The Big Onion Guide to New York City: Ten Historic Tours

by Seth Kamil and Eric Wakin

Book Overview

A guide to a variety of witty, informative walking tours in New York City

Whether you're a tourist or a native New Yorker, you will appreciate this witty, informative walking guide to New York City, as authors Seth Kamil and Eric Wakin peel back the layers of New York's most popular neighborhoods. Here in one volume are their award-winning tours. In their "Immigrant New York" tour you can take a walk on the Bowery, the most infamous...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0814747485
• ISBN13: 9780814747483
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: New York University Press
• Length: 390 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.5" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

Big Onion Guide to New York City

Here's everything you ever wanted to know about Manhattan in a breezy presentation of facts and intimate history about the Big Apple.

Informative walking tour

We just came back from NYC and went on one of the walking tours in this book--guided by the author Eric Wakin (Ethnic Eating Tour of Chinatown and Little Italy). Mr Wakin took us into Chinatown and discussed how the area is a living, breathing, working neighborhood, filled with shops, pushcarts, and restaurants that cater to the neighborhood's residents. We then walked into Little Italy and noticed how the neighborhoo is nothing but restaurants designed to attract tourists. Quite a contrast. Mr Wakin discussed how the neighborhoods have changed over the centuries as the older, more established immigrants move out and new immigrants (often of a different ethnic background) come in. The author was knowledgeable about his facts and history and the the different food tidbits were a real treat!

A Must-Have for those who Love New York

Whether you are a native New Yorker or a tourist visiting New York City for the first time, you need to pick up a copy of The Big Onion Guide To New York City. Big Onion has established itself as the leading walking tour company in New York City for over 10 years. And for good reason. Their guides are American history graduate students who know and love the city.Big Onion's first guide book is loaded with interesting facts and stories about the city's history. Their easy-to-follow self-guided tours will delight tourists exploring the city's streets and enlighten even native New Yorkers who think they know everything about their hometown.I'm constantly using this book as a reference book to look up facts about New York history. In my opinion, two of the best tours are the Lower East Side, with its tales of immigrant life, and Central Park, which the book calls New York's "greatest public space." There is even a driving tour (which I haven't tried yet) for those who want to explore New York's "outer boroughs." The book is concise, well-written and always informative. It's a must-have for anyone interested in New York City history.