A Welcome Distraction in the Big Apple

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Puzzles have always fascinated me. Sudoku, Hangman, Jumble, word searches, crosswords, cryptograms, logic problems, hidden object games, jigsaw puzzles – you name it, I've probably tried it – and as a traveler, such puzzles have often served as a welcome distraction while waiting for planes and trains, enduring long road trips, or standing in line at museums, movie theaters, restaurants, even the DMV. So, after featuring kid-friendly books and children's travel games in two recent posts, I thought it might be fun to explore similar distractions for traveling adults (like me!).

Among the variety of travel-related books, games, and gadgets that I've had the opportunity to review since last summer, I've discovered two items that travelers headed to the Big Apple might especially enjoy. Pocket Posh New York Crosswords ($7.99), which was released in late January and contains 75 thematic crossword puzzles, and Pocket Posh New York Sudoku ($7.99), which will be available later this month and features 100 different puzzles, are two of the latest, mind-strengthening members of the impressive Pocket Posh lineup, a series of compact, affordable, handsomely decorated books of classic games, which range from Hangman collections to thematic assemblages of varied puzzles that celebrate holidays, specific destinations, and famous individuals, from J. R. R. Tolkien to Thomas Kinkade.

In the case of the fashionable New York volumes, both feature locally themed covers: an embossed MTA subway map on the sudoku book and a textured, watercolor collage of iconic attractions, from the Statue of Liberty to the Guggenheim Museum, on the crossword puzzle book. Additionally, each book contains interesting facts (and, in the case of the crossword puzzle one, famous quips) about the city's Five Boroughs. In the sudoku book, for instance, you'll learn tidbits like these:

The New York Post, established in 1801 by Alexander Hamilton, is the oldest newspaper to have been published continuously in the United States.

Times Square was formerly named Longacre Square. It was renamed in April 1904 after The New York Times moved its headquarters to the Times Building.

One hundred million Chinese food cartons are used annually in New York City.

In the crossword puzzle book, meanwhile, you'll find facts and quips like these:

From the ground to the tip of the flame, the Statue of Liberty measures 305 feet and 1 inch.

More than 800 different languages are spoken in New York.

The average monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the hip Meatpacking District was $6,665, as of 2011.

“Traffic signals in New York are just rough guidelines.” -- David Letterman

Naturally, both books contain solutions to all enclosed puzzles, and as a bonus, by purchasing one or both books, you'll be entitled to a free, 90-day subscription to The Puzzle Society's online puzzle club, granting you exclusive, unlimited access to more than 70 current puzzles added each week, plus more than 8,000 archived ones. So, whether you're spending an afternoon in Central Park, taking a cab ride across town, or waiting in line for tickets to a Broadway show, you definitely won't be bored while touring New York City, a city that boasts 8 million residents and more than 50 million tourists each year.

Of course, whether you're a Big Apple resident or a first-time visitor, you'll also benefit from actual travel guides, such as Moon Metro New York City and Sascha Zuger's Moon New York State.

So, have you ever been to New York City? If so, what's your fondest memory of the Big Apple?

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As always, I’m open to ideas for future posts. If you have any suggestions, burning questions, or destinations that you’d like me to explore in greater detail, please comment below, contact me via laura [at] wanderingsoles [dot] com, or connect with me on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclosure: While I occasionally accept free or discounted travel assistance when it coincides with my editorial goals, my opinion is never for sale, which means that everything written in my American Nomad blog and Moon travel guides is my unbiased reflection of the things that I see, do, and experience while traveling across the United States.

Photo of Pocket Posh books / Text © 2013 Laura Martone

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Laura Martone is Moon’s American Nomad and the author of Moon New Orleans, Moon Michigan, Moon Florida Keys, and Moon Baja RV Camping.