No comments about Literary Map of Los Angeles (Aaron Blake Literary Maps).

No comments about A Community of Angels: Los Angeles 2002.

2 comments about Wine Tasting in San Diego & Beyond: Partake of the Grape in San Diego, Temecula, Baja, Rancho Cucamonga and Los Angeles.

1. I found this book to be very thorough. We visited some beautiful vineyards in San Diego County that we never knew existed. We're going to have a lot of fun (and good wine) with this book!



2. This book should have cost less than ten dollars, given the amount of useful information it actually provides. If we were to cull the empty half-pages (the author often had less than a page to write about some wineries; whatever happened to descriptive comments about all, or at least some, varietals, offered?), the useless recommendations on accommodations and shopping areas (I ordered a book billed to be about San Diego area wineries, not Bed & Breakfasts and mini-malls), and the author's many references to a tasting room reminding her of something in Europe, we would end up with a book a little more than half the size of this book... and at $15 retail, the book is already overpriced.
   
   There is some useful info regarding wine tasting, forming a tasting club, and comparisons of varietals, but this book could certainly have gone much further in identifying the relative quality of various wineries or different varietals within each winery's list of offerings.
   
   I bought this book as an out-of-towner with hopes of going to San Diego to sample some of the local wines. This book helps; but the reader could save some money by getting most of this information by searching the Internet for SD area wineries, and consulting area newspapers and tourist guides.

No comments about The Los Angeles book.

3 comments about Day Hikes in Los Angeles: Malibu to Hollywood (The Day Hikes Series).

1. New in town? Don't know where to go to get away for a day?
   This is the most economical way to get started, with 45 suggestions for hikes that are mostly in the Santa Monicas (a lot of these are in Malibu), state parks and wilderness areas, and even a few smack dab in the metro area (including the Venice canals and Runyan Canyon, right in Hollywood).

   Each hike includes location, some directions to the trailhead, and a very loose map to show the routes suggested by Stone.

   A reality check is very important with respect to the maps and the directions (especially distances). Landmarks change and in a couple of cases the distances are either mistakes or typographical errors. The maps are sketchy, and do not always accurately reflect the side trails you may find or their names.

   Stone also does not describe very much of what you will find, leaving most of that up to you. Tuck the book in your pack, or leave it in the car, and explore.




2. "Day Hikes Around Los Angeles" is a great place to start exploring L.A., especially if you're new to the area and not a regular hiker. The book gives decent directions on where the trails begin (but bring along your Thomas Guide for backup), and provides a generous estimate on the length of time you'll need to complete the hike. Most of the hikes are short -- a couple hours or less. If you're a more experienced hiker, or you're interested in doing hikes that last a whole day, check out "Afoot and Afield in Los Angeles" instead. But beginners or those who just have a few hours to spare will prefer "Day Hikes." If you do all the hikes in the book, you'll get a great feel for the L.A. area -- and you'll be able to say, without hesitation, that it's one of the prettiest areas in the U.S. And you'll have the pictures to prove it.



3. Focusing on the Santa Monica mountains and Griffith Park, this book contains a number of very nice short hikes. For longer hikes or hikes in a larger variety of areas, I'd suggest Afoot and Afield in Los Angeles County.

   One very nice feature of this book is the simpliflied map which accompanies each hike. Each hike's map is zoomed in to cover only the area of interest, with important landmarks identified. I did find one small mistake on one of the maps, but it was easy enough to figure out what was intended.

   The descriptions of the hikes are very brief, and there isn't any detailed information about what to look out for, but all of the hikes go to very interesting places. Again, the book Afoot and Afield in Los Angeles County can fill in many gaps, as that book lacks the nice maps, but has great descriptions of many of the hikes in this book. I recommend buying both. Read the long descriptions in the bigger book, then carry this book with you on the trail as it has more useful maps.

2 comments about Sunset Boulevard: Cruising the Heart of Los Angeles.

1. From start to finish, this remarkable book captures the essence of the legends that have shaped both the lore and the reality of Los Angeles. Sunset Boulevard literally crosses the heart of Los Angeles, touching along its route to the Pacific Ocean many neighborhoods that define the city's diversity and drama both past and present. This book culls stories of the past and ties them to the present, explaining every step of the way how Sunset Boulevard helped make Los Angeles what it is today. The maps of each neighborhood show both present-day landmarks as well as those gone-but-not-forgotten. Each chapter is devoted to a specific neighborhood along the 23-mile route and contains lists (including, happily, addresses and phone numbers!!) of restaurants, museums, nightclubs and hot shopping sites worth visiting. All in all, this is a book for both tourists and locals alike.



2. Sunset Boulevard lives large in legend and lore (did I say that?), and this book presents myriad facets of the long and meandering street, one of the most famed in America. From interesting anecdotes (including the story of how an entire school was buried beneath what is now Dodger Stadium) to hundreds of elucidating and entertaining photos and illustrations, some historical and many contemporary, the book is a compelling and engaging treatise. While some of the subject matter isn't of inherent interest to me, the author's writing pulled me in to many a tale, and rewarded my attention handsomely. The maps and address/phone information are useful for touring the boulevard and its many neighborhoods, as listings present to the visitor and native alike lots of places to eat, drink and otherwise acculturate. Sunset Boulevard itself is, of course, but one stretch of asphalt, but there's a wealth of history -- and plenty of current interest -- that lies along its 23-mile length.

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.

4 comments about The 101 Best Bars of Los Angeles: A Libationary Guide to the City's Finest Saloons, Pubs and Watering Holes, Plus Some Delightful Dives.

1. This book gives all pertinent information regarding many bars in L.A. The descriptions of setting and atmosphere are accurate and it even provides history and interesting stories and facts about L.A. bars. It provides a variety of different bars in L.A., from the most trendy, hip places, to the divey hole-in-the-walls. I've been to most of these places and frequent some, but this book makes me want to try each bar mentioned!



2. THis book is a great trail map for bars in Los Angeles. Mr. Mulvey is a truly likable man with a genuine interest in the semi-lost tradition of decent dives. The format of the book is convienent and has within it, a lot of interesting facts and anecdotes. If you are interested in bars, or if you aren't, this is the book for you. It will bring you up to speed about what's cool in LA.



3. Frank has put together a great selection of bars from Santa Monica to Pasadena. He loads each review with little tidbits that are seldom known by even the most travel worn Angelenos: Irish commanders leading Mexican troops past the current day Molly Malone's, the biggest sports bar in the world on Santa Fe Street (which unfortunately closed at Prohibition), and Walt Disney's first studio...just down the street from the Ye Olde Rustic Inn.

   It's a good book to have laying next to your Zagats guide when planning an excursion to a new part of town.




4. This was probably the best guide to bars I have seen for Los Angeles. The writing is witty and the choice of bars is great. My only complaint is the layout. It would be cleaner to list the bars in the appendix by area and attractions, rather than just one big list. If you live in L.A., this is a great book to own, if you want to discover a few new places.

No comments about Tour of Frank Gehry Architecture & Other L.A. Buildings.

No comments about Hungry? Deck Los Angeles 2008.