No comments about Vancouver (Footprint - Pocket Guides).

No comments about Garden City: Vancouver.

No comments about Waterproof Whistler & Vancouver Map by ITMB.

1 comments about Mobil Travel Guide Northwest & Alaska, 2005: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Vancouver BC, Washington (Mobil Travel Guides (Includes All 16 Regional Guides)).

1. I was very disappointed with this directory since I feel it failed to cover a number of accommodations. Compared to the AAA guides it is lacking in substance.

5 comments about Passage to Juneau: A Sea and Its Meanings.

1. Let me see if I can write a review that does justice to this book and at the same time explain to myself why it is such a great piece of literature.
   
   I think the first point to make is that the writing mirrors the, by turns, eddying, chaotic, reflective quality of the sea itself, leading one deeper and deeper into the author's own meandering introspections about life and, yes, water in a very (to this reader anyway) seductive style, a style which is nothing if not allusive, reflecting Raban's own lifelong fascination with and profound love of literature. The account of Captain Vancouver's voyage along this same passage, taken from many sources, while certainly the most superficially parallel and certainly the most discursively ongoing of the allusions, is not in the end, the most significant and profound. That award must surely go to Raban's recounting of Shelley's last days and ultimate demise in the chapter entitled "Charred Remains", striking a parallel, in a much more profound manner than those accounts of Vancouver's voyage, to the last days and death of Raban's father and to the unsurpassed final chapter in which he invokes Cowper's "The Cast-Away" as a metaphor for his crumbling marriage and his own mortality.
   
   Perhaps one, like Raban, has to already have a love of and familiarity both these poets to see what a feat he has pulled of here - though Raban provides the basic biographical background for each. To stick with the last chapter---Cowper isn't a poet much read anymore. But he's always been one of my favourites. One really has to be familiar with his intensely unbalanced life and mind to fully appreciate his poetry. In any event, by this last chapter of the book, we know what it's like to walk in Raban's shoes, to be in his boat, to wander through his mind and heart and to know how much he loves his family. When the hammer falls at the end with his wife and daughter deplaning in Juneau, we feel how crushed he is by it. And Cowper's "The Cast-Away" is the perfect poetic expression of the way we feel he feels, drowned not by the "real" sea he's been traversing, but by Cowper's metaphoric sea of despair. I frequently return to Cowper's "The Task"-A poem given him as a sort of assignment to ward off one of his mental fits-as well as "The Cast-Away" as two of the greatest poems in the language. I NEVER thought I'd see a modern author apparently effortlessly bring the despair of the all but forgotten poet back to life, but......Raban does.
   
   So, yes, readers looking for a "sea adventure" yarn had better look elsewhere. How to know if you will fancy the book? Do you love history, English literature, introspective depths? Above all, do you know the feeling of being drowned by despair? Can you relate to Cowper's couplet?
   
   "But I, beneath a rougher sea,
   And whelm'd in deeper gulfs than he."
   
   In short, do you know that INNER Sea? If so, this book will not disappoint.



2. I've read many of Mr Raban's books and loved them all but this is my favorite. This isn't just a "travel" book, it's the history of the beautiful Inside Passage. You really feel like you are on Mr Raban's boat as he travels from Seattle, where he lives, to Juneau. He recounts the history of all the travellers who went before him - how certain Sounds and Inlets got their names - tells you about the people he meets - the things he sees - and shares a little piece of his own life history as he travels. During this journey he deals with the death of his Father and his upcoming divorce from his wife. He is a master storyteller. I live on the Puget Sound and have scuba dived up and down this Passage - this book brings the whole area to life. If you haven't enjoyed Mr Raban's prose before now, start here. You'll be hooked.



3. I tend to ignore author Raban's political diatribes (most of his writing, unfortunately) and revel in the beauty of his books about his personal boat journeys. I had earlier read "Old Glory: A Voyage Down The Mississippi" and felt that it lost focus about halfway through the narrative. That book seemed to reflect the desperate lack of focus and national malaise that the Carter administration brought on in the late 70's, and "Old Glory" would not be a Raban book I'd recommend.
   
   However, Passage to Juneau is different. His solo journey by sailboat from Seattle to Juneau in the late 1990s is beautifully written with haunting scenes of his personal life interspersed with his musings on the sea. During the journey, his father dies and his wife demands a separation, the first personal tragedy giving Raban insight into his personal feelings about life and the sea, the second (at the midpoint of his journey, reaching Juneau) causing him to focus inward for the return trip to Seattle.
   
   Despite his occasional lapses towards anti-americanism (throughout the book I kept wondering why he didn't move back to England or at least move north to British Columbia), Passage to Juneau is an intimate portrait of a man who is facing life's trials and the vagaries of some of the more treacherous seas in the world at the same time.



4. Raban deftly weaves George Vancouver's expedition with his own journey up North America's West Coast two centuries later.
   
   Introspective and heartfelt, the book is in parts auto-biography, travel-guide and biography. As a Passage to Juneau unwinds, Raban describes situations and others with great perception, yet is never afraid to expose his own frailties.
   
   Passage to Juneau is beautifully written and explores Raban's thoughts every bit as much as the miles of water he covers. A tremendous book and fully deserving of the great praise it has received.



5. The best thing about this book is that it tells you what _else_ to read if you really want to learn about the history and culture of the Inside Passage. The worst thing about the book is that Raban's ego, maybe buoyed by the success of Bad Land, is out of control. Bad Land is a great book about a place. Passage to Juneau is half about the place, half about Raban and what an untamable nomad (but somehow a devoted father) he is, and neither is particularly satisfactory.

5 comments about Trans-Canada Rail Guide, 3rd: Includes City Guides to Halifax, Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary & Vancouver.

1. This book helped me prepare itinerary for my one-month journey from Halifax to Vancouver that I'm planning to take in May 2000. I checked prices and some telephone numbers mentioned in the book with those I found on different web sites and despite the fact that the book is four years old it's still useful and accurate. There is everything you need to prepare for such journey: routes and costs, facts about country, practical advices (transport, festivals, food, time, hotels,...), history about Trans-Canada railway, mayor city guides and plans and least but not last route guide and maps with short description about small towns along the routes.



2. Ok, I'm back. This is my second review of the book, however this time it's based on my real experience traveling with VIA from coast to coast (Halifax - Vancouver) and using this book on the road (oooppss...rail). While preparing my itinerary I used this book as a main source of information when deciding how much time I'll spend in each city and where I'll be staying. VIA web site is of course the place to pickup the latest timetables, calculate the price of the tickets, and make a reservations... (I found timetables at the end of the book still useful on the board of the train when I needed to quickly find out the distance to the next station).

   I put three books in my backpack, two travel guides from NELLES (guides to Atlantic and Pacific provinces) and this one. The guides from NELLES are good with lots of facts about the country and with nice photos, however I found "Trans-Canada Rail Guide" far more suitable for people traveling across Canada by train. Also the book is as valuable on board of the train as well in the downtown of the city. I rent the book to several fellow travelers in coach class and each one of them told me how great it is.

   The organization of the book is simple but efficient, for example in PART 4 City Guides and plans you can find for all mayor cities short descriptions of the following: History, Arriving in...(by air, by train), Local Transport, Orientation and Services, Where to stay, Where to eat, What to see, Moving on (by air, by train). If you are real rail enthusiast you'll have fun reading PART 5 Route Guide and Maps with description of small stations and places marked with mile markers so you can be "smarter" then others guessing what it is or where you are. Some prices mentioned in the book are the same even today but in general are higher. My average expense for the mid-range hotel or B&B was 55 CAD per night (including tax), entrance fees for museums and other events are in general higher, anything from 10 to 50% higher, food 10-20%, buses and taxis 10-20% , train tickets 10-20% (the cost of my Canrail Pass was 408 CAD including tax). If you need any additional tips or information about the trip you can send me a message to my account on Yahoo (see member page). Today I found out that second edition of this book is published so check it out!




3. This is THE ultimate canadian rail travel book. I would even recommend this book for those driving through Canada. The author gives advise (very detailed) on where to eat, sleep, sight-see, and so on. I urge everyone to find this book at your local bookstore and thumb through it. Then buy it here. At the end of the book it even guides you along the train journey by listing the significant sights along the way (such as....at Mile marker 26 towards the south, you'll see the cemetary containing 145 victims of the Titanic). Best of all, it displays all of the VIA Rail timetables and how many calendar days each leg of the trip takes. This is especially useful for those on the CANRAIL pass package. YOu can literaly plan your entire itinerary from this single book. The size allows you to easily stow it in a small camera bag or purse. The PERFECT Canadian travel book.



4. I was somewhat disappointed with this book. Only one third of it is actual information about train-travel. Most of it is a general travelguide with informations about the cities etc.
   The train information covers only VIA-Rail services, doesn't even mention trains like the Polar Bear Express.
   Then I found that some of the information about trains was even out of date (Quebec City IS served by VIA Rail).
   If you want a Canada travel guide with detailed information about the country rather buy the Lonely Planet. If you want more info on trains in Canada I'd suggest looking on for websites.



5. I was somewhat disappointed as only about one thrird of this little book is Information about trains. The other part is a general travelguide.
   Only VIA Rail services and the Rocky Mountainer are covered. Trains like the Polar Bear Express aren't even mentioned.
   Then I had to find that some information is out of date (VIA-Rail DOES serve Quebec City).
   If you want a Canada travel guide rather buy a Lonely Planet and if you want additional information about rail travel you can find it on the internet.

No comments about Frommer's Vancouver & Victoria 2009 (Frommer's Complete).

No comments about Moon Metro Vancouver (Moon Metro).

No comments about Bicycling Vancouver.

1 comments about Vancouver, Howe Sound, and the Sunshine Coast: A Dreamspeaker Cruising Guide, Volume 3.

1. I was amazed with the details and drawings incorporated in this book. This is definitely the best reference book available for boaters.

   My wife and I have logged about 1500 n/m since April 2003 in our sailboat and we have gone to many of the places suggested in this book.

   It allowed me to see what to expect as well as provided us accurate location and description of each area. If you want to explore Howe Sound and the Sunshine coast, this book is a must to have handy in your boat.