1 comments about ZAGAT Texas Restaurants 2008 (Zagatsurvey Texas Restaurants) (Zagatsurvey Texas Restaurants).

1. The Zagat's 2008 "Texas Restaurants" guide should be renamed the Austin/Dallas/Houston/San Antonio guide. The medium sized metropolitan areas (El Paso, Abilene, Waco, Amarillo, Killeen, etc) are completely excluded, as are destination towns like Salado or Fredericksburg. What is puzzling is that the information is on their webpage. Why not include a "best of the rest" section? Given the Zagat methodology, the exclusion must be intentional - they simply don't see fit to expand the survey beyond the I-35 corridor.
   
   Space is a serious consideration. While smaller cities get their own guidebooks, four of the largest cities in the entire country are crammed into one volume. The culinary scene in Dallas has exploded over the past five years. How is it possible that Connecticut, St. Louis, and the New Jersey Shore have their own guidebooks, but Dallas has to share billing? The same could be said of the three other cities. The Texas Hill Country alone could be a guide much like some of the other regional ones Zagats publishes.
   
   The result is that that guide tends to list newer openings rather than established local favorites. The list for Austin was shockingly incomplete. Likewise Houston and Dallas felt very light. There were well known places that didn't make the book, rendering it useless for someone who is looking for an authentic experience rather than the trendy latest openings.
   
   Another serious flaw is that regional chains only get one review for all four cities. If you are looking for a review of the location in Austin, you might be redirected to the review of the Dallas location. This might work for small chains all operating in the same city, but to propose that there is no discernable difference in price, décor, quality and service between restaurants that are hundreds of miles apart is ridiculous.
   
   I could only recommend this to someone on an extended business trip or vacation along the I-35 corridor who has never been here before. If you really want to get a flavor for Texas, look online at some of the great city scene websites or thumb through back issues of Texas Monthly.
   
   Just like the old salsa commercial, don't be caught dead trying to explore the culinary landscape with a guide book published by folks from New York City.

No comments about Discover! America's Great River Road: Volume I: St. Paul, Minnesota, to Dubuque, Iowa (Discover! America's Great River Road).

1 comments about Culture Shock! Chile: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette (Culture Shock! Guides).

1. I bought similar books in the past, but found this book to be the most informative on Chilean culture. Also, it is enjoyable to read.

5 comments about The Rivers Ran East: Travelers' Tales Classics.

1. I bought a copy of this (in hardback) about 45 years ago as a gift for my then fiance. He had heard about it and was so excited about getting a copy. I then made the mistake of loaning it to someone and they did not return it. I then tried to order it, but it was out of print. Several years ago I was able to get a paperback copy. I WILL NOT LOAN THIS ONE OUT. I have read it several times and enjoy it each time. I am in the process of ordering "A Wanderer Till I Die". I would recommend this book to anyone (except someone who is afraid of snakes, bugs, etc.).



2. I found an old original copy of this book in my step-fathers library in Adelaide Australia that I was going through after he passed on. Some time later I sat down to read it.....what a book! couldn't put it down for a minute. It has everything you want in a good book. You can actually hear and smell the jungle, what! and with fast paced action! just had me out of breath reading it! Best of all, it is actual adventure! nothing arrogant about it, nor was it into boring chatter of any kind to eat up pages and thicken the book.
   No! it was a pack full of wonder in itself, and, let your imagination go wild!....I brought a copy to share with my brother as a retirement gift. So many people these days forget, that not long ago the world was a very different place.



3. Whether fiction or not, Leonard Clark's supposed exploits into western Amazonia is a wild and exciting venture which reads like an Edgar Rice Burroughs novel.
   
   His personal secret mission was to locate the fabled El Dorado with incomprehensible riches but due to heavy governmental scrutiny of gold seekers coupled with the political unrest of country boundaries, he went under the guise of seeking ethnobotanicals.
   
   Clark's dangerous undertakings took him into the heart of dense jungle and tangled vegetation, thwarting every imaginable task at hand. From jaguars, venomous snakes and crocodiles down to the relentless flies and chiggers that inhabit these inhospitable environs there is never a dull moment. His escapades with the head-hunting tribes of the rainforest are charged with excitement.
   
   Again, how much of this is actually credible is not my place to say. However, the book will keep you on the edge of your seat.



4. It's one of the best books I have ever read! The author is very eloquent, and you get the feel of traveling along on this incredible adventure. Just sit back and watch the pages fly by.



5. This may be the funniest book I have ever read, precisely because it doesn't try to be funny, but reveals an incredible, good-natured imagination. The reviewer who is a biologist and worked in the Orinoco hit this on the head, "mishmash" is the right word. An incredible collection of odd facts, phrases, trivia, all woven together in a hilarious account. Anyone who has actually been in the rain forest in South America, which includes me on several occasions, knows this is pure hokum. Few animals are ever seen, and mostly it'd dark, green and quiet. But what makes this book so great is how much is going on every few lines--snakes are poised to strike, jaguars snarl, natives threaten. But it's all in fun and this really does beat Swiss Family Robinson, Robinson Crusoe and rivals Lord of the Ring for sheer fantasy enjoyment.

1 comments about Diarios de Motocicleta: Notas de Viaje (Film Tie-in Edition) (Che Guevara Publishing Project / Ocean Sur).

1. NO HAY NADA MAS LINDO QUE LEER ACERCA DE NUESTROS PAISES, APRENDER DE ELLOS, POR LOS OJOS DE UN JOVEN VIAJANTE COMO "CHE GUEVARA". SE LOS RECOMIENDO! LEANLO! :)

5 comments about Driving the Pan-American Highway to Mexico and Central America: A Complete Guide for Do-It-Yourself Planning and Driving Through Mexico and Central America.

1. We have not yet driven the Pan-American highway, but were given the Pritchard's book as a gift in preparation for an eventual trip; therefore, I can't comment on the traveler tips. I was, however, amused and distracted by the incredible number of typos on each page (coastal is consistently spelled "costel"). The book seems very basic and at times naive (toilet paper discussion). I had the feeling that my grandfather was explaining the ropes to me... That said, the book seems to have some helpful information and tries to be specific regarding border crossings, the roads, etc.



2. I did a lot of research on our trip. We live in Honduras and are driving to the US over a three week period as we leave the area for good, so ordered the book. I was already very versed in the trip from countless stories on the Internet, and from exploring Central America over the last three years, so found the book simple, badly written, and not very helpful at all. I suggest that instead of spending your money on this book, you do research on the Internet and you will get much better information for free.



3. The information's regarding border crossing are just to old (more than 10 years) to be of any valid use today.



4. Do not bother. I am looking to make this trip but in 2007 not 1997. Information in this book includes what might be coming in regards to border accords and improved roads and "conditions" but no later model exisits. If the authors are still alive they are living well in Costa Rica selling this book that is basically and outdated catalog for Costa Rica (and others) real estate.



5. This book is a little dated. It was printed in 1997 and most of these countries are changing so fast that you probably need something a little more current to suppliment the book. However, it is still interesting reading and does have a lot of tips and information.

1 comments about Chile - Culture Smart!: a quick guide to customs and etiquette (Culture Smart).

1. This book is a great insight into understanding Chilenos, their customs, traditions and how we can get the most out of a visit to their country. How to be a smart traveler without being thought of as another ugly american.

5 comments about Buenos Aires: A Cultural History (Cultural Histories Series).

1. This is not a "travel book" in the usual sense -- you will not, for instance, find anything about where to stay or eat. Rather, this is an historical, cultural, and literary guide to Buenos Aires that will make your time there more interesting and worthwhile.

   Progressing geographically through the city's most important streets, plazas, and neighborhoods, Wilson uses the observations of writers, artists, foreign visitors, politicians, academics, and others to give the reader a "feel" for both the city and its inhabitants. These observations are supplemented with just enough historical framework to provide context. Buenos Aires is a city filled with buildings, streets, and monuments that stir up a great deal of emotion in its inhabitants; what this book does is help to explain why these locations are so important and how they fit together -- geographically, historically, psychologically -- to make up the city.

   This book was along with me during my recent trip to Buenos Aires and undoubtedly made my time there more satisfying. Its only real deficiency is a lack of good maps -- there is one, but it is very general and doesn't cover enough territory. Nonetheless, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone traveling to Buenos Aires.




2. I loved Mexico City by Nick Caistor in this series but this was a HUGE disappointment. There is way way too much name dropping and quoting of other sources rather than getting the author's actual feel of the city of Buenos Aires as it is today. I understand this series is subtitled as "a cultural and literary companion" but I'd have preferred way more emphasis on the culture as it stands now and less of the literary references. It was like reading Footnotes 101.

   Stick with Miranda France's Bad Times in Buenos Aires.




3. I spent a week in Buenos Aires and brought this book with me with the hope that it would introduce me to the uniqueness of this contradictory and culturally rich city - it did not. I have not read a more disjointed, dysfunctional guide than this one.
   
   Jason Wilson uses the word 'Babylonic' to describe Buenos Aires, and in a Freudian way, that very word describes how this book reads. Wilson uses the words of other writers to express (evidently he cannot) the soul of this city. All the multitude of quotes muddles your mind and the book ends up sounding like babble.
   
   Quote after quote assails you from writers you will be sorely pressed to recognize. This book could, maybe, work best in an Argentinian Literature course where the readers would have a pejorative understanding of the writers quoted. BUT, it is not, in any way, suitable for the average, or even above average, traveler in Buenos Aires. If you want an understanding of Argentina's Culture, then you should consider 'Culture Shock! Argentina' (however it too could be seriously improved, see my review). Not Recommended



4. Jason Wilson is an editor of travel writing collections of some note, and I have much enjoyed other books in the Cities of the Imagination series (most notably Elizabeth Nash's Madrid volume), so I looked forward to the arrival of this book from Amazon with much anticipation.
   
   I was, for the most part, greatly disappointed.
   
   The book was intensively researched, and you can count on several apt quotations per page. Hardly a signicant writer about Buenos Aires in the last three centures goes uncited, and it seems as if every block on the city grid gets its moment.
   
   The flaw - and it is a near fatal flaw - lies in the organization. Wilson organizes the book rigidly according to geography, going more or less block by block around the city, and detailing who lived in this building or what writer set a scene in that block of apartments.
   
   Whereas Nash weaves the history and neighborhoods of Madrid into broad thematic stories, Wilson tells no stories. He bludgeons you with facts and literary quotations, tied together only by geography. It is a hard and boring slog, and even if you push through, you emerge with no unifying concepts that might help you understand this vast and magical city.
   
   It's a shame, really, that the book is so dull and mechanically structured, because the research that went into it clearly was extensive, and because Buenos Aires seems to offer more potential than most cities for a proper Cities of the Imagination treatment. It reads, unfortunately, as if time ran out for the actual writing of the book, and the writer delivered a data dump organized by zip code.
   
   If you drive a tour bus around Buenos Aires for English speaking tourists, this book will prove a handy reference, barrio by barrio, street by street. If you are researching your own book on Buenos Aires, the bibliography alone will save you months in identifying the books you should read. If, however, you are planning a visit to Buenos Aires and want one cultural guide that will help you understand the living, breathing city, this is not the book to choose.



5. Because the book is organized around the cafes, theaters, and other cultural landmarks of particular streets, the book was an enormous help in understanding the city. By reading it beforehand, it allowed us to prepare our daily itinerary from a cultural-historical perspective. Forget the naysayers, here is no better book in understanding and appreciating the city of Buenos Aires as Jason Wilson's book. I've given it to all my friends.

5 comments about Guatemala Rainbow.

1. Guatemala Rainbow is just what I hoped it might be and more- the photos are stunning and full of local color. They portray the personality of the Guatemalan people. Having lived in Central America, I can say that they authentically document the typical lifestyle of those outside the capital city, free from United States' influence. This will be a real gem in my collection for Spanish classes as I introduce the students to the culture. The images will help them get a feel for being there.



2. Stunning images, true to Guatemalan life. Not just "pictures". A window into a beautiful land with colorful people. !EXCELLENTE!



3. I bought this book for my family as we are adopting a child from Guatemala. This was one of the only books with pictures of the culture that I could find, and I am SO glad that I did. I can be rest assured that my son will feel pleasure and pride in his birth-country after looking at the pictures in this book. It is a beautiful, colorful, and rich culture that deserves to be displayed vividly for all to see!



4. I bought this book for my girlfriend who is going to Guatemala for an 8-week field study for her master's degree in anthropology. The pictures are in no way artistic photographs, I would classify them as documentary photos. There are a few that have some drama or depth to them, but most are simply documenting the Guatemalen culture through thier famous colorful weavings and how they use them.
   
   My girlfriend and I wish that the pictures had lengthier captions to explain what we were looking at, as most of the images only have the name of the city they are from. There is a brief and simple introduction at the beginning of the book about Guatmalen culture, the weavings and Mayan history, but the rest of the book is all pictures.
   
   I gave it to my girlfriend to get her excited and motivated for her coming field study, and in that respect I guess the book was a success!



5. this book has gorgeous photos of Guatemala.
   we wish, however, that the photos had better captions to describe them.

1 comments about Streetwise Houston Map - Laminated Center City Street Map of Houston, Texas - Folding pocket size travel map with integrated metro light rail lines & stations (Streetwise (Streetwise Maps)).

1. I really like these simple easy to use maps. They are well put together and highly functional. I am very familiar with Houston, but i still carry this map, because sometimes frankly you just what to be sure where something is located. The only draw back to these streetwise maps is that they only highly light the central city, which is fine if that's the only place you'll be driving, but if you need a map of the entire city then this may not be your best bet, but they are great for the most traveled areas of town. Overall, I am a huge fan of these maps.