First things first. I needed a guidebook. Just like anywhere else unfamiliar I go, its always good to get an overview before you start doing your serious research. Plus, I wanted to see how New York is being sold to visitors — does reading all the literature you can get your hands on give you a realistic impression of the city?

The Lonely Planet NYC isn’t bad, actually. Turns out it’s written by three locals, which isn’t always the case with the LP guides, which sometimes feel like they’re written by someone who visited there once. Anyway, as you’d expect from a book written by locals, it talks about how the city has changed, and how exciting it is to explore more than just Manhattan. There are color maps of Flushing, walking tours of Jackson Heights (though, really, you can do better than Jackson Diner for Indian food), guides to Williamsburg, and a whole chapter on The Bronx.

It is from reading this book that I also come to understand why there are always crowds of people hanging around the West 4th Street basketball courts – there’s a reverential writeup in the Village attractions section. It has interviews with locals, talking about everything from the last remaining German restaurants to freaking artist colonies in Staten Island. I’ll give it to them: This is one comprehensive book.