5 comments about Michigan Atlas & Gazetteer.

1. I have been using DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteers for many states for many years. I have always found them very useful for travelling over the back roads and secondary highways as they give one detail not found on the usual road maps. They also list parks, historic sites, recreaton areas, etc. which are also very valuable when travelling in unfamiliar areas.
   
   While I also own a GPS system for my automobile, it doesn't give you topographic detail or large area views due to the limitatons of the small GPS screen. However, I find using both the DeLorme Maps and the GPS system to make for very efficient trip planning.



2. I spend a lot of time off the beaten path. This map is great for getting there and back. Very useful. This is my third one, as I keep wearing them out.



3. This book is incredibly detailed and easy to use. Along with a GPS, there is nothing you cannot find. Whether an occasional traveler or a resident, this is a must to have for God's Country, Michigan's U.P.



4. We bought this book with the idea of just wandering Michigan for our week of vacation. We wanted to avoid the Interstate as much as possible. This book was great for our plan! There are many roads and towns on these pages that aren't on a regular map! We really enjoyed traveling back roads, while never feeling lost.



5. If you go hunting or wild camping it is important to know what land is for public or private property. Also very useful by driving with car (any car). Easy to know which street/road are ok for different kind of vehicle, truck or motorcycle.
   The size of the map could be better it is not very handy, but so you don't need to have magnifying glass to use this guide.

3 comments about Seattle (City Guide).

1. This book is perfect to guide you through the must see sights and the restaurants that are convenient. As always, Lonely Planet proves to be very reliable.



2. LONELY PLANET SEATTLE, whose last edition was great, just got even better with this edition. This book includes a copious amount of information on where the best recreation, shopping, and dining are, as well as including an updated list of radio stations and a description of the best and worst neighborhoods in both the city and its immediate suburbs. Overall, LONELY PLANET SEATTLE shows the Seattle area to be a metro region where the median income is higher than the national, in both the city and the suburbs. This is a book you must own if you're interested in travel in any way.



3. My wife and I have traveled the world to all but four countries using Lonely Planet and as always Lonely Planet is the only book to travel with. A bit of information on Seattle travel expenses. For a USA city, Seattle is very expensive to visit (about 38% more than the average USA city). We have friends of 40 years who relocated to Seattle and they too say it is expensive. Eating for two in a standard lunch restaurant is going to cost $60 (with gratuity).
   I spent two months researching Seattle rooms (talking with hotel concierges and club member services). All room rates are hiked 40% for the summer months (May-mid Sept). All the rooms are small in square footage - similiar to NYC. The lodging with the largest rooms is Springhill Suites by Marriott on Yale Avenue. This was confirmed by fellow experienced travelers we met at Springhill - having done the same research as myself.
   Due to their major highways (I-5, and others) needing to be wider I would opt to stay in downtown otherwise you will spend 30% of your time in the car. If you want to travel to Vancouver Island (during the summer season)- make your reservations a month in advance.
   Their intra bus service does not provide good information on their web. Inside the inner city, all bus service is free (due to their lack of parking facilities and too many cars). On the weekend (Fri-Sun) one can purchase a weekend on-off pass for $1.50 - if you are traveling outside the inner city. Inner city is from Anthony's Seafood (excellent food and lowest priced in the city) to the Seahawk's stadium. There is still plenty of the city outside this area - and the rooms are less expensive on the fringe of the inner city.
   Seattle is a beautiful city, and we will visit again. But one needs some money to visit.

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.

5 comments about Ranger's Guide to Yellowstone Day Hikes, A.

1. As a veteran of more than 35 years of wilderness backpacking in all kinds of weather and every season of the year my brother-in-law and I decided to shoot HD video in Yellowstone.
   
   We did not want to do a wilderness trek on the first time out with all new video gear so decided day hikes were best. We did 20 of 29 of the hikes in "A Ranger's Guide to Yellowstone Day Hikes" in 7 days and covered 70 miles on foot.
   
   This is a great book, one of the best I have seen in my years of hiking and backpacking. Each trail is unique and amazing. Some are tough but even the steepest trail was not so bad for a 54 year old with 35 pounds of video gear on his back. Trail ratings are true, so you will NOT be surprised by a gargantuan climb that is rated as moderate. Strenuous ratings wisely reflect both length and elevation change.
   
   If you have room for only one day hike book in your travel gear this IS the book. If you are a seasoned backcountry expert or a beginner you will not be dissapointed.



2. This is an excellent guide to relatively short day hikes in Yellowstone. Provides good descriptions on what you will see on the trails and it's small enough to take along on your hike.



3. We bought this book before a trip to Yellowstone with our family. The book was very helpful in helping us find trails that our whole family could do. The pictures and discriptions were very helpful in the planning and telling our kids what to look for.



4. We have been hiking the National Parks in the West for almost 20 years and this is the most valuable trail book I own. The information on each trail is completely accurate with respect to distances, maps, directions, etc., and the naturalist notes are very informational. We have completed 75% of the hikes in this book and have enjoyed every single one - some have even been done two or more times. The book is small enough to carry in a fanny pack. I have thrown away all of my other Yellowstone hiking books as this has become affectionately known as "The Bible".



5. This guide was a birthday gift along with "Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks Road Guide." We used the two of these books nonstop during our nine days in the park. This book offers acurate information regarding the trails and rankings. Understand that not ALL trails are listed. I picked up "Best Easy Day Hikes Yellowstone" but it's trail rankings were not as acurate. If you are purchasing one book on trail hiking in Yellowstone, use this one.

3 comments about Newcomer's Handbook for Moving to And Living in the San Francisco Bay Area: Including San Jose, Oakland, Berkeley, And Palo Alto (Newcomer's Handboks).

1. We found this handbook to be very accurate and very helpful in our move to the bay area. The writing style is clear and easily digestible.



2. The Newcomer's Handbook for Moving to and Living in the San Francisco Bay Area covers just about every aspect of living in and around San Francisco. I mean everything! Including "Moving and Storage," "Getting Settled," "Children and Education," "Sports and Recreation," "Transportation" and everything in between, this thick book answers almost any question about San Francisco.
   
   The introduction to the book is just as cool: "San Francisco is the land of the 49er Gold Rush, the Great 1906 earthquake, and the missionary expeditions of the Spanish; it is the birthplace of Levi's jeans and home of the railroad tycoon Leland Stanford; it is host to one of the greatest feats of engineering, the Golden Gate Bridge, and as a cultural epicenter, it fueled the hippie flower-power revolution, gave rise to Rolling Stone magazine, and played host to beat generation poets." Geez, now I want to move to San Francisco!
   
   This guide to "America's melting pot" provides information about the local lingo, so you will not feel too much like an out-of-towner. For example, "The Haight" is the famous Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, "The City," always capitalized, "is the way natives and local newspapers refer to San Francisco" and BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) is "the under-and-above ground subway-style train network that connects the East Bay and peninsula with San Francisco."
   
   This guide also provides detailed information concerning the many municipalities of San Francisco, including web sites, area codes, zip codes, post offices, police stations, emergency hospitals, libraries, public schools, community resources and public transportation. The "Cultural Life" section is also pretty cool, providing tons of information about film festivals, music, theater, ballet and dance, restaurants, nightclubs, comedy, art, museums and anything else you can think of. San Francisco is one cool town, and this book is undoubtedly the perfect guide to moving there!



3. My husband was recently transferred from Kansas City to San Fransisco, so when I saw this book for newcomers to the Golden Gate city, I just had to have it! It is such a great buy, as it contains all of the information that we want to know before we move there. It tells the history and atmosphere of the different neighborhoods there, along with many other pertinent facts. This well-researched and accurate book with maps is all one needs to feel at home in San Fransisco!

5 comments about The Fiery Cross.

1. I just finished reading "The Fiery Cross" and I was totally enthralled with it from beginning to end. I, of course, have read the first four books. Twice actually. This one was my favorite. The other books are excellent and exciting. What I really like about "The Fiery Cross" is that it really digs into each of the characters. You really get to know each of them. Like them or not, they're human. You get a look into their lives and what it was like to live in the 1770s. The love story continues between Claire and Jamie, it deepens, and matures and their passion remains...well, passionate. I never thought this book was boring. I could not get enough of Claire and Jamie's world. I loved getting to know Roger and Bree better. I was happily engrossed with this story, so much so that the hours flew by. I would dream about these people what was happening with them. I would find myself thinking about the story all through the day always anxious to get back it. I read because I love a good story, especially a good love story. It's wonderful to get into Diana's books and totally leave the real world behind for a while. This is an excellent continuation of the series. I enjoyed it very much. I recommend it highly.



2. book size is too small to read comfortably! would not have purchased if I knew the size.



3. Sir or Madam:
   Since I prefer to read books written in series format as a unit rather than individual books at different times, and since I have chosen to read the entire Outlander series in this way, I have not yet reached The Fiery Cross. However, I can review this title by itself or as part of the entire series when I have completed my reading. Please let me know your preference, and I will write my review accordingly. Thanks. CMB
   
   Note: This form insists that I provide a rating before it is forwarded to you. Therefore, I have chosen a 3 as a neutral response. CMB



4. I don't know how anyone can give these books below three or even four stars. Every single one is absolutly enchanting and without a doubt some of the best novels written by anyone in years. I'm nearly done with the fifth installment and can't wait to move onto the next. Although I must admit that this one starts out the slowest of any of the rest, but it does pick up dramatically after Aunt Jocasta's wedding. Then later (DON"T READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS) when Roger nearly dies from being hung, I just couldn't put it down. Such drama that you can really emmense yourself in. I can't say this enough, everyone should read these books!!!!!!!



5. Ms. Gabaldon is a superior writer and story teller. This tale is of Jaime and Claire, now well into their relationship with all the joys and vagaries of love in middle age. Is this as steamy and tumultuous as earlier works? Well, no... They are older now and broiled in making commitments made earlier in life work. This is what life is all about, after all. As in earlier books, Claire knew she was setting herself on a course of relative poverty and hardship when she made Jaimie her choice as a life partner. And this is partially what this book is about.
   
   I, for one, found the interjection of homely details such as the daily struggle with hygiene without running water and washing machines very interesting. This is my fourth time through the novel and very much appreciate how she braids these themes into the story. Life goes on during menstrual cramps, hot flashes, lack of water, etc. These details makes me care for the characters deeply. Because I know they are human and have mundane, maddening, mind numbing problems like I do.
   
   Diane's style of humor has me laughing outloud on a regular basis. One such example is the baptism of Joan and Jemmy, with the Jaime, Roger and Germaine grinning episode.
   
   I find myself dogearing pages I love so much I want to revisit them. There are many such pages... for reasons of humor, an exceptionally phrased passage, an epiphinal moment, or just plain tenderness.
   
   Don't let the negative reviews stop you from reading this book! It is well worth the time to drop in for a visit with these very human characters to see how they live their lives and solve their problems.

5 comments about Streetwise Portland Map - Laminated City Street Map of Portland, Oregon - with integrated Max Light Rail map featuring lines & stations.

1. I have a couple of these Streetwise Maps now and find them a joy to use. In Portland there are a few streets I can't find, so an index of some kind would be good. But generally they are so easy to work with - no complicating folding schemes - that I would recommend getting one today. I also have an Artwise Map of London by the same company. Terrific!



2. This is a good and inexpensive resource for Portland. It easily folds up to fit in a small purse or pocket. It is also waterproof and easy to read.



3. I like these laminated, folding maps. They have good detail and fit in a purse. Never go out without one.



4. This is a laminated, card stock map that fits easily in a pocket. Very easy to manage. Amazing detail for its' size.



5. I have been a fan of the "Streetwise" calendars for years -- a folding laminated city map that always folds nicely, stays firm and fits easily in pockets, purses, etc.
   
   On the reverse side, it also has a wider regional map, which is helpful to put your travels into context, especially if you use the map alongside tour books that often point out destinations outside the downtown region.

1 comments about Fodor's Maine Coast, 2nd Edition: With Acadia National Park (Fodor's Gold Guides).

1. FODOR'S MAINE COAST, 2ND EDITION is a great guide to everything you need to know about coastal Maine, whether it's shopping at the Maine Mall in South Portland, great outdoors-y stuff such as beaches, hiking, and seal watches, or important historical sites such as the home of Neal Dow, father of Prohibition. The only problem with this book is its failure to mention Bull Moose Music or any radio stations, but that's a minor quibble, as THE INSIDERS' GUIDE TO PORTLAND, MAINE and THE INSIDERS' GUIDE TO THE MAINE COAST cover those areas more than ably.

5 comments about Oregon Atlas & Gazetteer.

1. This atlas is much more detailed that ones like it, such as Benchmark's recreation atlas. With this being said, it not as detailed as one may need in the back country. I mainly use it to provide a general overview of the region I am exploring, and to locate common places.Main forest service roads are visible, yet no all are marked with a name or number. I use it in conjunction with USGS topo quad maps, forest service map, and GPS, and serves it purpose very well.



2. Has everything listed however not in a organized fashion, 3 insets related to 3 other pages are on one page just because they're within 4 miles of the coast. From N to S on a map it doesnt break in a logical way. There are no insets of large cities main roads such as portland, salem, eugene, corvallis. however, forest service roads are listed and named. which is a great help when highways are closed.



3. I have lived in Oregon for twenty years and gotten around with a road map, this is sooo much better, now I need a washington edition. great book. has paid for itsself in just two local trips across the maze of roads from Newberg to Gaston.



4. These Delorme Atlas & Gazetters are wondeful. They show you many features not available through GPS, maps or other atlases. It is a great feature to have the BLM lands marked as well as the back roads. Good resources are also included in each states atlas. A good addition to anyone's travel tools.



5. These Gazetteer's are not your USGS maps but they are certainly better than any road map out there. So as long as you don't require back-country precision have one of these in your car as they are still better than any GPS once you get off the secondary's.

1 comments about American Map Road Atlas 2009 Standard (Road Atlas: United States, Canada, Mexico (Spiral)).

1. We have found this particular map to be extremely helpful on trips. Our last one was several years old but wanted an updated version. You can't go wrong with this map put out by American over others published by different companies. This is the best!