Cover Image: New York City

New York City

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

An interesting and engaging book about NYC. The organization of the sights was well thought out. Overall a great read for those interested in visiting or in the city itself.

Was this review helpful?

This book was like taking a fun trip through New York! I love that it included some historical landmarks, some tourist spots, as well as some lesser known areas throughout the state. It definitely has me wanting to go to New York asap now. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who's thinking of taking a trip, or who maybe isn't but just wants to see some of what New York is all about!

Was this review helpful?

Very cleverly organized by theme (parks, shopping, restaurants, etc.) instead of just by geographical area, this is a gorgeous love letter to New York City. Across the various themes, the city is shown off in daylight and at night and across all four seasons. Well-known landmarks like the Empire State Building, Tiffany's, Katz's Deli, etc. are all accounted for, but there are also so many hidden gems featured too. This is basically a to-do list for my next trip to NYC!

This would be a great gift for armchair travelers or photography buffs and would also make a great souvenir of a visit to The City that Never Sleeps!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Was this review helpful?

New York City is a volume in the Visual Explorer Guide series, this volume curated and written by Peter Mavrikis. Due out 14th June 2022 from Amber Books, it's 224 pages and will be available in flexibound format.

This is a really attractive guidebook to travel destination: New York City. The entries are arranged thematically: city parks, landmarks, eating & drinking, shopping (*swoon*), entertainment (also *swoon*worthy), and transport. Each chapter is further divided into specific destinations. Each of the entries contains location info with a short bio of the attraction. Additional information such as webURLs, maps, times to visit, etc, are not included, but the info will be easy to locate with an internet search.

The photography is abundant and clear. The photos are nearly all stock photos; all photo credits are included in the back of the book.

Four stars. It's a competently curated look at one of the planet's mega-cities and it's full of really well presented photos of iconic locations and destinations. It would make a good choice for public or school library acquisition as well as for home use in the early planning stages for a holiday. It's not really a guidebook, per se.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Was this review helpful?

This book is packed full of photographs and short explanations about the sights and sounds of New York City, exactly as the above synopsis says. I’ve never been, but have wanted to visit for years, especially as I have an good friend who’s been several times and always raves about it.
One thing I didn’t realise is how many parks the city has as Central Park is normally the only one mentioned in books or films. I recognised a few of the famous landmarks in the photographs and discovered a few new places too. I also didn’t realise how busy Pennsylvania Station is, apparently 650,000 people go through it every day! Imagine that!!
Highly recommended!

Was this review helpful?

A wonderful book to anyone who loves New York City. Filled with historical facts, recommendations, and beautiful pictures. A good guide for anyone who wants to visit The Big Apple, or for anyone who would like to know more about its history!

Was this review helpful?

Great photos, the perfect book for an armchair traveller. It brought back in time to when I was in New York.
A great way to visit the city or prepare a visit
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Was this review helpful?

Great information. This book really helps understand all there is to do in New York. It was super helpful in planning my first trip. I'm sure it won't be my last trip.

Was this review helpful?

A good few years ago now, before the world went into endless lockdowns, I had a week in New York. To this day it remains one of my favourite Cities. After reading this beautiful pictorial book I can see that there is so much more to see and do. A week just scratched the surface, Empire State Building, Broadway show, Brooklyn Bridge Walk, Carriage ride in Central Park. This book shows that New York is more than the tourist traps. It’s a vibrant beautiful city with many Parks and arty boroughs with ethnic vibes and a vast array of food to try. There are a lot of pictures, accompanied by descriptive text to highlight the best bits. It makes me want to return in the near future, Covid willing.

#NewYorkCity #NetGalley

Was this review helpful?

Ohhhh, this book is glorious.

New York City seems like one of those cities you either love or ... really don't, LOL. And I will freely admit I belong to the "I <3 NYC" club! It truly is the city that never sleeps. and this book perfectly captures that magic.

Probably a big part of my love for the city is just how represented it's been in books I've read and movies I've seen. My first visit there might have involved visiting as many _White Collar_, _You've Got Mail_, _All I Want for Christmas_, and other TV-show or movie filming locations as I possibly could! This installment of the Visual Explorer Guides brings back many memories of that (including a few pictures of Zabar's!).

While reading this, I realized just how little I've seen the city. So many of the pictures, I had no idea the real places existed!

The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, for example, looks stunning, and reminiscent of a building in Victoria, BC; and the High Line looks absolutely fascinating--it was built on an old railway line and is now a raised walkway and urban park. Times Square makes me smile (and also, maybe, a little twitchy; I may have had a bit of overstimulation that fueled an "I've had it!" meltdown my last trip there, haha). :D

I loved the inclusion of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum artifacts. I was able to visit there on my last trip to NYC, and it was very moving.

I particularly want to visit:
- the New York Public Library, the second-largest library system in the US (after the Library of Congress, which I visited on my last trip to DC)
- St. Patrick's Cathedral (which I've walked by, but never been inside)
- The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
- The Bowery (because I read about it in one of my first Christian-fiction reads, _The Stars for a Light_)
- The B&N on Union Square--it apparently features four floors of books! I must go.

Of course, a book about NYC would be incomplete without a food section! Zabar's was a highlight; I visited there my first time in the city, as they filmed a great scene from "You've Got Mail" there. Chelsea Market is oft featured on Food Network shows, so I might have to visit just to channel my inner Bobby Flay. And omw! The Russian Tea Room! That looks SO cool. I've long been fascinated by Slavic history and the Russian royal family and ballet, so the tea room's founding by former Imperial Ballet members is a huge personal draw.

This is one book I'll likely purchase and revisit again and again. The memories it evokes, along with inspo of places to visit in future, is wonderful. 5/5 stars.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

Amber Books is introducing a series of photo books of cities and states. A Visual Explorer Guide New York City contains beautiful photographs of one of the great cities of the world. I’ve been fortunate to visit NYC multiple times and in every season. This brought back happy memories of my adventures there. The books sections include: Parks and Spaces, Landmarks, Eating and Drinking, Shopping Entertainment, and Transport. It includes sites in The Bronx and Brooklyn too. Each photo includes small informational blurbs. I was excited to find a few locations that have opened since by last visit like Little Island and Hudson Yards. I assume this will be a coffee table type book or souvenir photo book (It’s hard to tell from a digital copy). If you love NYC or are planning a visit this will give you a visual taste of the things to see. Thank you to NetGalley and Amber Books for an temporary digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

The book had some really nice pictures of NYC, and it made me miss the city. Especially the ones in the food section made me want to go back to New York and eat some of the world-class cuisines they have. However, I suspect the physical version is a coffee table book and some of the bigger pictures would look gorgeous spread out over two full pages. Sadly, this doesn't work in the digital format, and you sometimes get half pictures on a page which is a shame as the formatting throws off your ability to enjoy a lot of the pictures and impressions fully.

Was this review helpful?

Beautiful pictures of NYC. Especially great for someone who is about to visit the city and is looking for places to visit.

Was this review helpful?