Finding the fun in NY, DC - Chicago Tribune

fun - Google News Google News

Finding the fun in NY, DC - Chicago Tribune Apr 11th 2012, 02:12 "Walking New York: The Best of the City" National Geographic, $14.95 National Geographic recently announced publication of a new series of travel books focusing on what it deems to be the world's "top global cities," including London, Paris, Rome and New York. The features of each book include whirlwind tours (such as New York in a day, in a weekend, in a weekend with kids), "best of" lists of quintessential things to do and see, plus fun and informative sidebars. The narrow island of Manhattan, the heart and soul of New York (though Brooklynites might heartily disagree), measures just under 34 square miles and is a mere 13 miles long, which makes it a great city for walkers. As the book suggests, the best way to approach the island is in chunks, neighborhood by neighborhood. The book is full of wonderful and often unexpected tips, from the literary (stopping to see the free exhibitions at the Grolier Club, the oldest bibliophile society in the country, before heading off to Central Park) to casual dining options (freshly baked bread is brought to your table in the downstairs restaurant of the Blue Ribbon Bakery Kitchen in Greenwich Village) to shopping opportunities (admire the fashions at the only free-standing Alexander McQueen store in New York). The numerous sidebars discuss archetypal New York topics. "City of Writers" pays tribute to some of the literary greats who made New York City their home, including Walt Whitman, Allen Ginsberg, Dorothy Parker, Norman Mailer and, more recently, Don DeLillo and Paul Auster. The sidebar is accompanied by a listing of several Greenwich Village literary watering holes (Kettle of Fish, Minetta Tavern and the White Horse Tavern). Additional sidebars include articles on jazz clubs, art deco, movies set in New York and the Harlem Renaissance. And, yes, there is a separate chapter on Brooklyn and its many highlights, from the iconic Brooklyn Bridge to the Brooklyn Museum. An independent city until 1898, Brooklyn, at 71 square miles, is bigger than its more famous neighboring borough. Take that Manhattan. "Family Guide Washington, DC" DK Publishing, $25 Another new series is the Eyewitness Travel Family Guides from DK Publishing. Written by parents, the guides purport to be the first series to appeal to both parents and children. If the Washington, D.C., title is any indication (others in the series include family guides to New York City, Paris and London), they do just that. Among the key features are introductory texts that set the scene and "Hub Sights" that recommend the best places to visit in each area. "The Lowdown" provides the essentials, practical information about transport, opening times, costs, age range suitability and how long to allow for a visit. And then there is the "Kids' Corner," a wonderful feature that suggests things that kids should look out for, but it also includes some games to play, cartoons and fun factoids that kids will love. Consider: During World War I, when groundskeepers were at the war front, President Woodrow Wilson brought in sheep to trim the White House lawn. And Abraham Lincoln stored letters and other small items in his tall stovepipe hat. What also makes this series unusual is the attention to detail. Yes, all the big sights are here (the National Mall, Capitol Hill, and, of course, the White House) but even the famous places are given a slight twist —always with children and their parents in mind. The National Museum of American History, for example, is a fun place to visit partly because of its odd and eclectic range of exhibits, including Lincoln's hat, George Washington's sword and Kermit the Frog, while the Library of Congress has, according to the authors, the largest comic book collection on the planet. There also are sections on day trips and excursions to such places as Harpers Ferry National Historic Park, Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown. ctc-travel@tribune.com This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions