City Walks: New York: 50 Adventures on Foot

City Walks

by Martha Fay

Bustling and vibrant, New York City invites on-foot exploration. The cards in this deck guide you through 50 walking adventures, offering detailed maps and insider information. From Nolita's quaint boutiques and the chic galleries of Chelsea to Central Park and the vaulted ceilings of Grand Central Station, you'll discover the locals' favorite places to eat, drink, rest, walk, and play—in addition to tidbits of the history of Manhattan and the boroughs. Pick any card and hit the sidewalks of New York!

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, New York, Reference

50 pages, Cards

First published May 6, 2004

Reviews

[Tony Hisgett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This set of cards is well out of date, but actually they are still quite useful. They are much easier to use and carry around than a guide book and although some details have changed, they provide a useful guide to waking around New York.

[Erin]

Continuing my near-psychotic obsession with exploring big cities by foot, I am really looking forward to discovering New York in new ways. I tried really hard to explore Boston as I did London, back alley by back alley, but I didn't find much of interest. I'm hopeful that New York will keep me entertained.

I really like how these walks are presented on cards. One of the worst feelings is being marked as a tourist, carrying around bulky maps and geeky walk books, even if it's in your own city. It can also be unsafe, depending on what area of the city you are in. (Note: Do not flaunt a walk book in the back streets of London's East End.) I suspect the card format will keep me from feeling like a big ol' dork and take the bullseye off my back.

EDIT: The card format is nice but does not provide a lot of room for information. Some of the directions are confusing and slightly untrue (street A doesn't meet up with street B; it's a block away. I can't turn left on it from here!) but anyone with a reasonable sense of direction won't get horribly lost. Recommend these cards in conjunction with another, more detailed walk book for a more informative experience.

[Nadir · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are great for day-long sight-seeing trips. To paraphrase from my review of the Paris versions: "Instead of hauling around a huge book you simply take the cards for the areas you want to see (each walk is probably no more than an hour including visiting shops, etc.). They have a map on one side and a brief write-up on the other (some may want more writing, but these were sufficient for me). Extremely unobtrusive in use, very useful - highly recommended." Had a blast checking out Manhattan with these cards!!