Only in New York

Only in New York by Sam Roberts

Roberts is the Urban Affairs Correspondent at the New York Times and he does a podcast on the Times' website. This book is a collection of 40 of those podcasts. These stories about the people, places and history of New York are fascinating. He's funny, smart, and full of interesting facts about the greatest city in the world. While the casual New York visitor might not find the stories "fascinating," I believe many would be of great interest to anyone who's lived in New York longer than a month. Did you know the average speed of the 34th street cross-town bus is 3.4 miles an hour? That the law that requires dog owners to pick up after their dogs was enacted in 1978 while Ed Koch was mayor (and he does not have his own dog because he doesn't want to pick up after it)? This is definitely recommended to anyone who loves New York. And if you don't love New York, we probably wouldn't agree on too much.