French Tourists in New York City
344216
This is the prefect film for me since I love to visit New York City as a tourist and I have been studying French for years. What could be better than a French film about French tourists in New York City? Half of the dialog is in English and there are English subtitles so you will have no problem understanding the action. New York City is shown in all this glory in this movie. There are even some scenes in Brooklyn.

The soundtrack is also great and includes a cover version of Rod Stewart's "Young Turks".
3700766
Sometimes it seems as if every American who visits France writes a book about the experience. Even if we limit ourselves to books by those who actually take up residence in Paris or Provence, that's still a lot of books to choose from.

Elaine Sciolino's book, The Only Street in Paris, has a lot going for it -- Sciolino was the Paris Bureau Chief for The New York Times, she's lived in Paris for over a decade, she and her American husband have raised two American daughters in Paris. She also wrote a fascinating book about French society called La Seduction: How the French Play the Game of Life.

In The Only Street in Paris, Sciolino limits herself to writing about a single street in the 9th arrondissement. After living in a different Paris neighborhood, Sciolino and her husband downsized and relocated after their daughters left for university. Sciolino knew exactly where she wanted to live -- the Rue des Martyrs, in Pigalle near Montmartre.

Sciolino explores the history, the lives past and present, the architecture, the businesses, and the atmosphere of her adopted Rue. You can dip into these short chapters in any order. There's no story here, it isn't like A Year in Provence or Under the Tuscan Sun in which the author is trying to be accepted in her new neighborhood or to find love or to find herself.

Sciolino is, judging by her own telling of the events, not shy at all about getting to know new people, or asking questions or favors, or offering to do favors or indulging in a bit of matchmaking here and there. It's no wonder she's a successful journalist.

The Only Street in Paris is a pleasant stroll through a well-to-do neighborhood and will undoubtedly increase the already sizable tourist population of the Rue des Martyrs. It's already on my short list for places to live as soon as I win the lottery.

(Thanks to Edelweiss and W.W. Norton for a digital review copy.)
425550
Bought this book for friends in Paris and they love it.  It has answered many of their questions and they have been able to build a 3 week vacation using the routes suggested.
929646
This is an interesting book that documents the history of Manhattan through black and white pictures. Most pictures printed in this book are between 1935 and 1938. It is by no means an exhaustive work but it should be of interest for casual readers interested in the history of New York City. The financial district, New York harbor, East River, the Lower East Side and Fifth Avenue is prominently illustrated. Most notable parts of the city missing in this book are the Time Square and Central Park. However there are several photographs that are worth looking at, which includes; a 1938 aerial picture looking-down on Broadway from Wall Street to Battery Park; a 1938 aerial photograph of the Wall Street; the 1937 picture of Brooklyn Bridge with pier 21; a 1936 picture of Metropolitan Elevated Railway Company's Lines at Second and the Third Avenue; a 1937 picture of Hester Street chicken market; the 1936 picture of Washington Square looking North (this is my favorite photograph in this book); a 1935 photograph of 32 Street and Third Avenue showing a street newspaper vendor; there are more than one hundred magazines on display in this photograph and the covers of many of magazine shows movie stars of the day that include; Jean Harlow, Greta Garbo, and Claudette Colbert.
3606143
A nicely detailed account of one of New York City's treasures.
3557280
Visitors to France -- first-timers or 101st timers -- will find something of interest and unanticipated. This book reflects the author's obvious irrepressible love for, and talented reporting of, the special qualities of life in France. Lots of stones are turned here, if not the large granite monoliths of Brittany's Carnac 'Dolmen' fields, as the author takes us from Paris's finest spots for an afternoon lunch -- including at least one favorite she might have left undiscovered -- to the Hollywood-on-the-Riviera delights of Cannes and the Cote d'Azur. Both women and men will find a lot to like in this travel companion; while some of the recommendations are perhaps aimed more toward a female audience, Marcia DeSanctis's intrepid reporting out to the farthest reachest of France's remarkable weather-beaten lighthouses of the Breton coast strikes the reader as less gender-specific than simply....just plain wet. For either gender, the book is a fun and useful modern Baedeker. Buy it and you'll see.
1048627
I took a weekend trip to NYC to visit my sis, and got to try this book out.

I would say its for business people who don't have time or desire to explore out of the way parts of the city. Its a refernce guide type travel book. Need something 'textbook' to do, you can find it in this book. It will keep you from getting stuck anyplace. It won't really create a lifetime of memories for your next visit, but it will alow you to entertain a client if you've never been to NYC before.
3021720
It's a New York City tour matching up locations with the residences of famous authors. He imparts the flavor of certain city areas with the historical nackground.
606149
The photos and text in this vibrant book transport readers to the culture of creative politically-progressive movements in New York City, and share the energy and vitality of social change as lived by those in the counterculture. In a time when its easy to see political apathy and a rise in corporate consumption culture in the USA and particularly in New York, this book is an inspiring reminder that the artists and resisters are alive and well, and still the best part of New York. I'm so glad this part of my culture was so well-portrayed, and that I have a beautiful piece of art to remember it.
3287780
Manhattan, with its gleaming skyscrapers, shopping and entertainment, financial district, street-life, etc. etc. IS WONDERFUL. But there is still more to New York City, and that "more" is found in the ethnic neighborhoods of its other boroughs. And Joseph Berger, himself a first-generation American, brings many of these immigrant neighborhoods to life with chapters on each. There's Astoria, long known as a Greek-American stronghold which is changing as other groups move in, and East Harlem, now as much Mexican as Puerto Rican, and areas of The Bronx where emigres from Ghana now predominate. The city constantly changes, which makes it an always fascinating place, but one with which it is sometimes hard to keep up. Berger's book makes the task easier, providing a look at areas of the city that aren't, but should be, in the tourist guides.  And, best of all, each chapter concludes with a list of things to see AND places to eat!  Overall, an excellent book.
2463423
Clear and handy if you are a first time tourist to New York City. Keep them in your shirt pocket or wallet and you're good to go.
3118099
I spent my childhood in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and remember fondly visiting Manhattan every few years with my New York-born mother to visit grandparents for entire summers.  These were magical visits, full of experiences far removed from my "normal."  I recall my wonder at all of the ethnic variety, observing the Greek Independence Day Parade, perhaps, and returning to Grandma's apartment in Washington Heights where the signs in the store windows were in Yiddish (the signs are in Spanish now).  We visited a playground to play, instead of going into the back yard, and the children there spoke to me in broken English and to their parents in Yiddish and Spanish.  We ate bialys and chow mein and  took the subway to the beach, which they called the shore, and walked along the Promenade in Brooklyn.

It is this kind of world that Roz Chast attempts to preview for her daughter who is beginning college in Manhattan.  She has written a "guide" that is both general (how to locate an address, for example) and personal (her joy in finding a quiet spot in The Met).  Much of the advice would be condescending and insulting, if it were not accompanied by the cartoons that illustrate the advice with the most outlandish and hilarious examples.  You'll have to read the book to discover the official animal of Manhattan.  Even parts of the book which I did find insulting, those dealing with tourists, are an illustration of the parochial, elitist view that many New Yorkers I've met seem to possess, and should be included in a guide for one's daughter.  Fortunately, on my visits to Manhattan as an adult, I've found numerous New Yorkers to be helpful and willing to reveal their inner tour guide personas.  Roz, you've done a mitzvah for your daughter.
325058
This book shows my New York as it was. Pre  Disneyfing  of Times Square and the destruction of neighborhoods by the national chains with their steel and glass fronts. A must have book for old school New Yorkers and preservationists. Beautifully printed on poster stock paper. I wish I had the photographic eye of these photographers.
HGF, NYC
1478357
I follow the Humans of New York Facebook page, so I was very excited when I saw that there was book coming out. I was not disappointed. This book now holds pride of place on my coffee table and has started many interesting conversations with guests to my apartment. The photos are beautiful and the stories are moving, and often uplifting. I would recommend this book to anyone.
1311190
This Book gives a greater in site to the People of Paris
Than Visiting there,
I loved the explanation of their love of Food and the art of Their visits
to the Food Market to get the best of product,
The Book give you a great in site of the their outlook on life in every area.
1944451
A fun romance set in two beautiful cities:New York and Paris. A good, quick, light read for anyone who loves romance.
437979
A Francophile's delight, this book takes the reader on a journey through time to showcase this intensely romantic and vibrant City.  A bit more focus on architecture and less on the Parisian people than I personally would like to see, but still a lushly presented view of Paris.