Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Manhattan by Aaron Zwas

Product Description

Looking for a travel guide that goes where other guides fear to tread? One that rides roughshod over ad-copy puffery to smartly deliver the real scoop on a destination's sites and attractions? One that dares to be honest, hip, and fun? Look no more. Frommer's Irreverent Travel Guides are wickedly irreverent, unabashedly honest, and downright hilarious, and provide an insider's perspective on which attractions are overrated tourist traps and which are the secret gems that locals love. You'll get the lowdown on restaurants, lodging, and shopping, and even find out what the locals think of you. "Like being taken around by a savvy local," said the New York Times. "Hipper and savvier than other guides," concurred Diversion magazine. Never shy about confronting the issues, the Irreverents are guides to real travel in the real world.

Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Manhattan is as brash and ballsy as the Big Apple itself. You'll get the straight scoop on old chestnuts like the Empire State Building, as well as the skinny on new hotspots such as the sleek "neo-lounges" on the Lower East Side. With the Irreverent Guide, you'll become as mobile as the locals: a dim sum brunch in a bustling Chinatown banquet hall is just a subway ride away from a soul-food dinner in Harlem. Discover one of the city's secret bargains: the free ride on the Staten Island Ferry past the Statue of Liberty. In Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Manhattan, the gloriously decadent City that Never Sleeps is made both manageable and deliciously fun--whether you choose to pursue the high life at the model hangouts and caviar bars or get down with the low life at Punjabi tandoor delis and cheesy karaoke bars.
Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #493884 in Books
Published on: 2002-03
Number of items: 1
Binding: Paperback
240 pages
Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Known for its energy, its edge, and its in-your-face attitude, New York emanates, and demands, savvy and style. To feel a part of the New York scene--rather than merely looking in through the window at someone else's party--you'll need a guide with New York attitude, an insider's panache, and a local's tongue-in-cheek spirit. Ian McMahan and Jordan Simon provide just that, with knowledge, sophistication, and fun in their Manhattan Irreverent Guide.

New York teems with opportunities, overwhelms with variety. You can put the blinders on and follow the beaten path, or you can bone up on your options, make your choices, and hang with the natives. The Irreverent Guide is up to date with 137 restaurant options, divvied up into 26 categories that help you narrow the field and make informed decisions. One category delves into old New York eateries, another points you toward vegetarian fare. There's a page devoted to sushi, a page for coffeehouses, a category for budget dining, and another for over-the-top extravagance. Listing cuisines from Asian to Italian to Soul, and sorting restaurants by atmosphere (rudest waitstaff, most attentive service, classic New York, homey, trendy, preppy, and bistro chic), the categories enable you to do more than quell your hunger; they allow you to opt for the New York dining experience of your choice.

Similar attention is given to hotels (with 30 categories that range from luscious love nest to endearingly eccentric, park views to budget deals), diversions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and out-of-town excursions, while including the basics of how to get around the city, where to find a doctor, limousine, childcare, or gay resource. Slim enough to carry in a purse or pocket, the Irreverent Guide helps you get what you want from New York, and have fun while you're at it. --Stephanie Gold

From the Publisher
The Irreverent Guide to Manhattan gives you the lowdown, the inside story. It has nothing to sell but the truth, which includes a balance of good and bad. It praises, trashes, weighs, and leaves the final decision up to the reader. Our writers take a special pleasure in leading you where other guides fear to tread.

Back Cover Copy
"Like being taken around by a savvy local." -The New York Times

"Little fluff and lots of fun." -Boston Globe

"Hipper and savvier than other guides." -Diversion magazine

Are you tired of cliché-ridden guidebooks packed with promotional fluff? Then move over to the IRREVERENT GUIDES-the travel series that no tourist board would dare to recommend.

Look inside for the lowdown on:
Great hotels for misbehaving
Which big-name restaurants are really worth it
Must-sees for first-timers-and hidden gems for those who think theyve seen it all
State-of-the-art shops you wont find anywhere else
Terrific theater far from Times Squares maddening crowds
And much more!

Your Guide to a World of Travel Experience
Customer Reviews

Not all it's cracked up to be
We knew we were doomed with this book when, on the very first day of our trip to Manhattan, we walked into a recommended "authentic NY" pizza joint, took one look around and realized everyone in the place was a tourist. The pizza was gross, overpriced and left us feeling like huge suckers.

This book bills itself as the "insider's" guide to Manhattan, but it consistently let us down with restaurants and attractions. It also didn't give us a great idea which neighborhoods or areas are dangerous, or best avoided at night, etc. The maps are minimal enough to be almost worthless, and we could have used a lot more information on how to use the subway system. This book is definitely not worth the money.

Fabulous guide to help plan a fabulous trip!
I bought this book because of the title and I was not disappointed. The information is organized into sections like where to eat, where to sleep, where to shop, etc. and each section has an introduction and run-down of what to expect. Each section is broken down further, like where to eat if you want to spot celebrities and which hotels charge for the toiletries in the rooms. There is a section about the neighborhoods of NYC that is very honest and tells the first time traveler to NY the difference between the Upper East Side and the Upper West Side and Chelsea and SoHo (also how SoHo got its name). Very helpful and honest guide that also includes maps of the hotels, clubs, restaurants, and attractions that it highlights.