5 comments about Newcomer's Handbook for Los Angeles.

1. The Newcomer's Handbook for Los Angeles not only gives helpful advice and tips for people relocating to LA, but is also an invaluable resource for people already native to this wild and crazy city. The Handbook gives wonderful infomation about the different section of LA, the nightlife, places to go just to relax and enjoy nature (yes, LA does have natural resources), and lists the popular annual events of LA. The Newcomer's Handbook for Los Angeles covers everything from where to move in LA, what to do in LA, and how to accomplish all this and not stick out as tourist looking for movie stars.



2. Wow, this book was helpful. I'd only been to LA a handful of times before making the big move, so needless to say I was totally stressed out about the whole thing. A friend recommended the Newcomer's Handbook and said it would give me all the info I needed to get settled, and she was right! This book had everything--how to get my phone and cable set up, where to buy household items, even what the local radio stations are (very important to know, especially in LA traffic). The best part, though, is that there's a map for each area (which even directionally challenged people like me can figure out), and a detailed description of practically every neighborhood in the whole city, which was really helpful for figuring out where to live and how to get around. And now that I'm here, I still use it. I've discovered some really cool things that I never knew existed, like Silent Movie (the last remaining silent movie theatre in the country). Anyhow, suffice it to say that I can't recommend the book enough. I feel like an LA native now (minus the big hair)!



3. I recently decided to relocate to L.A. from the Midwest, and of the three or four books I bought on the area, this was the one I kept referring back to. The neighborhood descriptions are invaluable, and unlike "Relocating to Los Angeles and Orange County," the book provides helpful tips that are specific to L.A. ("Relocating to..." has a huge section that's generic moving information repeated verbatim in the other books in their series.) The authors of the Newcomer's Handbook tell you what you need to know. They also list a service I didn't see listed anywhere else -- Personalized Relocation Management (...) which helped me find a great place in Santa Monica within 24 hours of landing at LAX. I highly recommend both the book and the service they list. Armed with both of these tools, and a Thomas Guide, you're sure to find what you're looking for with ease.



4. ... come on, you can tell that the reviews are written by the author or the publisher or friends thereof.

   This book is pretty much a hastily put together collection of stuff you can find in the Yellow Pages or boring informational websites. Waste of money.




5. You have to be totally out of this country and dumb to find enything interesting in that book. No street map included. Better read a telephone book, more information and much interesting, and it may be free.

1 comments about Graveyard Peaches: A California Memoir.

1. Celeste De Blasis brings the story of growing up on a southern California desert to life. I grew up on the high desert also. DeBlasis put voice to my memories of blood red sunrises, sunsets that turned the desert to pure gold, and the starry starry nights of our youth, the stars almost close enough to touch, are not so bright now with the ever encroaching sea of red tile roofs. now that people driven from L.A. by high costs of housing to our precious desert, to live cheap and commute far. When I read this book I was living in Montana. Celeste de blasis brought the desert and ranch life to me again and in our shared regret at losing the wide open, I thought "It isn't gone. It has just moved 1000 miles north to Montana."

No comments about Fodor's Southern California 2009: with Central Coast, Yosemite, Los Angeles, and San Diego (Fodor's Gold Guides).

No comments about L.A. Hot and Hip: The Ultimate Insider's Guide to Restaurants, Hotels, Clubs, Shops, the Art Scene, and More.

No comments about Fodor's Los Angeles 2007: With Disneyland and Orange County (Fodor's Gold Guides).

2 comments about Where We Live: Photographs of America from the Berman Collection (Getty Trust Publications: J. Paul Getty Museum).

1. I saw this show at the Getty Museum in LA and it was one of the best contempory photography show I have seen. the book is great!



2. The 198 photos in the book are part of the 450 that have very generously been given to the Getty by LA collectors Nancy and Bruce Berman. This lovely book was published in conjunction with an exhibition of the photos at the museum in 2006 and 7. The twenty-four photographers featured are probably the leading contemporary exponents in the US of this landscape image capture and one reason I like this type of book is that I get to discover photographers I was not aware of. My main discovery here was Jim Dow. In the back of the book there is an excellent biography of the photographers which nicely lists their books, I've already got my eye on one by Mr Dow.
   
   If you are familiar with recent landscape photography (and I think it's worth stating that this means the man-made landscape rather than natural) you'll most likely have seen some of the photos included: 'Petit's Mobil station' by George Tice, 'Red building in forest' by William Christenberry or '2nd Street, Ashland, Wisconsin' by Stephen Shore are three I've frequently seen but I feel the strength of the book is the opportunity to compare how these twenty-four photographers interpret the same subject.
   
   The impressive page size: about eleven inches square, screen: 250dpi+ and quality paper and printing mean the photos sparkle on the page though I did wonder if maybe a few images had been taken from chromo prints rather than the original transparencies. I noticed a softness and lack of detail in a Stephen Shore photo of Easton, Pennsylvania for instance.
   
   The book cannot be considered a definitive survey of contemporary landscape photographers, only those in the Getty Collection have been included so no Lewis Baltz, Jeff Brouws, Gregory Conniff or David Graham for example but those that are presented are clearly part of the top creative interpreters of man-made America
   
   ***FOR A LOOK INSIDE click 'customer images' under the cover.

5 comments about Lonely Planet Los Angeles (Lonely Planet City Guide).

1. I bought this book when I was in Spain to learn a bit about Los Angeles, the Metro System, the people, the places, and what to expect as a whole. I am like many others who REALLY ENJOY Lonely Planet books and make them my first choice when selecting a guide book. But, this edition needs to be redone.

   My boyfriend (who has lived here for 10 years, and is a native Californian) was really disappointed in this book. He mentioned how Ms. Schulte-Peevers has completely missed the target audience, people who are coming to Los Angeles to soak up sun, expose themselves to other cultures and learn about the Los Angeles not seen by most. I mean, come on, "from collegen to celluloid" (see cover). How cliché can one be?

   There is another layer to Los Angeles. A layer that envolves hard working people and a mind-blowing diversity of cultures, the likes of which is to be found nowhere else in the world.
   Most of her comments are only related to where the hip and trendy (I swear to gawd, she actually uses the word "grungster")people are eating, sun-bathing and shopping. She leaves out most of the ethnic culture and cuisine that is here and waiting to be experienced by travellers. She also implies that Compton and Inglewood (South Central) are completely unsafe to visit. This could not be farther from the truth. As with every city in the world, they have places that are thriving and safe and areas that are dangerous.

   Her areas visited seem only to be around the Venice Beach area and Santa Monica, not any place north, south, or east of the center of Los Angeles.

   The only stars given for this book is the durability. Props to the publisher. The book is stitched to the spine with silk thread. Other guides are only glued.

   If you want to know the real Los Angeles, check out the Fodors Gold Guide to Los Angeles and find a local person to show you around. In Fodors, things are organized by catagories and they tell you all kinds of useful stuff, like how to buy the tickets to an Angeles baseball game, eat at a decent restaurant and find the best and least crowded beaches. Admitedly, it is not much more than a phone book, and completely lacks any narative. But, alas, untill there is better, untill there is a travel book that takes note of the incredible mix of peoples and of waiting experiences that are here, it will just have to do :-(

   Sorry LP, your star has dimmed considerably over Los Angeles!




2. I've lived in LA for 5 years and the 1st edition of this book is how I truly got to discover this city. I own around a dozen LA guide books - some general, some specific to topics like food or architecture. If there ever was an all-in-one guide book for LA it tis he LP LA book. Far more detailed than the LA section of the LP California guide, it's full of maps, historical & architecure walking tours, restaurant recommendations, local history, and wacky places of the beaten path.
   My only complaint is that future additions weren't as user friendly as the 1st edition. This is basically due to switching from color pages (and color maps) to black and white. The initial "best" of LA list changed, as well. I gave away my new edition and just held onto my old worn copy from '99.



3. I bought several other guide books to LA at the same time I got this one and I have to say, this one's definitely my favorite! It's smart, entertaining and really informative. I've lived here for 3 years & all of the stuff I was familiar with was described accurately, but most importantly, it introduced me to all sorts of great new stuff too. (Oh, I also recommend the book Counter Intelligence as a good guide to the restaurants of LA.)



4. Los Angeles is a tough place to see if you aren't with a local but the top 10 guide offers some great suggestions. The restaurants and museums recommend are all top notch. It is clearly laid out and the freeway map is wonderful. Highly recommend in conjunction with the Eyewitness California book.



5. I've lived in LA for nearly 5 years and let me tell you, I've never held in my hand one light weight book that covers so much. Even if you've lived here for years, you'll find photos of things you've never seen before!
   
   They know every historic home, mansion, gallery, you name it, it's in this book.
   
   DK (Dorling Kindersley) books are top notch especially when it comes to illustration, maps and photos. This guide doesn't disappoint whatsoever.
   
   The only minor issue is that because the size of the book is relatively small and compact, the images are likewise pretty small. I still wouldn't trade it for any other guide!
   
   HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO GET LA IN YOUR FINGERTIPS, no website is going to jam this much information about LA in one place. Well worth the price and then some.

No comments about Venice, California: A Centennial Commemorative in Postcards, 1905-2005 (Center for American Places - Center Books on American Places).

No comments about Hidden L.A..

3 comments about Moon Metro Los Angeles: Unfold the City (Moon Metro).

1. L.A. is not a walking city. I loved these maps that helped me navigate the different areas of L.A.. Everything is clear: freeway exits, shopping and clubs districts. Really good guide for hanging out in L.A.



2. This book really helped while my husband and I went to L.A. for a vacation. The book has highlighted the most interesting areas of the city and made the ciy managable. Each highlighted area has its own fold out map with places to see and things to do. This is a great feature for driving around the city because you don't have a huge map to deal with (so chances are you won't wreck the rental car). Each highlighted area has infomation and a bit of history provided. The book also has pages in the back with detailed descriptions of interesting sites, resturants, hotels, etc. This book helps the tourist explore one area at a time. I highly recommend this book, and the metro moon series for the traveler.



3. On a recent visit to LA, I needed an easy-to-use resource just to get my bearings around this expansive and convoluted city. This led to my purchase of the Moon Metro guide, which is as sleek a handbook as one could envision for the visiting tourist. In my subsequent and constant usage of the book, I became increasingly disenchanted with the fragmentation of its presentation, as its editors focus on nine selected tourist areas rather than looking at the city from a navigational standpoint. On the plus side, the guidebook starts with helpful fold-out maps of the nine areas with key attractions identified and located. The nine areas are Santa Monica/Venice, Westwood/UCLA, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood/Melrose, La Brea/Fairfax, Hollywood, Los Feliz/Silverlake, Downtown/Little Tokyo/Chinatown, and further afield, Pasadena.
   
   The rest of the book consists of listings within those areas under the sections - sights, restaurants, nightlife, shops, art and leisure, and hotels. The trendy and well-trodden are included but also some interesting idiosyncratic recommendations like the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust on Wilshire. However, the parts ultimately do not add up to a useful whole, at least for anyone looking for a more cohesive view of the city. If you want to go to any attraction outside of the areas, for example, the Huntington Library, Universal Studios or the Getty Center, you may find mention of them in some generalized map or not at all.
   
   More problematic is how there is little guidance given on using the freeways or major thoroughfares to get from one area to the other. Unlike New York, LA is a city of scattered jewels very often separated by miles and miles of congested roadway. It seems the format of the Moon Metro guide is more conducive to more urbanized spaces whose attractions are within walking and subway commuting distances. Granted the book is a nice portable size, but you will still need to purchase an extensive city map and likely a more comprehensive tourbook of the area to make sure you take the most advantage of your trip to LA.