The New York City Haiku Mystery Tour is dedicated to families of the FDNY firefighters and other first responders who lost their lives at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. It is also dedicated to those who worked long months at the toxic and smoldering site, risking their health and, in many cases, paying the price—even with their lives.

The New York City Haiku Mystery Tour will give you a unique perspective and feel for the Big Apple. With this little book in hand, you’ll follow a winding path that brings you to the city’s most famous sights—and you can see them all in just a couple of days.

The book has over 600 numbered haikus (no chapters!). Besides haikus about the most famous sights, you’ll find haikus about many other places throughout the city. There are five boroughs in NYC: Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. Although each borough is worth a visit, the sights chosen for your tour are all in Manhattan—except for what you’ll see when you ride the Staten Island Ferry.

The tour includes many locations used in film and television. They are often photographed, used in commercial advertising and recognized all over the world. As you read through the book, you’ll come across a number of photographs. Each photograph marks a stop on the tour. Somewhere in the haikus just before any photo, there will be at least one haiku about that photo. You’ll have to figure out which haiku goes with each photo (there has to be at least a little mystery in a “Mystery Tour,” right?). You’ll notice that each haiku number has a letter after it. The letters are keyed to the boroughs, so you’ll always know which borough has the sight described in a haiku. There are also haikus about Central Park and a number of general haikus too. The general haikus mainly provide glimpses of the changing seasons here and the city’s wildlife, especially what you might see in our parks. Between photos, you’ll find haikus about many other sights you may wish to visit. Some are in Manhattan, but you will also find many haikus about attractions in the other four boroughs. I have tried to arrange the haikus so that you can make a detour to see something that may be of special interest to you without going too far off the path. Or, you can just think of this haiku tour as a basic plan; then customize it to fit your time, energy, budget and interests.

Robert Fitzpatrick