While it may seem that every possible topic about New York City's attractions has been written about, 'Off the Beaten (Subway) Track' is the first book to focus on the hundreds of off-the-beaten-path destinations in the city. Some are small museums, others are historic places long forgotten, some are stores that sell only odd things, and some are distinguished for their claim to fame as the world's largest/smallest whatever. All of them are notable for the passion with which their proprietors and curators care for them, and all can be visited via the subway system as the author directs readers to which of the city's 486 subway stations will get them closest.

"As a kid growing up in Manhattan, William Helmreich played a game with his father they called "Last Stop." They would pick a subway line and ride it to its final destination, and explore the neighborhood there. Decades later, Helmreich teaches university courses about New York, and his love for exploring the city is as strong as ever. Putting his feet to the test, he decided that the only way to truly understand New York was to walk virtually every block of all five boroughs--an astonishing 6,000 miles. His epic journey lasted four years and took him to every corner of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. Helmreich spoke with hundreds of New Yorkers from every part of the globe and from every walk of life, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former mayors Rudolph Giuliani, David Dinkins, and Edward Koch. Their stories and his are the subject of this captivating and highly original book. We meet the Guyanese immigrant who grows beautiful flowers outside his modest Queens residence in order to always remember the homeland he left behind, the Brooklyn-raised grandchild of Italian immigrants who illuminates a window of his brownstone with the family's old neon grocery-store sign, and many, many others. Helmreich draws on firsthand insights to examine essential aspects of urban social life such as ethnicity, gentrification, and the use of space. He finds that to be a New Yorker is to struggle to understand the place and to make a life that is as highly local as it is dynamically cosmopolitan."--Publisher's description.

New York Off the Beaten Path features the things travelers and locals want to see and experience––if only they knew about them.

Tired of the same old tourist traps? Take the road less traveled and uncover the hidden attractions, unique finds, and unusual locales other guidebooks just don't offer. Off the Beaten Path® features the things you'd want to see—if only you knew about them! From the best in local dining to quirky cultural tidbits, you'll say over and over again: “I didn't know that!” Discover a different side of the Empire State. Check out Wing’s Castle, the fabulously eccentric stone dwelling overlooking the Hudson Valley; prospect for “Herkimer diamonds” in Middleville; or stop in Elmira to see what Mark Twain called “the loveliest study you ever saw” (he should know—it was his). So if you've “been there, done that” one too many times, get off the main road and venture Off the Beaten Path.

While it may seem that every possible attraction in New York City has been written about, Off the Beaten (Subway) Track is the city’s first guide to focus on one hundred unique, off-the-beaten-path destinations. Some are small museums, some are historic places long forgotten, some are stores that sell only odd things, and some are distinguished for their claim to fame as the world’s largest/smallest whatever. All of them are notable for the passion with which their proprietors and curators care for them, and all of them can be visited via the subway system as Suzanne Reisman directs you to which of the city’s 486 subway stations will get you closest. These attractions are the types of places and things that not only fit perfectly with the New Yorker’s psyche and ego but also satisfy a tourist’s desire to see the unusual. For example, the Big Apple is home to the world’s tallest Doric column, the world’s largest armory, the world’s largest cathedral, and the world’s largest Reform synagogue. The city also has a troll museum, a numismatic museum, a skyscraper museum, doll and toy museums, and a museum of comic and cartoon art. In many cases, half the fun of visiting these places is getting to meet the people behind them. Organized geographically to help you to explore the culture and diversity of the city’s great neighborhoods, Off the Beaten (Subway) Track offers venues in Manhattan (Lower, Middle, and Upper), Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. Also included in many of the entries are nearby places of interest within walking distance that you might also want to visit while you’re in the neighborhood.

From the Edward Hopper House in Nyack to the Ace of Diamonds Mine andCampground in Middleville to the Petrified Sea Gardens in Saratoga Springs, the Empire State offers many offbeat places to explore.