3 comments about Foghorn Outdoors New England Camping: The Complete Guide to More Than 800 Tent and RV Campgrounds.

1. We just returned from a trip where we intended to stay at Surry Mountain Camping Area - rated an 8 in "New England Camping". When we arrived there Friday evening we were very surprised at the condition and cleanliness of the "campground". There was trash in several of the sites that looked like it had been there a while, run down trailers and it was clear the campground has not been well maintained for some time. With two small children, we had no choice but to forego our deposit and leave. In fact, we didn't even get out of the car. While I'm sure this is an oversight (had the authors even been to this site?), I can't say that I will be using this book for planning future camping trips.



2. My husband and I planned a 6 hour trip to a campground in Maine. When we arrived there, the campground was someone's backyard and the "silver lake" was down the road and across the street! The so-called sites were muddy spots that were so small we could not get our camper in the them. We pulled out this book and located a campground 12 miles up the mountain that we loved so much we booked for next year. We should have consulted the book in the first place!



3. I have the second edition (1999) and admit that I have used it only a few times so far. While it's unfortunate that a previous reviewer had a bad experience, the authors clearly state in the beginning of the guide that the number ratings indicate scenic beauty of the campground, not overall campground quality: "...ratings are based solely on scenic appeal and do not reflect quality issues such as cleanliness of the camp or the temprament of the management, which can change from day to day." Users of the book would be wise to note this distinction and not blame the authors when a campground fails the cleanliness test.

5 comments about London For Dummies (Dummies Travel).

1. I read this book before we left for London and took it with me. Since we were only going to be there from Dec 26 through Jan 1 we wanted to see as much as possible. The maps were a great help in laying out a logical route for each day. Each place we wanted to see had a description, price, hours, and especially the tube stop in the book. We travelled everywhere by tube (London Underground) so there was no guesswork. Buy a day Travelcard for Zone 1 and 2 and you are set. We never found any mistakes in the book. You must see the fireworks from the London Eye on New Year's Eve. We were on the Waterloo Bridge and it was spectacular.



2. I used this book every day when I was in London. The maps were very helpful.



3. Borrowed this from the library and found we couldn't leave home without it, had to buy it! Everything we needed to know to get ready for our stay over the pond. Taking the source with us.



4. I've not yet been to London, but I found five errors of fact. Not very encouraging when you come to a book to get reliable information! What other little surprises are there that I don't know about?
   
   It might suit an American readership, but I found the text often patronising of the British people, and quite offensive to the Royal Family. I think tact and respect are always pleasant characteristics in a visitor....
   
   My recommendation would be to stick with Lonely Planet Guides, which have served me well on several continents.



5. I did not have an up-to-date copy of Rick Steve's LONDON 2008, so I bought a copy of LONDON FOR DUMMIES, 4th Edition, at the PX of a nearby USAF base.
   
   The book, published only two years ago, noted that a particular London hotel was "chic," and had been "recently refurbished." Well, I followed the book's advice, and reserved a room at the hotel. Wel-l-l, the carpet was filthy, the curtains were grimy, and even the walls were grimy. The place was downright disgusting. Even after two years, it is doubtful that a place could go downhill that fast. Yecccch!
   
   I just ordered a new copy of Rick Steve's guide LONDON 2008. Buy it! Rick Steve's will steer you to the right place.
   
   I believe that I wasted money on the LONDON FOR DUMMIES book . . . and I ended up being the "dummy"! :-)

1 comments about Paddling Cape Cod: A Coastal Explorer's Guide.

1. We are new kayakers, in our fifties, and have our own kayaks. We read this book cover to cover before setting out on our first expedition. The book not only details each trip with clear maps, but also tells you when to launch according to the tides, what to look for in weather reports, parking and prices, and clear maps. Since we are new, this information made us feel prepared and safe. The authors' natural history and beautifully illustrated birds and marine life helped us identify what we were seeing. Our first trip to Barnstable Harbor was a delight! We knew when and where to put in and how long a trip it would be. We tasted Sea Pickle, walked on the dunes and were prepared to watch out for motor boats. We identified egrets and saw a great blue heron. This is a great guide, not only for paddling, but as a nature guide as well. We keep it in our waterproof bag with the binoculars they recommend having on board. It also has a wonderful resource appendix for shopping or getting more information. This book is worth the low cost investment.

2 comments about Haunted Cape Cod & the Islands.

1. There are few places as rich in history as Massachusetts and as alluring as Cape Cod. If you are as drawn to the Cape as I am and are fascinated by tales of the unknown, you will enjoy this book.
   The author presents the stories without embellishment and maintains the point of view from the people that are telling the stories. That, in my opinion, makes them even more frightening. The stories that are contained in the book are varied and well written. I highly recommend this one.



2. If you are interested in Cape Cod and enjoy curling up at night with a good ghost story or two, this book is for you. This type of book, which uses mostly contemporary first-hand accounts, is a welcome change from those that rely so heavily upon rehashed tales from the distant past. The stories are presented plainly, with a lack of embellishment that will make even the staunchest detractor wonder what may be possible. These fascinating tales will send chills down your spine!
   
   A word to the wise for those that have already read Mark Jasper's previous book, Haunted Inns of New England: some of the Cape Cod stories are recycled here, but understandably were just too good to leave out of a book exclusively about the Cape. A few tales are known legends, but the majority are new and, I believe, never before on record.
   
   While the locations of most private residences are not included, for obvious reasons, many of the stories are about real places of business that have allowed the author to include their name, town, and telephone number. All in all, this is an easy, enjoyable read.
   
   While reading this one, be sure to leave an extra light on to chase the shadows away!

1 comments about Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Boston (Irreverent Guides).

1. This guide is all hype and not great hype at that. So it points out that there are bars and places to shop in Boston. Big whoop!!! This is nothing that any half baked hotel bell hop can't tell you nor is it the reason people visit here. This book doesn't tell you anything and you're much better off using one of the better tour guides that give real information on the tourist sites than on using this lame piece of work.

No comments about Eastern Pennsylvania: An Explorer's Guide: Includes Philadelphia, Gettysburg, Amish Country & the Poconos (Explorer's Guides).

No comments about American Map Metro Boston Eastern Massachusetts: Street Atlas (American Map).

5 comments about Metro Boston, Eastern Massachusetts, Street Atlas (Metro Boston Eastern Masschusetts Street Atlas)(7th Edition).

1. I purchased this book for my son who is moving to Salem, Mass., from Michigan in August 2006. He took it with him when he went apartment hunting and said it was "a great help." He also used it to explore Boston. He found it to be very detailed. He liked the fact that it is spiral bound, staying open easily on the needed page. For myself, I found the print just a tad too small, but being 52, my eyesight is not what it was... My son did not find this a problem. In fact, he felt that with bigger print, the book would be increased in size unfavorably.



2. If you're going to Boston and don't know you're way around, you will need this book. You will need to sit down and really look at it, and then keep it with you. If you get lost, don't try and use logic or common sense to unravel your path. Just pull over and get your map out, and make a plan before you try and inch your way back into traffic.
   
   This has got to be the most user-unfriendly town in America. If you are not from here, good luck trying to get around. Even my buddy with GPS gets lost because the thing cannot react fast enough, and doesn't know how to convey directions such as "stay in the left lane, lane markings will disappear and reappear later on slightly different planes, but stay left because the road will suddenly split, but then immediately take a left turn, but not the first left but the slightly more obtuse left turn radiating from just ten yards further down the street." If you a make a mistake, do not imagine for a moment that you can fix it easily. You can go on unimaginable adventures just trying to turn around. For example, if you want to make a left on to Mass Ave from Somerville road, well, you just can't, but that shouldn't be a big deal, you just make a right and find a place to turn around. However, you will literally drive from city to city before you find a place to turn around. I know everybody thinks their own town is eccentric, but Boston is hands down the most passive-aggressive city to newcomers or visitors. Streets change names multiple times in a short stretch, have different names on different sides of the street, all while multiple streets will have the same name. Which is all irrelevant because if you are fortunate enough to see a street sign, it is probably too late to react to it. People here don't seem phased by it, they are often surprised to find out that other cities are laid out in a grid, where the streets hit each other at right angles, four corners only per intersection, and you can actually point yourself in the direction of where are going and find your way there with reason and will alone.
   
   These maps are a nice guide for pedestrians too. And, actually, walking is the easiest way to get around Boston. The challenge of course for pedestrians would still be the Boston drivers. If the cars do stop before hitting you, the drivers will give you a look that let's you know that you've been fortunate. It's a look that says, "I'm not going to hit you with my car, but please understand that this is a choice I have made, at great sacrifice. Your life is henceforth a privilege I've granted you."
   
   One more little thing that complicates getting around Boston. Let's do this in the form of a quiz. Give your best guess at how to pronounce the following neighborhoods: Berlin, Billerica, Cochituate, Leicester, Leominster, Peabody, Woburn, Worcester. Aren't you silly, where y'from, Iowa?



3. American Map consistently produces the best atlases (ADC's atlases are ususally a close second), and this is incontestably the best available resource for navigating the streets of Boston and its suburbs. The Boston area is intelligently divided here into maps for each of the city's neighborhoods and outlying communities, and the detail is rich and reliable throughout. But the best aspect of this atlas, like any other from American Map, is the clarity and simplicity it achieves in spite of its detail. Highly recommended.



4. This atlas has excellent maps of Boston and suburban communities. It was a big help on my recent trip to the Boston area. The main distraction is it's a book of individual town maps colated alphabetically. As you drive across the area, you have to page between different maps in the book, and I couldn't find coverage of two spots that fell between towns. I find it easier to use an atlas laid out on a grid system like the San Diego County Street Guide published by Thomas. There is a guide map showing the grid making it easy to find the page to go to. As you travel east or west, you just turn the page for a continuation of the map. North-south travel is a bit more difficult; you have to look at the top or bottom of the page for the page number to go to next. DeLorme atlases are designed this way, too. The Metro Boston Atlas has some page number references to adjoining maps, but many are missing.



5. Great book for those visiting or moving to Boston. A bit large to carry around.

1 comments about 50 Hikes in Connecticut: Hikes and Walks from the Berkshires to the Coast, Fifth Edition.

1. I think that this book is a good beginning for anyone who enjoys hiking but doesn't know many places to go in CT. Once you get to know the different areas, this book falls short in the sense that there are many more hikes in CT than 50. This would make a nice gift for someone.

1 comments about Moon Handbooks Maryland and Delaware: Including Washington, D.C. (Moon Handbooks).

1. This book is the best for the money--I compared it to the Frommer's guide in the bookstore, and this one has twice as much information, and covers both states from top to bottom, including some pretty unusual attractions. Great for day trips from Baltimore, too.