--- product_id: 25195215 title: "Downtown" brand: "pete hamill" price: "€ 39.51" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 10 url: https://www.desertcart.be/products/25195215-downtown store_origin: BE region: Belgium --- # Downtown **Brand:** pete hamill **Price:** € 39.51 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Downtown by pete hamill - **How much does it cost?** € 39.51 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.be](https://www.desertcart.be/products/25195215-downtown) ## Best For - pete hamill enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted pete hamill brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Downtown ## Images ![Downtown - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41GiFxjtlYL.jpg) ![Downtown - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41TBrcpB2TS.jpg) ![Downtown - Image 3](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31WLC18ECQL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I'm not sure how I felt on this one. *by O***Y on Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2015* I'm not entirely sure how much I liked this book. There were parts in where Pete Hamill really raised my brow on some insightful tidbits on the history of Manhattan, but there were a lot of lulls where it was hard to keep reading. In the end I figured this read jumped between a five star book and a three that it was good enough.Hamill has a great writing style and can play up nostalgia very well. He made me feel like some of the things that no one alive today could be old enough to remember seem like something that happened yesterday. In a sense it almost did in terms of relative time, when the Dutch carved out the first settlement on the island, to when the British captured the city in the war, to when the bums got the boot on the lower east side. Walking around knowing what I know now from this book really is fascinating that way. I also did a bit of fact checking myself on some of the specific details he mentioned, and it would seem didn't skimp on the research. This is no wikipedia research paper, his dates and facts check out.Another thing that I like is that he kind put my mind to ease a bit. This change quickly here in New York, especially the things you love. Veselka is mentioned, a wonderful Polish diner, one that I do care about, and I want it to be around forever like it seemingly has been. But nothing lasts forever, as Hamill points out. The trick is to not anguish over the loss and accept it. Veselka will be gone one day, but hopefully by then I will have found something else to move my love to. I always felt especially angry at what happened to my home in Manhattan, Tribeca, because of how real estate fiends came in and essentially forced everyone out to make way for Bed Bath and Beyond as well as over paid yuppies. After reading Downtown, and seeing how change like this is part of my home town history, and to appreciate being there when it was beautiful made me a little less upset.The reason this book want a life changing five star knock out is that sometimes I managed to get bored. The sentimental parts do kind of drone on and on. I think when Hamill wrote about the parts where he wasn't around to witness the events were more interesting simply because more of the facts but still delivered in a clever way. Then you get to the point where he is born. From there it gets mushy. I liked it better when he was able to remove himself a little more and focus on the shared history rather than his personal one. Sometimes it was interesting, but often it wasn't. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Lyrical and Lucid Glance at New York *by R***O on Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2006* Pete Hamill's "Downtown: My Manhattan" is part of the latest spate of books that combine personal New York City experience and New York City history, as do Colson Whitehead's "The Colossus of New York" (in a way) and Phillip Lopate's "Waterfront". However, Hamill's is as different from those two other books as those two books are different from each other. I don't know what is causing these authors to write such material--maybe the nostalgia brought about by the horrors of 9/11--but I'm glad they did.Nostalgia is the key word for Hamill's "Downtown". And it is not just the strong, personal nostalgia that Hamill luxuriates in: it's also the nostalgia that every true New Yorker feels for his City. Whether it was the Dutch or British who longed for their roots in the "Old World", as did the Irish, Eastern Europeans, Italians, Asians, Latinos, etc., or the people born here who cherish the memories of people and places now locked forever in the past, New York's ever-changing "scene" quickly compels our present into history. Hamill's sensitivity to this is brilliantly conveyed on every page.However, "Downtown" is by no means a treacly, misty-eyed glimpse backward. It is a studied and educational examination of several of New York's neighborhoods--some well-known, some not. The pieces about the Bowling Green area and Times Square were the most fascinating.What, to me, is special about this history is how it intertwines with other histories: with America's history, with Hamill's history, with my history, and, if you are a New Yorker, your history. I could not put down "Downtown"; in fact, I read it cover to cover in two sittings (I had to go to sleep) and then read it again. It's that amazing a book. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Book... *by M***O on Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2022* ... arrived in EXCELLENT condition !!! --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.be/products/25195215-downtown](https://www.desertcart.be/products/25195215-downtown) --- *Product available on Desertcart Belgium* *Store origin: BE* *Last updated: 2026-05-14*