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In this story: 'Romantic Days and Nights in New York City' 'New York Neighborhoods' 'Wonderful Weekends From New York City' RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Mary-Jo Lipman
CNN Interactive Features Writer

September 2, 1999
Web posted at: 1:29 p.m. EDT (1729 GMT)

(CNN) -- The Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Greenwich Village, Central Park, Metropolitan Museum of Art -- those places typically fall into the "must-see" category for a vacation in the Big Apple.

But that's really just scratching the surface of what there is to see and do in and around New York. There are so many attractions, restaurants and shops that even a native could get dizzy trying to choose among them.

A few guidebooks may help take the guesswork out of drafting a creative itinerary.

SEE ALSO For more book news click CNN.com/BOOKS

If it's romance you're after, there's "Romantic Days and Nights in New York City" by Pamela Thomas, published in paperback this year in its second edition by Globe Pequot at $15.95. Each of the book's 30 chapters has an itinerary based on a theme.

Some ideas are especially crafted for couples who enjoy art, jazz, literature or sports. Others are based on holidays like St. Patrick's Day, Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day. Several explore parts of the city and outlying areas -- Brooklyn, Harlem and Connecticut (considered a suburb of New York by many locals).

The itineraries are formulated to take from one to three days. Thomas lists places to eat, sleep, shop and see -- morning, afternoon and evening. She includes prices, phone numbers and "practical notes," such as where to go if a certain hotel is booked up.

One of Thomas' more extravagant getaways is titled "French Kiss." She suggests staying either at the Hotel Plaza Athénée for Parisian ambience or the less expensive Hotel Elysée, with its elegant French country decor.

Daytime activities include wandering SoHo (thought of, in this context, as New York's Left Bank equivalent), seeing the French Impressionist collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and shopping at Yves Saint Laurent on Madison Avenue, or Chanel and Hermès on East 57th Street.

Suggested nighttime excursions include a cruise on the Hudson on World Yacht Cruises, which Thomas likens to the Seine's les bateaux-mouches. Another option: jazz among what Thomas describes as the "ultrachic and ultra-European" clientele at Iridium on West 63rd Street, across from Lincoln Center.

For an experience that's culturally enriching, but not necessarily financially draining, check out Eleanor Berman's "New York Neighborhoods," released in July in paperback at $14.95 by Globe Pequot. The book bills itself as "A Food Lover's Walking, Eating and Shopping Guide to Ethnic Enclaves in New York's Boroughs." Berman writes about some 20 neighborhoods in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Manhattan.

Each chapter focuses on an area's history, its people and their traditions. Berman includes a detailed map that highlights recommended shops, markets, restaurants and attractions.

The titles of chapter sub-sections give you a quick idea of what to expect. In Brooklyn, for example, Berman navigates "Strictly Kosher Borough Park" and "Little Odessa on Brighton Beach," explaining where to get the best knishes ... and what, in fact, those pastry-wrapped treats are.

Travelers don't have to worry about wandering into a restaurant without a clue about what to order. For each neighborhood, Berman explains the cuisine and typical meals.

In Queens, she takes the reader through Indian sari shops, Greek tavernas, Colombian nightclubs and Mexican bakeries. In the Bronx, the trek focuses on the "Italian Bounty on Arthur Avenue." If you hit Manhattan, Berman explains where to find soul in Harlem and Seoul in the middle of Midtown.

For travelers and/or New Yorkers looking for a break from the city, there's Frommer's "Wonderful Weekends from New York City," a 1996 guide by Marilyn Wood published in paperback at $17.95 by Macmillan Travel. The book details escapes within 250 miles (400 kilometers) of Manhattan.

Wood helps you find lakes to paddle, mountains to climb, mansions to ogle, wineries to tour and many more activities within a nine-state region.

She begins each chapter with a how-to-get-there rundown (bus, train, car) and includes tourism resources that could help in planning. There's also a guide to festivals and events to consider in timing your excursion. Wood includes several lodging and dining options for each destination in a range of prices, along with special recreation ideas -- antiquing in old New England towns or whale-watching off Long Island.

Some of her in-state itineraries include trips to the Hamptons, thought of in some circles as New York's Riviera. There are listings for horseback riding, bicycle rentals and fishing spots. Culturally oriented suggestions include a powwow with the Shinnecock American Indians in September and the Hamptons International Film Festival in October. (There could be some tough appraisals going on, if part-time Hamptons residents like Academy Award-winning director Steven Spielberg turn up.)

For those venturing out of state, Wood provides information on trips to Pennsylvania Dutch country, where the Amish try to perserve their simple way of life free of modern conveniences and embellishments.

In quite the opposite vein, consider the mansions of Newport, Rhode Island. Visitors there can tour the opulent "cottages" of the Vanderbilts and other families. Wood recommends trying to fit in only two or three sites in a day. Suggestions include Theresa Fair Oelrichs' Rosecliff (1902), which served as a setting in the 1974 film "The Great Gatsby," and Alva Belmont's Marble House (1892), with its Chinese Teahouse in the backyard.

Using Wood's observations on other New England destinations -- say, the Berkshires in western Massachusetts -- visitors can find a balance between the arts and their settings. Music lovers can enjoy outdoor concerts at Tanglewood; theater buffs can catch summer play festivals. There are some eight state parks for hikers who like to commune with Nature, and five major slopes for skiers who'd rather tackle it.

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