3 comments about Testament to Union: Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C..

1. As a citizen working in the District of Columbia, and an avid walker, I have been fascinated with the vast array of statues present virtually everywhere in the city. I have been searching for a source of information that could help me with learning about the history of the pieces. While I was looking for something a little less specific - or I should say, more far reaching (there's a lot, a whole lot of statues in D.C.) than the subject of this book - what is here is fascinating and very informative. I have spoken with some tour guides that visit the statues with tourists, and some of the information that they share about the statues and sites differs slightly than what is written here - but I am so confident in the thoroughness of Ms. Jacobs' research - I am sure these guides are speaking the embellishment of popular myth. I would love to share some of this elaboration with the author to confirm this notion.



2. As a resident of Capitol Hill, I found this book useful and informative. I, for one, had no idea that the Congressional Cemetery just a few blocks from my home contained the first Civil War era monument erected. Nor did I know that the first major Lincoln Memorial was right here on the hill.

   The book is fascinating and can provide either a brief, or detailed, look at the monuments.

   The only thing the book is lacking is a MAP to help the unitiated into the world of DC's complicated streets.




3. What a terrific book! The pictures and informations are great,
   well-organized, and make the monuments easily accessible. Every
   student of the Civil War living in the DC/Northern Virginia/Maryland area should have a copy of this book. The photos alone are really worth the cost of the book. Wonderful!

No comments about Mobil Travel Guide: Washington DC and Baltimore, 2004 (Mobil City Guides).

1 comments about Short Bike Rides in and Around Washington, D.C (Short Bike Rides in and Around Washington, Dc).

1. As a new resident of Washington D.C., this book, "Short Bike Rides: Washington D.C.," has become for my family an invaluable introduction of the area's numerous bike trails and routes. Each route is introduced with a short synopsis of its main attractions and challenges, followed by precise yet easy to follow directions. The book was obviously well researched.

No comments about Washington City Streets.

2 comments about Let's Go Washington, D.C. 13th Edition (Let's Go Washington, Dc).

1. I've always been a faithful Lonely Planet user, but my old standard didn't stack up to this Let's Go. Since it is the 2004 edition, it has much more updated info than LP, and I've only found one mistake so far (that being that a camping store supposedly located downtown is not there because it looks like they're turning that block into a parking garage). It's only other downfall that I've noticed is that it's a little heavy on the nightlife side, and I'd like to see more of the suggested walking tours that they have in the front of the book. Otherwise, it has my reccommendation!



2. I really enjoy the Let's Go series, and have used them as a college student traveling overseas, through graduation and during my work experience in eastern Europe.
   I was tranferred back to Washington, D.C., and thought of no better reference book for cool, interesting, and affordable (!) sightseeing and entertainment options in the area than Let's Go.
   
   This book, like all other books I've read in the Let's Go series, displays standard characterisitics:
   
   Strengths: lyrical, entertaining prose, wide range of places and things described, in both tastes and prices. Sometimes when I'm feeling a little "wanderlust," I'll glance over my Let's Go books from overseas trips and just enjoy the write-ups of local history and sights!
   
   Weaknesses: some things are out of date by the time the book is published, and I've found the indexes in the Let's Go books to be weak for the most part. You often can't find very common things in the index based on how you expect them to be listed. They are either in the index under an obscure heading, or simply not indexed. Minor qualm.
   
   Another nice feature of this book is that it is written with interns or recent graduates who are moving to the area for their first jobs in mind.
   
   So whether you're coming for a few days and want a guide book, moving for the summer as an intern, or perhaps taking up residence for an extended stay, I'd highly recommend this book.

5 comments about Fodor's Citypack Washington, D.C. 4th Edition (Citypacks).

1. Tackling a new American city is always a challenge but this little guide gave me a handful of essential "must-sees" with transportation and location all mapped out. It also helped identify the "must-not-sees" - very helpful when time is limited.



2. Fodor's Washington D.C. Citypack is worth the money spent. When I needed research information on the Capitol for my next novel, I stumbled across this book online. I love it. There are surely books that contain more information, but for the purpose it serves, Fodor's is excellent.

   Physically, it's small, thin, lightweight, colorful, and laminated. This allows it to be carried in pocket or purse and used repeatedly at a moment's notice--not as a desk-bound reference tome. The laminated cover makes it durable. Feels cool too. The inside covers are a decent map of the key tourist spots, which is a nice supplement to the larger and more thorough pull-out map provided.

   The text is divided into color-keyed sections that list a brief history of the city, plus good tips on how-to, where-to, when- o, and why-to visit the choice locations, such as monuments, museums, gardens, restaurants, or entertainment hotspots. The text is clear and concise. I would pick up a Fodor's Travel Guide to any major city I visited without hesitation. --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.




3. We toured D.C. with this citypack are can't imagine how others do not! The top 25 list helps organize what's best to see and do with a little historical background and info. for each destination/activity. There are sample walks and itineraries, as well as a detailed up-to-date city map.

   Oh my goodness, for [the price], you cannot beat these lightweight and extremely handy guides.




4. If you are a mad tourist like me who wants to pack in all the signature sites of a destination, this book is the best guide you'll find.

   It gives you essential information on the top 25 things to do / see as well as a further list of additional interesting places / things. There are shopping / eating / entertainment recommendations too.

   The information is concise and makes planning your holiday as easy as 1, 2, 3!!!

   Also, fits nicely into your handbag or jacket pocket and doesn't weigh you down!!




5. Convenient size--it will fit easily in your purse or back pocket, and a pull-out full-size city map of D.C. make this "Citypack" a good guide to the nation's capital.
   
   A lot of information is presented on landmarks, parks, and other points of interest. A "Where to..." section gives recommendations on food, shopping and entertainment.
   
   I highly recommend the Washington D.C. Citypack by Fodor's.

No comments about Pauline Frommer's Washington, D.C. (Pauline Frommer Guides).

1 comments about Hiking Virginia's National Forests, 7th (Regional Hiking Series).

1. Spanning much of western Virginia, the combined George Washington and Jefferson National Forests provide some of the best and most abundant hiking in Virginia. Being an avid hiker and planning to spend a few months in central Virginia, I chose to purchase this guide to give me some hiking ideas. Unfortunately, I was not particularly happy with what I got.
   
   This guide describes trails from 10 selected areas in the national forests. While the selected areas range geographically from Big Schloss in the north to Mount Rogers in the south, all of the areas selected are remote wilderness areas. Many excellent dayhiking trails (such as the Cascades Trail near Blacksburg) are left out. While some people enjoy long wilderness dayhikes or backpacking trips, many hikers (such as myself) prefer more manageable dayhikes. Due to the areas selected for description, very few hikes in this book fit into that category. While it would be impossible to describe all of the national forest trails in 193 pocket-sized pages, more variety would allow this book to be used by a wider audience.
   
   Normally in my reviews I give a description of what is included with each hike. With this guide, that is somewhat difficult because Karin doesn't really describe hikes. Instead, she simply describes each trail in the selected area, usually giving no indication as to how they might be put together to get a nice loop (or other) hike. The problem with this method is that the author ends up merely recounting facts about the trail rather than describing a hiking experience. As such, while the descriptions contain some good information, it is hard to get a feel for what hiking this trail in person would be like. Also, while each selected area comes with an area map (with contour lines!) and an area overview, you have to be careful relying on her maps: quite a few details are omitted, and frequently the maps have been rotated on the page so as to best fit the shape of the region (so north is not necessarily "up"). Thus, in addition to leaving a lot of hikes out, the descriptions that do appear in this book leave somewhat to be desired.
   
   In conclusion, if you are looking for some detailed information on the wilderness areas in George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, perhaps for a backpacking trip, this guide might be of interest to you. For the rest of us, this guide will be too narrow in focus and too hard to use. Most people should consider one of the 50-hikes books instead of this guide.

No comments about Vandam Washington, DC Pop-Up Map.

No comments about Washington DC Spiral Guide (Aaa Spiral Guides).