I've been reading the walks on Chinatown, Little Italy, Soho and Tribeca but I decided it definitely needed more illustrations so I could really see where I was walking. So I pulled out the laptop and went to the street view in Google Maps, which worked so well for Hong Kong and Paris. The two definitely should be combined commercially: create an online Frommer's Walk linked to the street view of Google Maps. How hard is that? Of course it might be so good that people wouldn't go to New York at all -- but I doubt that. You still can't go inside the buildings (yet).
In any case, the walk in Soho/Tribeca was especially good because of the
cast iron architecture. Sometimes it is hard to precisely locate the building Frommer is talking about because it is hard to see the street numbers on the structures but usually one can figure out what building it is. More about cast iron architecture in New York City is available from the
New York Metropolitan Chapter of the Victorian Society in America and a map of the Soho district (and others) is available at the
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission website. Typically I don't consider myself particularly interested in architecture but it is hard not to be captivated by these cast iron buildings.
But with google street view you miss the sounds and smells of the city! Oh wait, you might have something there.
ReplyDeleteAlthough recently I've been very disappointed with google maps. Sometimes when I search for an address the number will get dropped and I will be directed to the right street but blocks and blocks away. Happened last night when we went to pick up Susan and rich.