotels, restaurants, shops, and nightlife in America¹s cultural, culinary, and style capital. Packed with straightforward reviews from insiders who are not afraid to attack sacred cows or praise a hidden treasure

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1124139 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

From Amazon.com
Avant-Guide's New York City is a witty, sometimes gritty, and always entertaining and informative guide that chomps into the core of what the Big Apple is all about.

With a street-smart hipster's attitude, New York City covers attractions in each of New York City's five boroughs, as well as Manhattan's particular neighborhoods, focusing on the personalities that define them. Short essays introduce us to Cynthia Rowley, a clever fashion designer; David Hershkovits, co-editor and publisher of PAPER magazine--"New York's hippest monthly"; and controversial performance artist Karen Finley, among others. Readers see New York's stable roots and its free-flowing creative sides. The restaurant and entertainment sections are particularly notable for their "insider" recommendations. This guide wrestles with stereotypes as it goes, covering the practical information about New York City while conveying the city's attitudes vividly in its prose. This is a guidebook that at times reads like an extended counterculture essay. Trend-seekers, club-hoppers, epicures, and avid shoppers will all feel they've gotten something from this book, which so slyly follows a side current of the main stream. --Byron Ricks

From Library Journal
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
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.