5 comments about Streetwise Paris Metro Map.

1. I bought one for each of the three of us going to France. They were small and laminated, and would fit inside our passport covers. Should have guessed that anything that small would be useless. If you are over 40, forget it. I don't wear glasses, but I could not read the print. The arondissments are not clear. They were useless for us, but they were stylishly cute, all the while.



2. This little laminated map, of the Metro and RER lines in and around Paris, is one of the most valuable and cheap investments you can make before you visit.The details on this map are very small. If you have any difficulty reading fine print, a portable magnifying glass may be in order. This map folds into thirds and easily fits in your pocket. Both the RER and Metro lines are displayed on the same side, making it easy to recognize where to connect with other lines. The free maps from the train stations separate the different lines, making it more cumbersome to plot your course. Spend the money, get this one - you'll use it.



3. This map was so helpful to us when we walked around Paris a couple weeks ago. You can get a metro map when you get to Paris, but I didn't see one that included the whole city in one map. The Lonely Planet Paris guide had a good map, too, but the mini map is easy to put in your pocket and reference as needed.



4. Super clean, conveniently-small. It is a great tool. (I did have to use my glasses to read it, but sometimes you are forced to give into old age...especially if you want to find your way through the Paris metro.



5. OK but not worth the money. These are free (albeit not laminated) at any Paris Metro station. Only bought it as I needed to get up to 25 dollars to get free shipping.

No comments about Good Bread Is Back: A Contemporary History of French Bread, the Way It Is Made, and the People Who Make It.

3 comments about The Rough Guide to Italy 8 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

1. We were planning to travel to the heel of Italy (Puglia region) and there really aren't any books that cover that area alone. Usually I buy other brands (Moon or Lonely Planet) but after comparing the information on Puglia side by side with the other books I decided that the Rough Guide better met our needs due to the quantity and practicality of the information provided (many of the smaller towns weren't even covered in the other books). We purchased local books in Italy that were more focused on the region but ended up using the Rough Guide every day.



2. This book is decidedly not for those who choose to rent a car as part of their visit to Italy. The "arrival" section of each town and region only discusses arrival by train or bus; nothing on roads or parking - either for towns or hotels. The chapter on Puglia mentions a coastal route, but then abruptly states, "you won't be able to come this way by train or bus anyway," and then jumps to a discussion of what's beyond the coastal route.
   
   (For price discussion, I will precede numbers with an "e" for euros, as e1.)
   
   The paragraph on car rental says "car rental in Italy is pricey... at around e250-e300 per week..." I have found a TWO week rental (April 2008) to be just over e300, including taxes and mandatory insurance coverage. Mandatory insurance is not mentioned by the guide, but it is what drives the price up. I agree that this is pricey, but it is about half the price of what the authors suggest.
   
   Does this guidebook eschew the car more for political reasons? Can't be, as the planet would be better off if we didn't travel at all (and did not buy guidebooks.)
   
   So, then, is this book geared to budget travelers? Not necessarily. The cost of train travel (for two) in Italy is comparable to the cost of car travel (even with gas approaching $10/gal.) For example, the train from Rome to Milan, according to the authors, would cost e94 for 2 adults (about $145), roughly the same as a compact car and gas for the day. I'm certainly not advocating renting a car to drive from Rome to Milan, but if one was traveling from Rome to Perugia to Siena to Florence to Pisa to Cinque Terra and then to Milan over several days, the costs are comparable. The authors should allow the traveler to weigh the cost/convenience factors of each.
   
   But, for real evidence that this book is not geared as budget traveler's guide, consider the nine price ranges for accommodations: (under e50), (e51-75), (e76-100),... (e251-300), (e300+). At the current exchange rate of e1=$1.60, e50=$80, e75=$120, and e300=$480. Certainly at these levels of expenditure, a budget traveler would be much better off financially by renting a car and staying outside of towns in cheaper rooms. Unfortunately, this option isn't really covered in this guidebook. (And, honestly, do people who spend $480+/night for a hotel really buy a Rough Guide and plan their own vacation?)
   
   Generally, I quite like Rough Guides; they tend to be much better written, more colorfully and honestly, than one of the leading brands ("LP") which refuses to even say something bad about Newark, NJ, in its USA book. But, generally speaking, Rough Guides also tend to be better than this particular Rough Guide.
   
   I do very much appreciate the inclusion of detailed instructions on using the buses and trains; this information is often the best reason to buy a guidebook. But, by omitting everything about renting a car in Italy, and at the same time having an $80 lowest price category for accommodation, this book ultimately is not ideal for any audience and disappoints.
   
   These authors must realize that a sensible way for many people to visit Italy would be with some time spent in major cities without a car, and some time in the countryside behind the wheel. I have no problem omitting the discussion of "what to do with your car in Rome, Milan and Venice", but the omission of suggested driving routes, parking locations and sites along the route to smaller towns and national parks is a major oversight and a serious negative of this guidebook.
   
   The included material is good; the omitted material is glaring. I net this to 3 stars.



3. It is better to have this book than nothing. It does have some basic information in it. But there are also very basic things left out. Things like practical information to help with planning how to get where you want to go are missing or wrong. Moreover, the ability to get a good overview of what, among the endless possibilities of attractions, are really the ones most likely to be of interest, is simply not possible from the guidebook. Hence, we actually bought another guide book while we were in Italy to complement all that was lacking in this one. Especially when traveling to regions commonly covered by other books, such as we were (Rome and Naples), another option would probably be better.

5 comments about One Thousand Buildings of Paris.

1. all 1,000? No way. Too big to have as a travel companion but so many memories that it should be owned by everyone who loves Paris.



2. 
   This book was given to me,along with the London's one.
   One does not need to be an archictect or a professionnal builder to appreciate this masterpiece.
   In the last 100 years, Paris has eluded any massive destruction and as such has kept its historic,poetic and romantic characters.
   The book is precised,well mapped,and the photos are top notched.
   It would not be easy to carry around while visiting Paris! however one can list ahead of time the buildings of interest.
   the book is photographed and written, by three Americans, which makes it even more interesting ,with their artistic objectivity and a view with a non parisian or gallic optic.
   well worth the investment,and a real treasure.



3. I love it!! It's very comprehensive and detailed, and the pages are big enough to accomodate all of the photographs and text. The quality of the book itself is also good.



4. Clearly a lot of exhausting work went into this book, but as in any catalog, the quality of the descriptions varies in quality and depth, and there are typos. The author mixes casual language with more formal reporting in a way that is sometimes stylistically jarring. I heard the author speak in Paris, and evidently it was not possible to obtain permission to photograph some buildings, so the collection while in some ways comprehensive doesn't contain all the author had wished or that the reader familiar with Paris might hope for. This isn't the author's fault, just some French craziness, but it is unfortunate. I keep the book in my apartment in Paris, and use it to familiarize myself with buildings I walk by regularly. As the Parisians say, walking in Paris is "very pleasant," and this book makes one a more informed walker. The description of the Hotel de Sully in the 4th is especially nice. Pair it with the catalog of the Atget exhibition for some interesting contrasts, both historic and photographic. Paris is a sublime feast, and this is a book for those who will take the time to taste it more fully. I don't believe any other book like this exists.



5. This is a huge book with hundreds of beautiful black and white pictures of Paris buildings. Photos are absolutely carrying out Paris soul and give you that special feeling of the city, that of art, history and grace. Turning the pages one by one, you just walk around this glorious city. I've been to Paris several times and I think this book is the second best thing after actually being there.

2 comments about Wallpaper City Guide: Paris (Wallpaper City Guide Paris).

1. Wallpaper Magazine --- the bible of all that is cutting edge in international design/fashion/travel/interiors --- is celebrating its 10th birthday.
   
   And how better to show off its grown-up status --- at ten, a magazine is old enough to drink and smoke and Lord knows what else --- than by rolling out a slew of travel guides that are exactly as hip as the magazine?
   
   These make no effort to be complete. They're 100+ pages. Paperback. Smallish: 6" by 4". With photos that sometimes fill two pages.
   
   In other words, these are not travel guides for first-time travelers. (You want a primer --- start with a guide like Fodor's.) These books are a whole other game. Indeed, they're so of the moment that they probably need to be junked and massively revised every year or two --- the cutting edge has a way of cutting the throats of hip restaurants and shops. And the thing about architecture is that there's always more of it, and the new stuff is (or so the media would have it) just a bit more exciting than last year's.
   
   To judge these guides, I selected a city I know well (Paris) and the city that's been home for most of my life (New York). Talk about surprising! No, make that mind-blowing.
   
   Wallpaper's Paris Guide doesn't fall for the lie that the city never changes. It sees "constant, if sometimes, gentle, upheaval." Yes --- if you are 25 years old and have spent quantity time haunting the chic arrondissements. If, like me, you have a family and plunk yourself down in the 6th or 7th, this guide is a revelation.
   
   I loved the cheek of this praise of the Marais: "These streets...are as near as Paris gets to signs of life on a Sunday." I was happily surprised to learn that Sacre-Coeur was "built as a monument to failure" (in the Franco-Prussian War). But after that...everything was new. I was especially agog at the hotels --- the photos are so exquisite they're hotel-porn. Who could afford these rooms? Why did I know so few of them?
   
   For that matter, I'd heard of half the restaurants, none of the clubs, few of the buildings. Shopping? Spas? Getaways? Zip. Zip. Zip. It got so that I frowned when I came across a recommendation for a known entity --- like Joel Robuchon's Atelier. Clearly, Joel's super-expensive, no-reservations eatery must be on the way out.
   
   Wallpaper's New York Guide was equally full of surprises. I live uptown --- clearly, everything worth seeing or doing is way downtown. (Though it was bracing to see the Paris Theatre, at 5th Avenue and 58th Street, listed as the city's best art-movie cinema.) I've never heard of the beautiful Matsuri Restaurant (in the Maritime Hotel), or Thor, or Public, or Odea, or En, or Morimoto. And that's just the tip of my iceberg of ignorance.
   
   But here's the thing: Nowhere in these guides do I get the feeling that the writer is sneering at me. Or, that if I go to these places, the proprietors will look at my preppy blazer and graying hair and frantically look for a velvet rope to bar me. The exclusionary factor here is money --- bargains are not a Wallpaper priority.
   
   But, hey, you're on a vacation. A little splurge won't kill you. And if you cherry-pick the suggestions in these guides, you're sure to have an adventure you can share with the folks back home. But you'll have to excuse me now --- I'm off to visit New York



2. These include a couple of poorly reproduced photos and tiny articles drawn from the magazine, obviously nobody was sent there seperately to do anymore research or come up with any useful information. These are vapid and terrible.
   
   Save your money and get a real guide book, the same places will be included but you might learn something.

5 comments about Paris: The Biography of a City.

1. Being from Paris and now living in the US, I looked forward to this book. I thought I would get a review of history and maybe find out new things. The history is OK but very slim in many instances. What disappointed me the most was that there were almost no pictures. It would have been fun, for example, to have both historical illustrations and modern pictures of an area being described in this book. Many things are described but it just is not the same as seeing it in pictures. Most illustrations were obscure and not explained within the context of the book.
   
   All in all, better to get two books - one on history and the other on architecture. Trying to do justice to both does not work.



2. This book is terribly organized. I'm not sure what happened in writing this book, but it seems clear that Professor Jones did not compile this in the chronological order that it is printed in.
   
   My main complaint is that rather obscure concepts/people/events are repeatedly referred to, and then only later does Jones bother to define them. (I would almost prefer that he not define something at all, rather than offering a definition 100 pages after his first reference to it!) The fact that the book has an index only further infuriated me - clearly the author/publisher knew where all these terms were located throughout the book, yet did not bother to offer a definition in the appropriate/first reference to the concept.
   
   Examples are numerous, but here are a few:
   **robe nobility: referenced on pages 139, 152, 183. Defined? (pg. 183)
   **sans culottes: first referenced on page 189, defined on page 231.
   **Louis-Sebastien Mercier: referenced on pages 11, 138, 178, 189, 200, 204, 212, 213. When did Jones provide information (that he was a "journalist, dramatist and observer of Parisian mores") on just WHO Mercier is? Page 215.
   
   Aside from that, there are some plain old errors. One such is in the text box on Saint Genevieve. Jones mentions that she negotiated with Frankish military chieftains in the 570s and 580s. She died in 512AD, so the negotiations seem improbable. (470s & 480s would be correct, but I should not have to figure that out.)
   
   The redeeming quality of the book is that if DOES offer information on Paris if you are willing to sift through the above mentioned annoyances. And Paris is not such a bad subject.



3. I understand now that the "biography of a city" genre means, literally, what happened to the city in question throughout its existence. This does not mean the reader will get a historical survey of events within the city. It means the reader will get a more-or-less chronological account of building programs, road building, and changes in sewage infrastructure.
   
   In short: dry reading.
   
   I bought Paris: The Biography of a City on the eve of my trip to Paris, thinking a history of Paris would give me a sense of context. However, history involves people and events. Needless to say, I was sorely disappointed by what I got, and instead read John Roberts's excellent book, The French Revolution. But driven by an obsession with finishing every book I start, I finished reading this book on my return to the U.S.
   
   Taken for what it is, this book is a decent and apparently accurate catalog of Paris's growth since its early years. However, Jones merely mentions in passing major events like the St. Bartholomew's massacre and Napoleon III's coup d'etat, and people like Robespierre and Napoleon Bonaparte, as if the reader already knew all about them.
   
   A city without people is not a city. Likewise, a biography of a city that goes into almost no detail about the people who lived in that city through the ages is hardly a biography. Or at least, hardly a biography worth reading.



4. I found this book disappointing for other reasons than reviewers have already cited. Namely, it's a very poorly-chosen title. It miscues readers that the story will be told in a alternative way. i.e. Paris (a physical place) has a bio, that is literally comprised of the stories of the objects that compose it. I wish Jones had scrapped this book and written that one instead. That one sounds like fun.
   
   I have no idea how the one review below picked that sentence as typical. I couldn't find a similar sentence anywhere in the book. It's not a difficult read at all.
   
   It's also not an compelling one. The title hints at a book where Paris and it's objects will become protagonists: the story of Paris will be told through artifacts. That's some hook! But the book has little to do with relating Paris' `biography' as such. Instead this is just a conventional history of Paris, with multiple pages devoted to incidents that were long ago sufficiently mythologized, and thus well-known. Paris Commune, Eiffel Tower, Sacre Couer, Haussmaninzation etc. Jones covers every topic as `history' leading to a final few sentences about the artifact that remains. It's unfortunate. Simon Schama's history of the revolution (Citizens) is not very different from this, not a city. It's conventional. This is how histories have been written for the entire 20th century.
   
   It also seems like you can't talk about spaces and buildings without talking about architects too. There's barely a word about anyone other than Haussmann. You can't talk about the Pompidou Center without mentioning Archigram, unless you're writing at the level of "travel pamphlet." It's just not possible.
   
   The topic of Paris is aching for someone to discover its hidden humor. I love Paris but it takes itself so seriously that all who deign to describe it unfortunately become humorless themselves.



5. This books greatest strength and weakness is that it is one of the most thorough overviews on the city of Paris history that has been written yet. Unlike many it goes into wonderful detail on the early years of Paris and the build up on the Isle de cite. One of the other drawbacks is that the maps of Paris in the back are just okay but if you have a Paris travel book with good maps you will be better served for following the authors descriptions. The downside to the detail is that you can get bogged down very easily and lose the authors main point with all of the detail. The book tends to glaze over the post world war II era and I would have liked more explanation of the reconstruction efforts.
   Overall it was an excellent summary of Parisian history and put Paris in the context of the entire country. There are many books like this that offer the biography of the city and I would put this one in the middle of those. It is hard to have a very strong opinion of this book since it was neither amazing nor terrible. For those looking to learn some more about the history of the city or those who want another perspective on French history it is probably worth a read but for the general consumer on European history it is probably worth a pass.

5 comments about French Country Hideaways: Vacationing At Private Chateaus & Manors in Rural France.

1. Do you like to dream of travel? Or do you really go to France, leaving the beaten track to experience the very best countryside, cuisine, elegance and hospitality? Either way, this stunning book is perfect for you!
   
   Casey O'Brien Blondes has found, meticulously researched, and visited 36 authentic chateaux and manor houses that welcome travelers. More than that, she describes the spirit and character of each place so vividly that you can practically smell the pungent rosemary in the kitchen or the antique roses you might find on your bedside table. While soaking up the history of the place or meeting the family, you will revel in the beauty of Stephanie Cardon's incandescent photographs. This is also an unusual and glorious resource for interior designers, filled with color and charm from austere to cozy.



2. I can only comment on the pictures in this book because I haven't had time to read the text lately. The pictures of the exteriors of the chateaus and manors are very well done. There are some nice photos of the interiors - what one would typically expect in a book of this title. Nothing was surprising and I wouldn't exactly call the interiors fabulous. For truly fabulous interiors I would suggest: The French Chateau by Christiane de Nicolay-Mazery & The French Country House, also by Christiane de Nicolay-Mazery.



3. This is a great book for someone who is thinking of staying at a private French chateau or at a country manor. The book is divided into different regions of France, beautifully illustrating both the exteriors with their stunning views as well as the interiors of these places. One learns some information about the current owners of these charming dwellings. For each residence, there is a list of places to visit recommended by the owners. At the back of the book there is useful information on each chateau or manor such as the address, phone number, fax number, and often email address and website. This is a great travel aid for someone who planning a special vacation in rural France. Great decorating ideas too!



4. This book is very informative and interesting. I leave it on my cocktail table so I can always refer and review the book and its photos.



5. As a residential home design company "Jeff Andrews Custom Home Design Inc." [...]. This book has been a great addition to our library. Clients contact me asking for all kinds of architectural styles and designs from all over the world. This book was a great help in capturing the French Country Style for my clients.

2 comments about Michelin Green Guide Alsace-Lorraine-Champagne (Michelin Green Guide: Alsace Lorraine Champagne).

1. This was a great companion to our (my husband & I) tour of the Alsace reagion of France which is worth the trip! It is a beautiful not-well traveled region of France. We visited this French/German area on a trip where we visited Mont Blanc and the French Riveria as well. We were greeted with only friendliness from the wineries and other French people that we met on our visit to Alsace.



2. Maps are good, but could be a little more complete. Found a typo or two on it, but worked for me to navigate to more obscure parts of Alsace.

5 comments about French By Heart: An American Family's Adventures in La Belle France.

1. In "French By Heart: An American Family's Adventures in La Belle France" Rebecca Ramsey chronicled her adventure living in France for four years after her husband, Todd was relocated due to work. The couple sold their house in Greer, South Carolina and together with their three children and cat, they were eager for their new home in France. Most of the book focused on Rebecca's attempt to learn French, absorb the culture, and basically adjust to living in France. In addition, her children were unfamiliar with the language and it took a lot of adjusment for them to study at a French school. The family lived across from Madame Mallet, an old French lady who took it upon herself to educate Rebecca and her family on proper French manners.
   
   This was an average read for me. The author focused a lot on her conversations and irritation with Madame Mallet and even though it was somewhat interesting at the beginning of the book, it was a little dull for towards the end. If you are looking for travelogue type read, "French by Heart" would not be the right choice as the author spent little time writing on her travels. Instead, the book dealt primarily with the family adjusting to living in a foreign country.



2. A wonderful book about living with the French, yet it was realistic in that there are always going to bumps in any relationship. I loved the chapter about the family cat, pate and gazing at the moon. I wish Ms Ramsey would live somewhere else (Florence? Tokyo?) and write about the experience.



3. FRENCH BY HEART is a great read. The 320 pages went by very quickly. I read it in two sittings. It might help to have a year or two of French under your belt to enjoy this novel more, but it's not extremely important. It's very funny, and slightly nerve wracking at the beginning. I can't fathom picking up my family and moving like Ramsey did. That family has guts. Highly recommend this book.



4. "French By Heart" falls into a less crowded genre of travel books. Two overworked themes are "My Summer House Overseas -- Troubles Making It Liveable", and "Moving Abroad After Marrying A Foreigner -- Adjusting To A Strange Place". This book falls into the category of those spending a few years abroad, and while remaining fundamentally American want to make the most of their experience. There are a few other books in this genre I've read and preferred to this book; I'll mention them at the end of the review.
   
   "French By Heart" starts off very promising. The family is moving to France for the husband's job at Michelin, and they've decided for the full immersion experience. Unlike many ex-pats who cluster together and try make France disappear, Rebecca Ramsey and her husband deliberately decide on a small village with no other Americans. The writing at this point is bright and witty. In fact her young son Ben gets off some of the most amusing lines of the book as he reacts to the news the family is going to France.
   
   The disappointing thing to me is that the book went downhill from there. As with many neophyte writers, Ramsey puts too many adjectives in her sentences as she tries to convey to the reader the wonder around her. It's the verbal equivalent of Baroque art, a little over the top and just as difficult to comprehend. One appreciates skillful writers after encountering writing like this, realizing in retrospect what a delight it is to read someone who captures the experience with a few deftly chosen words instead of sentences so jammed with descriptives they are difficult to read.
   
   Not only was the writing style disappointing, so too the content. A little village in France, someone dying to take part in it. As she writes, "Could we be French too, just for a little while?" The reader might be forgiven for assuming at this point that Ramsey intends to adopt the values, mores, and habits of those in her rural village. Well, she doesn't. I'm not sure after reading the book what it is that Ramsey loves about France. It's not the small shops and village life, since Ramsey shops at the local supermarket and has hardly a mention of local festivals and events. Aren't small villages supposed to be filled with them? The bulk of the book details her interactions with the elderly misanthrope who lives next-door, a lady who criticizes everything about Ramsey and her family. One or two chapters was enough to get the point across.
   
   Missing from the book is much of what I hoped to find in the story of an American family endeavoring to adapt to life in France. We learn little of the school except parents aren't welcome to visit and of a field trip Ramsey helps chaperone. What were her kids learning, how did it differ from the States, how did they get along with the other native kids? Nary a word, just chapter upon chapter about the miserable lady next door. And even though this is her story and not her husbands, what of his job? Surely after 4 years she has some stories to relate how working life is different in France than here. Missing too are stories to bring the small village to life, of the small shops, churches, parks, buildings, and people that presumably led the family to choose to live in a small village.
   
   Interesting to me was how someone can be face-to-face with something, even relate stories about it, and yet fail to see it. Ramsey professes to want to adapt French ways and take part in French culture, yet she somehow fails to see that her children are not making the cut. Several times she reports being chided by the French for the way her children behave. She reports how well-mannered the French children she meets are. Yet the thought never seems to strike her that perhaps childhood behavior is under parental control and not the result of French genes or some vaccination.
   
   My guess is that this work is a diary turned into a book. Keeping a diary isn't a bad thing, its just that it tends to focus on the day-to-day events and not the bigger picture. The day to day events in Ms. Ramsey's life were her run-ins with the crabby neighbor, and I think Ms. Ramsey never stepped back from her diary to reflect on the overall experience when she was turning it into a book. So the book is filled with those day-to-day experiences rather than the story of a family in France. I'd also guess she started the diary when she moved to France, because the best writing of the book by far are the earlier chapters where she's probably reconstructing the decision to move from memory rather than from the pages of a diary.
   
   In the end I'd say this is a decent book. Not unreadable by any means, but not the first one I'd reach for if I wanted to give someone who likes France a good book to read. For expat stories, let me recommend two other titles. These 2 books are by professional writers, and while it is no disrespect to Ramsey since this is her first book, the difference shows. "Paris to the Moon" by Gopnik is a delightful story of a family spending a few years in Paris that really brings the experience alive. "From Here, You Can't See Paris" by Sanders is what this book wants to be; the author spends a year in a French village and captures the local people and town in a way Ramsey's book simply can't. And Sanders immerses himself in the rural life; no supermarkets for him!



5. Fast moving memoir about a young family from Greer, South Carolina moving to France as her husband has a job transfer with Michelin. Rebecca Ramsey writes short, descriptive chapters about her family of five's stay in another country that lasted four years and how it felt to 'fit in'. I found it most interesting how the cultures were different yet similar and how life ebbs and flows with this mother of three. I was sad when they left and would love to know that she keeps in touch with her nosy neighbor!

5 comments about Knopf MapGuide: Paris (Knopf Citymap Guides).

1. I find this series very helpful when I travel. they're small enough carry around and accurate/detailed enough to actually be helpful. A great design



2. Well OK, not lives, but it made a first time visit to Paris in June 2007 even more wonderful than it already was!
   
   We went to Paris as a family group of eight as the last part of a trip that also included Madrid and Barcelona.
   
   This book and its companion edition on Barcelona were extremely helpful and up to date. The beginning overview easily segues into the separate detail maps of different sections of the city. They are large enough to show street level detail in print large enough to be read without reading glasses. They are easily read in dim light, stiff enough to be read in a breeze and small enough to be somewhat covert (that is, it isn't obvious to everyone within a block that you don't know where you are). The metro and train maps at the back are accurate and a real helpful and thoughtful addition to each book.
   
   The entries on attractions, restaurants, shopping, and music were well written, accurate and up to date. We did not encounter listed places that were out of business or at great variance as to price.



3. I absolutely love this guidebook. Its format is extremely convenient: small enough to fit in a purse or a coat pocket, yet detailed enough to provide most of the information you need. The small fold- out maps cover the entire city and are easy to read. There is information about services such as bank opening times. It lists places to stay, shop and eat according to one's budget (the choices are very good) and of course what to see. My very favorite feature is the subway map in back of the book, a must if you want to get around inexpensively and efficiently. I wouldn't dream of going to Paris without it!



4. A handy sized guide to take along in my purse without feeling weighted down. The fold out maps are very nice but I would like to have had just one blank page for writing extra notes!



5. I travel abroad a lot. This is the best style of map guide I have found.
   It's small enough to carry around, but you don't have to open up a full map and figure out how to refold it again while standing in the street.
   The only thing it lacks is street listings.