Off the Beaten (Subway) Track

If you couldn't make it to the awesome Adult Education event on June 2, here's a video of my lecture on taking a subway roadtrip and things to be found along the A train line:

"Off the Beaten (Subway) Track" at Adult Education (June 2, 2009) from OTBST on Vimeo.

Labels: events, Off the Beaten (Subway) Track

Adult Education is a Brooklyn-based monthly event series where various speakers present brief, multimedia lectures on a shared theme. Tonight's theme is Urban Travel, and I will be sharing some of the "treasures" one can find by taking a subway roadtrip with the A train. The podium will be graced with three other esteemed speakers discussing subway map design, subway sketch art, and people who refuse to vacate seats specifically designated for people with disabilities when a person who has a visible disability enters the train. (Part of me has extra love for the last one because the blog URL is so long: /www.peoplewhositinthedisabilityseatswhenimstandingonmycrutches.com.)

Time Out New York selected the lecture to highlight on their Own This City blog, so you know it will be good. Plus, it is only $5. Bargains like this are hard to come by!

I'll have copies of Off the Beaten (Subway) Track for $15. (That's a whopping $1.95 off the cover price!)

Critical Info:
Union Hall
702 Union St (between Fifth and Sixth Ave)
Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-638-4400

Closest subway: M, R to Union St
For other directions: http://www.unionhallny.com

Labels: media, Off the Beaten (Subway) Track

I am honored that the Queens Tribune recommends Off the Beaten (Subway) Track as a holiday gift book about New York!. In her article on the greatness of books as holiday gifts, Terri Schlichenmeyer wrote:

Anyone for adventure this Christmas break? If you’re looking for something fun to do, grab Off the Beaten (Subway) Track by Suzanne Reisman. This book lists dozens and dozens of unusual sites and scenes you can see in New York City and surroundings, including directions, street addresses, and phone numbers. Tip: This book isn’t just for native New Yorkers. Visitors or anyone coming to town will love it, too.

In fact, OTBST is the only book about NYC in the article. How cool is that? I am so glad that people are enjoying it and recommending it to others.

Labels: media, Off the Beaten (Subway) Track

Thanks to Kim from Traveling Mom for hosting me on her radio show! We had a lot of fun talking abut some of the places in the book, like the tour of the Steinway & Sons Piano Factory, and how to travel safely by subway and bus with young children. (Biggest tip: try and avoid rush hour.)

I'm excited to announce that I will be contributing to Traveling Mom, writing stories about adults traveling with their moms and families. Any thoughts, ideas, and suggestions are welcome!

Labels: media, Off the Beaten (Subway) Track

Kim Foley MacKinnon wrote a very nice review of Off the Beaten (Subway) Track at TravelMuse. In brief, she said:

Reisman has certainly done her homework... if you want to guarantee an interesting story about a crazy New York site, this is the go-to book... Each review reads like an article, sometimes running several pages. The very detailed descriptions make you feel as if you’ve been there.[Worth buying?] For sheer entertainment value and to seek out the unusual, yes.

I'm very glad that she enjoyed the book!

Labels: media, Off the Beaten (Subway) Track

Goodness, when it rains, it truly pours! In the October 2008 issue of The Midwest Book Review, Off the Beaten (Subway) Track received the following praise:

There are so many books on New York's attractions that one might wonder at the need for yet another, but this book is a key and the first to focus on a hundred off-the-beaten-path destinations, from small museums and nearly forgotten historic places to odd shops and small oddities. A geographic arrangement aids in the journey, with chapters offering addresses, hours, directions, web sites, and long paragraphs of enticing description. Recommended for any travel library strong in New York City attractions.

The MBR also gave OTBST a five star rating on Amazon.

Labels: media, Off the Beaten (Subway) Track

It's been a little while since I blogged any news about the book, but I am ecstatic to note that Julie Schietert at MatadorGoods named Off the Beaten (Subway) Track as one of ten indispensable guidebooks about New York City. I am honored to be included on the list, and hope that others will find some new and fun places to visit as a result.

Labels: media, Off the Beaten (Subway) Track