I find all these suggestions very helpful, indeed it's part of the reason I started this website. But I also like the freedom that comes from shutting this noise out, and just reading a book about New York - not necessarily a travel guide (they are often out of date the minute they're printed), but a story of the City, where New York is just as much a character as the humans.
Some of the books I've found valuable in helping to get to know New York City are listed below. There are loads more of course, but these are the ones that helped me feel at home here.
Letter from New York, by Helene Hanff
Published in 1992 by the author of 84, Charing Cross Road. This reads very much like a blog; indeed, the 'chapters' are actually transcripts of Helene's five-minute vignettes she broadcast from New York on London's BBC Radio. In her short grabs, Helene tells the story of her life on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and recounts the stories of her neighbours and friends and their dogs. This book made me realise how much the locals use Central Park (did I really think it was just for tourists?), and I learned that it IS possible to host giant Thanksgiving dinners in a one-room studio apartment, as long as you can cook in 4 other apartment kitchens at the same time.
My First New York - Early Adventures in the Big City, from the editors of New York magazine
This is a brand new book, and is really an anthology of fifty-six short essays taken from NY magazine (to which you really ought to subscribe). You get to read about how the likes of Nora Ephron, Amy Sedaris, Diane von Furstenberg, and Liza Minnelli came to live in New York, and love it. And you get to appreciate what the city was like when they came to live here - some of them back in the early 1930s, and others less than 5 years ago. I particularly loved Andy Samberg's stories of frat boy living, and nearly being overrun by an apartment mice plague. That's just one of the relatable stories in this great book.
Humans of New York, by Brandon Stanton
From the creator of one of my favourite Facebook pages and websites, HONY (as it's known locally) captures the humans of New York so beautifully. But what I love the most is that when Brandon posts his photographs online, the comments he receives are just as humorous, genuine, and wonderful as the subjects. This hardcover book captures some of the best photographs of the diverse and mysterious people that live in this concrete jungle. It's a great souvenir book, but also a great reminder of all the good here - excellent to flip through on a day when you feel defeated and need the pick-me-up.
