New York Neighborhoods, 2nd: A Food Lover's Walking, Eating, and Shopping Guide to Ethnic Enclaves in New York's Boroughs

Rating:
Summary: Fair is fair
Review: It is only fair to mention that Myra Sara Alperson is the author of a competitive title.

Rating:
Summary: New York Neighborhoods: A Food Lover's Walking, Eating and S
Review: There are many wonderful things about this book: the maps are beautifully designed and easy to read; the drawings are lovely and truly capture the spirit of the neighborhoods; and the food glossary is very good. But the content vastly oversimplifies the neighborhoods - and thus shortchanges the reader - and in some cases the suggested walking routes seem dubious. Since I also write about food and have led bicycle and walking tours in the neighborhoods since 1983, I am perhaps hypercritical about this type of information, but I feel that readers are entitled to accuracy and, for those intrepid enough to do the tours the author lays out, the best possible experience. Frankly, I had to wonder how thoroughly the author actually cased out the areas she wrote about; she often writes as if she is in a huge hurry! In some instances, she lists a few food items you'll find in a restaurant or market, but I was curious about whether she'd actually tried the items she mentioned! (No, it's not necessary to try everything - but it would be nice to have some anecdotes about the eating experience.) Her portrayal of Astoria, Queens, as a Greek neighborhood overlooks the fact that Astoria is much more ethnically complex (including south Asian, Eastern European and Latin American), and has several blocks of Egyptian cafes and markets - unique in NYC. Her recommended walking tour of Harlem includes two blocks of 124th Street - an ugly stretch in an otherwise landmarked area - and some wrong information, i.e. Apollo Theater is incorrectly marked. I don't know how much editorial oversight the author had on the maps, but these errors are misleading. Books like these are hard to do well - information changes even as the books are being written and are in production. But misinformation or inadequate information reflects less than thorough research.