Favorite Guidebook Series for Eastern U.S. & Canada: Be sure to consider titles to Eastern U.S. and Canadian destinations from the guidebook series we review on our Guidebook Series page. (You'll also find some helpful comments on the major guidebook series below.)
Click on series name below to read the review on the Guidebook Series page. Use link to series' Web site in our review for full list of titles currently available:
Karen Brown's Guides: A wonderful, long-established group of guidebooks to unique lodging choices throughout Europe, the U.S., Western Canada, and Mexico. The Companion Guide series: A very special, erudite, in-depth guidebook series, covering history, art, culture, and architecture and including several classics in the field (now expertly revised) to Paris and Rome. Companion Guides to Europe total about 20 volumes currently, with one additional guidebook to New York City. Michelin Green Guides: The sightseeing guide series by which others are judged. Many titles to European destinations, plus several to eastern and western U.S. and Canada. Zagat Survey series: Predominantly a U.S. series, this democratically determined group of restaurant guides (and some other types of guides) is uniquely designed and highly regarded. Born to Shop series: This long-standing shopping guide series includes a guidebook to New York City. Open Road series: A good quality, lesser-known series. Great to use with major guidebooks to compare and contrast your selections. Knopf Mapguides: Small pocket guides with ingeniously designed fold-out maps. Includes sites, restaurants, and more. Roadside Geology series: Delightful highway science for the common man--throughout the U.S., plus one Canadian title to British Columbia.
And how about the major guidebook series? Our Web site does not focus on the major guidebook series, but we certainly do make use of these often excellent resources. Some brief comments should be useful: For this region of the world we begin with a Fodor's guide (www.fodors.com/shop) or a Moon Handbook (www.moon.com/booklist). For the budget traveler, Let's Go has several choices for the U.S. (www.letsgo.com). See additional comments on major guidebook series and on selecting from the guidebooks we review on our Choosing Guidebooks page.
Reviews of Favorite Guidebooks:
Road Food, by Jane and Michael Stern, 592 pages, Broadway Publishing, 6th edition, 2005
We first discovered the Sterns and their passion for unearthing fun, funky, fabulous places to eat along the highways of America many years ago. Our first copy of their book has long since disappeared (and been replaced by newer editions), but we still remember it well. If our memory serves us well, the title used to be Road Food, Good Food. Of course, the "Good Food" part wasn't really necessary, because the Sterns only include the good stuff--not necessarily gourmet but definitely good. Each edition includes lots of new selections along with updates of old favorites that still make the grade. It seems as if the Sterns are almost always on the road--and loving every minute of it. And the results are mouthwateringly wonderful. In our opinion, no car should be without a copy of Road Food (and always get the update when it's published). You'll never be sorry--from Basque to Barbeque, Burgers to Pot Pie, it's all good stuff and just what the hungry traveler ordered. The other day, for example, we heard the Sterns on NPR describing their experiences with some southern eateries that featured only pork. It didn't sound as if someone with a heart condition should join in, but boy it sure got our saliva flowing! Their excitement for what they do year in and year out is infectious. They also, by the way, write a Road Food column in Gourmet magazine (which is great, but trust us, lots of their choices are better placed under the heading "down home cookin'.") And check out roadfood.com while your at it; it has lots to offer as well. A final note: This book covers all of America--which is why you'll also find it listed on our Western U.S.and Canada page. Back to Top
Gerry Frank's Where to Find It, Buy It, Eat It in New York, 600 pages, Gerry's Frankly Speaking, 15th edition, 2007
When we discovered this one-of-a-kind book many years ago we asked the question most people ask: How can a guy who lives in Salem, Oregon (he owns the well-known Konditorei there) write such a detailed guide to the Big Apple? Hundreds of restaurant reviews, shopping guides, best food shops, you name it. This is the kind of book that folks who live in New York City take advantage of, but tourists can extract lots of useful stuff as well. We especially like the detailed lists of food choices by topic: bagel, barbeque, people watching, romantic, pre-theater, and on and on. A wonderful book to combine with a major guide such as Fodor's. Gerry Frank's books are updated every other year and he insists he does all this updating all by himself. We feel tired just thinking about it. But if you sniff around the online reviews, they are almost entirely positive except for the occasional complaint that such and such a dry cleaner hasn't been in business in two years. But, hey, on balance, this book has a heck of a lot to offer. Check it out and you'll see what we mean. Back to Top
Phantom Gourmet Guide to Boston's Best Restaurants, by the Phantom Gourmet, 208 pages, St. Martin's Griffin, 2008
If you want the opinion of a famous restaurant reviewer, won't you feel more confident if he or she is treated just like any other person dining at the restaurant you are now considering? We certainly like the idea that no one at the restaurant knew that he (or she) was there. They play it straight: Just make your reservation, pay your own way, and write the plain details for all to see. The Phantom Gourmet reviews are well respected in New England. You can take advantage of them too in this regionally popular book. Back to Top
A Visitor's Guide to the Everglades, by Jeff Weber, 80 pages, Great Outdoors Publishing, 2000
Let this helpful little book take you from the entrance to the National Park to the village of Flamingo and turn you on to some incredible sights (and sites) along the way. Weber provides short but useful sections on plant communities, birds, the mammals of the Everglades, a special section on alligators and crocodiles, and the smaller animals of the region. Take a visit to our most unique National Park and the surrounding areas. Back to Top
The Little Black Book of Washington D.C., by Harriet Edleson, 210 pages, Peter Pauper Press, 2007
On the uniqueness meter, this one deserves to be right up there with Knopf's Mapguides. A tiny book that will easily fit into you pocket, spiral-bound for ease of use (no more problems with pages flopping shut just as you are about to read them), with detailed fold-out maps of each small area. Information provided includes--area by area--where to stay, where to eat, where to shop and what to see. Concise but helpful comments. If you want something lightweight and small enough to disappear into any pocket or purse, the Little Black Book will prove a good choice. Back to Top
