The Underground Guide to New York City Subways

Rating:
Summary: Frattini is fittingly raw
Review: A no-holds-barred depiction of the NYC "underground". Frattini has a witty and audacious style that makes this book more than a guide...it's real New York adventure!

Rating:
Summary: Frattini is fittingly raw
Review: A no-holds-barred depiction of the NYC "underground". Frattini has a witty and audacious style that makes this book more than a guide...it's real New York adventure!

Rating:
Summary: I got your subway, RIGHT HERE!
Review: Blessed with a hefty wit (and an appetite to match), Frattini has a good time bouncing his way through the New York City Underground, and his enthusiasm for the subway system he obviously loves rubs off on even the most jaded subway patron (Having spent 18 years myself riding the less than stellar "F" line, I can tell you NO ONE brings the 179 Street Station alive like Frattini does). From Duffers hocking scholky Rolexes in rundown stations to the not necessarily Hi-Class glories of New York cuisine (lovers of Greaseburgers, Indian Buffets, and Jamaican Beef Patties have a friend in Frattini), you really get a distinct feel for the less glamorous, yet no less interesting, underbelly of New York. The addition of local eateries is a Nice Touch, and I hope this "Cesar" of the Subway continues to skewer and yet love, his home town.

Rating:
Summary: Exceptional book for any Native New Yorker or visitor
Review: Dave Frattini writes with wit and detail about the Subways of New York. As a native of New York, Frattini gives a very candid view of the subway stations and their decor, the subway lines and their neighborhoods and an understanding of the culture of New York City. His humor is great and pokes fun at himself as well as some of the outrageous things that occur in the City. He also gives to the point details of the best and worst of the places that you can or cannot visit. You will laugh out loud at some of the wry observations he makes about his hometown and the City. I would recommend this book to anybody who would like understand the heart of New York City and all of its many neighborhoods and boroughs. Buy it and enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Off the track
Review: I can't swear for the rest of the boroughs, but I can tell you that the author doesn't appear to have all his Brooklyn facts straight. A couple of examples: He talks of a stop on the "N" line at 86th Street and 8th Avenue (p.259). Not only is there not a stop there....there is no "there" there. Those two streets do not cross. Eight Avenue ends in the 70's. Also, the author talks of the view of the Ave X subway yards and overhaul center that can be "clearly seen from the "N" and the "R" Lines as they begin the Stillwell Avenue descent into Coney Island" (p.5). Problem is, the "R" train goes nowhere near Coney Island. In fact, it is underground for its entire run in Brooklyn. There were others, but I won't bore you with the details. In a book that purports to be a "guide," attention to detail is important. In a lot of cases here, we are not talking about minor details. The prose style, if you can call it that, is way too cute. All in all, if you want a guide to the subway, get the free map from the MTA. If you want to know about the neighborhoods, take a bus tour and see for yourself. Given the unreliability of the book regarding areas of the world with which I'm familiar, I'd be very hesitant to count on it for anything at all.

Rating:
Summary: Off the track
Review: I can't swear for the rest of the boroughs, but I can tell you that the author doesn't appear to have all his Brooklyn facts straight. A couple of examples: He talks of a stop on the "N" line at 86th Street and 8th Avenue (p.259). Not only is there not a stop there....there is no "there" there. Those two streets do not cross. Eight Avenue ends in the 70's. Also, the author talks of the view of the Ave X subway yards and overhaul center that can be "clearly seen from the "N" and the "R" Lines as they begin the Stillwell Avenue descent into Coney Island" (p.5). Problem is, the "R" train goes nowhere near Coney Island. In fact, it is underground for its entire run in Brooklyn. There were others, but I won't bore you with the details. In a book that purports to be a "guide," attention to detail is important. In a lot of cases here, we are not talking about minor details. The prose style, if you can call it that, is way too cute. All in all, if you want a guide to the subway, get the free map from the MTA. If you want to know about the neighborhoods, take a bus tour and see for yourself. Given the unreliability of the book regarding areas of the world with which I'm familiar, I'd be very hesitant to count on it for anything at all.

Rating:
Summary: IRREVERENCE AT ITS BEST
Review: I thought I was a wiseass, but once I read this New York kid's views and opinions on the city he lives in, I realized I am not even close. His witticisms can get a bid on the "edgey" side, but in the grand scheme of the work, the author's writing comes through with flying colors. A+. I am looking forward to his future works.

Rating:
Summary: IRREVERENCE AT ITS BEST
Review: I'm glad to see somebody finally has the cojones to tell it like it is about New York. Dave Frattini doesn't pull any punches, and his unique writing style conveys a message in the one-of-a-kind GENERATION X savior faire.

Rating:
Summary: outrageous
Review: I'm glad to see somebody finally has the cojones to tell it like it is about New York. Dave Frattini doesn't pull any punches, and his unique writing style conveys a message in the one-of-a-kind GENERATION X savior faire.

Rating:
Summary: can he say that ?
Review: The author certainly goes out on a limb to describe the sights and sounds of New york neighborhoods,(A few of his references to some of the poorer areas have to be read to be believed), but does it with a certain panache that screams NEW YORK ! A must read for any local, tourist, or anybody who has a passing interest in Gotham City.