Travelguide to Free Cities and Slaver's Bay
358200
I never write reviews, but this book just made my blood boil. I defended GRRM many times for being 5 years late with this book, after all, good writing takes it time. So I expected a good book, with plot you know? Instead I got an overly expensive travelguide for a country I have no chance ever visiting, what a rip-off! The Bran, Davos and Arya chapters are phenomenal, but too few to save this book from all the horrible Dany-chapters. And worst of all, George has turned Tyrion into a boring character, or he has at least written utterly boring chapters about him.

What is most frustrating though: all this drivel could have been written in a single year, only predictable things happen and most of the story is about the scenery. What has he been up to? Meereenese knot? I don't see it. God, how I wish he just had inserted the 5 year gap. All the last chapters of the POV characters in AFFC and ADWD are great (except for Dany of course, who had 1 good chapter in this book thanks to Strong Belwas(and Tyrion actually doesn't have a last chapter!)).

George RR Martin, I defended you, but now you have called me a sockpuppet for writing a bad review on Amazon. Because only sockpuppets and detractors write bad reviews anonymously on the internet! Screw that, you just keep thinking you're the American Tolkien. I have joined the ranks of GRRuMblers and urge everyone to only buy this book when the series is done, perhaps then it will have its charm.
2873418
A tride and true travel guide to the land of voodoo, hoodoo, and backwater bayous. Covered amongst the strange and bizare are Marie Laveau, Mardi Gras, Zulu Aid, Pleasure Society, Black magic, Northside Skull and Bones Gang, new-ish Box of Wine, and DIY parade. It's all here with no match before or after. A highly recommended read for new and old adventurers.
1487539
Just the guidebook I needed for a slow meander from Tampa to Alabama along the south Florida coast.  Lots of helpful information about off-beat locations, well organized as to type (nature trips/restaurants/b&b's/galleries/historical spots/etc).  The only limitation of this interesting companion volume is its maps - the text mentions places that the maps don't identify.
4892884
Visiting the area and this book gave me ideas of places to search out images to see for myself. Will take the book with me as a resource.
909436
Doug's Jacksonville entry for his "Look Up!" series is one of his best, and this one is good too.

St. Augustine is Florida's Williamsburg.  Like the old colonial capital of Virginia, St. Augustine contains a beautiful collection of original structures and HISTORICALLY ACCURATE reconstructions that offer the visitor a unique historical experience.  What the Rockefeller family did for Williamsburg, the Flagler and Mellon families did for St. Augustine.

St. Augustine's colonial historic district is relatively small, and works well on foot.  That's why this little guide is so effective.  Despite St. Augustine's extreme age for American cities (founded in 1565), it remained very small for centuries.  The result is that the architectural sites are relatively few, but are in a remarkable state of preservation for their age.

This little book covers about 30 of the most important sites in the historic district, with good descriptions and decent photographs.  Well worth $0.99.

For a more comprehensive guide to the city's buildings, consider A GUIDE TO HISTORIC ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA, by Rajtar & Goodman.
784599
This books provides fun facts and is a great resource when planning a vacation to an unknown place. And for us, although we currently live in Columbia, we've only been here for 3 years so there are lots of undiscovered treasures as well as unknown facts about this city that we learned. For example, although I work just over a block away from the South Carolina State House, I had no idea that the dome has over 44k pounds of copper as part of its makeup. I bet there are long-time residents who didn't know that.

When we received the book and I started flipping through it my 7-year old was leaning over my shoulder and started reading as well. So the facts and information are relevant to people of all ages.

It's a quick read, if you're interested in browsing it from cover to cover, or you can pull it out periodically, and re-learn some state facts.

Reviewed for Arms of a Sister blog
295341
Rick's guides are great if you are planning on doing things on your own, or to help you decide to go on your own or take a ship tour. The details are very good and we've never found any of the detail on where to catch buses, etc. to be incorrect. I also like the rating system he uses to determine what not to miss and what to include only if there is time. The problem with cruise ports is the limited time in port and it's nice to have someone's opinion (I almost always agree with his "Don't Miss" sites) and not just a guidebook  list of things available in the port. My only complaint is I wish he included info for more Northern Europe ports (like Rotterdam, Nynashamn, Goteborg, Scotland, and Ireland).
3977883
A good guide for photographers that want to see Charleston
1897834
Very informative and useful.  We are chartering a sailboat in the BVI in April and are hoping this fills in some blanks.  Great photos!
3471247
With this book in hand, look up the state you're visiting and you won't miss any important Revolution sites.  Having made pilgrimages to Boston, Philidelphia and Annapolis before I had this book, I can attest that as far as I know it left no major site unmentioned when I sampled the sections on these essential Revolution cities, and included many sites in more obscure locations one might otherwise miss.  Great and abundant  pictures make this a fine collectible for Revolution enthusiasts who have visited the sites as well as those who are unable but would like visuals.
138050
I lived in San Francisco for many years although, alas, no longer.  I am planning for a June stay and Fodor's nicely done travel guide is an excellent companion as I plan.

Like so many travel books these days, it included a map in a side pocket, as well as lodging, restaurants, attractions and shopping tips.  But best of all are the surprising gems:  short sections on offbeat San Francisco in each geographical area are a lot of fun.  Helpful websites, festivals and parades, and snippets of history are also very useful.  I appreciate also that the images do not dominate the text but rather are carefully chosen.  I also like the attention to areas outside of the city itself -- Marin, Oakland, Berkeley and wine country.

Very nicely done travel guide -- I highly recommend.
2267315
With over 400 beaches, Florida is Mecca for those with a need for sun and sand.  This 681 page guide is a godsend to those that live for the bronzed body, fun, and zany people that these beaches offer.
This guide is the most accurate, comprehensive guide on Florida beaches to date. The authors have spent over 17 years in compiling this great guide.  The comments and selections are theirs alone. The guide is full of facts (Florida is a 447 mile peninsula), stats (Florida grew in habitats by 23% in one decade) and hard information (the main reason to buy the guide). Puterbaugh and Bisbort, as the writing will evidence, are conservationists, strongly lauding eco-tourism.  Kudos.
Though the nightlife sections in this guide are far the best available, the accommodations and costal cuisine sections are paltry and poor; nowhere near the strength of better state guides.  Puterbaugh and Bisbort selected the 25 "Top" beaches among the 400 beaches in Florida, but sadly omitted a map showing where these 25 beaches are located.  Thus you do the work via the index.
I used this guide while traveling for a month through Florida.  `Florida Beaches' could be a stand alone guide, but I recommend that you use it in concert with an excellent state guide, such as  Frommer's Florida (see my review).  Together, these guides will direct you to the best Florida has to offer.  4.5 Stars.  Strongly Recommended.
1018690
I am a definite researcher.  Seems that lately travel guide books have become a little obselete for there are so many sites online to find all the info you need.  I am going to New York City in March as a birthday treat to stay in Times Square and see many shows.  I don't live far, will be coming from Boston.  I did much research on the area online for hotels, restaurants, sightseeing with some from frommers.com.  But I want this trip to be as great as possible so I splurged and got the actual Frommers travel book.

I am so glad I did.  This 408 page volume is filled to the brim with well researched, detailed information for anything you may need.  I found all the info i needed for Times Square plus taxi costs from the airport, amounts to tip various workers etc. - all things I needed to know.  The book is so detailed not only on the biggest tourist areas but on the entire city and gets you very excited to explore different areas of this multifaceted city.  I have extended my stay to be able to really feel all areas of the city.

The author gives you restaurant listings, hotel listings and sightseeing suggestions for all city sections in all price ranges and interests.  For each area a map is provided showing where all the places are located.  There is also one huge foldout map included in the book.  I must say I found this book priceless with all its up to date info.  And the opinions are very honest withe the reasons backing the opinion.  This helps me with making my decisions.  I also give huge kudos to Frommers for they suggest throughout the book to use frommers.com and other online sites for further information.  This is definitelty a guide whose purpose is to give you the most info possible.

This book is an essential, honest information filled volume that is a necessity to read before and to have during your trip to one of the most famous cities in the world.  Highly recommended.
29247
The book was in excellent condition.
This is a perfect book to take on your journey.
Not bulky but packed with all the necessary details you need.
Condensed fold out layout of the city and major attractions.
Extensive more detailed folfing map tucked in its own holder
in the back. Recieved my order in record time perfect transaction.
1515347
This is a great book to carry while sightseeing without a guide.  There is enough information to be useful and the photos help to identify specific sites.
2676721
This is a complete guide to visiting the city of San Francisco.  The book is well written, very clear, and has a tremendous amount of information.  It covers hotels, restaurants, attractions, etc.  The authors provide several possible itineraries depending on what kind of trip you want and how long you intend to stay.  In short, the book is an excellent tool to help you plan your entire trip.
The only drawback is that there are no pictures at all and SF is a visually exciting and diverse city.  When deciding what you want to visit, a picture or two could go a long way in deciding what is a must see and what is not.  For example, I had never heard of the Palace of Fine Arts but when I saw a picture of it in another book I knew I had to go there.  This is an excellent book but it would be better still if they could add some color photos in the next edition.
3958660
Really enjoyed using the Lonely Planet city guide. The recommendations for food in particular were excellent, off the beaten path and not touristy. Really great guidebook