No comments about Zagatsurvey 2009 Washington, DC Baltimore Restaurants (Zagatsurvey: Washington Dc/Baltimore Restaurants).

5 comments about Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway: An Epoch Tale of a Scientist and an Artist on the Ultimate 5,000-Mile Paleo Road Trip.

1. One part Easy Rider, one part On the Road with Charles Kuralt, and one part "stuff to find by the side of the road." Mix up these three and add an interesting commentary of "how things got to be the way they are" and you'll have some idea of what "Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway" is like. I've read "The Bone Wars" (Cope vs Marsh) and, while I find the topic interesting, I had to drag myself through parts of it. I also have a number of "Roadside Geology" books that I'm generally disappointed with. In "Cruisin'," Dr. Johnson gives details about the first scientists on the scene, plus precise locations & basic geology, and manages to make it all humorous and entertaining. The Easy Rider camaraderie between Johnson and artist Troll is often quite amusing, and the sketches of personalities they meet along the road makes what could be a very dry subject full of personable details. The octogenarian racing to beat Johnson to a fossil, the 16 year old girl with an Allosaurus under her bed, the "King of Trilobites" who has little more than disdain for fossils ... all keep the narrative far from a textbook coverage of geology. No, I don't know the author well enough for him to buy me lunch or have a piece of the royalties. I just really enjoyed both the personalities and the fossil info in the book. If you're serious about collecting, get the separate map as well: not only is it covered in Trollish art, but it provides an accurate index of fossil locales throughout the Western states (in much more detail and over broader areas than the book ... and better than any other source I've seen).



2. Funny,thought-provoking story with historic information on paleontological sites and the people who search for fossils.



3. Caution! Paleo fever is catching. I already had a light dose of it before reading the book. Not many people carry around a small chunk of dinosaur rib in their purse just for the heck of it. (It makes a hilarious conversation piece at security check points. Most screeners don't want anything more to do with the purse after finding the bone.)
   
   Now, after reading the book, I have a full blown case, and am itching to get back on the road. This book strikes just the right balance between hard information and just plain fun.
   
   We went to Montana last summer and met several people who were at least as interesting as the bones - with strange tales of discovery and survival. Guess what! after reading the book, I now know that there is a whole world of fossils and people just waiting to be discovered.
   
   This book answers a lot of questions that I had - i.e. what on earth is a concretion? Before reading the book, I could recognize one, but couldn't define what it was. Now I know more about what they are and how they form.
   
   The book delivers a steady drip of valid scientific information that you almost don't realize that you are getting. (The author is a curator at the Denver Museum.)
   
   The book will also tell you how to recognize and find dinosaur tracks at 65 miles an hour. - I won't give away the secret,but, I'll give you a hint: it involves birthday cake and ants.
   
   Be warned! If you read this book, you will be left screaming for a ROAD TRIP in the great old American tradition.



4. The book was listed in Science News, which is a weekly publication with current news in the world of Science. My spouse, who is a Registered Professional Geologist, asked me to purchase it for her. At first glance she thought it was a children's book, however; in reading further realized the book was intended for adults. Her rating is that the publication was very good, both well written and illustrated. This rating means a lot because it is from someone who must have at least a zillion books on Geology and also has a Masters Degree in the subject.



5. Kirk Johnson of the Denver Museum of Natural History and his traveling companion, artist Ray Troll, take us on a goofy whirlwind tour of fossil sites in the West that is funny and also informative. Kirk Johnson explains a lot of geological concepts along the way, while weaving in great anecdotes and entertaining sketches of the whacky characters who live and work at many of the sites they visit. Ray Troll's art, as always, is great and often quite surreal, and there's lots of it on every page. Highly recommended!

5 comments about The Best Little Map of Savannah, GA..

1. The Best Little Map of Savannah is a must for any trip to Savannah. The map is beautifully illustrated - - places of interest are clearly displayed. Restaurants,hotels and squares in Savannah are easy to locate on this map. The map folds and is easy to carry.



2. This was perfect for walking around the Historic district. We could tell how far different restaurants and other attractions were from our hotel easily. Made it easier to walk around without too much extra wandering, which was important to us as we had 2 young children in tow! We are moving to Savannah soon and will keep this available for our guests!
   
   For driving to various parts of the city I'd recommend using Mapquest or a "real" map, but all in all, we really thought this was so useful. And pretty to boot!



3. The information included in this map can be easily accessed with any of the free maps available throughout the city. These maps include popular landmarks and squares.
   The city is conveniently laid out in a straight north/south and east/west grid, so it's hard to get lost. To find a specific business it't easy to explore (or see the yellow pages).
   At one third to one half the price, i might recommend it, but with the grade school graphics and the above shortcomings i cannot.



4. This a a great map. I knew I would like this one since I also bought the map for Charleston and it was very helpful as we walked through Charleston two years ago. It details restaurants, historical buildings, hotels, so it is easy to get around. Next week we go to Savannah, the hotel we are staying in is on the map, also the places we are planning to tour. If you are going to Savannah, this is a must.



5. Could not do with out this map.This map is invaluable when visiting the Historic District. I have to order another one since we used this one so much.

5 comments about Newcomer's Handbook for Moving to and Living in Seattle (Newcomer's Handbooks).

1. The latest edition of THE NEWCOMER'S HANDBOOK FOR MOVING TO AND LIVING IN SEATTLE is a book intended for people moving to the area, but even people who are not going there may enjoy it. It describes in full the best and worst neighborhoods, schools, shopping, dining, and fitness opportunities in the cities of Seattle and Tacoma, as well as their surrounding suburbs. This book is more up to date than the last edition, so it's worth checking out and getting rid of your old edition.



2. This book was most complete of any I have seen so far, author certainly must have deep knowledge of Seattle area. Lots of tidbits that were completely unexpected!



3. The book is filled with lots of info, though I don't think it is much more updated than the older version (also very useful)



4. This book has served as an outstanding relocation-tool during our move to Greater Seattle region. It's well-organized and provides thorough information for multiple neighborhoods. The author covers various aspects of everyday life, such as neighborhood profile, commute, schools, dining, and shopping etc. Although it covers suburbs of Bellevue, Redmond, Everett, Kenmore, Bothell and Tacoma etc., but the coverage for suburbs is not as extensive as for the city of Seattle. I wish the author had covered Eastside in a little more detail.
   
   I would rate the material "Five Star", but deducting one for no color, few maps, and no pictures. The author has done an amazing job, if the publisher can follow some style elements for color and pictures from DK Publishing, it could make this guide an undisputed leader. Even after living for a year in Seattle suburbs, I still use it as a reference document and every time I learn something new and interesting. For example, I recently learned about the business partnership between Seattle PI and Seattle Times, and where does the NE (North East - e.g. NE 145th St.) starts etc.
   
   I strongly recommend this book to all new comers to Seattle area. If I ever decide to relocate again, I will never do so without buying any such guide as it certainly makes learnings straightforward and relocation a little less stressful.
   
   PS: I personally own the 2nd edition, the content for both editions is worth every penny.



5. This book is a must have if you are considering moving to the Seattle area. My family and I are planning on relocating to Washington early next year. We've never spent any significant amount of time in Seattle, so this book has served as a great source of information on the different neighborhoods in and around Seattle. We've been able to narrow down our choices for when we go and scout the area this Winter. We never would have been able to check out everything, and this book has allowed us to rule out different areas. It is also a great source of information on everything Seattle (shopping, tourist info, transportation, public services, etc...)

5 comments about The Pine Barrens.

1. I'll keep this short and sweet: McPhee's The Pine Barrens is an entirely outstanding, fascinating look at the unique area that is the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. McPhee covers Piney culture, the unique ecological nature of the region, its history, and its hidden treasures. The writing is poetic and rich, the people interesting, and the information detailed, thorough and never dull. A really great read that anyone living in NJ should get.



2. I have read many of John McPhee's works. They are all excellent and captivating. He writes on so many subjects, it is amazing that they are all great. No wonder he teaches at Princeton, or did as I remember.



3. My wife gave me this book in 1978, and I devoured it in one evening. I have since been all over the world, and no matter where I go, the pines are always the reference point for me. My teen years were spent in the pines, with my good friend Tom, where we would travel its dirt roads, canoe its streams and fish its lakes, and hike its trails and roads. Mr. McPhee weaves a story that is so true, so historically rich, and for me, so reminiscent of the years of my youth. Please read this book, and then go and make your own memories.



4. Those of us from the Northeast know that wilderness can be found if you're willing to hit the road and search for it, and also that it's precious and worth protecting from the onslaught of industry and sprawl. But even those familiar with the region's wilderness offerings will be surprised by the natural bounty and remoteness of New Jersey's Pine Barrens area. The masterful essayist John McPhee published this travelogue and study of the area back in 1967, when the depths of the Pine Barrens still offered genuine seclusion form the outside world, with hardy folks still living off the land by picking berries or making charcoal. And this beautiful area was surrounded on all sides by the most urbanized and industrialized blight on Earth. Things aren't quite so rustic there anymore, but reading McPhee's engaging treatise on the area should make modern folks wish to both visit the Pine Barrens area as a valuable slice of nature, and to protect it as a precious and dwindling resource. That's what makes this short but lovable book from the great McPhee a timeless classic for nature lovers. [~doomsdayer520~]



5. This time John McPhee turns his hand to one of those
   anomalous natural treasures that has survived in
   spite of intense urbanization. The Pine Barrens are
   two-thirds of a million acres-an area the size of
   Yosemite that sit beside a major artery of the most
   developed region in the country. With the New Jersey
   Turnpike to the west and bustling, chintzy Atlantic
   City to the East, it's hard to imagine that this great,
   weird wilderness could be so little known.
   
   McPhee is the perfect guide to the Pines. He is as
   sensitive to the natural history as he is to the
   culture. He has a sympathetic ear for both the natives
   and the outsiders who wander in from time to time. He's
   a writer who can focus on a detail-a threatened fern or
   the quality of water and then pull back to the big picture.
   
   A thoroughly entertaining book.
   
   
   --Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
   the novel bang BANG. ISBN 9781601640005

5 comments about Hot Springs and Hot Pools of the Southwest: Jayson Loam's Original Guide (Hot Springs & Hot Pools of the S Jayson Loam's).

1. I gave this four stars because most of the book is awesome and we've good experiences with the other additions. My wife and I love to travel to natural hot springs and we bought this after visiting most of the springs in the Northwest US.
   We bought this edition just to get some idea of the springs in Texas. There is only one listed though which is pretty inaccurate. Nothing in the Austin area is included but the stuff in Hawaii was right on!



2. I got into hiking and discovered hotsprings a few years ago. This book is a great guide and map to many great springs all over the South west and more.
   Def. reccomend it for the adventurer



3. This is probably the best hot spring book in existence for the southwestern U.S.. It is great, it has everything you need. Beyond the locations themselves, the book lists temperature of the pools, driving direcetions, driving conditions, exact GPS coordinates, accessability and a great description of the springs along with some black and white pictures. It has all of the major hot springs in it (I am sure there are still some minor ones on private property). I have been to a couple of the sites in the book and it was easy to find them. I would highly recommend this book.



4. By using the GPS coordinate, we had a lot of fun searching the hot springs in the Mammoth Lakes area. The only reason I give it 4 stars is there is a wrong GPS coordinate (reading the direction eventually got me there). Great book.



5. If you like hot springs, this is the book for you! The most information in the easiest format to follow. The directions are better than most other books like it, Really I haven't found a hot spring book that compares, this one has been around a long time and it's still the best. Also has been revised so its up to date.

No comments about Montana Benchmark Atlas.

4 comments about The Great Neighborhood Book: A Do-it-Yourself Guide to Placemaking.

1. The Great Neighborhood Book is full of examples and ideas for
   down to earth you and me kinds of action that inspire and energize
   to make things happen in our neighborhoods. It includes getting to know
   neighbors, putting benches out at natural pausing places, greening and
   gardening ideas, and simple suggestions. Recommend it for community
   organizations, individuals and planning groups.



2. Written by Jay Walljasper, a Senior Fellow of the Project for Public Spaces, The Great Neighborhood Book: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Placemaking is a how-to guide for local communities to improve the quality of life for their residents through building shared bonds. From creating great places to hang out (a park with few hidden spaces and scattered vendors selling refreshments is more likely to deter homeless people and drug dealers from using it), to reducing crime (ordinary people's eyes and physical presence on the street are much more likely to deter crime than iron bars on windows), foster economic vitality (promoting locally grown/cooked/made food is kind to the environment as well as the local economy), and much more. Drawing heavily upon real-life examples in communities that made a measurable positive difference, The Great Neighborhood book blends practicality and inspiration into an uplifting whole and is enthusiastically recommended reading for concerned citizens, neighborhood watch groups, and municipal boards, among many others.



3. My professional work involves partnering with neighbors to create and sustain vital neighborhoods. This is an invaluable, easy to read book that spurs ideas and reminds us that great neighborhoods are not created by those just sitting on the sidelines.



4. Great neighborhoods are built by the neighbors living in them: working there, buying there, fixing it up, loving it. Jay's book is a wonderful tool for anyone who loves their neighborhood. It's full of practical ideas and persuasive philosophies for helping a neighborhood wake up to itself. What are the things that make people want to stop and explore? What makes residents of a great neighborhood want to settle down and never leave? A must-have for anyone who's interested in what makes neighborhoods more livable.

5 comments about Weird Kentucky: Your Travel Guide to Kentucky's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets (Weird).

1. I was rounding the corner in Joseph Beth when I saw the Weird Kentucky display and I was giddy with glee!! This book is amazingly great for all us weirdos and you know who you are!! Don't bother trying to hide:)
   
   For starters, did you know about the "blue people" in Perry County, Kentucky? Heck, I live just a few miles from there and I didn't. But some investigation on my part, and the book facts are dead on. The blue people did exist!!
   
   Did you know that Kentucky has their own versions of Bigfoot, the Jersey Devil and the notorious "Goatman"? We also have our own version of AREA 51 in Bluegrass Depot. Amazing scary stuff.
   
   There are giants and secret midget villages. Ghosts and lost cities, both above and underground. Secret societies abound, along with mysterious mounds.
   
   This is really good stuff!! I felt like a kid on Christmas morning poring over the photos and all the nifty factoids. After reading this volume I know my summer vacation plans have changed. I want to go exploring my mysteriously fasnicating state.
   
   Jump into WEIRD KENTUCKY with both feet. You're gonna to love the swim:)



2. I recently picked up a copy of Jeffrey Scott Holland's "Weird Kentucky" book and, being from Kentucky, I was amazed at the stories I had never heard. The book is full of photos and every story is professionally written. I plan on purchasing extra copies and giving to friends. I certainly hope Jeffrey Scott Holland will be providing us with future books of the same caliber.



3. Where to begin?
   
   Weird Kentucky covers so many fascinating subjects, making it difficult to pigeonhole. Old wive's tales? Check. Urban legends? They're here. The paranormal? Fox Mulder would be proud. And you'll meet a wealth of local characters from all corners of the Commonwealth, from the 18th century to today.
   
   This is one of the most unique and interesting books I've ever had the pleasure to read. Weird Kentucky is a celebration of the many wonderful things that make the Commonwealth special.
   
   If you know how to read, you'll enjoy this book immensely, even if you have no connections to Kentucky.



4. I didn't know that! What a fun and informational read. I can now entertain with true stories no one knows about. Highly recommend!



5. If the Kentucky State Fair is held in Lexington, then what is that big event held every August in Louisville at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center? The event that draws almost a million people, with entertainers from all over the country performing? The event whose indoor exhibits are held in the biggest building under roof in the State of Kentucky? According to "Weird Kentucky" the "only reason for going is to look at corn and hay." Freddy of the Farm Bureau is the attraction. Look closely at the picture. Behind Freddy is the Exposition Center in Louisville, where the Fair has been held every year for 60 years, with Freddy in his place every year. As a Louisvillian, I sure want to set the record straight. The Fair is held in Louisville, and it's a world class event. I doubt the author has ever been to the Fair. He should pay us a visit and see the West Wing full of exhibits, and the massive East and South wings. A couple of years ago the head from the statue of Saddam Hussain was on display in the East Wing, along with the rowboat which was rowed across the Atlantic Ocean. Every county in Kentucky is represented. There are hundreds of quilts on display, hundreds of everything. There is a huge mid-way, and more shows than you can shake a stick at. This blunder puts me in doubt of other information in this book. Is it true? The Fair in Kentucky is a world-class event.

5 comments about The Photographer's Guide to the Maine Coast: Where to Find Perfect Shots and How to Take Them.

1. David Middleton and Bruce Morrison have created a very insightful guide to coastal Maine photographic "hot spots". I am a professional photographer based in Maine, and while I am quite familiar with most of the places mentioned in this book I was pleasantly surprised to find out about others I had overlooked or was not aware of. (I also have a few secret spots of my own that did not crop up in the book..thankfully... but that's what makes this fun - a guidebook is best put to use as a springboard for further exploration.)

   Photographers who live in Maine or are planning to visit coastal Maine will find much to enjoy here. You couldn't ask for a better resource. Even non-photographer types would do well to mine the gems of this book for general sightseeing and hiking tips.
   Middleton and Morrison put you smack dab in the middle of great photo opportunities. A bit of a warning here: after you get a copy of this book you will feel a sudden and intense urge to be out on the Maine coast with your camera.

   PS - Middleton's guide to Vermont photo sites is excellent as well.




2. This is a good guidebook. It has enough detail/description to allow one to rationally select "likely sites" without being overpowering. However, there are an number of annoying editing errors present. (For example, every time the text reads "this place is 0.05 mile beyond that place", what's really meant is "0.5 mile". This is wrong in every place it's mentioned!)



3. We followed his book to the letter and a great book with valuable infomation. Would recommend this book for anyone traveling to Maine and who likes Lighthouses. Wonderful and helpful tips.



4. My wife and I are planning our vacation to Maine for late Summer '06. We enjoyed the book, pictures, and suggestions for "great pictures."
   We'll see how it goes!



5. Book has loads of information and beautiful pictures. I plan on using the suggestions during my trip to Maine.