Pre trip planning

I read this book before my first trip to New York.

The city was described beautifully & now I can't wait to see in real life.

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It will possibly be an acquired taste on audio ...

Would you listen to I Never Knew That About New York again? Why?

Yes, possibly. If I revisit NYC, to enable me to plan walks/some more unusual places to visit.

Would you be willing to try another book from Christopher Winn? Why or why not?

Yes, but probably in book form and not audio format. See additional comments below re this type of book translating to audio.

Have you listened to any of Tim Bentinck’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No - this is my first, and I really like him.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Due to the nature of the book (quite fast moving, because it's almost a tour guide and does almost evolve into a walking guide later on), it doesn't really stay on a subject long enough to be able to move you. But the sudden description that part of NYC was discovered to be an African burial ground in the old slave area of the city was very moving.

Any additional comments?

I bought this in audio format because I thought it would be different to the usual 'Tour of NYC' guides and would be full of interesting facts about the history of New York. It most definitely contains lots of interesting facts, but I don't know that it works in audio format. It does drop back into the format of a walking guide in parts (including 'walk to the end of 'x' Street, turn right and stop outside ...') but I don't even know that it would work as an audio touring guide, because even if you stopped the recording to be able to walk you'd arrive at the destination to simply have a couple of seconds of 'fact'.

But what I found INCREDIBLY successful, however, was to listen to it whilst using Google maps and using Street View. Then, this takes on a completely different slant. Whilst talking about Tribeca and mentioning Robert De Niro's Tribeca Grill, I followed Google Street View, then stopped the recording and also followed Google Search finding out as a result a lot more detail on the redevelopment of Tribeca and had a good look around the area again on Street View. The same when the book talks about the Old Police Headquarters at 240 Centre Street, I took time out to research what the interiors now look like because the building did fascinate me when in NYC in person..

And it's as a result of this way of doing things that I've lifted my Overall grading to four stars. I'd visited NYC and knew Manhattan quite well, but I would imagine if you hadn't visited the city this would be a very confusing audio book and not much help - it almost assumes in it's descriptions that you know, or can see, the location being described. But using Google Maps+Street View, you can see what is being described to you and I would certainly now find this audio book a useful way to be able to build an itinerary for planning a new visit.

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3 people found this helpful

Like having a museum audio guide - but without the museum

There is a lot to like about this book. The facts are interesting and not always obvious and the author paints a rich picture of Manhattan.

However it is evidently drawn from a guide book - the reader often gives directions eg 'turn left and walk up....' and obviously written to read/listen to while walking around the city. The problem is that this loses the listener who isn't in the city and who can't see the buildings and avenues being referred to. A certain amount can be made up with Google but if you're not in NYC then the book soon turns into a long list of facts being read out...

Also it isn't about New York, just Manhattan island!

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Excellent

A really informative and detailed book on secrets of New York that as someone who has visited several times, I largely never knew.

If only the narrator could have avoided the awful American accents!!!

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It gave me a good grounding of New York

Very difficult to cover the whole of New York but I thought this book had a good try.
It wet my appetite to learn more of the parts I was interested in.
Worth a listen.

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