3 out of 4 stars
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Have you ever wanted to take a tour of the famous sites in America, such as the One World Trade Center, the Empire State Building, or the Statue of Liberty? You will find these amazing sites and much more in New York City’s Manhattan. The title of New York Linked Up Part 1: Manhattan 2019: Your Forever Travel Guide on Your Phone by Colleen Katz truly captures what this book is all about. The author links the readers not only to websites of the places of Manhattan but also gives useful tips, explanations, and descriptions to help visitors feel less intimidated by the big city.
The book begins with a “Manhattan Trivia Quiz” of 23 questions, in which I failed miserably. However, after reading the book, I now know all of the answers! The guide gives so many interesting facts and information about freebies, famous sites, and fun things to do while visiting Manhattan.
I really enjoyed learning many things about Manhattan. I especially liked the chapter and information about Central Park. I was surprised that there was so much to see and do in this 843-acre (60-block) park. I found out things about the Ramble, a castle, gardens, Cleopatra’s Needle, a recreation center, and much more. If I only had a few days in New York City, I would definitely spend at least one day in this amazing park.
I liked how the author explained Manhattan’s division of three major neighborhoods of Uptown, Midtown, and Downtown. She also included the street and avenue names that divide the city into sections. For example, 59th Street marks the beginning of Uptown, and 5th Avenue divides the west from the east. This helped me understand the layout of Manhattan and would make it easier to get around. However, I think that a bit more information about Manhattan being the heart of New York City and just one of the five districts (boroughs) that make up the city, would have been beneficial for non-New Yorkers to know.
I disliked that much of the information was repeated throughout the book, making the book seem longer than necessary. For example, the blessing of animals at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine was described in detail at least six different times under different headings of “Freebies,” “Where to Take the Kids,” “Very NY Things to do,” etc. The use of hyperlinks would be beneficial when information of places was repeated.
I rate New York Linked Up Part 1: Manhattan 2019 by Colleen Katz 3 out of 4 stars. The repeated information, errors found, and some formatting problems reflect a need for another editing. This requires me to take at least one star away from what otherwise would be a perfect rating. The valuable insights, interesting information, and useful tips make me want to give a three and not a two-star rating.
I would recommend this book to anyone planning to visit Manhattan or to live there. The book is worth getting to find out many of Manhattan’s secret/hidden places, to be aware of travel safety, and to know about all of the free admissions to scores of museums, shows, movies, and art galleries. The author really did not leave much out of this book for visitors of Manhattan; they definitely will be “linked up” to Manhattan.
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New York Linked Up Part 1 Manhattan
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