Take the United States' largest city, limit yourself to 200 pages, and then write in a style that never fails to state and then restate the obvious, and you have this embarrassment of a travel guide, published by the usually reliable folks at Frommer's. While having the distinction of being a slightly better guide than either the Portable Paris or Portable London volumes, this is not high praise, since the aforementioned guides are among the worst ever written. Still, the author of this guide provides largely accurate information, something lacking in big dollops in the London and Paris attempts.



The problem with this New York edition is that its subject simply cannot be well-covered in 200 pages. And it would be interesting to know who edits these books, although it would be no surprise to find it was Edward Scissorhands. The narrative is choppy and incohesive, and the information provided- while accurate- is woefully incomplete. A traveler simply could not make an informed hotel or dining choice by using this guide, and isn't that sort of Travel Guide Book 101?



It has been suggested that this writer has overly carped about the poor selections included in this series' Paris and London volumes, but here it is less the inclusions than the omissions that cause concern. In a city this size, it must indeed have been formidable, for instance, to try to recommend restaurants in every part of Manhattan of every variety in every price range. But if one chooses to include Wondee Siam (very fine, by the way) and omit Per Se and Le Bernadin, there is simply no way one will not look particularly foolish (and while I am thrilled that the under-appreciated Aquavit got a nod, it is virtually inconceivable that the Arctic char is what the author chose to recommend since this restaurant brims to overflowing with innovative Scandinavian cuisine).



There is nothing in this guide that you probably don't already know if you are above the age of twelve. Apparently, this is Frommer's attempt to take advantage of what the editors perceive as our "sound bite" mentality and give us an MTV version of a truly symphonic city. What a shame!