Unlike those older travel guides composed of hundreds of pages of solid text, I opened Frommer’s Full Color New York City and discovered a party -- nearly every two-page spread livened with a map, color photo, or sidebar. To be clear, it isn’t like the lush DK Eyewitness series (which is image-heavy at the expense of information), but rather very much like the Fodor’s Full Color Gold series.

It’s a complete guide to planning a trip, with sections detailing NYC history, boroughs and neighborhoods; hotels, bars and restaurants (limited to those most evocative of NYC; readers are referred to the Internet for chains); sites, attractions and shopping; suggested itineraries and a pull-out map (waterproof and indestructible).

While Fodor’s seems a little more lush and professional, Frommer’s seems a little more personal and practical -- and, for me, preferable.

(Review based on a copy of the book provided by the publisher.) ( )