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Off the Beaten (Subway) Track: New York City's Best Unusual Attractions

Description

While it may seem that every possible topic about New York City's attractions has been written about, Off the Beaten (Subway) Track is the first book to focus on the hundreds of off-the-beaten-path destinations in the city. Some are small museums, others are historic places long forgotten, some are stores that sell only odd things, and some are distinguished for their claim to fame as the world's largest/smallest whatever. All of them are notable for the passion with which their proprietors and curators care for them, and all can be visited via the subway system as the author directs readers to which of the city's 486 subway stations will get them closest.

These are the types of places and things that fit perfectly with New Yorkers' psyches and egos and satisfy the desire of tourists to see the unusual. For example, New York is home to the world's tallest Doric column, the world's largest armory, the world's largest cathedral, and the world's largest Reform synagogue. It also has a troll museum, a numismatic museum, a skyscraper museum, doll and toy museums, and a museum of comic and cartoon art. In many cases, half the fun of visiting many of these sites is meeting the people behind them.

Organized geographically to help readers explore the culture and diversity of the city's great neighborhoods, Off the Beaten (Subway) Track: New York City's Best Unusual Attractions offers venues in Lower, Middle, and Upper Manhattan; Brooklyn; the Bronx; Queens; and Staten Island. Each section features attractions and fascinating sidebars highlighting places that are particularly interesting to explore.

Reviews

Rating: 2 / 5
Date: 2010-08-05
Summary: "Big deal"

Mostly museums, nothing thrilling. If I had looked at it in a bookstore I would have left it on the shelf. That's the test isn't it?

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-01-25
Summary: "Perfect as a gift -- even for a New Yorker!"

I was given this book as a gift from my mother, which I had thought to be odd since I've lived in Manhattan for over 10 years and feel like I've got a pretty good handle on what there is to do in the area. Therefore I was very pleasantly surprised to see that the book was chock full of hidden gems all across New York City. It was a refreshing change from most city guides that focus primarily on well-known tourist spots and mostly stick within Manhattan without venturing out to Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, or the Bronx.

Since receiving the book over the holidays I've found myself exploring areas I would never have otherwise found myself. Even for a "hardened New Yorker" such as myself, I've been amazed at what fun, new sites the book has led me to see. Highly recommended - for yourself or as a gift for your favorite NYC resident!

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Rating: 1 / 5
Date: 2010-01-21
Summary: "Should be called NY museum guide"

I was actually looking for places "off the beaten track" but this book had nothing you could not get off the net or regular tourist book. It's basically a listing of museums and churches. Very Very disappointing

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Rating: 2 / 5
Date: 2009-09-13
Summary: "Not good for travellers new to New York"

This book is much more suited to people who live in New York or know the city very well. If you are new to the city is not a good way to get accustomed to the city, as the book doesn't really lay out general information and most of the attractions in the book are very odd.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-05-30
Summary: "One for even the locals"

I was planning my third trip to NYC and purchased this to see if it may contain some things that might not have been in all the other travel books that I had purchased. I think there was one, maybe two things here that I heard about previously. I did end up taking the vertical tour at St. John the Divine that was mentioned in the book. It was a wonderful tour and a highlight of my trip that I would have never have known about. I think it you are a frequet visitor looking for new things to do or even a local, you will find something different here.