No comments about Hidden L.A..

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

No comments about Hooray for Hollywood.

4 comments about Moon Handbooks: Los Angeles 2 Ed.

1. Wilfires, blah blah, floods, blah blah, riots, blah blah, (fill in the blank) suburbs in search of a city, blah blah, traffic, blah blah, smog, shallow plastic people, frenzied lifestyle, earthquakes, blah blah blah! Do all travel guide authors go to the same school, with the same teacher, or do they just keep regurgitating each others' own fallacies. They might indeed all GO to the same school since three of the major travel guide publishers are located in the bay area (Ulysses, Lonely Planet, and Moon); and reading any of them is like reading the other. It should come as no suprise to anyone that there never has been one in the bay area with anything good to say about SoCal. Something akin to the French attitude towards Americans. It's hard for an author to encourage readers to visit a place when they already have disdain for the place to begin with, and these authors are no exception. If you want a good travel guide to Los Angeles, try Fodor, that publisher at least hired a writer who enjoys the city. Los Angeles is the most dynamic city on the American scene, and one of the most in the world. Los Angeles is not just a city "not to be missed", it is THE city to see. The rest can be fit in as time allows. So by all means, come and enjoy our city, but I would recommend another guide to do it, (nice maps though).



2. Wilfires, blah blah, floods, blah blah, riots, blah blah, (fill in the blank) suburbs in search of a city, blah blah, traffic, blah blah, smog, shallow plastic people, frenzied lifestyle, earthquakes, blah blah blah! Do all travel guide authors go to the same school, with the same teacher, or do they just keep regurgitating each others' own fallacies. They might indeed all GO to the same school since three of the major travel guide publishers are located in the bay area (Ulysses, Lonely Planet, and Moon); and reading any of them is like reading the other. It should come as no suprise to anyone that there never has been one in the bay area with anything good to say about SoCal. Something akin to the French attitude towards Americans. It's hard for an author to encourage readers to visit a place when they already have disdain for the place to begin with, and these authors are no exception. If you want a good travel guide to Los Angeles, try Fodor, that publisher at least hired a writer who enjoys the city. Los Angeles is the most dynamic city on the American scene, and one of the most in the world. Los Angeles is not just a city "not to be missed", it is THE city to see. The rest can be fit in as time allows. So by all means, come and enjoy our city, but I would recommend another guide to do it, (nice maps though).



3. The scene: You've finally made your way to Los Angeles, you know where you want to go, and you have bought a handy guide with the expectation that it will get you there. The mark of a good guide is to furnish you with all the information you need: where to eat, maps, parking, bathrooms, directions, etc.,etc.,etc. The mark of a phenomenal guide is one you actually ENJOY reading from cover to cover. Kim Weir is an excellent writer -- not only because she is informative but because she is interesting. Her Los Angeles Handbook makes navigating one of the most difficult, changing, energetic areas in the world an experience. Not just a check-it-off-the-list planned excursion. And unlike the majority of guides out there, this one merits a better fate than being thrown into the back of the closet after the trip is over. During those brief respites that we truly sane incorporate into our enjoyment of a place -- those moments when we sit to enjoy the surroundings and peoplewatch -- is a perfect time to pull this travel narrative out and actually read it. Like Weir's other guides, this one is as much social history, criticism, humor, and creative non-fiction, as it is that basic guide stuff. Although a more manageable read than her equally excellent Southern California Handbook and Northern California Handbook, this one is an equally well designed read and guide. The book begins with the words, "They say that San Francisco there is less than meets the eye: in Los Angeles there is far more." So too this book.



4. Lots of great information about things to see and do in Los Angeles, but presented by someone who cannot keep their distain for conservatives and/or corporations to herself. For example, in her description of the Ronald Reagan Presential Library, she refers to Reagan as "the Forrest Gump of modern American politics". Very nice, eh? Then when writing about Disneyland she states "In Disneyland, democracy equals capitalism. And capitalism automatically creates social justice. In other words, Disneyland isn't real, though suburban American desperately wants to believe it is." HUH? I guess outside of Disneyland, socialism equals social justice; just look at the workers paradise Gray Davis turned California into. And Disneyland isn't real? Seemed solid enough to me the last time I was there. Once you get past these editorial comments, the useful information is quite good. But if I wanted to read left-leaning social commentary, I would have headed for the that section of the library.

4 comments about A Guide to Ethnic Food in Los Angeles: Restaurants, Markets, Bakeries, Specialty Shops for the Food of Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Greece, Guatemala,.

1. When this book first came out about 10 yrs. ago or more it was a revelation. In one collection it guided you through EVERY major ethnic community in the greater L.A. region and told you which were the best restaurants, bakeries, markets, etc. I don't know of any other book that comes to close to being this comprehensive & incisive.

   If you ever spend any time in L.A. & you are interested in ethnic food, you must have this book.




2. This is the greatest book on the best ethnic restaurants in LA. Hopefully, the author will put out a new edition. I have it. It's about 10 years old, and I'm not going to sell it. It's better than any new guide out there. Even if you don't go to these places, it's an interesting read.



3. This is a fantastic compendium of ethnic food in LA. It gives you everything you'd ever want to know: best bakeries, best markets, best restaurants. It divides categories by geography (important in LA) & by ethnic cuisines.

   While the 1992 printing will make some info out of date (restaurants for example), this book is one of a kind & the best in its genre.




4. Although 13 years old, much of the info in this book is still relevant. Despite the youthfulness of Los Angeles, there are restaurants and markets that have managed to survive for decades. These places are invariably great and almost institutions in their community. Hence, many of the listings in Burum's book still survive in this megapolis. You'll have fun tracking down that obscure German sausage maker who has had his shop for some 30 years...as well as the occassional let down upon discovering that the old Japanese immigrant, who made fresh tofu daily at the back of his grocery store, decided to call it quits a few years ago.
   
   This book is not only a guide to the ethnic markets in LA, but also serves as an introduction to the cuisine of LA's ethnic groups. Interspersed within the listings, you'll find glimpses into the history of LA's immigrant communities, and what they really eat that you don't get at the mainstream ethnic restaurants. If you're the type that prefers to eat where you're the only one not of the ethnic group the restaurant caters to, get this book. It lets you in on not just the basics of a people's cuisine, but makes you feel comfortable with the unfamiliar (and much more authentic] dishes.
   
   The book is organized into the following chapters, which fairly represents the demographics of Los Angeles:
   China; Japan; Korea; Thailand; Vietnam; Southeast Asian [Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Phillipines]; India; Mexico; Central/South America and Caribbean; Europe; Greece, the Middle East and Africa.
   
   Overall, an indispensable introduction to LA's greatest asset: It's diversity of people and cuisine.

1 comments about Los Angeles: A Photographic Portrait.

1. After living in LA for over eight years, it's easy for me to take for granted much of what the city has to offer. Stephen Bay's spectacular photography reminded me of the many aspects of this city that make it great- far beyond the usual Hollywood hype. Venice Beach, Little Tokyo, Watts, Olvera Street, and Koreatown among many other neighborhoods are highlighted through Bay's eye-catching photography. For a true photographic tour of LA, it doesn't get better than Bay's work.

No comments about Unique Media Map : Greater Los Angeles/Folded.

No comments about Los Angeles: A Pictorial Celebration.

5 comments about Trails of the Angeles: 100 Hikes in the San Gabriels/Book and Map.

1. This book is just filled with great trails. It includes a detailed map, only drawback is the map is not laminated (waterproof) but all inall i never leave home without this



2. John W Robinson's experience and unique historical perspective set this guide apart. It is a simple, no-nonsense guide. There are no fancy Icons, or detail maps (a great separate topo style map is included). I own a few guides which feature some hikes in Angeles National Forest. This is the only guide which focuses solely on the San Gabriels (with a couple in the nearby San Bernadinos). I "Trails" religously. My copy is worn out, taped up, coffee stained, and full of tape flags. I have read and re-read each hike inumerably. If you plan on hiking the San Gabriels, this is the only book you need.



3. My wife has discovered the benefits of exercise. First, there was (and still is) the Y, where she spends 2-3 hours a day with step classes, cross trainers, and weights. The sick thing is, she loves it. (I go perhaps 3-4 hours per week, but only because I know it's good for me. I'd much rather sit with a good book, cheeseburger, and fries.) In any case, she's now discovered walking/hiking. She speed walks 10 miles every Saturday morning with a like-minded group of fanatics. They're planning to hike to the bowels of the Grand Canyon, and back up, in 2008; I'll be the one on the rim drinking iced tea.
   
   TRAILS OF THE ANGELES describes 100 hikes into the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles. (It doesn't include the Verdugo Mountains immediately to the south of the San Gabriels or the San Bernardino Mountains further east, in case you're wondering.) I thought my wife and her walking chums would find it useful for getting into trekking shape.
   
   The 2-3 pages dedicated to each of the hundred hikes includes "Features" and "Description", as well as a heading noting the hike's length, difficulty, and season. Perhaps two-thirds include a single black and white photo of something interesting to be seen nowadays or some structure of the past now represented only by ruins. Additionally, the volume contains separate brief chapters: "The San Gabriel Mountains" (geology, fauna, vegetation), "Humans in the San Gabriels" (a history of human influence on the area, recreational hiking being a major pastime between 1895-1938 before paved roads invaded the wilderness), "Hiking Hints" (including "hiker ethics"), and "Using This Book".
   
   TRAILS OF THE ANGELES ends with a "Summary of Hikes", which lists all 100 according to difficulty (easy to strenuous), length (1 to 28 miles), and trip (round trip, one way, or loop).
   
   The key ingredients of any guide of this sort are the directions given to the trailhead, and the route to be followed once boots hit the ground. Author John Robinson seems to do reasonably well at this though, mind you, I haven't had to put the acquired knowledge to practical use - yet. Directions to the various trailheads follow the same general tone as the following (Angeles Forest Highway to Big Tujunga Narrows, Hike #53):
   
   "Drive up the Angeles Crest Highway to Clear Creek Junction, then left on the Angeles Forest Highway (L.A. County Road N3) to an unmarked parking area shaded by a lone incense-cedar on your right, 15.5 miles from La Canada. If you reach the Narrows Bridge, you've driven 0.3 miles too far." What happens if some prankster chops down that cedar tree in the dead of night and hauls it away for firewood?
   
   Once on the chosen path, Robinson's directions are exact (as for Eaton Saddle to Markham Saddle, San Gabriel Peak, Hike #32):
   
   "Walk past the locked gate and across the rugged south face of San Gabriel Peak via the Mt. Lowe fire road 0.5 mile to Markham Saddle. At the saddle, just beyond the water tank, turn sharp right (north) and pick up a brushy, unmarked trail leading up the mountainside. Follow the trail up one switchback, then across the west slope of San Gabriel Peak to the high saddle between Mt. Disappointment and San Gabriel Peak, about 0.75 mile. Part of this pathway is eroded where it crosses the steep slope, so watch your step. At the saddle, turn right (east) and follow a steep climbers' trail up the ridge to the top." Hmm, do you suppose they could replace the water tank with a coke machine?
   
   A picture, so to speak, is worth a thousand words. And it's here that TRAILS OF THE ANGELS falls a bit short, in my opinion. Whereas in the hiking guides authored by Robert Stone (e.g. DAY HIKES AROUND LOS ANGELES and DAY HIKES ON THE CALIFORNIA SOUTHERN COAST) where each route is illustrated with a very detailed map within the book itself, TRAILS OF THE ANGELS attempts to accomplish the same with a separate, but included, 38" x 19" recreational map of the region. One side is a small scale rendering of the entire San Gabriel range, the other "zooms-in" on individual locales (Liebre Mountain Area, Crystal Lake Area, Big Tujunga Area, North of Pasadena, and Mount Baldy Area). On both sides, the trails are drawn in red with the corresponding hike number (1-100) from the book noted alongside. Now, while this seems acceptable, and is probably perfectly adequate, I would personally prefer the relatively large scale rendering of each trail in the Stone books and not have to unfold an unwieldy map every time I needed visual reinforcement. What if the unfolded map blows away in a sudden gust? I guess it's a matter of individual preference and experience (the latter of which I have none - yet).
   
   My wife has been closely studying TRAILS OF THE ANGELS, visually evaluating my physical constitution with a critical eye, and verbally sampling my willingness to be a trekking buddy. She's already gone and purchased hiking boots. Oh Lord, I've created a monster. I could've gotten her the GUIDE TO L.A. COMFORT FOOD EMPORIUMS instead, but no!



4. The descriptions are nice, but unlike the San Bernardino mountain version of this book, there are no GPS coordinates of the trailhead. I hope the next version includes them.



5. This book is the go to source for hiking in the San Gabriel mountains.
   I have earlier editions, and was pleased to see many hikes updated and revisited and new ones added.
   All previously closed or open hikes now revisited and updated.
   author is handing off this book to writer of a younger generation who embraces the same spirit and style of the excellent ealier editions.
   nicely done.
   glad I updated my copy.
   Also comes with a great water proof-tear proof map.
   buy this book.

No comments about Laminated Los Angeles Map by Borch.