The New York Nobody Knows: Walking 6,000 Miles in the City

The author died not long ago, but I would have told him he penned a superb sociological profile of so much of New York City's five boroughs. The anecdotes and conversations were truly reflective of the incredible melting pot New York has become. You could almost see him walking down the street in hope of engaging you in conversation. You cannot help learn so much more about the cultures that make up the greatest city in the world.

Professor William Helmreich walked every street in the city for a total of 6,000 miles. As a native New Yorker I was fascinated to learn things about the city I had never known. It has waterfalls, lakes, graffiti art , murals, thousands of monuments, shrines and a street called “force pipe road” (the list goes on and on). Also, I was surprised and very happy to learn how green the city is. There are parks galore, gardens on the ground and on rooftops, and actual wildlife preserves. But more important than the structures and the spaces are the people. He discusses the different neighborhoods, the effects of immigration and of gentrification. He also answers the old question of whether the city is a melting pot or a salad bowl. The answer is neither but it turns out that is a good thing. And that’s not the only good thing. Prejudice is down, tolerance is up and crime is way down. As a New Yorker who lived in the city through the 60’s and 70’s this all feels somewhat surreal. When I started to read this book I expected it to be fascinating but I never expected it to be uplifting. How did the professor manage this? He used all the usual tools of the sociologist including interviewing all the previous mayors, and doing extensive research. But no amount of research, polling or using social media could have produced this book. In an era when most people have supercomputers in their pocket and too much communication occurs electronically, Professor Helmreich pounded the pavement ( six pairs of sneakers worth), and talked to people and learned about their lives, hopes and dreams. That alone makes this book a monumental achievement.

A few years ago I happened upon "The New York Nobody Knows: Walking 6,000 Miles in the City," by accident; if all accidents were this profitable to encouraging us to invite each other into our lives as was this book for me, then give me another shot! As I was writing my latest book William's book came along just in time to make a difference for me personally, and for insight to what I was writing.-Personally, because it challenged me to want to be more involved with people: day to day people I know, family, and perfect strangers.-Regarding the insight in my writing, "The New York Nobody Knows: Walking 6,000 Miles in the City" gave me many springboard moments from which I could continue on a theme which may have been halted if I had not read his book.William B Helmreich is one of my favorite authors.Jacob Bergen

Helmreich's book was a fascinating read for someone like me who grew up in The Bronx during the 1960s and 1970s and then moved away. His narrative, bolstered by extensive first-hand experiences walking the city along with his understanding of relevant academic literature, was enlightening. Nice to know how things have improved in many (but not all) neighborhoods. As other reviewers have pointed out, Helmreich's book is not about buildings, bridges, subways, etc. There are plenty of good sources for such topics. Rather, this book deals with people in relation to their neighbors, their environments, and their histories. Yes, it would be nice if the pictures were larger, and some topics are dwelled upon while others are brushed over, but all in all I found The New York Nobody Knows a really good read.

While he walked every street. he developed methods of interviewing and of noticing small details most wouldn't even see at all. He constantly comments that 'someone' ought to do a study of this or that. And that's exactly what he should have been doing or working seriously at finding interested researchers or funders of such research. And it doesn't have a clear organizational framework. So it becomes random, disorganized, and extremely repetitive. All in all, I still made my way through it as an old former NYC (Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn) boy. Helped with some reminiscences, but ultimately disappointed but still impressed at his commitment and persistence. Sadly, years after the publication, the author died of complications from Covid-19.

you should read this. I knew about this book and had it on my wish list. Then I saw the author passed away due to COVID19 . Sure hated to hear that. hope to get his other books too. Enjoyable read. I'm not reading it all in one sitting. I come back to it from time to time when i need a little dose of the greatest city there is! If you cant go you can walk around with him until you can!

I liked this book. Having grown up in New York & moving out of state in the mid '80s, I found it interesting to read how much it has changed. It also made me wish that I had more time to explore the city while I lived there. Unfortunately my long commute didn't leave a lot of time for that.

After seeing William's interview on the news, figured I'd try this out. This is one of those easy-to-read page turners for me. A great spare-time read to have on the Kindle. Nothing complicated, it's like sitting, listening to this guy tell his story, which is nice sometimes to have a no-thrills read. His adventures in New York are inspiring and I can definitely relate to many of his encounters myself living in Manhattan. I found his introduction about dealing with the questionable areas of the outer boroughs quite interesting. So if you're fascinated with NYC, are a resident, or just want a fun read, do yourself a favor and read this, it really gives an honest insight into the true spirt of NYC- the people.

a five star book!! This is an insider's view of New York, by someone who knows the city from top to bottom . The general reader will enjoy the book for its superb treatment of the various communities--ethnic, racial, religious, class and lifestyle-- that make up the city. Life is lived on the street, and Helreich shows this admirably. Each vignette, each character, is captivating. At the same time, specialists in fields like urban studies, sociology, ethnic and race relations, will find this a great addition to the literature in their areas. Helmreich takes the concept of fieldwork and adds a bold new dimension.

Really enjoying learning more about the various cultural groups that call NYC home.

Misleading. This book often reads like the writer has never left his apartment building (and the textbooks therein) to commit it to paper. It's a great sell job by the publisher but fails to deliver on what it promises. Floats around from neighbourhood to neighbourhood without sticking around long enough to get to know more than the superficial glimpse. Never takes you on the journey it promises.

I spotted this in a bookstore on Amsterdam Avenue in New York City, and bought it from Amazon when I got back to the UK. The main thing to note is that the title and subheading are quite misleading. Yes, the author has walked the city blocks speaking to those he met along the way. But this is not a book about that walk. You might expect a walking tour of the backstreets and outer reaches of the city (a bit like Mark Mason's excellent walk the lines book about London), but nope. This is a book predominantly about immigration, the lives of those who have settled in the city, and the influences they have had on various neighbourhoods and on the city generally. It's an interesting read in places, but it is fairly narrow in its scope, and a different kind of book to the one you might expect.

A fascinating Read, I knew of this book Before I went to New York but I could not find it here (UK) (until now ) and I even could't find it in New York Manahattan But hey Ho, I know also that the only why to enjoy New York was to Walk every where I could in the time I was there, I clocked up over 50 miles in just 4 days! ( Manahattan only) truly an amazing City, Just Love those old buildings, This Book is just a JOY to think what was New York many years ago to what it is today. to Watch The televison show KOJAK and see how the sky line has changed in just forty years, but I should tell more about the Fantastic book, the research and detail is breath taking so the best thing to do is to Just Buy this book well worth it