Earlier this week, New Yorkers in the know came out in force for the launch party for the 2011 Not For Tourists Guide to New York City. For those of you who’ve never picked up an NFT guide, the pocket-sized book with its chic black cover is one of the best resources around for making your way around the Big Apple.
Brass Monkey, 55 Little West 12th Street (Meatpacking District)
NFT celebrated the launch of their new NYC guide at Brass Monkey, one of the most low-key and welcoming spots in the sometimes overwhelming Meatpacking District. Partygoers enjoyed a free beer and a free copy of the new 2011 guide, while supplies lasted, plus a beautiful sunset, viewed to best advantage from the bar’s roof deck, overlooking the Hudson River, in the shadow of the Standard Hotel.
The new Not For Tourists Guide to NYC
There are plenty of mobile and iPhone apps for navigating the city (we’ve rounded up some of the top ones) but sometimes there’s just no substitute for an old-fashioned book—it works on the subway, it doesn’t need to be charged, and it has all the info you could want (maps, phone numbers, short reviews of venues, walking tours of each neighborhood) at the turn of a page. And despite the title, the Not For Tourists Guide can work just as well for first-time visitors to New York City as it can for natives. I’m really a fan of their bite-sized street maps—the Midtown grid may be pretty self-explanatory, but the criss-cross streets of the West Village (West 4th crosses West 10th?! West 12th and Little West 12th are not the same street?!) can be downright confusing, even for a longtime resident of the city.
Sunset over the Hudson, from Brass Monkey's roof
You can check out Not for Tourists at their website, on Twitter and (of course!) through their iPhone app.
(All images by Sarah Pruitt.)