In our newly minted May 1 issue (so fresh I can still smell the printer's ink), our own Margaret Heilbrun in "New York Expo'd" offers the inside scoop on the some of the hot  panels and programs that will attract the over 2000 librarians expected to attend this year's BookExpo America  convention in New York City .Newbies and old hands may also want to check out  What Would Dewey Do?, a humorous PDF graphic guide to the show co-authored by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum, creaters of the popular library webcomic Unshelved.

While the Unshelved guys get a lot of the details right (including the long lines for the bad food),they did neglect some pointers that only a New Yorker who has experienced previous BEAs at the Jacob Javtts Center would know. So here's my advice:

2) Skip the long lines and terrible food at the  Javits Center  and head over to Manganaro's Hero Boy at 494 9th Avenue for some yummy Hero sandwiches (splurge on the $10 Mile High special: a super-hearty hero made with prosciutto, salami, mortadella, sopressata, salami, provolone, roasted peppers, lettuce, tomato, and spices) and delicioso traditional Italian cooking. Of course, now that I have given away my little secret, I am going to have to go in before the show opens in the morning to get my hero and avoid the lunchtime crowds!  WARNING:  Do not confuse Hero Boy with the Manganaro's grocery store  next door. The two shops are owned by feuding brothers who not spoken to each other in years. For dessert, head up a few blocks  to Poseiden's Greek Bakery (629 9th Avenue, between 44th and 45th Street) for the best bakalava in New York (although they also offer excellent savories (for a quick lunch)  like "Spanakopita, a popular spinach- and feta-filled delight, reatopita (meat pie with a touch of mint) and menina mash (a vegetarian favorite consisting of potatoes, cabbage, greens and onions)".

3) Relax and have fun. For librarians and other booklovers, going to BEA is like a being a pig in mud. A total delight.