5 comments about Hollywood Then and Now (Then & Now).

1. I was given this book by a friend because he knows I was raised in Hollywood and love the history of the area. The archival photographs are quite nicely reproduced, however, the current photographs are very poor. I enjoy digital photography and was in Hollywood a few weeks ago and visited the same historic scenes from this book. I quite easily found the angle of the original shots found in this book.. why this book showed those same shots but taken from different angles than the original photos is beyond me. The modern photos in this book are also very unflattering, out of focus and even amateur in appearance... not much more than snapshots.

   The worst thing about this book are the many obvious mistakes in locations and historic details. What a shame.




2. I had been so impressed with the quality and accuracy of Rosemary Lord's book LOS ANGELES THEN AND NOW that I was delighted to find this new book HOLLYWOOD THEN AND NOW. It is brilliant and fascinating. This is an impressive, informative history of Hollywood. I worked in the Hollywood Motion Picture Industry during much of this time and Lord has captured the world I remember so well. I was pleased to see this book on the L.A. Times Bestseller List in January when it first came out and have bought several copies as they make great gifts. I look forward to her next book.



3. I had been so impressed with the quality and accuracy of Rosemary Lord's book LOS ANGELES THEN AND NOW that I was delighted to find her new book HOLLYWOOD THEN AND NOW. It is brilliant and fascinating. This is an impressive, informative history of Hollywood. I worked in the Hollywood Motion Picture Industry during much of this time and Lord has captured the world I remember so well. I was pleased to see this book on the L.A. Times Bestseller List in January when it first came out and have bought several copies as they make wonderful classy gifts. I look forward to her next book.



4. Great book if you have ever been to Hollywood. Bought this after visiting Hollywood and enjoyed relating the sites I saw to how they looked originally



5. 
   As my title said, (in 50 words or less) this book is a "photographic display of HOLLYWOOD, -- then and in the early 2000's".
   
   I found the book highly informative and enjoyable. Yes, the photos are in black and white, however, I believe the author did this to show continuum.
   
   The book is filled with (mostly) large photos of Hollywood, before and after time had changed the topography and architectural styles of the area.

5 comments about Picturing Los Angeles.

1. Jon and Nancy Wilkman have achieved an amazing feat. They have taken the history of Los Angeles as their canvas, and illustrated its past in a voluminous display of images from the beginning to the present, with a focus on each decade of the twentieth century. There is something for everyone in this book, and we see the city's history unfold through early photographs of downtown, the creation of such cultural venues as the Hollywood Bowl and the Coliseum, and the development of the San Fernando Valley. Movie stars, famous musicians, and other entertainers who made their mark are here, as are leading politicians, religious personalities, and sports figures. The vast ethnic diversity of the region is not something recent, as the authors make clear, but has long represented an essential aspect of the city's past. The sheer dynamism of the city thus comes through clearly, and the very nature of Los Angeles as one of the most photographed cities in the world makes this book, unique of its kind, a special addition to one's library. For not only are the pictures often startling in their originality and detail, but the accompanying text is clear, concise, and filled with insights that only long-time observers can bring to their subject. Significantly, the authors do not flinch from the uglier side of the city's history, with all its sordid details of crime, gangsters, and urban mayhem. That's a wise choice, since the purpose is not to glorify the city but to bring its history alive through both image and text. The approach works, and the reader is entertained, enervated, and ultimately enlightened.



2. Photos we hadn't seen before...insights we hadn't considered before.
   "Picturing Los Angeles" is a show-and-tell book of the highest order.
   If you're looking for the perfect gift to give newcomers to the LA area, a gift that will help them make sense of this unique community--this is it. Congratulations to the Wilkmans for delivering a history book that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. [Review by Albert Greenstein]



3. This looks like a coffee table book, but it's really an incisive narrative accompanied by fascinating pictures. The authors give us a whirlwind tour of the explosive pattern of growth and change that is the true history of Los Angeles. Propelled by a colorful array of eccentrics and geniuses we see the city constantly reinventing itself and leaping into the future. I had so much fun reading it I almost forgot how bad the damn traffic is here!



4. Incredible compendium of all the events and characters that created and still shape this most unique city. Much more fun than hunting down similar information on the internet, "Picturing Los Angeles" offers readers hours of fascinating reading, aided by an astounding collection of pictures. A seemingly impossible task to put together, the authors have provided a wonderful encyclopedia of the culture, architecture and citizenry of a town that continues to impact the world. You'll see why!



5. 
   This book is basically a photographical introduction to the history of Los Angeles . If you are interested in knowing about the history of Los Angeles, from it's very early beginnings , up until the early 2000's, then you will find this book very informative.
   
   
   There are many many photos that go along with the historical text. All photos are in black and white.

1 comments about Moleskine City Notebook Los Angeles (Moleskine City Notebook).

1. I've been waiting for this one for a long time, and I am pleased with what they've done. I won't be using this moleskine as a tourist, but instead as a resident of the LA area, writing down things I need to remember (and sometimes avoid) about this great area. I have so many LA-notes in my head that I've been wanting to get down on paper, and this is the paper I've been waiting for.
   
   That fact creates for me the only drawback to this little dude. It does not include all areas of the sprawling City of Los Angeles in its detailed sectional map. As a result, important places like Crenshaw, The Foothills, San Pedro and Chatsworth, which are within the city limits of the City of Los Angeles, do not have their own detailed section maps, unlike places like Westwood and Silver Lake which do have their own detailed section maps. Important for my own purposes, it does not include detailed section maps for places like that part of Pico between the 405 and Rancho Park, or North Hollywood, or Culver City. I can barely make out on the big map where the Museum of Jurassic Technology would be, but there is not detailed section map to show me where it actually is. And that's just within the city limits of the City of Los Angeles. While its big map covers areas outside of the City of Los Angeles like Malibu, Pamona, Long Beach, and most of Orange County, it does not provide detailed maps for those regions either.
   
   But, had moleskine put detailed maps of all those areas into this City Guide, it would no longer be pocket-sized. Had they included detailed maps for all of those areas, it would probably weigh fifteen pounds. Such is the sprawl of this city.
   
   Thankfully the publishers did the only thing they could reasonably do. Instead of increasing the weight to fifteen pounds by including maps for all of these areas, they have included blank pages so that I can do it myself. I shall go to AAA and get my free maps (free with membership) and cut up the detailed sections that I want and glue them onto blank pages as needed. For each little map I glue in, I'll go to the big map and make a note on it, indicating that there is a detailed section map corresponding to that area later in the City Guide.
   
   When its all done (it'll never be all done), I will loan it to my friends who come in from out of town, so they'll know where I think they should go, and what I suggest they do. And until LA drops off into the Pacific, or burns to the ground in some riot, I'll have my favorite guide to LA-the one I wrote wrote.

5 comments about Counter Intelligence: Where to Eat in the Real Los Angeles.

1. Some key spots were missing and that's a shame, but overall a good buy



2. Be forewarned: Jonathan Gold's culinary prose is compelling reading, but any attempts to use this as an actual guidebook for restaurants in Los Angeles should be heavily researched first. Perhaps I just have extraordinarily bad luck, but each time I've tried to visit one of the restaurants, something's gone wrong. Aladdin Falafel (p. 2) no longer exists, though its sign is still up there on the corner mini-mall placard. India's Tandoori (p. 137) no longer serves Tandoori pizza, so temptingly describe in Rich's essay. Gagnier's Creole Kitchen (p. 109) in Santa Monica disappeared years ago. With that said, I would still recommend the book as a fun read for those who enjoy learning more about the culinary diversity available in Los Angeles.



3. Jonathan Gold just won a Pulitzer (4/07) for his food writing, and he deserved it. Read it for the writing, even if you never go out. He makes a Shackburger sound better than it tastes, although no one should go through life without eating at the Shack at least once.
   
   One problem: The book is seven years old, so a few of the places have closed their doors.
   
   Not a guide to LA's best or most famous eateries, but a guide to the best ethnic places in working-class neighborhoods (Sort of. Calling the Shack ethnic stretches the adjective to breaking but most of the restaurants do fit that category.)



4. author of Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family
   
   from the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
   October 4, 2002
   
   Jonathan Gold knows his pastrami. He should. As restaurant critic to Gourmet magazine, he has sampled delis from coast to coast (by his count, 20 last week in New York alone). In his book "Counter Intelligence: Where to Eat in the Real Los Angeles" (St. Martin's Press) this James Beard Award-winner writes, "The fact is inescapable: Langer's probably serves the best pastrami sandwich in America."
   
   So what better place to meet than Langer's (over pastrami, of course) to discuss the deli scene as Gold prepares for the panel discussion he will host with Los Angeles' top deli owners in conjunction with the Yiddishkayt festival.
   
   The Jewish Journal: Today the egg roll, taco and pizza are thought of as American food. Do you think deli food is still considered Jewish food?
   
   Jonathan Gold: Sure, it is. At Junior's in Brooklyn you have African American and Caribbean and Asian people, and the place is completely hopping at 1 a.m. I'm not sure there's a Jew in the room, but they're all completely aware of what they're eating, even if they're having a patty melt instead of a pastrami sandwich. People know what deli means.
   
   Sixty years ago in Los Angeles probably the biggest concentration of Jews was in Boyle Heights, but there's still generations and generations of people who grew up having Canter's in the neighborhood, having pastrami in the neighborhood, and they're hungry for it.
   
   There's a fast food stand called Oki Dog on Pico [Boulevard] near La Brea [Avenue] owned by Okinawans where you have people doing Mexican versions of Jewish food with Okinawan-style cabbage and serving the entire thing to African Americans. It's just great.
   
   JJ: How do you think the deli plays in Peoria, Ill.?
   
   JG: I don't think the deli does play in Middle America. One of my favorite delis anywhere is Shapiro's in downtown Indianapolis, which is great, but it's hard to sustain a restaurant when the people who know what the food is really supposed to taste like aren't there.
   
   JJ: How has our health consciousness affected delis in general?
   
   JG: The successful delis have everything on the menu. I think the biggest seller at Junior's is Chinese Chicken Salad. They probably go through a half-ton a week.
   
   JJ: Which dish is the benchmark by which you rate a deli?
   
   JG: Pastrami on rye. If you can't do pastrami on rye, you have no reason to exist. There's something great about how much attention Langer's pays to its pastrami and its bread. There's not any less detail to the food here than somebody like Wolfgang Puck will have to the food at Spago's. When your basic core item is good, it's like a steakhouse having great steak. Everything else is gravy.
   
   They all get pastrami out of the same package and steam it, but these guys steam it a lot longer, so it becomes denser, but also more tender, and there's more shrinkage. Most places don't do that because it's expensive.
   
   If you're going to serve eight pounds instead of 10, there's a huge difference in your bottom line.
   
   And there's something about hand slicing that gives with the shape of the muscle. It's like the difference between eating sushi and eating a chunk of fish.
   
   JJ: Why do deli patrons put up with, even welcome, rudeness from servers they would never tolerate elsewhere?
   
   JG: It's part of our culture, isn't it? We want what we want when we want it, and the deli has the first shot at that. It sounds weird, but I feel more Jewish when I walk into a deli than when I walk into a shul, because it's the smells, it's the people, it's the way they dress, it's the whole L.A. Jewish thing rolled up into one long wait in line at Junior's.
   
   JJ: What do you see as the future of the deli?
   
   JG: I don't know. As long as we're around, there will be delis. The delis tend to follow us Jewish people wherever we move. Brent's deli in Northridge is in an area that wasn't especially Jewish 15 years ago or so, but enough Jews are suddenly brought together by the possibility of some decent chopped liver ... because even if they marry outside of the religion or never go to shul, that's the one thing they can't give up.
   
   JJ: How do you think L.A. delis compare to those in New York?
   
   JG: I think Los Angeles might be the best deli town in the country right now. I have spent my entire life being sneered at by New Yorkers for living some inferior version of Jewish life here, and then I move to New York and find out that, gosh sakes, it's right here in Los Angeles.
   
   Nate `n' Al's is a great place. It has Beverly Hills hard-wired. It knows everything about Beverly Hills. The same people have been coming, sitting at the same counter at the same time in the morning, for 40 years.
   
   Art's has real energy to it. There's a lot of show biz guys, and it's fancy in a way that sometimes feels a little absurd when you realize you're in there for a corned beef sandwich.
   
   The delis here are not theme parks the way they are in New York. In New York you go to the Stage, and if there's one regular patron to every 10 tourists, it would surprise me.
   
   Some of the delis in New York's outer boroughs are really good places, but they don't exist as cultural centers, because there's enough Jewish cultural resonance everywhere you go in New York that you don't necessarily need to have it confirmed by a restaurant. But in Los Angeles, places like Brent's, Junior's, Art's, they're real in a certain way. They're what the owners want them to be. They're what the neighborhood wants them to be. They're indivisible from the people around them, who are -- let's face it -- us. And there's something great about that.



5. The only thing I didn't like about this book is that the organization of the index is only by style of food (Tawainese, Cuban, Mexican, etc)...hence only 4 stars. But the descriptions of food are excellent! Since it's 2007 now the content is a little outdated and some restaurants are no longer there. Make sure you check if the restaurant is still there before driving to it.

5 comments about Afoot and Afield in Los Angeles (Afoot & Afield).

1. A good source. Missing many many hikes in the L.A. area. Fewer words and more hikes would have been better, but this is good and accurate. You will not get lost and if you do not know L.A. you can see some amazing things.



2. This book covers most of the important hiking areas in Los Angeles County. There isn't room in the book for every hike at each of these areas (partly due to the long descriptions of the hikes which are in the book) but the author covers a good variety at each site, including most of the best hikes.

   The descriptions of the hikes are wonderful (such as the mention of the "Darth Vader house" at Solstice Canyon) but are a bit too wordy to follow while on the trail.

   You will definitely need a separate map, as the maps in this book are too small and lack necessary detail. For many of the shorter hikes in the Santa Monica Mountains or Griffith Park you can find nice maps in the book Day Hikes Around Los Angeles, which makes a nice companion to this book. For longer hikes, get a good topographical map. (Watch out, some of the USGS maps of the LA area are pretty bad, including many of the maps of the Santa Monica mountains.)




3. We've just started hiking and this book was exactly what we were looking for. It has a large variety of routes, all the relevant information, clear descriptions, good maps, and a very easy to read format. My only wish would be a summary of all 192 trips so we could quickly scan for specific criteria like difficulty and time.



4. I am an avid SoCal hiker and have been attempting to use this book for the past 6 months or so. I would agree with others on its over-wordiness - especially since much of the space taken up by those words could have ben used for better directions! I really find this author to be terrible at them. Please please please don't ever leave me stranded or lost anywhere with only this book to help me find my way out. Try the Falcon Guides or Moon selections for much better maps and directions.



5. This book has been indispensable for my hiking here ever since I bought this book, and I'd recommend it to anyone.
   
   However, as these trails change, the book is becoming a bit outdated. New housing developments, newly placed security fences, washed out paths, etc are starting to become apparent as I try new trails each week.

1 comments about Fodor's Los Angeles 2008: With Disneyland and Orange County (Fodor's Gold Guides).

1. When I receive the fodor's (Los angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas) I ordered month ago, I honestly didn't expercted to be so good, it has been an incredible help when planning my next vacations. Thanks for been such as good tool for us (internet buyers). Pao

5 comments about Newcomer's Handbook For Moving To And Living In Los Angeles: Including Santa Monica, Pasadena, Orange County, And The San Fernando Valley (Newcomer's Handbooks).

1. This book is filled with all kinds of information that can be written about moving to any city like how to find a realtor. Has uninspiring reviews about neighborhoods.
   
   I have a hard time believing that the authors were even there. Has no more information than can easily picked up on the internet.



2. Although the book provides a useful summary on a number of areas (for example descriptions of various villiages around LA) I missed practical information, such as:
   - How does the school system work in USA?
   - At what age need children go to school?
   - Practical information regarding moving to LA /USA such as can I use my European electrical equipment there (such as waching machines, etc)?
   - Practical tips on medical system, doctors, etc.
   I have seen better.



3. Very very good pocket (not pocket sized thought) book which covers things I would never had thought of. Great websites and contacts provided for all topics and the content is well thought of and carried off well in a nice manner.
   Am buying the New York one.... you never know.



4. Los Angeles is absurd sprawl of quasi-independent towns that can easily overwhelm a newcomer. Make a mistake, and you could end up living in Sun Valley - a nice name for a rather ugly place, and just wait until summer: the low rent won't compensate for the bill from the electric company. Add in a bizarre city government and top it off with California's own unique way of doing things (visit the DMV), and you'll begin to understand why a guide like this is essential to a newcomer.
   
   You may think, "I can find all this on the Internet for free," and you'd be right. That is if you can get the Internet to function. The cable company and the phone company are not exactly customer oriented in Los Angeles. It might help to have a guide book like this when you're trying to set all that up.
   
   Maybe you've got Internet on your phone so you can just go to Google and... yeah, I'll see you in Sun Valley. Since you're not a savvy resident you didn't know that the particular "Apartment Locator" site that you looked at was actually a scam or that a particular "church" was really shilling for Scientology.
   
   If you're moving to Los Angeles I'm sure this book will save you time and money. It'll also reduce your frustration (though it won't eliminate it--wait until you talk to the phone company).



5. I just bought and read this book. Being a foreigner temporally moving to LA, I appreciated all the general information on buying or renting a house, plus neighborhood information, since I had no clue where to start looking. Now I can confine the area searches to those that (supposedly) match my income and living expectations. The last edition (4th) is from 2005, talking about how the house and estate market will keep rocketing to the sky (and how you get a subprime loan)... Maybe time for an update?

5 comments about Daughters of the Moon: The Choice - Book #9 (Daughters of the Moon).

1. This is my favorite DotM book. I love how Ewing portrays Jimena and how she has crafted Jimena's personality. Jimena seems like a warrior/goddess which makes this book all the more entertaining. It also illustrates the bonds of friendship the daughters have and the struggle they all endure to destroy the Atrox. I loved this book, and steadily remains at the top of my favorite DotM books.



2. This book jumps into the action in the beginning but what happenes to Jimena in the end was sad. This book has a twist to it that will shock you a little bit. This book reached one of my DotM top 5 faves.



3. I LOVED THIS BOOK SOO MUCH!!!Jemena is my favorte Daughter of the Moon. the way she could go from Gang life to a Goddess wow. but this my be well for me it is the ending that i hate because she is no longer a Daughter of the Moon but in 10th book you undersand that she is going away just like that! but now i have said to much.So read this book because you will LOVE IT!!



4. A girl named catty accidentally dropped a girl named Jimena into her old trobled past and back into her old gang called 9 street neighorhood. Jimena had ran for her life and had been caught by the police and was put into a jevenile . she had a choice and its to break out of jail and has to hide out with an old gang enme paysa from 4 street .pasya and jimena will both save daughters of the moon before Jimena bad dream comes true.



5. This book is about a sixten year old girl named Jimena,who has to go back to the past,and team up with her enemy to warn her friends from being captured by the Atrox. If I gave this book a rating it would be 4 stars,but I don't think that it would be my judgement that will pursway you to read this book.
   
   Reasons why I would give this book the rating that I gave would be becuase there a lot of plot twists in the story,and there a bunch of dramatic scenes in the story.

5 comments about Daughters of the Moon, Book #4: The Secret Scroll.

1. This is the best in the series so far. (I am currently reading the 5th book) Ewing's portrayl of Catty is the most realistic and fully realised. She even comes across well in the other books, her character is always well defined and unconfused. This book also focuses a little more on the technicalities of being a moon goddess than any of the others and sounds far less hokey in doing so. Stanton has a nice featuring role, which is good, because he is the strongest character in the whole series (the most interesting too, that bad boy that needs to be redeemed is always appealing). It is also nice to see a glimpse of another generation of Moon Goddesses and how someone else could be as frustrated with Maggie as I am. I hope this is a sign the rest of the series is picking up in quality.



2. I read this book over the week-end and loved it. stanton played a great role in this one by the way he went out and helped Catty. The story also introduced a new character but Stanton is still my favorite. The scene at the park was the best with the merry-go-round.



3. This is a series of books that are about 4 girls that have special powers. This one is better than the 3rd one for me. each book is about a different girl of the 4 girls and it tells their points of views. i thought this book was a lot more exciting. my favorite one was the 1st one. when the chapters end they just leave you hanging and it makes you just want to keep reading it. you never know whats going to happen next and it makes you really think about it. when you predict something will happen your usually wrong because its hard to guess what will happen next. it was just a really good book to read!



4. What would you do if you had dreamable powers? Clean your room, get rid of your annoying younger sibling, who knows maybe even same the world? An amazing book named The Secret Scroll is about four girls that have unbelievable powers. The Secret Scroll is part of a series called Daughters of the Moon. In this book one of the characters is named Catty. Catty has never met her birth mother. So, Catty travels back in time (which is her power) to meet her mother. Her mother gives her a necklace that could destroy the evil Atrox. The only trick is she has many people that are working for the Atrox, trying to find her.
   I think the book was incredible. A lot of stuff comes up that you wouldn't suspect. I definitely recommend this book.



5. This a a very interesting book. If you like stories about girls who have powers. Then this a a good book for you to read. IN this book it is about a girl name Catty. In this book she is trying to find her real mom. While she tries to find her mom she bumps into something strange. A guy is trying give her this little message thing to help her. BUt she still doesn't know that who it is though. So anyways she finds out a little thing about the passage. In the middle of the story she finds out who her mother and all that good stuff.

5 comments about Baby's Day Out in Southern California: Fun Places to Go With Babies and Toddlers.

1. Finally there is a Southern California tour guide especially geared towards parents of babies and toddlers. Your children learn best through first hand experiences and Baby's Day Out is chock full of great places for the young (and not so young) to experience the things they love like animals, trains, parks, aquariums, tide pools, hands-on museums and more. My 10 year old and 61/2 year old twins still love to visit many of the places listed in JoBea Way's comprehensive guide. They also have a list of many new places for us to visit as well.

   The book is broken down into eleven chapters covering major areas of interest for young children: Museums, Our City, Gardens and Nature, The Zoo, Aquariums, Trains and more. There are over 224 separate sites reviewed. Locations covered include the expected Los Angeles and San Diego Zoos as well as many less well known places like the Goodyear Blimp Airfield, Tierra Rejada Farm and Pasadena Unified School Bus Lot.

   The book includes many helpful tips for making outings more enjoyable and each review contains a concise description, directions with Thomas Guide page references, and cross references to both similar sites and nearby attractions. Easy to spot icons let parents know if the locations can accommodate single and or double wide strollers (most do), and whether gift shops, snack shops or picnic areas are available so parents can plan accordingly. I love the lists of children's books on topic related to each entry and the special pages with simple graphics of animals or things that go, etc. These pages are designed for young children's use before, during or after their visits. For example, the first picture pages are of cars and trucks children might see on the way to their visit.

   The final chapter includes a month-by-month "Things to Look For" section featuring holiday, special events and seasonal changes to watch for geared to Southern California. There are comprehensive listings of Fourth of July displays, Holiday lights, Farmer's Markets and more. These lists alone are a great resource whether you have young children or not.

   The number and variety of places listed is truly impressive. Our family has been enjoying working our way through the book and finding many new favorites. I plan to give this book as a shower gift to all my pregnant friends and think the book is a great resource for parents of school age children and teachers also.




2. I grew up in the San Fernando Valley and never knew about 90% of the places suggested in this book! In addition to the usual spots (Disneyland, parks, etc), the book suggests creative places like the schoolbus depot and construction sites (from a safe distance, of course!). "Baby's Day Out" really made me look at the world through my babies' eyes, where everything is a new and fascinating experience. For example, when I drive on the highway now, I point out the trucks passing by to my kids and they love watching the different sizes and colors. Before this book, I never would have thought about trucks on the highway as a field trip experience. This book is also very practical, providing all the necessary information, including Thomas Guide map pages, hours, prices, parking, everything! As an added bonus for me, Holt even tells me when they're enough room for my double stroller (with twin 18-month old boys, that is a big plus for me). I live in New Jersey now and bought this book while on vacation in Los Angeles. I wish they would write a book like this for us folks in the east coast.



3. Baby's Day Out in Southern California provides a wide range of age-appropriate excursions. Crammed to the bursting point with places to go, things to see and do, special events, ideas for activities and related reading, this excellent book is one of the most innovative, detailed and practical guides around.
   
   Although the contents are arranged by type of place (i.e., museums, aquariums, farms and ponies, flying), it also offers site maps, making it easy to plan a day around a particular location or a specific interest. Listings include physical and Web addresses, phone numbers, directions, what to see and do, hours, parking, admission and membership information, related locations, nearby places and blank space for your own comments. Additional sections contain events by the month, packing lists and road games.
   
   Its most valuable feature is its ability to look at potential places from a child's perspective. Among the 224 sites listed in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and Santa Barbara/Ventura counties are fire stations, school bus yards, museums, libraries, gardens and nature centers, truck stops, farms, theaters and convention centers.
   
   This is one of the best travel reference guides you could acquire if you have young children.



4. This book is filled with fun things to do at any age and for anyone who has some time to spend in the L.A. area. We visit there often and sometimes we are looking for more to do than just the big theme parks. There are so many things that I wouldn't have known about, much less how and where to find them. A treasure for anyone, local or tourist.



5. i just had to go out and buy this book after reading the reviews on it, my son is ten months old and just gone down for a nap, and i am reading through the book and getting so excited about all the places we can now go and see. We have only been in california 1 year and i am a new mom in a new place not knowing where to go and what to see for my toddler and this book is going to be just perfect and we want to go exploring now. i have a couple of other books but the activities are for children a little older but we need to explore now. Thank you to the parents who bothered to review this wonderful book, and I hope this review helps other. like someone mentioned most of the places are either free or very inexpensive. - its going to be perfect.