1 comments about Fodor's Washington, DC 2002: The Guide for All Budgets, Updated Every Year, with a Pullout Map and Color Photos (Fodor's Gold Guides).

1. Fodor's is a good all around travel guide, but I think the author of this D.C. guide emphasize art and sculpture way too much. The sites that the book recommend usually have something to do with the art, sculptures, and freizes contained within the building. I'm not a lover of the arts, but I still know that there is much to do in Washington that I can really enjoy. One thing that really disheartned me was the side mention that the National Archives received. It was described as the "nation's basement." The original Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights are not something that any American should regard as basement material.
   I thought the book lacked on the little known sites around D.C. I knew of most everything that was listed in the book.
   With all this said, the book was a great reference and the city and Metro maps are very handy. The iteneraries are great and even tell you what time of the day you should see the monuments close to the Mall. The information in the book sometimes gives you enough material to skip the tour of a site...a real time saver in a city with so much to see and do.

4 comments about Foghorn Outdoors Washington Camping: The Complete Guide to More Than 650 Campgrounds (Foghorn Outdoors).

1. Tom Stienstra is a good writer and I especially like the columns and books he writes about California, which is where he lives and where he works. He knows that state well, but this book makes me wonder if he actually has visited any of the campgrounds in this book.
   In fact, most of the information in this book appears to be gathered from campground hosts and campground managers who rate their own campgrounds. That's like asking a chamber of commmerce president to rate his own community, and it is tough to get an objective review and a point of view from anyone with a vested interest.
   You'll find more accurate guides on camping in Washington.



2. I looked at the below reviewer's profile and he rates all Washington States "outdoor guides" published by Sasquatch Publishing as "FIVE STAR!" and "BEST EVER!" (And all non Sasquatch products as "boring" or "not worth the money" or whatever!) Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

   This book is in deed as good as the Author's California book. A very comprehensive guide to Washington's many NFS, NPS, and other public sites. I just got back from two weeks on the road in the Northwest and I recommend it over much of the competition.




3. This is a fabulous and comprehensive guide that I'm sure will be dog-eared before I know it. I've already found the descriptions and directions clear and easy to use.



4. I recently returned from a Pacific Northwest camping venture and purchsed this book based on the advice of a good friend and avid camper. I found this book to be very informative. Stephanie & Tom Stienstra lead us to some awesome camping spots off of the beaten path. They are very knowledgeable and I will definately use more of their books in future adventures!

4 comments about Spring in Washington (Maryland Paperback Bookshelf).

1. This a book from another time which is still relevant to our day and age. The writer takes time from a boring desk job in wartime Washington to provide timeless observations about nature along the Potomac river as he experiences it in early morning bicycle rides. He indirectly puts man in his place and foretells many of the things environmentalists have rediscovered in the last 20 years. Highly recommended in general, but especially if you have any familiarity with the area around Washington, DC.



2. Louis Halle reveals his soul in this evocative love letter to the stirrings of spring. Though set along Rock Creek and the Potomac River in and around Washington, this work will transport you away from this world into another time and place in which the sheer joy of seeing nature burst into color will overwhelm you. Close your eyes and have someone read this book to you and you will be able to smell the tidal waters and hear the wind in the marsh grass. Halle's book is pure pleasure.



3. This is one of those rare books that lifts you out of your chair and brings you along on a soaring journey to the natural world beyond the government office windows. It is written as a daily journal of nature explorations in and around Washington, D.C. and makes a perfect companion for any watcher of spring. The author was a keen observer of natural life when he wrote the book in 1945, and the watchful naturalist today will find much to celebrate in the wildlife that is still here today, and also much to mourn that has been lost in the intervening decades. No more do we have rafts of mergansers resting in the Tidal Basin, but Dyke Marsh is still the place to see waterthrushes, and herons still stop by the ponds on the Mall. Halle's eloquent musings on the question of "What is important?" are still relevant today, as the press and government continue to occupy themselves with matters of man-made events and ignore the real news happening all around us--the news of the actual world going about its business completely unconcerned with scandal or finance. Swans still fly south over government office buildings, and anyone who notices and rejoices in such happenings will find a true friend in this marvelous book.



4. I orginally bought this book in 1988 and thought it a beautifully written book on not only bird watching but of a Washington that no longer exists due to modern highways and bustle. I recently purchased this book for a friend who is a bird watcher and has lived in DC. I hope he will like it as much as I do. Jenny Brake

3 comments about Edge of Tomorrow: An Arctic Year (Northwest Voices Essay Series).

1. Edge of Tomorrow By Sam Wright Reviewed by Frank Kadish

   Few people are able to synthesize their lives from being born and raised in the west, to being a scientist, to become a minister in a free thinking liberal church, to an be outdoorsman and to put into practice his philosophy by combining it with living off the land as our ancestors did. My wife bought the book at our meeting of our group interested in communing with nature. I spent the last three hours reading it in one gulp. It has been as satisfying an afternoon as I have had in many a year.

   Sam structures his philosophy and experience with the calendar and the events of the year in his in his cabin just below the Arctic Circle. His wisdom comes thru the stories he tells and the parables that he creates. With his wide-ranging experience in life, his story becomes an adventure of the mind.

   Get the book and enjoy.




2. Sam's book, written from his cabin 100 miles north of the arctic circle, is a contemporary adventure story par excellence. I'm a recent University graduate in sustainable agriculture now living in Alaska. I appreciate Sam's view of living with the land, not just upon it.



3. Having read Mr. Wright's first book, Koviashuvik: Making a Home in the Brooks Range, I was anxious to read this. Although much of the book is his philosophical viewpoint about "life explanations", a great deal of the wonderful Alaskan serenity and harshness comes through. I am sad to say, this writing was neither entertaining nor left me soulful. I think the author has grown old and yet as wise as he clearly is/was, doesn't fit well into 21st century solutions. I take homage at his reference to the northern lights and Billie talking to him with the same voice, and will just have to live with his first Koviashuvik stories. By the way, did anyone ever find the thief who cleaned out the cabin?

No comments about A FalconGuide to Mount St. Helens: A Guide to Exploring the Great Outdoors (Exploring Series).

2 comments about Fodor's Pacific Northwest, 15th Edition (Fodor's Gold Guides).

1. i bought this book along with fodor's guide to b and b's in the pacific northwest. this guide is a good one, both for residents who haven't had time to really see the area and for tourists. its the only one of the guidebooks that i browsed that has accurate information on doing a circle tour of the olympic peninsula. and it has a section that recommends itineraries for one, three, and seven days.



2. I recently bought this book for a recent trip to the Pacific Northwest: Portland, Seattle, Vancouver and Whistler. I found this guide to be extremely helpful both before and during my travels. I was impressed that I was able to find information other than the typical, popular tourist attractions in the main parts of each city. I also liked that they highlighted the "bests" of each city, as well as reccommended activities based on your length of stay. I was slightly dissappointed with the lack of information in the "Whistler, BC" and the quality of the maps (only in Black and White, and only a few neighborhoods for each city.) I think these shortcomings are minor, and would highly reccommend it.

1 comments about Baristas Without Borders: A Road Guide to Coffee Kiosks on I-5 Oregon & Washington.

1. This book is a must have for anyone traveling Interstate 5. I especially like it for the details on pet areas and trailer access. It's the perfect size to fit in the glove box. This book also makes a great gift! The information on the kiosks around our local area is helpful too. If you are even in the next town over, you can look in the book and find a spot to stop.

No comments about Walking the Beach to Bellingham (Northwest Reprints).

No comments about Quick Escapes Washington, D.C., 6th: Getaways from the Nation's Capital (Quick Escapes Series).

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.