I checked this book out from the library and dropped it in my suitcase without looking at it right before a trip to New York. I assumed the title was pandering to every person's belief that they are not a tourist--that's everyone ELSE. Well, I didn't need to find any hardware stores or pet supply stores so this book never left my hotel room. I am sure it's a great book but don't think of it as a travel guide. So my 3-star rating is an average of 4 stars for what it probably is, and 2 stars for what I thought it was!

This book was great. I just returned from my trip to NY and I can tell you this book was a great help. I even got one for a friend who lives in NY and thought it was an excellent guide. It's easy to use and it size its really practical. You see people walking around NY with big maps or books, but this one fits in your pocket and has all the information you need. Other guides are just full with information, which is helpful but makes it really cumbersome to find things while you are walking around.

I purchased this for both NYC and Brooklyn and it's been a life saver. This book tells you where to find the things you need when you live in a city. Laundrymat? Banks? Coffee shop where the locals hang out? History and maps of the neighborhoods? It's all here. Also very small and easy to carry with you. One of my friends who visited for a week, prefered to carry this over the traditional guide books, due to the size.

I wouldn't recommend this for a first time traveler to NYC as the maps can be a little difficult to follow (broken up into smaller neighborhoods). It was handy to have in our backpack because it had almost every restaurant that we could think of listed in it, along with their phone numbers, address, time they were open to, and a brief comment on the food there (including which places to avoid). If you're from out of town and need to find the nearest branch of your local bank, it's in there. If you're looking for a coffee shop other than Starbucks, it's in there.

Best guide for business person traveling to City on business. The longer there or more travel in area the better the value. Not for the tourist.

Ordered for my apartment hunting in NYC, will use it late May.
So far nothing to complain. This booklet is likable by look and usable by content, including all information I could need when walking around the city (shops, banks, theaters, landmarks, schools, libraries, gyms, transportation, you name it). I don't know why some others would complain it's not easy to use, but I will try it out soon by myself.

I'll admit that what drew me to this guide was it's overall design and size: it's compact, dense with information,and laid out in a visually pleasing style. First and foremost, however, a travel guide should be easy to use, and while this book labels itself as "Not for Tourists", it is a travel guide. And here's the thing: it has no unified index. There are several sub indexes spread throughout the book, but you have to find them first, then look for your item. Ugh. Not what you want to do while standing on a street corner.

In order to fit maps into the small page format, a neighborhood can be represented by 4 pages of virtually identical maps dense with visually similar icons showing types of stores, services, transport. etc. Again, not easy to use on the move.

Maybe I can't complain- they did say right on the front: "Not for Tourists", but I advise you to take their word for it. It really isn't useful for the traveler, and I can't say whether it would be useful for a resident.

Wow. This book is amazing. AMAZING. I don't know how they can keep up with everything each year but they do. It has info on pretty much every bar, shop, restaurant, attraction in the city and outer boroughs. During my trip to NYC I stayed with friends in Brooklyn and this guide showed us a great French bistro and it was right on. The maps are easy to use once you get used to the format and made me feel like a local because I knew where the closest ATM was and where I could get quick slice of pizza.

Even the girl I was staying with had heard of this guide and I left it with her since it showed so much of the city.

Now this guide is not for the first time visitor. It doesn't go into great detail on touristy things but just gives a brief snapshot. Good if you have done the major things and want to visit NYC like a local. It is small enough to fit in a pocket and it looks like a date book so you don't look like a tourist using it. I can't speak more highly about this book!

I will get it every time before I go to the Big Apple. Great!

Extremely fast transaction and delivery to the UK.
A fantastic book appreciated for its content by a frequent visitor to New York.

I tossed up about adding Not For Tourists to my purchases of three other New York guide books for my visit in February 2008. I'm so glad I decided to take a chance on it. This books is indispensable for both tourists and locals -- I went there as a tourist and left it behind for my son and his wife, who live in Manhattan and thought it was brilliant too. In all its aspects, NFT has been intelligently thought out from the user's point of view. The book is small enough to fit easily in a handbag, it is sturdily bound, and the spine incorporates an elastic loop that keeps it open at the page you are using. The organisation of the comprehensive information NFT contains is outstanding. NY is divided into small local 'chunks' (e.g. Upper West Side -- Lower) and for each area there are three double pages devoted respectively to Essentials, Entertainment and Transport. The map on the left-hand side shows the locations of the places in that particular category (e.g. in Entertainment, the cinemas, theatres, restaurants etc) whose names and other details are listed on the facing page. There are lots of other useful features in NFT, but I'm running out of space. Suffice to say that whatever you want to do in NY, this book will make it easy. Combine NFT with a Zagat 2008 Restaurant Guide and a general guide to NY (I had Fodor's) and you can't go wrong.

Many of my friends chide me for whipping this out in the open because we are permanent NY residents. Doesn't bother me - this is an excellent resource for people new to NY as well as for those still living here. This city changes constantly, it's well worth the reference and the continuous updates. When I first visited 7 years ago, a local recommended it and I've been a fan ever since. I hope NFT continues to expand its review on more locations.

I borrowed the 2007 edition of this book from a friend during my visit to the city last fall and found it to be incredibly helpful. So helpful, that I decided to purchase the 2008 edition to prepare for my move next spring. You'll know where the grocery stores, coffee shops, parks, etc. are; making you look more like a resident, less like a tourist (which is a huge deterent for would be theives!!). And it's pocket size, so it's pretty inconspicuous . . .

Other guides give you good overviews of what you can find in the city, but this one is terrific for finding the nearest coffee shop, bagel stand, bank, etc.., for the neighborhoods you're headed for. Although I know the city pretty well, when I venture into neighborhoods I've only briefly visited, this book will save you a lot of walking around time if you need to find quickly a basic service.