This was a great purchase!! It came in good time. I'm not sure about the content because It was a present for a friend but she hasn't had any complaints so as far as i know excellent!!

This was a great purchase!! It came in good time. I'm not sure about the content because It was a present for a friend but she hasn't had any complaints so as far as i know excellent!!

If ever there was a city where it pays to be cheap, it'd be in New York, one of the most expensive cities in the world - and from a native New Yorker comes a book which packs in over a thousand listings of free opportunities to be found there, from wine tastings and music to dance, games and fitness. From small clubs and select, limited events to low-rent, no-fee apartments, THE CHEAP BASTARD'S GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY is a must for any visitor or new resident on a budget.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book gives great info for the budget minded person who is planning a move to the Big Apple (me). It's written with a sense of humor. Very honest, good information!

I do not think I have ever returned a book after I bought it (grad school books don't fall in this category). But sadly, I had to return this book to Barnes and Nobel a week after I bought this particular book. The mistake was mine. I did not check to see when it was printed. The copy that I bought for close to $15 in Oct 2006 was printed in 2004...it was 2 years old! No wonder I did not find it useful. For starters, quite a few of the phone numbers were incorrect, and then from there things went downhill for me.

Two years ago, this must have been a useful book to have, but today with the Internet, and specifically Google a reader's patience and threshold for incorrect information is very low. And, I clearly fall in that category.

If you happen to see it in your local library or a book shop, do browse through it for there are useful nuggets of information to travel and live in the Big Apple.

I grew up in New York. It really is, as Sinatra sings (he's still alive, ain't he?) 'a helluva town.' And for all the hype (See Lupica or Kornheiser on TV for more than 10 minutes - if you can) it's gutsy, gritty, dirty, hopeful, and alive. Certainly alive. It really is the best and worst of America. If Kerry had said to the New Yorkers "you are the heart and soul of America" I don't know if he would have won the election but he wouldn't have ticked off 1/2 the population as when he said it to an audience of 'Hollywood Insiders.'

But it's not for the weak of heart. It's like having a lifetime subscription to working out at Bally's with Cher and Nicole, and deciding to have 'a quick workout' at the Kronk Gym while visiting Detroit.

I love New York. But like all lopsided relationships, I also respect it. "Taking a walk in New York" (one of the sub chapters) is pretty cool but like all mammoth cities, a couple of blocks the wrong way and . . . .what did we call it in Vietnam . . . well. Forget what we called it. It could be a mistake.

Great book. Great city. Let me leave you with one thought, not to denigrate other cities. Do you remember the firemen pouring into WTC moments before they imploded? I do. With tears in my eyes. I don't know if that would have happened in a lot of other places. That's New York. Larry Scantlebury. 5 stars.

Several of my old college friends still trickle into New York for a visit, and I gladly play the city's goodwill ambassador. One of my friends from Iowa (one alma mater of mine) was toting this book. I thumbed through it and thought, "This is pretty good. I'll pick up a copy for whenever other friends come to the Big Onion."

I did pick up a copy, and as I read through this very well written book, I started to learn a few things for myself. Now, it's a keeper FOR ME. This is something every New Yorker should own, but I hope doesn't. If too many people discover the secrets in this book, they might go away.