Up Front by Martin B. Deutsch for 2014 WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT MARTIN Martin B. Deutsch created Frequent Flyer magazine in 1980 and was editor-in-chief and publisher for 15 years. He also wrote a column called "Up Front" for Frequent Flyer during those years. In a career that has spanned seven decades, he has published and edited dozens of other magazines, including Travel Management Daily and Travel Age. For many years, he also wrote columns for Argosy and Travel Agent magazines. After Joe Brancatelli created JoeSentMe.com in 2001, he called on Deutsch, his former boss at Frequent Flyer to create its noncommercial format. He is based in New York. December 18: GREAT BOOKS FOR THE LAST ON YOUR LIST If you're still searching for something to give, it's never too late to consider the perfect gift: a book. With so many formats, online ordering and last-minute delivery, it's easier than ever to select and quickly send a "book" of choice. Here's a handful of favorites from my 2014 reading list. December 5: A SPECIAL-OCCASION KIND OF PLACE In New York to celebrate landing a new client? In the process of wooing new business in the Big Apple? Have you recently enjoyed a particularly good week on the market? Has your late Aunt Tilly left you a small fortune? Are you perhaps planning an end-of-the-year holiday in New York? Have I got a restaurant for you. July 31: DINING ON MANHATTAN'S FRINGES Business travelers are staying in more diverse locations around Manhattan, so we feel comfortable exploring a pair of unusual restaurants slightly off New York's beaten gastronomic path. These places are on the geographic fringes of the classic Midtown business hub, but only a brisk walk or a few minutes away by taxi. May 15: (UPPER) WEST SIDE (DINING) STORY After introducing you to Hotel Beacon on Manhattan's mostly residential Upper West Side, you may be wondering where to eat if you decamp from your Midtown lodging. Here are several intriguing choices in the neighborhood that are relatively gentle on the budget and pleasing to the palate. April 10: STRANGERS IN A FAMILIAR LAND Things that business travelers take for granted--airline policies and amenities, for example--are strange to infrequent flyers. And terrain well-known to frequent flyers--Israel--is new ground for upscale, but less experienced, travelers. I realized this as I heard my friend talk about how he and some friends made their first big trip to the Middle East. March 13: A HOTEL BEACON ON MANHATTAN'S UPPER WEST SIDE How does a New York hotel outside the Manhattan business core compete when it doesn't have a chain affiliation or award bonus points? Thomas J. Travers, the general manager of the Hotel Beacon on the Upper West Side, explains his 24-year battle to attract business travelers. January 16: WHAT TO READ WHILE YOU'RE WAITING Others may prefer audio-video diversions, but I prefer having a good book or two handy while waiting out the next flight delay in an airline lounge or an airport coffee bar. Here's a trio of interesting tomes about European spies and detectives that will help you pass the time. These columns originally appeared at JoeSentMe.com. Copyright © 1962-2014 by Martin B. Deutsch. All rights reserved.