New York is a photogenic city. So when I recently received a gift of a copy of New York New York, I knew that I was likely in for a treat, and expected to see some beautiful pictures.

Since at a minimum, I expected some beautiful pictures, it was a remarkably pleasant surprise to find that this book exceeded my expectations.

Of course, there are lovely pictures of the skyline and of the bridges, and some of New York City’s most glorious public spaces. But the pictures here are not simply pleasing to the eye—they include some unexpected takes on familiar places, and some gorgeous interiors that most of us rarely see, such as the lobby ceiling of the Woolworth Building, and some architectural details and ornamentation, like an angel from the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, which I’d never noticed before.

Richard Berenholtz, originally an architect, now a photographer for several decades, is extremely talented at what he does. What’s most impressive to me is how very original some of his photographs of the New York City landmarks are. I was playing a game with myself going through them to see which locations I could identify, and although I, like the photographer, am a native New Yorker, some of the shots eluded me. (Fortunately, he has indexed the images at the end of the book, so my confusion was short-lived and my curiosity quickly satisfied.)

I enjoyed Berenholz’ brief essay at the beginning of the volume and rather wish that he’d provided some further commentary about the individual photographs. But that’s a very small complaint.

This was an excellent book to receive as a gift, and I recommend it for anyone who loves New York City, or for anyone who has yet to fall in love with New York City.

HOW TO PURCHASE: AMAZON

BOOK: New York New York

AUTHOR: Richard Berenholtz

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2018

IMAGE: Book cover, Rizzoli Universe Promotional Books