2 comments about Streetwise Boston Map - Laminated City Street Map of Boston, Massachusetts - with integrated trolley lines & MBTA subway map.

1. Admittedly, that's all these maps are supposed to be for, but still, given the importance of Cambridge to the greater Boston area, a bit more effort might have been made to squeeze in more of it - at least up to Harvard Square. That's a fairly minor quibble, though, and this map shows the usual Streetwise quality in all other respects. The colors of the MBTA subway lines on the map aren't quite right, but they're close enough for government work, and the street index is its usual indispensible self. If you're coming to Boston, snag one of these - they're much hardier than paper maps, and very clear.



2. The print on this map is just way too small for over-40 eyes! So if you're in that age group...forget this map.

5 comments about South American Handbook 2008 (Footprint - Travel Guides).

1. I have only been in five of the fourteen countries covered in this handbook, but of those I have travel through, I found this all-in-one guide to be succinct, reliable and valuable. That said, it does not replace the comprehensiveness of a specific country guide. Basically, this handbook is a digested compilation of the specific country handbooks that Footprint produces. Thus, if you are only visiting one or two countries, buy those handbooks. If you are going to explore South America and want only one guide, this guide will be valuable.

   Each country section is condensed, comprehensive and reliable. Though smaller towns will be omitted, the most important cities, towns and sites will be covered. Each country has been segmented into regions, as noted by the country's map, and within each region Footprint covers the top two, three or four cities or towns in a region. Basic travel information is given at the beginning of each country.

   As with all Footprint Handbooks this guide has excellent color maps. In the back of the guide you will find ... exceptional color maps of South America. Also, throughout the book, I found the b&w maps of regions and cities to be very good.

   Another impressive aspect of this guide is found at the beginning, in the 'Essentials' section, where there is a very good discussion of bringing and using a car/SUV throughout South America. This section also includes information on motorcycling and a section on cycling throughout South America.

   Though each country section does have a 'futher reading & useful websites' section, this is very basic. The section on health/vaccination is bare bone basic.

   On the "downside" I often found that the brevity of the restaurant and lodging remarks were so terse (or no remarks at all) that they were not helpful, i.e.,. Hotel Barros Arana (Chile):modern, or a restaurant remark: good not cheap, or a hostel: helpful. Also I find the intrusive paid advertisements for hotels, tour companies, hostels, calling cards and travel
   services throughout the book (a half-page, a full-page, a quarter page) offensive. The purchase ... should be more than enough to make a profit, but Footprint chooses to afflict its readers with uninvited advertising to increase its profits.

   For those using glasses, the small type that the publishers uses will cause you to strain to read in low or poorly lighted areas. Also, the pricing for accommodations is a cumbersome rating system that could be simplified. It is not user friendly. There is no pricing guide for restaurants.

   That said, this is an adequate, to good, guide for those who are going to visit a multitude of countries while in South America. The information is current and reliable. Especially recommended for those that plan to motor through South America. Recommended




2. I ordered this product in Peru and paid maximum costs to have it delivered within one working week. A month later the product still hasn't arrived due to importtax of 175% of the price of the book that i have to pay in cash in the capital Lima (while i'm in Puno). Amazon claims it's not their problem even though they do not at all warn you when ordering the product and promise to have it delivered quickly.
   Let it be a warning: even though Amazon says they can deliver anywhere in the world, they cannnot!! It is impossible to order a book in another country without leaving your house and paying a lot extra.
   It was the last time i ever ordere anything with Amazon unless they make an explicit warning ( not some little line in the general conditions) when ordering to another country then the US.



3. Informative for helping me plan my trip to Peru and Chile. Better yet was that it arrived the day after ordering it. Thanks!



4. I have traveled in South America four times with this book. It is fantastic for low-budgeters like me. I am a woman, 52. I travel alone. It gives all the info I needed about even small towns. It's by far the most extensive - and the price is so cheap!!



5. In preparation for a trip to South America, I purchased a number of books on the different countries as well as South America in general. By far, the Footprints offered the best information, maps, and tips for successful navigation through the country. Unfortunately, this is such a thick guide that it will not make the trip with us, but it has helped lay the foundation for efficiently exploring all that South America has to offer.

5 comments about Me on the Map (Dragonfly Books).

1. The idea for this book is great, and overall my girls (age 4 and 6) enjoy it. But the book is sloppy about distinguishing country versus continent. And I think the author and illustrator could have done a better job to help kids make the leap from the abstract, 2-D concept of maps and our 3-D world.



2. My daughter is six years old, and it's tough to explain some of the more complex concepts like time and space. This series of books does a great job using colorful illustrations and text that's a lot easier to understand than anything I could come up with myself! Besides, I am a map and globe lover, so this book especially keeps our attention. I also recommend Sweeney's other books, including the one about Time.



3. I use this book in PS and Elem. settings to set up lesson plans related to maps and how they can be used. This book helps children to relate maps to their own environments.



4. I homeschool and this is an excellent book for teaching elementary school kids their "place" on the map. It starts with a girl mapping her room and extends all the way to her place on the globe and back again. An excellent teaching tool for putting things in perspective! Not enough words to make this a bedtime book, but enough to cause interaction and learning.



5. What a great book. Great pictures. After reading it we sat down and made a map of my 4 year old's room. If only it explained the difference between living out in the country (like on a farm) and living in a different country (like China or Australia). But I can't complain. We love it!

5 comments about Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam.

1. i was travelling alone in Lhasa, Tibet and found this book in Makye Ame restaurant. i started reading and couldn't put it down. it gave me true enjoyable solitude on my lonely journey. loved it. i spent the last two days reading it in that restaurant. ordered a copy from Amazon last week and i can't wait to finish it.
   my heartfelt thanks to Mr Pham!



2. Andrew X. Pham's other works and notables:
   
   * Pham, Andrew X. The Eaves of Heaven: A Life in Three Wars. This title will be released on June 3, 2008.. ISBN 030738120X.
   
   As translator:
   
   * ng Thùy Trâm. Last Night I Dreamed of Peace: The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram. ISBN 0307347370.
   
   Notables: Kiriyama Prize, Whiting Writer Award, QPB Nonfiction Prize, Guardian Shortlist Finalist, NY Times Notable Book of the Year, Oregon Literature Prize.
   
   Andrew X. Pham's website is at www.andrewxpham.com



3. This book is about a Vietnamese-American man looking for his identity in his homeland. Like many Vietnamese who were children when South Viet Nam fell to the communist in 1975, Mr. Pham's family fled to America where he grew up straddling two cultures. While his writing about biking though Viet-Nam is witty, observational, and realistic, I somehow felt sadden for him because of his Viet-kieu's experience, a terminology used for expats. Over all his story made many generalizations about a very complex and exciting country. I am too a Viet-kieu. What I found is a country full of eager young optimistic people wanting a better life for themselves, their families, sometimes - for better or worse - at any price. Yes, there are poverty and corruption, but there also exist the dignity and quiet grace of a peasant woman who gets up at crack of dawn, earning a meager wage for the day to feed her family because it's her duty. Mr. Pham chose to go back to America with his ''privileges'' and his ''opportunity'' still at a lost for his identity. Readers should not accept Mr. Pham's experience as those of the other Viet-kieu's in Viet Nam.
   
   M. Vo



4. This book embraces so many themes, so delicately, wrenchingly and compassionately. The center plot is a return to Vietnam by a young Vietnamese American which his family fled years ago to live in the United States. However, it is far beyond cross-cultural travelogue; it inhabits the American as well as the Asian psyche with such scary acuity, and takes us into an inner landscape where few can go....without this author as guide. The prose is elegant and luminous; the situations tragic, comic, ludicrous; terrifying. The tone I felt was one of battle fatigue but transcended by unrelenting steel: this one was meant to survive and to tell it all.....



5. 
   Catfish and Mandala hit close to home. My mother's family live in Vung Tau. So, when I read passages about it, it intrigued me. And it didn't disappoint.
   
   Despite what readers believe, this memoir isn't about Vietnam. Really. Catfish and Mandala tells a family saga--a Vietnamese family saga. It speaks to you about family tragedy, disaster, and redemption. This includes immediate family, extended family, and the family left behind after the war. Locals called Mr. Pham brother, uncle, etc. The metaphor glares at you, sometimes blinds you to it, but don't miss it.
   
   This work broke my heart, but I highly recommend it to children born from that land and know little to nothing about it--like myself.
   
   I do have one complaint, though, as a fellow writer: On their/his hams. If I see that phrase ever again, I will scream. I lost count after reading it the sixth time. One pass at an unusual phrase takes notice, but over six jars readers to a halt. Otherwise, I loved this book.
   
   Wolfe

3 comments about The EatingWell for a Healthy Heart Cookbook: 175 Delicious Recipes for Joyful, Heart-Smart Eating (EatingWell Books).

1. This is a good, comprehensive cook book for those of us that want to enjoy healthier food!



2. So much of heart disease is self-inflicted through destructive life style choices such as poor diet, smoking, and lack of exercise. So it follows that through a proper diet, the avoidance of tobacco smoke, and a program of reasonable daily exercise the prospect of heart disease can be minimalized -- even for those with a family history of genetic predisposition to cardio-vascular problems. That is the basic foundation underlying cardiologist Philip Ades' "Eating Well For A Healthy Heart Cookbook" which was written with the assistance of the editorial staff of 'Eating Well' magazine. Through the 150 recipes compiled in this thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' compendium of delicious and nutritious dishes suitable for any dining occasion, the risk of heart attack by be reduced by fifty percent, along with the lowering of both blood pressure and cholesterol. The first five chapters are devoted to providing up-to-date information on having a healthy heart. Then the beautifully illustrated, gourmet quality recipes run the gamut from Lebanese Fattoush Salad with Grilled Chicken; Lentil & Almond Burgers; Grilled tuna with Olive Relish; and Roast-Pork with Sweet Onion-Rhubarb Sauce; to Eating Well Waffles; Eating Well's Pepperoni Pizza; Crispy Fish Sandwich with Pineapple Slaw; and Dark Fudgy Brownies. Each recipes notes the calorie count, along with fat, cholesterol, carbohydrate, protein, fiber, sodium, potassium information, cooking time and more. Scattered strategically throughout are 'Heart-Healthy' and 'Shopping' tips. The "Eating Well For A Healthy Heart Cookbook" is an ideal addition to both personal, family, and community library cookbook collections.



3. I bought this cookbook a few months ago and have cooked many recipes from it. Everything has been delicious. There's a great variety of dishes and ingredients. Shows you how to prepare delicious, healthy meals that don't sacrifice taste for nutrition. My teenagers love it too.

5 comments about Alaska Atlas and Gazetteer (Alaska Atlas & Gazetteer).

1. We were on a driving trip in Alaska and wanted a map with details about the terrain as well as roads. This altas fits the bill. Our only complaint is that almost everyone in Alaska uses "milepost" numbers on the main highways as landmarks and even their street address in some places, and those reference points are not included along the roads on the maps. Even so, it was a big help for our trip.



2. Other than the fact that the scale is way to small at 1:250,000 this is a valuable resource that is very useful. I carry one of these for every location that I go.
   Go idea to tape the pages because the stable binding falls apart with use



3. We have used our first copy until it is ragged. Because we travel a lot within our state of Alaska, this is a perfect resource to have in the house. A must for tourists expecting to travel in our state.



4. This Atlas & Gazetteer is excellent. It is highly usable and the right scale for my use.
   
   I have used this product in two trips to Alaska. One was by cruise ship up the Inside Passage. It helped me understand the elevations and contours of the land we went through and explored.
   
   Our second trip was by road up the Alcan Highway. Again this product was helpful and educational. The retreat of glaciers are distinct compared to the date the map section dates. Combining this with our GPS made our trip much more interesting.
   
   Anyone driving to Alaska is well advised to buy this product.



5. the map has every detail that we need for planning a trip to Alasks. With this map, you don't need the 1x1 USGS map. However, this map book is kind of too big to carry on a light hiking.

5 comments about Maine Atlas & Gazetteer.

1. The detailed maps are great but guys...no use looking for a road map of Maine, I mean the whole state as it doesn't exist: incredible! so do order a map in addition!!



2. If you like maps and spend any time in Maine hiking, paddling, or traveling backroads, you must have this. It is fun to study and indispensable for exploring Maine.



3. This is the bible of maps of Maine. And most, if not all, other states have a version available. The first time you use it will probably make the purchase worthwhile.



4. After reading reviews on Amazon, I bought this book with a couple of others for my sister-in-law who moved to Maine. Within a week of moving to Maine, they got lost and used this atlas to find their way! They really like it.



5. I've been camping in Maine for a few weeks... Mainers expect you to have one of these. They say "get out your DeLorme's" not "do you have a map?" Some people I've met have pointed me to the right page without looking at the back.
   
   The details in this atlas are great! All of Maine's public reserve land and campground are clearly marked. If you are trying to do some real camping in some remote areas, get this map. This is a must if you are going to be doing anything outdoors in ME. I never thought I'd say a map is fun to read.

5 comments about Pudlo Paris 2007-2008: A Restaurant Guide (Pudlo Paris).

1. We just returned from Paris and I have to say that I wish EVERY major city had a Pudlo guide. I'm sure they're out there in some guise, but this one is simply perfect.
   
   I've used Zagat before and in the States have had pretty good results. However, in Europe, I've found that many Zagat reviewers don't quite get the European dining experience. You find scores of complaints about rude waiters, cramped tables and service taking too long. They don't do these fabulous restaurants justice because they base their experiences on wide-open American restaurants with waiters that speak their language who want to turn their tables as fast as possible. Many of the reviews in Zagat get downright annoying.
   
   The Pudlo Paris guide was fantastic. It didn't matter which arrondissement you were in, you were never more than a block from a perfect dining experince, whether it was in a noisy bistro or a white tablecloth temple of gastronomy.
   
   I'll never go back without it!



2. On our first try with Pudlo's for a week in Paris, we give it two thumbs up. Not every description was accurate - the "rugby restaurant" had nary a green shirt present during the World Championship games - but the cuisine/pricing info was reliable.



3. This book was full of good information on TONS of restaurants, but was hard to use because of its organization - by district. Obviously, this is probably the best way to organize this kind of book, but when traveling I would rather say I'm on Rue Cler, where can I find a good restaurant? Not I'm in the 7th arr. and I have 20 different places in 20 different parts of the arr. which to hunt down? We ended up 'donating' the book to the apartment we rented because we found it rather useless. Also, all of the restaurants in the book were expensive, so the book wasn't good for a couple on a budget.



4. In previous visits to Paris we'd relied on recommendations from friends reviews found on travel websites, and luck. Then you're in Paris and find that the recommended restaurants are far from where you are... or that our friends' taste is rather pedestrian. This time we took the Pudlo guide with us. As a result we ate heavenly - yet as inexpensively as it's possible while the $ is low and the Euro high. The guide is conveniently divided by city areas (arrondissments) so wherever you find yourself at lunch or dinner time, you can just pick a nearby restaurant that's recommended. Restaurants are also marked by price range and decor, and there are a handful of "Pudlo's favorites" -- every one of those was fantastic food. We'll never go to Paris again without the most recent Pudlo in hand.



5. Have to say that this book was one of the most used books on our last trip. We liked how it was written and the reviews seemed to be right on. Fine dining is paramount to us in our travels and this really helped find the spots to try. Highly recommend it.

5 comments about Coming into the Country.

1. We bought this book in Nome, Alaska on a visit there in 2001 (my brother owns a flying service there). I took my time reading it the first time. Coming into the Country is not a book to be read quickly, but, rather, one to be savored, taking time for the details to seep into the crevices of one's memory until they become part of one's knowledge base. Every page holds a vast amount of information that if read too quickly blurs to nothingness and is lost.
   
   McPhee's descriptions of the land, its rivers and mountains, its challenges, its beauty, and its people are thorough and draw the reader into the pages of his book. It takes a certain kind of person to survive in the Alaskan bush. I, for one, am drawn to its splendor, its starkness, its fearsomeness, but am sure I don't have the right stuff to live there long term. The river people and others, who thrive in communities like Eagle and Central (even Fairbanks and Juneau), have remarkable stamina and a strong determination to live the lives they choose in their respective settings, all of which are breathtaking in their beauty. McPhee also writes of the tension between the races (Indian and white)and the human dynamic among community members (the good and the no-so-good)that always accompanies the sharing of space and resources.
   
   Over the past five years, I've picked up CITC now and then to re-read parts of it. Most recently, I re-read the whole of Part III Coming into the Country. This is my favorite section because it focuses on the bush and its people, most particularly on Eagle, Alaska located on the Yukon River and just across the International Boundary from Canada's Yukon Territory. (Incidentally, the term "coming into the country" refers to the arrival of a person into the Alaskan bush with the intent of staying. I may move from Michigan to Ohio or New York or California, but, if I go to Alaska, they call it coming into the country. "Brad Snow and Lily Allen came into the country in 1973." "Joe Vogler came into the country in 1944." "John Borg came into the country in 1966" (and he's still there. Check out the Eagle site. Borg has worn many hats in Eagle and still sits on the board of the Eagle Historical Society and Museum. Borg's wife, Betty, is the board's treasurer).
   
   The original copyright on this book is 1976, thirty years ago. The growth in technology since that time has allowed almost every municipality to have their own website. Eagle is no exception. [...]
   
   Carolyn Rowe Hill



2. I traveled to Alaska in 2006 but lived there in the early 70's. Why I delayed so long in reading "Coming into the Country" I don't know, but John McPhee has taken me back to that earlier day. Both his character and place descriptions are wonderful and make me long for the cabins, the ice break-up, the dogs, the bush planes, and the 55 gallon drums. The Anchorage of today is much changed, but the bush is still there -- Thank God.



3. Want to read about the realities of the 49th state????
   Want to really learn something about this region???
   Want to get good visuals????????
   If NOT don't read this book!!!!!!!!!!!!



4. This book is a wonderful relic, the last plausible vision of a living American frontier. In the mid seventies, McPhee went to Alaska to do a few pieces for the New Yorker. He met a lot of trappers, prospectors, and "river people" who'd built moss-chinked cabins and whose individualism, gruff hospitality, and happiness he admired. McPhee made a plea for democratic access to Alaskan land. He argued that land far from roads should remain fair game for homesteaders in perpetuity.
   
   It is odd to read an ode to Alaska's wild immensity at a time when islands are being evacuated in the Aleutians, polar bears are drowning, and the permafrost is melting. The question these days is not whether Americans can still choose to live in more or less untainted outback. The question is whether that outback will soon be transformed beyond recognition, not by oil drilling, but by climate change.
   
   What Coming into the Country offers the twenty-first century is escapism and nostalgia. McPhee's account of the political squabbles over the location of Alaska's capital has lost its relevance, but the rest of the book still comes to life. We meet a mix of clannish Christians, proud native people, and prickly bootleggers in the small, dry town of Eagle. McPhee's tale of a man's survival in sub-zero weather after a plane crash constitutes a minor classic of its own.
   
   The book reminds us how powerful the frontier fantasy remains in American psyches. Can it be harnessed as a metaphor? Can the dream of self-reliance on a private patch of woods help motivate us, indirectly, to cut carbon emissions? It has motivated us to go camping and conserve some wild lands even while ruining others. Still, I suspect that as the environmental movement shifts in response to global warming, we may have to jettison the frontier fantasy. It depends too much on a view of nature as more powerful than man. Whether or not we agree with Bill McKibben that we have arrived at the end of nature, we know that everything is responding to elevated temperatures. There is no untouched patch of land left in Alaska. The romance of a homestead sours when the flora and fauna are marching north past the log cabin, driven by coal and oil fires from all over the planet.



5. My wife and I like to listen to a tape while we read the book. We are rereading this book that way. It is a classic and a good introduction to Alaska, where we have lived and worked and touristed.

5 comments about Rick Steves' Europe Map (Rick Steves).

1. My son and I went to 5 countries in Europe and wanted a full map of Europe. This map is reinforced paper without being bulky, so it travels well. Easy to read and has larger city maps included. A great addition to the city-specific travel guides.



2. The map was a bargin for the price, but if you want a full map of Europe, go elsewhere. This map does not include eastern Europe and Bosinia, Albania, Macedonia, Greece (which is the main problem becasue Greece is a popular tourist destination) and more.



3. I got this thinking it would get me started on planning my trip to Europe. I had a list of things I wanted to see. When I got the map I was so happy to see that all the tourist attractions were ALREADY MARKED on the map! They were clearly labeled and easy to locate and read. Great product...well worth the money!



4. This map is OK, not what I was really looking for. This map is best utilized as a general European map to help you plan for your trip. In terms of having enough detail to be incredibly useful, you would be better off with a map that was more country or region specific. It is just a little to general to be of any substantial benefit while travelling.



5. Although I haven't traveled with it yet, this map is very lightweight, moisture resistant and folds nicely to tuck away in my backpack. Looking forward to putting it to the test in Italy & Switzerland.