The I Love NY tourism slogan turns thirty in 2007, so to honor this great state, I'll be highlighting a variety of travel books related to New York all week. Since I currently live in New York State and work in New York City, I've managed to accumulate a rather unique collection of guidebooks. But to kick things off, I'll begin with a basic no-brainer suggestion:

Whether your visiting New York for the first or the fifth time, Lonely Planet's 2006 NYC City Guide will come in handy at some point during your Gotham travels. When I started working in Manhattan again last fall (after almost ten years away from the city), I turned to LP's guide, and have kept it safely stashed in my desk at work. It has helped reacquaint me with the city's neighborhoods and grid layout, and the condensed, easy-to-read pull-out map has been a useful resource to keep tucked in my purse.

Brooklyn definitely gets special play in this guide that's primarily Manhattan focused. "Brooklyn and the Outer Boroughs" are grouped together in an introductory overview. But there is substantial content on the sites and sounds of Brooklyn throughout the book, including two walking tours among the 11 suggested. There are also sleek, glossy, full-color photo chapters on NYC architecture and Central Park. You can't go wrong with this book if you're a guidebook traveler, but I'd also suggest it as a decent gift for recent transplants to NYC, or folks returning home to the Big Apple who may be in need of a refresher course on this city of constant change.

Filed under: Books, One for the Road