3 comments about Portland Hill Walks: Twenty Explorations in Parks and Neighborhoods.

1. This book could only be improved by more photos of the georgeous landscaping in and around Portland, Oregon. The cover shows four beautiful photos which the Amazon cover shot misses (you can hardly make them out), which is more than enough to whet the appetite.
   
   Come in the spring and if the day is sunny you'll be moving to Portland. Not only the sights but the people will astound you. They're polite and helpful to strangers, unlike other cities I've visited. Here they'll offer you assistance before you need ask.
   
   Food? Did someone say food? There's more local flavor here than you'd expect. That's an additional benefit of visiting neighborhoods on foot. You have time to stop and talk with local merchants. Many neighborhood eating establishments are listed, as well as suggestions if you should pack a picnic.
   
   Laura Foster obviously loves Portland and knows it probably better than anyone. Having hiked, biked and walked Portland neighborhoods during my childhood, I too know the thrill of discovering a new hideout or short-cut. Some familiar paths are now overgrown, and windy hillside paths such as the one from Burnside Street to Washington Park had to be closed but there are countless others to be discovered.
   
   Great gift book, for newcomers to Portland and anyone who's lived here for years but has never really gotten to know the city. Portland, Oregon is a treasure, and I personally want to thank Laura Foster for this wonderful book.



2. I walk/hike with two other women once a week. We have found no other book which does what this one does. It not only provides interesting walks acurately, but also covers the history, architecture and plants along the way. I can't say enough about how much we've enjoyed this book.



3. My husband and I have recently begun walking at least 1/2 hour per day but have gotten the bug and often want to walk more. This book is an excellent resource. I've never seen one so thorough, combining history along with a route that is so clear a person would have to really try in order to get lost. The history notes are so fascinating (and I'm not in to history at all) and it divides the walk directions into numbered sections so you always feel like you're making headway. If you like to walk and you are in the Portland area, you really need this resource book!

No comments about The Thomas Guide 2009 Portland: Street Guide.

3 comments about Best Places Portland: The Locals' Guide to the Best Restaurants, Lodgings, Sights, Shopping, and More! (Best Places).

1. Now in an updated sixth edition, Best Places: Portland is a handy travel guide to the best restaurants, lodgings, sights, shopping, and more to be found in Portland, Oregon. Icons for "editor's choice", "good (monetary) value", "family", and "romance" allow for quick and easy selection of Portland features to suit one's needs. Best Places: Portland prides itself on only mentioning the best of the best; even one-star establishments will be a cut above. Suggested day trips and three-day itineraries will aid the reader in maximizing enjoyment on minimum funds. Best Places: Portland is not a catch-all travel guide; it focuses specifically on listing "must-see" places along with brief descriptions, addresses, websites, and so on. A superb resource for business or leisure travelers alike.



2. Very complete. 200 restaurant reviews includingcuisine, price range, address, phone number, web site and location on map. The 'Things to Do' section was great also. These editors have actually been there. The 'Lodging' and 'Nightlife' sections seemed just as good as the rest of the book.



3. We took a trip to Portland over a long weekend, and this guide was incredibly useful. Although we used the web to make our hotel reservations, we use this guide for everything else. The food reservations were always spot on, as were the things to do reservations.

1 comments about Canoe and Kayak Routes of Northwest Oregon: Including Southwest Washington.

1. I live near the Columbia River, and when I bought my new Equinox Kayak (from Eddyline) I went looking for a really good book that would describe trips in Oregon that I might enjoy. Philip's book was just the ticket. It describes dozens and dozens of waterways that can be used for something as short as a day trip to something as long as a week or more. He describes trips on lakes, rivers and bays, with most trips being most appropriate for a sea kayak, though there are plenty of descriptions of trips appropriate for canoes and shorter river kayaks, too.
   
   Jones describes the salient issues associated with each trip, such as where to put in, take out, and hazards/points of interest along the way. He has lots of maps, though not particularly detailed (he has information about where to get detailed maps).
   
   Generally speaking I've found the rout descriptions accurate and detailed enough to make it work. If you enjoy kayaking or canoeing in northwest Oregon, this book really belongs on your bookshelf.

1 comments about 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Portland, 3rd: including the Coast, Mount Hood, St. Helens, and the Santiam River (60 Hikes - Menasha Ridge).

1. Paul is a knowledgeable hiker, passionate outdoorsman and entertaining writer. His attention to detail, whether giving driving directions or adding tidbits of historical interest to a certain location, make this a useful book both on and off the trail. In this, the third edition, Paul has fine tuned the content of the previous two editions, adding new hikes hitherto un-popularized in other hiking books, making this the most complete and best edition yet. This is not a book based on hearsay and bookish research; Paul has actually hiked, many times, all the locations profiled. Paul's treatment of the material is so thorough that I was able to use some of his research in the writing of my own book about fishing Oregon. Paul's new book on the day hikes on the Pacific Crest Trail is a great companion book. Thanks for the great work, Paul.

1 comments about Insiders' Guide to the Oregon Coast, 3rd (Insiders' Guide Series).

1. THE INSIDERS' GUIDE TO THE OREGON COAST should be purchased with THE INSIDERS' GUIDE TO PORTLAND, OREGON, in order to give you a complete picture of Western Oregon. It's interesting to note that certain topics in this book are broken up into different sections of the coastal region, including town listings and tourist accomodations. Certain radio station categorizations, however should be taken like the humor in comedy movies featuring Melissa Joan Hart, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Cameron Diaz, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jennifer Garner, and Natalie Portman, as they are incorrect. This is a minor quibble however, as this book is generally a great guide for anyone looking for things to do in coastal Oregon to get in shape for their significant other and/or their favorite celebrity.

3 comments about Pacific Crest Trail: Oregon And Washington: From The California Border To The Canadian Border (Pacific Crest Trail).

1. I used this guide to hike the Oregon section of the PCT in 1993 and found it very user-friendly, highly practical while on the trail and full of interesting background information. Among the most important aspect of the guide for me was the quality and reliability of the topographic maps, thoughtfully place by the Publishers so I could take the pages out and use them in a waterproof cover for each stage as I walked it. The hints on water supplies and campsites were essential and I was able to plan my route, timings, food drops and campsites for the entire trail; this was especially important for me as my budget and time free were limited. As far as I remember, the only thing that was incorrect was that there was no longer a bus from Bridge of the Gods into Portland. Not bad. I would recommend this guide to anybody planning to hike the PCT.



2. I through-hiked the PCT in 2002 and like the vast of majority of other hikers, used this guide to navigate my way through Oregon and Washington. Though this book is the source for the data points found in the PCT Data Book, you'd never suspect such a succinct, useful guide like the Data Book could from such a disorganized mess as the PCT: Oregon-Washington guide book.

   The principal problem with this book is organization. The book, like it's companion guides for California, are organized into reasonable sections starting and stopping at well-used re-supply points (or end points for section hikers). The problem is each section contains a mixture of editorial and trail-following instructions in the main body of text. So, when you are lost and the need the guide the most, you must re-trace the trail guide instructions while editing out long editorial comments (frequently commenting on where the trail should have gone, but did not) and this frustrates. Why weren't the trail following instructions separated?

   This edition did try to make strides forward in readibility by using icons to denote when the text is talking about water access or re-supply. Though this allows you to skim ahead for where water is (useful!), placing such information in sidebars of the trail following instructions would have been best. Again, the current placement of the re-supply and water information fragments the trail follow tips.

   On the plus side, when the authors are not complaining about where the trail should have gone, there is a wealth of information on a variety of topics (e.g. geology, botany, biology, politics and the trail among other topics) all of which help you to enjoy the trail more. Sadly, though, each topic is also interspersed with the main body text. Again making the trail following instructions hard to read as the text changes gears from "how to follow the trail" to "PCT story-time."

   Unfortunately, the maps are not 100% accurate. A few of the maps suffer printing errors. On these maps, the trails - which are overlaid on old, out-of-date USGS maps - are placed incorrectly. Switchbacks not going with the grades of the landscape easily identify these maps or perhaps you?ll come a trail junction before a river, when the maps show the junction after the river. Also, the trail is disastrously colored blue, making it hard to distinguish from the all the streams and rivers (also in blue).

   That said, these trail guides are the best there is for the PCT, but they are far from perfect.




3. Overall this book is very detailed and easy to use. It provides good information on the trail, how to leave the trail in order to resupply and possible issues such as water or wild animals. The only thing I don't like about it is that the maps in the book are completely lacking any kind of coordinate grid which makes it difficult to locate on the map points the author is writing about.

No comments about The Rough Guide to Oregon & Washington 1 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

1 comments about Best Places Portland (Best Places).

1. BEST PLACES PORTLAND is a great guide to the city of Portland, Oregon, and the surrounding area, with incredible discussion about the best outdoor activities, dining, nightlife, shopping, museums, lodging, and other attractions. There's also a section on day trips within a couple of hours' drive. Overall, the Portland metropolitan area has a great deal to offer, so pick this book up, and you can't go wrong.

4 comments about Frommer's Portable Portland (Frommer's Portable).

1. I picked this up thinking it would be a good idea to brush up on what is good to see in Portland since we only had a few days. I was hoping for more information on the outlying areas around Portland but the lowdown on Portland was useful, especially highlighting the important "musts" as well as providing decent maps for pre-planning.
   
   Positives - Decent maps, good ideas, perfect for a short trip.
   Improvements - needed more information on day trips outside of Portland, especially since Portland is short distance from major attractions and there wasn't good discussion of distances and time needed to travel like other sections.



2. I would have liked this book to be more intra-regional and do more talking about the green zones around the metropolitan area but as far as detailing what's what in Portland itself, I have no criticism. Also some nice maps came along with this book, which is handy.



3. This is a great resource for a short trip to Portland. The small size fits easily in a pocket or purse. We tried several restaurants listed in the guide and all were excellent. I suggest Jake's seafood and Bijou Cafe for breakfast. Also check out the Mount Hood loop directions in the book--no trip to Portland will be complete without this!



4. This is an oversized pocket guide. Fits great in a coat pocket but not too well in pants pocket. Has great map. Gives reviews of about 50 or so eateries. The 'Best Places' guide is much better though.