Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Manhattan

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous guide to help plan a fabulous trip!
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous guide to help plan a fabulous trip!
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Not all it's cracked up to be
Review: 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.