4 comments about 100 Hikes in Washington's North Cascades National Park Region (100 Hikes In...).

1. The interesting thing about the 100 Hikes series is how well it integrates with Fred Beckey's books. Ira and Harvey get you to the base of the peak; Fred gets you up it. The series go hand-in-hand. Some of the most valuable information in the whole series comes in the form of the forewards and introductions. While opinionated, the views expressed are those of someone who has spent a lifetime exploring, protecting and enjoying the areas treated by the books. The route descriptions are accurate (more or less), and the small maps are clear and understandable. If you don't have this book, go get it. You would do well, in fact, to get the whole series. NOTE: hikes 10, 14, 33, 70, and 79 are awesome.



2. Sure, Harvey's opinionated, but it's excellent stuff. Nice, quick background on these amazing places, why they are still wild and protected, and just enough detail to get you in and out without giving away all the surprises. The best guide out there.



3. I've just purchased this book and I'm more than *delighted*! The photographs are ultimately enthralling, and the narration is so honest. I work for a non-profit striving to protect more public lands in Washington permenantly as Wilderness, and books like these that reach a large public audience and tell it like it is help us along our path to success... I love to hike and I love to see the areas that I hike in stay put! It's nice to be able to see which areas are protected and which are not before even exploring on one's own. BUY IT!



4. I really wanted to like this book, has maps, directions ,pics, but the book is old, and the writer is complaining too much about how bad it is in 1980! so I got out my hikes with children and gave this the heave ho.
   some new writer needs to make a new one with out all the fussing.

5 comments about The Stranger Guide to Seattle: The City's Smartest, Pickiest, Most Obsessive Urban Manual.

1. After growing up in the Puget Sound Area in the pre_1960`s before the changes took place,I saw the Seattle waterfront as one of the coolest spots on the earth,comparable to the waterfront in Hong Kong.Just a seamy world of offbeat characters& some of the best seafood you could possibly imagine.Paula has disovered all those haunts& more.This is the quintessential guide to the best of the best& I recommened it to locals & non_locals to get the most for your $$& to rediscover the way Seattle as it really was.



2. This book is especially great for new residents of the Seattle area. The descriptions on the hot-spots are dead on. Once in town, be sure to pick up a free copy of "The Stranger" weekly newspaper.

   Advice: Be careful with some of the listings in the book as they are not around any longer. You may want to consult with citysearch (or call) before making plans.




3. With an impending trip to Seattle on the horizon, I ordered this book and some others -- but this one is by far my favorite! Not only is it thorough, scathingly honest in its critiques, and well-organized, but it is an absolute riot to read!!! Seriously, once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down... It is always good to find a travel guide that offers up actual opinions of landmarks, restaurants, hotels, etc., rather than just what seems like a tagline from a brochure -- and this book does not hold back, whether it be to compliment or to criticize...

   I HIGHLY recommend this book if you are traveling to Seattle, moving there, etc... You will be entertained from cover to cover!!!




4. This book was purchased on all the recommendations that I read. I was dissapointed when it arrived. Its a good enough book, but not for a weekeend traveller.

   I thought it was going to be the kind of lonely planet style guide but more.. its not. Its much more of the kind of book you get when your going to spend a week or more, or move there, or have along with a Lonely Planet guide.

   As it happens I had to go get a Lonely Planet guide anyway, so double waste of time.




5. This is a totally unique look at a city, not from the frame of a large international tourguide company, but from point of view of THE BEST local weekly newspaper for Seattle (a shining star amoung weeklies for the whole nation, in fact). The Stranger paper has the job of pointing you in the direction of happening haunts, good eats, nightlife, shopping, etc, and they've been doing it for years, so who better to write the ultimate guide on the city of Seattle?
   
   This is a great book if you are a brief visitor, if you are relocating, or if you have lived in Seattle and want a terrific reference guide for new things to do out and about.
   
   I like the way the restaurants are broken up: ethnic, quick-fix, splurge, cafes, etc. Bars are done similarly: rock clubs, all ages, taverns, swanks bars, cool places to be seen, dives, dj & hiphop, etc. This makes it easy to find your scene and head on out.
   
   The only drawback is that this was published in 2001 and no updated version is out yet. There might be some things that have changed in the interim, but this is still a good baseline for your visit to Seattle. Pick up this week's copy of The Stranger when you get there!

No comments about Road Biking Washington, D.C. (Road Biking Series).

No comments about Backroads from the Beltway: Your Guide to the Mid-Atlantic's Most Scenic Backroad Adventures (Backroads of ...).

No comments about Weekends for Two in the Mid-Atlantic States: 50 Romantic GetawaysNew York • Pennsylvania • New Jersey • Maryland • Washington, DC • Virginia (Weekends for Two).

1 comments about The Northwest Coast: Or, Three Years' Residence in Washington Territory (Washington Paperbacks, Wp-62).

1. I suppose it is pretty silly to review a book of this age, but I loved it so much it's going on my list of books worth reviewing.
   
   The language is wonderful and it's hard to believe that someone with such a range of interests and writing ability would be found in the ranks of the pioneers.

2 comments about Rock Creek Park.

1. A meticulously researched, beautifully written treasure, filled-with fascinating photographs, plans, drawings and paintings as well as apt quotations. Even includes a map of plant associations and lists of the different species as well as places to picnic, golf, ride and play ball to be found in Washington's planned city wilderness. A fitting tribute to the positive impact of the Olmsted family of landscape architects on the nation's capital.



2. I have to admit, although beautifully produced, this slim book about one of America's greatest urban parks left me a little disappointed. It consists of four main sections followed by four appendices, interwoven with photographs, paintings, sketches, and a few maps. The first section presents a brief, broad overview of the park's history. The second section focuses on the highly influential 1902 McMillen Plan, and discusses some of the backroom politicking surrounding it. The third section is a brief overview landscape architecture pioneer Frederick Law Olmsted and his family firm. The fourth main section consists almost entirely of excerpts from the Olmsted's 1918 report on the park. The appendices include a brief chronology of park administration (buried in here is a lovely little anecdote about Teddy Roosevelt skinny-dipping!), a brief overview of the park flora, a little on bridges across and within the park, and some basic visitor information.
   
   The material isn't bad, it's just somewhat dry, and reads somewhat like an official history or publication. It would have been nice to get a little of the social history of the park, more on how people actually used it, possibly culled from newspaper archives and the like. It also would have been nice to hear a little more on some of the problems faced by the park, such as homeless squatters, pollution, and safety and crime (the most famous example being the discovery of Chandra Levy's corpse). Another area not touched upon is the fauna, for example, there's a huge deer problem in the park, as well as numerous red foxes, and recently, confirmed coyote sightings. There's definitely room for a more comprehensive book on the park, for example, the section on bridges was great -- but there are plenty more interesting examples that could have been included. Similarly, while the photos and illustrations were all very nice (most were drawn from collections at the Library of Congress and DC Public Library), there wasn't a whole lot of variety to them -- they tend to show similar sun-dappled views of the creek surrounded by foliage. It would have also been nice to get an orienting map at the very front of the book, instead of toward the end.
   
   In sum, it's not a bad book, just a little thin for such an important part of Washington's cultural and geographic history.

No comments about Exploring Washington's Wild Areas: A Guide for Hikers, Backpackers, Climbers, Cross-Country Skiers, Paddlers (Exploring Wild Areas).

No comments about The Visitor's Guide to the Colonial & Revolutionary South: Interesting Sites to visit, Lodging, Dining, Things to Do: Includes Virginia, Washington D.C., ... Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky.

No comments about National Parks of Washington D.C.: The Story Behind the Scenery.