3 comments about Zagat 2008 San Francisco Restaurants.

1. The real problem with the Zagat approach is that it is too easy for a restaurant to stuff the ballot box with votes for itself. If you believe the restaurant descriptions here, you think that the worst 30-something restaurants in the Bay Area are packed with rich venture capitalists. It is more of a pickup bar guide than a reputable restaurant guide.



2. Great guide !
   We found a perfect place for a large party at Fisherman's Wharf
   that we had not know about, despite many prior trips there.
   Zagat's is always helpful.



3. Very accurate on the quality of the restaurants and the prices. As for decor, I guess it's more of personal taste.

5 comments about Lipsmackin' Backpackin': Lightweight Trail-tested Recipes for Backcountry Trips.

1. Still haven't tried all the recipes, but there's something for everyone!



2. I agree with the person who wrote that you need a dehydrator for this book's recipes. The author commented (rather self-defensively) that a full 2/3 of the recipes do not require one, but that's not true for the dinners.
   
   I'll be honest and say that dinners are why I bought this - snacks and breakfast aren't that hard to make, but dinners, especially for a group, can be challenging. I did a quick count, and 40 of the 59 dinners require a dehydrator. Of the ones that don't, the authors include recipes with ramen, spam, and macaroni and cheese, none of which I need a cookbook for and two of which I bought the book to get away from.
   
   And then there's the "Trail-grown sprouts" dinner which suggests growing sprouts for three days in netting, presumably in your pack, and then eating. This is hardly a full meal. There are also a few dinner recipes with the main ingredient being plants or fish caught while in the backcountry, such as "Sandy's Weed Salad" with "Collect greens along the way in a plastic sack and wash them in streams" and then toss with dressing as the directions. Most experienced hikers know to not plan on a meal being caught or harvested in the wild.
   
   The book is also padded with information about National and Historic Scenic Trails in the United States, which is ok information I guess, but a) is of very little use to most people unless they plan on traveling the entire country, and b) odd to have in a cook book.
   
   I will probably sell this book and look for another that doesn't have so many major meals (e.g. dinners) that require a dehydrator.



3. I can't wait to go backpacking so I can try out some of the tasty sounding recipes! Very easy to read and packed with great backpacking tips!



4. `Lipsmackin' Backpackin, Lightweight Trail-Tested Recipes for Backcountry Trips' by Tim and Christine Conners is but the second book I've seen on the subject since I started reviewing cookbooks. The first is almost 35 years old, being `Backpacker's Cookbook' by Margaret Cross and Jean Fiske.
   On first blush, the newer book seems better in almost every way, in that it includes the total weight of every recipe, all recipes specify the number of servings, and almost all are for one or two servings, just right for the average camping experience. The Conners' book also includes a nutritional analysis by serving for each recipe. Best of all, for those true disciples of Colin Fletcher's `The Complete Walker', the book includes miniature summaries of each recipe on their own little slip of paper, each weighing no more than the borders of the maps you cut off, per Master Fletcher, to reduce your packing weight.
   The book is also very advanced, and allied to some extent with the `raw' food movement, in that it makes extensive use of a food dehydrator as a means of reducing the packable weight of each recipe. My favorite aspect of this book is that it also includes several recipes for bread, including two based on the truly amazing technique of wrapping the dough around a stick and suspending the dough over the campfire by jamming the stick into the ground at the side of the fire. This technique is at least as old as the Boy Scout Handbook of 50 years ago, and I was never brave enough to try it then, but I'm happy to see it's still around.
   But, the venerable old `Backpacker's Cookbook' is not ready to be put out to pasture yet. The two books really represent two different models of camping. The older book seems to be written primarily for the weekend hiker or someone who at most may go for a four to five day hike. There is less emphasis on weight and advance preparation and packing. Virtually everything is straight off the supermarket shelves, with a little repackaging of premeasured ingredients. And, there is no systematic division of advance preparation steps with `on the trail' work. The Conners' book is clearly written for those who are intent on multi-week treks on the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, or any other major hiking venue.
   Another big difference is that while I believe Cross and Fiske have food writing or food business vocations, the Conners are amateurs in the world of food writing. And, virtually all their recipes are collected from contributions by friends, colleagues, and correspondents.
   The last difference of note is that the Conners' book gives no attention whatsoever to backpacking cooking equipment, while Cross and Fiske treat the subject in detail, and give extensive references to other books on the subject, although except for Fletcher's classic, I would not guarantee that many are still in print, but you may be surprised.
   So, while the Conners have done an excellent job, they left some things undone, for which I offer Cross and Fiske as an excellent supplement.



5. I purchased this book along with a few others and am pleased with the quality of grub. I am aKayak camper for the most part but these recipes work for all aspects of the camping arena. YUMM YUMM. This is a must for anyone who enjoys the outdoors but still like a tasty meal GET IT

5 comments about Pocket Map and Guide Barcelona (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE).

1. We'll be cruising to Barcelona and only spending one day there. This guide is the perfect size for what we need - info on all the main sites, maps, travel information...without having to pay for a more expensive / comprehensive guide designed for longer visits. It's still packed with information...it even has a small phrasebook in the back. It's smaller than I expected, which is a good thing. They've really packed a lot of information into a totally portable guide...metro maps, dining, street maps - it's really adorable, actually!



2. Tiny and easy to put in purse or pocket. I used it as a supplement and to review top rated sites in the city.



3. Hard to hold and use due to tiny size - but will fit nicely in a pocket and contains a lot of information and visuals (photos and diagrams)



4. I am very pleased with this little Eyewitness guide book. It is the perfect size to carry along when sight-seeing in the city, but the print is actually large enough that you don't need a magnifying glass to read it. When we travel in Europe our goal is to pack very light, and this little map and guide puts the important info into a small space. We'll only be in Barcelona for a couple of days before a Mediterranean cruise, so this is all we'll need to see highlights of the city.



5. I knew it was going to be pocketsized, but this guide book was really small and hard to open because of the binding. The map of the city and metro system on the inside of the back cover proved very usefull when getting around Barcelona. I did like the picture or diagrams of the recommended visits with a little of the history added into the picture. Decent; you get what you pay for on this product.

2 comments about The Rough Guide to Argentina 3rd Edition.

1. Purchased this for my daughter, who was preparing for a semester abroad. It helped her get a good idea of what to expect in Argentina.



2. This was my first Rough Guide purchase as I have always been a fan of Lonely Planet. I bought the Argentina guide since it was published recently and used it specifically for a trip to Buenos Aires. I thought that the information was relatively good in terms of descriptions of neighborhoods in general, but not detailed enough for my tastes. Pricing is difficult, even for a very recent edition, due to the inflation in Argentina. However, I prefer Lonely Plant for giving more substantive historical backgrounds in their guides as well as telling it as it is in their hotel, restaurant, etc. reviews.

1 comments about New Paris Interiors.

1. I'm going to love poring over this book over and over again. It's impossible to look through it all at once, anyway, it's so big and the visual onslaught is overwhelming. Being a middle-class, Great Plains middle-aged person, I will never see these apartments and rooms myself, but it's fun to see how world-class artists, musicians, actors, directors, designers and financiers like to decorate their homes. Some of them, I swear, are compulsive collectors - stuff *everywhere*! Most are beautiful rooms, lending lots of ideas or at least daydreams for one's own home.
   
   The photography is lovely; the text is in blocks of English, French, and German, so if you want to practice your French or German, this is a fun way to do it. If you're a Francophile, like me, it's entertaining and educational peering through those windows out to the Parisian sights.
   
   My only complaint is how huge the book is; it's not a lap-book, that's for sure. It is definitely worth the money, in my opinion.

5 comments about The Hills of Tuscany.

1. Reading "The Hills of Tuscany", Ferenc Mate's exuberant, joyful ode to his adopted country, makes one eager to join that expatriate band. After occupying a series of dwellings a "houseboat, sailboat, mountain cabin, that garage in Laguna Beach, the attic in Paris, the cubbyhole in New York, and a whatsit in the Bahamas," the Hungarian-born Mate and his artist wife, Candace, deemed it time for a permanent home.
   
   Central Italy's countryside, where "Everything was small to the measure of man," beguiled them; there "reigned the gentle Tuscan light, and silence, and a calm." They became contentedly sated by "pranzo," the four-course daily meal that resembles in quantity "our average Thanksgiving dinner," and decided to buy a farmhouse, to put down roots in the idyllic Tuscan hills.
   
   Their enchanting dream was a challenging task. Mate spoke no Italian and was woefully ignorant of the vagaries of an agrarian existence. Nonetheless, he set about his search for their perfect home with a Quixote-like zeal, undaunted by a real estate agent cum undertaker who stored his listings with names of the recently departed in a shoe box. A parade of touted homesteads in abject disrepair didn't discourage him. Collapsed fireplaces and gaping roof holes were the norm. Mate zigzagged his way across unfamiliar terrain, following unmapped rutted paths, bouncing over rocky roads until he found his utopia, "a structure with perfect rhythm." La Marinaia The Sailor's Wife. Once that purchase was accomplished, attempts to have utilities turned on introduced him to an implacable, inscrutable Italian bureaucracy. It was explained that there are an almost infinite number of regulations in Italy, " . . . many dating from Roman times, some contradictory, some incomprehensible."
   
   Settling in also meant becoming a part of the nearest town, Montepulciano, "built for humans not for cars, so the main street was just wide enough for conducting daily affairs, evening promenades, and small festive processions." The couple delighted in exploring closet-size shops run by often absent, usually amiable owners. Their nearest neighbor welcomed them with fresh goat cheese covered by a large fig leaf, and they attempted to improve their Italian by watching Telegiornale, the local televised news an "Italian version of reality, a flexible amalgam of fresh headlines, old footage, and clips from Steve McQueen movies."
   
   More than an enthusiastic tribute to the ever astounding beauties of the Italian countryside, "The Hills Of Tuscany" is a paean to the pleasures of the palate as Mate describes in rapturous detail ravioli stuffed with ricotta and wild mushrooms, crostini spread with tuna and capers, rabbit ragu "spicy with tomatoes" plus a legion of dishes bathed, basted, stir-fried, swathed in or caressed by olive oil. He is also unreservedly passionate about the local wine, "wine as robust as the clay," "wine with a deep complexity that tingled all the taste buds."
   
   Today, Mate lives with his wife and young son at La Marinaia, tending his olives and vineyard. It is there, he writes, that "we learned to live and enjoy life as the Tuscans do piano, piano, con calma." Slowly, slowly, with calm. The author's enthusiastic prose is infectious. His word pictures are captivating, as he unveils a Tuscany that is both serene and seductive. "The Hills Of Tuscany" is an invitation to follow your dream . . . especially if it leads to Italy.
   
   - Gail Cooke



2. What a delightful arm-chair journey The Hills of Tuscany is! Máté's descriptions involve all senses and beyond that they make the reader yearn for something simple, ancient and cozy, -- to be close to earth and to our fellowmen, and to rediscover the joy of unpretentious things. His enjoyment of life is so obvious that his book would be a pleasure regardless where he settled, be it the Arctic Circle or the rainforest of Costa Rica.



3. Very enjoyable reading, especially if you have vacationed in this area. I could picture the coutry side and the town of Montepluciana that he wrote about. I loved the area and loved Ferenc Mate's book, "The Hills of Tuscany". Some of us wishes that we could trade places with him, living there sounds devine.



4. I thought this book was an easy read and pleasant. It was just kind of a diary of the day to day life the author experienced when he bought a home in Tuscany. It was not an in depth study of life as a foreigner in a foreign country but then again I don't think that was his purpose in writing it.



5. I enjoyed this book. I will be going back to Italy in the fall and will probably visit some small hill towns. Since this book, the Mates are now living in another part of Italy. It was fun to read. Once you read this one then read the next book "A Vineyard in Tuscany: A Wine Lover's Dream".

5 comments about The Rough Guide to New Zealand 5 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

1. We are yet to take our trip to New Zealand, however, I'm sure we'll feel more comfortable with our decisions on where to go, what to see, where to stay, and what to do from using this Book. The book gives general price ranges for hotels, activites, and in some cases restaurants. I think the greatest resource has been the website listings within each section. The websites cover everything from airlines, to tour groups, to just general information about the country. Needless to say, We're very excited to take our trip and I know this book will be coming along with us!



2. After trying another guidebook, we purchased The Rough Guide shortly before we left for New Zealand. It was an invaluable companion during our travels. The reviews were spot-on, leading us to a number of excellent restaurants and good campgrounds. We even appreciated knowing that a restaurant was "somewhat overpriced but adequate" before we went in--and that description was completely accurate.
   
   The Rough Guide covers a range of restaurants and accommodations, which is useful. Even budget travelers sometimes like to splurge (and know that the splurge is worth the money). Their evaluation of activities was also accurate.
   
   This guide is well worth the price--and worth it's weight when traveling.



3. I planned our entire trip using a good road map and the 4th addition of the Rough Guide. Everything regarding the locations we visited was amazingly accurate. There are good maps of all the cities as well as the areas of interest. I did not find particularly useful the recommendations for accommodations, which featured either places for backpackers or those at the higher end, with not much in between. I also did not agree with some of the restaurant recommendations. Nevertheless if you are looking for a great guide book for everything else, this one is a winner.



4. 
   
   I had Rough Guides recommended to me but I am disappointed in the size of the print, I would have rather the book been larger that having to strain my eyesight to read. I'm sure the book is very informative & we will ready ourselves hopefully for a trip to NZ in late 2008.



5. This book was awesome. I am going to NZ on my own, and this book provided all the information I would ever need to know about locations to visit, the people, and lodging. Great value.

5 comments about Mexico (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE).

1. I've been to Mexico twice, and I'm in love with it. I was planning a special short trip on Easter week this year, but because of personal reasons I couldn't go. In my frustration, I went to the book store and looked at every guide about Mexico, and to my surprise, this was the most complete. The rest were just text. I bought it inmediately, and while I read it I traveled without leaving home. The most importante feature is the abundance of pictures.

   If you are planning to travel to Mexico, or just enjoy learning about other countries, this book should be part of your collection.




2. I've used Eyewitness guides for about 10 years. I quite like the way they are organized. Strong points of these guides include:
   (1) Historical timeline; key points identified with good breadth & depth
   (2) Traveler's Survival Guide section has accurate & helpful information
   (3) Wonderful walking guides with three-dimensional maps so that one does not overlook the not-to-be missed sites, monuments, buildings, works of art, cultural highlights, etc.
   (4) Well-organized into provinces and major sections of cities that help trememdously in mazimizing time so that one is not back-tracking or wandering hither and yon.
   (5) Many good color photos and illustrations of major attractions
   My one major dissatisfaction is that no phonetic pronunciation of cities, attractions, historical figures, etc. is included. That one small feature would be tremendously helpful and appreciated.



3. I love the Eyewitness Travel Guides, I already have some of them, and because of my great experience with them in Prague, Italy, Russia, and other places, I wanted to get the one for Mexico. But once I got it I was already disapointed by its size being half of the other ones that I got. The regions that interested my most was Guadalajara and Jalisco, which are only described on 2-3 pages, although being the colonial hartland of Mexico. A lot of emphasis is put on Mexico City, and the Jucatan Area. So if you travel there, I can recomend the book. For those who dont like to travel to the typical touristy areas, i'd say rather not.



4. Since my husband and I discovered the Eyewitness travel guidebooks that's all we buy. It's not very analytical but it gives a good overview of what you shouldn't miss (places, food, shopping). We recently went to Mexico City for a week and this guide was very helpful. I am only giving four stars because we would have preferred to have a guide only about Mexico City rather than all Mexico (like we have for Paris) but DK did not publish it yet.



5. EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDES are the best guides you could find. I've bought every one they have published to the places I have visited, and always know where I want to go and what are the most important places to visit,
   with the pictures and 3D images of the buildings and maps I don't get surprises as to visit a place not worth while. You optimize your travel time. I have about twenty of their guides, just hope they increase the places they review in the near future.
   I'm from Mexico and found it very useful.

4 comments about Bali and Lombok (Eyewitness Travel Guide).

1. I grew up in California, and continue to love the scenary and the people there. I thought it was the best place on earth, until I made it to Hawaii. Wow! Do I love Hawaii! I was convinced it, too, was the greatest, until I arrived in Tahiti. Now there's a really awesome place!! When I got back, I spoke with my cousin, the world traveler. She said, "You'll really love Bali, it's much more beautiful than Tahiti." So far, I haven't been able to test her views, but this book certainly helped me to see the many beauties of Bali and the neighboring island of Lombok (which she didn't tell me about).

   The scenery, animals, arts, temples, crafts, costumes, and dance are vivid, colorful, intricate, and involved. This guide to the two islands features over 700 color photographs that give you a sense of this beauty in very many ways. Even the smallest images are crisp and distinct.

   The book is also a good size to slip into a pocket while traveling, so that you don't have to be burdened with excess weight or bulk. That will help, because this guide has many details of streets, restaurants, and the insides of temples that you will wish to refer to when you are in Bali or Lombok.

   This guide has the details of all of the festivals on the two islands, which are reportedly a high point of any visit there. You also get lots of detail on local history and traditions (which will be unfamiliar to many in the United States).

   The book breaks the two islands into regions so you can get a flavor of how being in one area compares to another. For example, you can go as an eco-tourist, as a cultural tourist, a scuba tourist, or a plain old beach tourist (but there is good surf for those who like surfing and wind surfing). Bali offers lots of variety for those with different tastes and preferences, and the guide makes it clear how to plan for each. Golf has even made its way to Bali.

   I was also glad to see that the book contained many website addresses to obtain additional information.

   I cannot report on the accuracy of what is here, because I have not been to Bali. On the other hand, the information made sense in terms of what I know about other islands, and Hindu and Moslem countries.

   This guide is so rich in photographs and detail that I can have quite a few "trips" just by reviewing the material here. So even if I don't make it to Bali for a few more years, I will have enjoyed some of the wonders of this wonderful island. I hope you will have the same opportunity.

   After you finish enjoying this delightful guide, I suggest that you think about where else you know little about and might like to see. If your time and budget do not permit much travel, you could perhaps use these DK Eyewitness Travel Guides to provide pleasant diversions in the meantime. Then, when you are ready to go to a new place, you'll have an informed view of which one to pick.

   Grasp the potential all around you, with all of your senses!




2. Bali and Lombok are just two islands in the Indonesian archipelago... and one of the most popular tourst destination. This book is crammed with wonderful information as well as photographs by well known photographers, maps, drawing etc... of Bali and Lombok. I found it very wonderful that it covered both aspects of Bali and Lombok's culture regarding religion, music, dance etc... The book is much different from Lonely Planet with maps in colour with icons regarding the village and what the villages are well known for. For example the village of Taro in central Bali in Gianyar Regency is famous for it's white breed of Cattle and there is a little bit of information talking about that village. The book covers all of Bali as well as Lombok.

   Denpasar Bali's capital contains many sections like the Museum... the market and so many places of interest. For Kuta its beaches which are popular with many Australians and well known for the surfs... Gianyar regency in central Bali was well known for it's cultural and artistic creation. The famous village of Sebatu and Peliatan are famous for their Legong Kraton dancers... wonderful and graceful like butterflies or heavenly nymphs... Klungkung regency in east Bali was home to the powerful rulers with the title of "Agung Dewa" and most revered... Klungkung was a historical city and site where the golen age of Balinese history began the mass exodus of many Hindu-Javanese fleeing Islam came to the royal court bringing their traditions and tansplanting it in Bali while the ancient art form disappeared from the island of Java as a whole...

   Lombok hasn't been developed to tourism yet but it is slowly starting to. The island is very lovely with it's lush green rice fields and wonderful people who are of Balinese race and Sasak origin... They produce wonderful crafts like clay jars, pots, weaving etc... If you want to know more you will need to read or grab hold of the book yourself...

   There is even a section on food and the types of food eaten with lovely photographs of food and things to buy in Bali... This is great and I guess it is too good to be true too... Excellent work and research I must say went into making this book...




3. Colorful guidebook has marvelous images that create an immediate illustration of Bali and Lombok.

   While the practical references are a bit truncated (foreign embassies listed are only Australia and USA; hotel & restaurant listings are scanty), the cultural & special interest tips are excellent.

   The guide works its magic by tying photos to text. The reader can zero in on an image and immediately see the relevant text. This is a highly practical format, leaving no mystery as to whether some place or item may be of real interest to the individual reader. Therefore, reader can figure out what he/she wants to see & do without slogging through chapter upon chapter of text.

   I spend a lot of time in Bali and I think this is probably the most useful guide for the average traveler to Bali & Lombok. It has quite a few entries....

   If you have a limited amount of time in Bali, and an even more limited amount of time to prepare for it, this guide will suit you very well indeed!




4. The Guide is great to get an overview over the many attractions in Bali - lots of pictures and some nice overview maps of the island's regions. However, the descriptions are on the short side and it does not contain detailed street maps that could be useful for orientation. But overall a nice introduction!

5 comments about Lonely Planet Great Britain (Lonely Planet).

1. This is an excellent guidebook. The only problem with it is the quality of the city maps, which are almost impossible to read. I saw an earlier edition in which they were in color and much better. They must have tried to save money in this edition by doing them in grayscale.



2. In planning a trip to Great Britain, I have purchased three travel books: Lonely Planet, Eyewitness and Frommer's. I would rank them in that order as far as helpfulness in planning our trip. Here are my reasons: I have found Lonely Planet's sections on "where to sleep" and "where to eat" are much more extensive, informative and include a wider variety in price ranges than the other two books. Also, they have more information on some of the smaller towns, that are off the beaten track. I enjoyed the wonderful photographs, maps and illustrations in the Eyewitness Guide to Great Britain and if you can afford two books, it is a great way to prepare for what you will see. However, since I only have room for one travel book in my small suitcase, I plan to take the Lonely Planet book with me on our upcoming trip.



3. This is the third Lonely Planet travel book I've purchased, and as usual, it surpasses every other book. All the information is easy to understand, well organized, and relevant. Don't think it's going to include Ireland though, because it's actually part of the United Kingdom, not Great Britain.



4. You want a guidebook with a touch of attitude, Lonely Planet books are for you. They may lack some of the warmth and reach of other books, but they also cover things no one else touches. All the big name sites and attractions are here but so are some spots that most tourists never think of. Lonely Planet Great Britain is unique and I'd recommend it to anyone.



5. I just returned from 3 weeks in the UK and think the reviews over sold this book. It was not at all the travel bible I expected. You know the comments about how weak the maps are? Well....... if it isn't on the map, it isn't in the book. This book is an excellent resource if you are looking for ideas on what to do with your time in Britain but if you know what you want to do and expect it to be in this book you will most likely be disappointed.
   
   If you just want to see the standard tour stuff, you are better off looking up the visitor information center location for each major city you're visiting and heading straight for it when you arrive. You can book your city tours and attractions and get the best deals on city sanctioned accomodations from the visitor centers.
   
   I had a car for half the time and used the rails the other half. This book did not have the detail for either modes of travel. I needed a little more detailed maps, local rail stations and how the underground connected with major hubs in the major cities. I did not even see anything on the Heathrow Express into the London Paddington Station. That is elemental info for getting into London from the airport.
   
   This book is not bad, it just was not right for me and was not what I expected. I knew where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do and there was very little about those things in this book. They really tried to cover too much in a single volumne. They need to break England, Wales and Scotland into individual volumes.
   
   I still recommend this book but don't rely on it to get you where you want to go and copy just the pages you need (including the area maps at the beginning of each section)instead of lugging the whole book all over Britain. I ended up leaving mine in a the hotel because it was just one heavy item too many.