Review of Lonely Planet Montreal (Paperback)

I used this guidebook while visiting Montreal in summer 2001 and had no problems at all.As to be expected from Lonely Planet, the color maps at the back are great and the three walking tours really give you a feel for the city.The restaurant list was excellent, especially an extended section on Montreal's famous bagels.There was a large chapter on excursions from Montreal, which included Ottawa, Quebec City and the Laurentian mountains among other places.All the standard Lonely Planet bits on history, culture, arts and religion were very informing; best was the little section on Canadian French where I learned to say "y'est quelle heure" instead of "quelle heure est-il."

The only complaint I could have was the lack of a map of the underground shopping city, which we found confusing to navigate, even with the map provided by the tourist authority.Otherwise it's as good a guidebook to Montreal as you're likely to find anywhere.

Product Description
Croissants and cobblestones...jazz and joie de vivre...laid-back cafes and lush parks...hip clubs and haute couture...let yourself fall under the intoxicating spell of the Paris of the West.This smart, streetwise and stylish guide will help you discover all that this vibrant, cosmopolitan city has to offer.

- EAT, DRINK & BE MERRY - expanded cuisine and nightlife coverage of Canada's most indulgent town- SHOP 'TIL YOU DROP - hunt down the newest styles, above and below ground- WALK THE WALK - new walking tours include the Plateau, Parc du Mont Royal and romantic Old Montreal- LEARN THE LINGO - earn smiles from the locals with our handy French language section- GO BEYOND THE CITY LIMITS - explore the other charms of the province, including Quebec City and the Laurentian Mountains

From the Publisher
"Montreal" offers detailed information on special events such as the Winter Carnival or the two-week Summer Festival, wonderful recommendations for the best food, shopping and accommodations, and scenic walking tours. Enclosed with a French phrase index and a host of city maps, any traveler will be fully armed when accompanied by Lonely Planet's "Montreal".

- 18 full-color, detailed maps - restaurant listings to impress every palate and budget - auberge de jeuness or fite du passant? Accomodations options in detail - walking tours of Vieux Montreal, Downtown and Quartier Latin - coverage of gay and lesbian Montreal, as well as the International Jazz Festival - North America's biggest - tres handy French language section and glossary--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Review of Lonely Planet Dubai (Paperback)

This is the one and only good guide on Dubai. For the visitor to the worker it covers all aspects of life and pleasure, ranges of activities and budgets. Using this guide I managed to bargain my way into a budget of $40 a day, which certainly meant low range accomadation and eating, but this city is still definately kicking and worth a much larger 'splurge', after spending time in some of the neighbouring countries. Well worth the extra money then simply buying the UAE and Oman guide, or the middle east guide for that matter, if you plan on spending a lot of time in the city. The guide captures the essence of the place and truly prepares you on a realistic scale as for the weather, costs and atmosphere of Dubai. As usual there could have been more flowing information on getting there and away. The next guide should expand on day trips, especialy to the good beaches in the region, have a better variety of car rental information.As well check out some more of the cafe's in town, which is one of the few ways to meet locals and expats. Five Stars Five Stars.

Product Description

Long sandy beaches, glittering gold souqs, soaring skyscrapers and a lively nightlife make cosmopolitan Dubai the Gulf's coolest destination. Grab a piece of the action with this indispensable guide.

• Navigator's delight - 11 maps, including seven full-colour maps
• Shopping spree - the best bargains, the most opulent malls
• Beach holiday - where to eat, drink, swim and play
• Desert adventure - explore the dunes and experience the Bedouin lifestyle
• Architectural feast - a special section on traditional Arabian and ultra modern building styles

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Review of First Stop in the New World: Mexico City, the Capital of the 21st Century (Hardcover)

Ever motivated by his affection for Mexico City, David Lida presents First Stop in the New World, about the people and places that have shaped his own conclusion on what it means to live in the labyrinth that is el Distrito Federal. First Stop is written in the style you would expect from someone with years of experience in journalism, with a witty and authentic voice that can inform us about Mexico City like any lifelong capitalino, and still remain refreshingly apolitical.He is not afraid of clarifying the truth behind the "Wal-mart next door to the Pyramids" rumor, or the exaggeration of the frequency of kidnappings. Want to know the truth behind these two sensational stories? Read this book to find out.

Lida's literary style comes through his investigative narrative, (and evokes his other career as a short story writer), filled with characters that are fodder for stories in their own right, as he admits. He recounts details as varied as Mexico City herself - how the the culture drives the sexuality of the inhabitants; how the city inspires ingenious ways for people to become entrepreneurs; and how the urban landscape even affects what people eat and how they eat. Lida is clearly in love with the city he calls home, and like a passionate lover, the City can sometimes hurt the one who loves her: readers will be jarred by Lida's composed, calm testimony about his ordeal as a victim of an "express kidnapping". It would have been easy for anyone to write about this with certain bitterness, but Lida did not let this experience keep him away from el D.F.

As a chilangofile myself, I am happy to find that as joyously overwhelming as Mexico City is, Lida's book is not improvised like the very lives and urban sprawl he writes about; it is carefully composed with ringside accounts of someone who has been there, and stayed to tell the stories, without the insular judgment of an infrequent tourist "surviving among the natives." The book reads less like generic publications on Mexico and closer to literary journalism, which makes First Stop in the New World a book worth reading multiple times, both for its smooth prose and the startling metropolis it chronicles.


Product Description
A panoramic literary portrait of Mexico City- a vibrant, seductive, paradoxical city now commanding the world's attention and showing us the way to the future of urban life.

David Lida moved to Mexico City fifteen years ago in search of a kind of culture, energy, and spontaneity that he thought had been lost in his native New York City. What he found was a thriving, miraculous urban center comprising centuries of living history, even as its rapid development was making it a prominent force on the world stage. Through the eyes of an American who has become an insider, First Stop in the New World is a street-level panorama of contemporary Mexico City-from the high arts to the sex industry; from the dense jungle of urban politics to the interactions of everyday commerce; from one end of this five-hundred-square-mile city to the other. Lida expertly captures the kaleidoscopic nature of life in a city defined by pleasure and danger, justice and lawlessness, ecstatic joy and appalling tragedy-in limbo between the developed and developing worlds.

While London and Paris have become more homogenous, less captivating, and less surprising since the days when Dickens and Balzac wrote about them, Mexico City points to our urban future-if Manhattan was, as posited by Rem Koolhaas, the urban 'Rosetta Stone of the twentieth century,' Mexico City will play that same role in the twenty-first. And with his personal, literary-journalistic account, David Lida will serve as the ultimate chronicler of this exciting city at a vital moment in its history.

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Review of Hidden Coast: Coastal Adventures from Alaska to Mexico (Paperback)

Just a counter-review to the latest.The first edition was chocked full of page-sized award winning pics.This is NOT a how-to or narrative.It is essentially a picture book including some words by the author introducing and explaining the pics and area.If you want to be inspired to paddle the west coast of Canada and North West US....pick it up, fantastic look/read.

Product Description
Begin a journey. Explore a special place, a hidden coast. Enjoy the wet, sunny world of the Pacific Coast, from Alaska's Prince William Sound to Mexico's La Manzanilla, all from the intimate perspective of the kayaker. THE HIDDEN COAST provides an enticing introduction to the past and present of seldom-seen, rugged Pacific Coastal spaces. Compelling writing and breathtaking photography take you to abandoned Indian villages, killer whale pods, and mangrove swamps-compelling fare for the adventure-travel reader.

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Review of Time Out 1000 Things to Do in London (Time Out Guides) (Paperback)

We found this book very helpful for our first trip to London.We visited many of the sites mentioned and I like the fact that it doesn't focus on the typical "tourist" destinations.However, it does seem to stretch it a little bit to come up with 1000 interesting things!Fast delivery from Amazon.

Product Description
This new title from Time Out, the publishers of Time Out London Magazine, offers inspiration to locals and tourists alike for enjoying England's largest and capital city. 1,000 Things to Do in London features up-to-date, hip ideas for fun along the Thames. Written by a team of local journalists, readers will gain an insider's perspective on each destination with this book, from the city's hidden gems to overrated attractions. Both a delightful armchair read and a useful handbook, 1,000 Things to Do in London contains top-ten lists, quirky walks, lovely views, picnic spots, must-visit restaurants and shops, and unusual takes on well-known attractions.Many locations are illustrated with photos, and handy maps make navigating the city a breeze.

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Review of Ghost Train to the Eastern Star: On the Tracks of the Great Railway Bazaar (Hardcover)

I assume everyone reading this is familiar with Theroux's latest premise, to retrace the trail he took over thirty years ago when he wrote "The Great Railway Bazaar."

His latest is classic Theroux - observant, infinitely inquisitive (almost nosy), insatiably curious. Few can afford the time, money or emotional strain it would take to complete a journey like this. Consequently, it's wonderful to have a traveler (the author's familiar reference to himself) of this caliber to do it for us. Mostly by land from London, through Eastern Europe, the Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Japan and home across Russia. I, for one, don't know how he manages to leave his loving wife for that long.

Some have called the author a misanthrope. I don't think that at all. One particular act, which I won't spoil by revealing, distinguishes the man from your average humanity-hater. I appreciated how he usually searched out the oldest rickshaw-wallahs and taxi drivers, people his age who haven't been as fortunate.

I take his observations of annoying people as part of the landscape of a trip of this magnitude. It was inevitable that he'd come across slovenly, boorish, clueless tourists that deservedly reaped the wrath of his rapier wit. I particularly enjoy Theroux's slicing and dicing of holier-than-thou missionaries. When he begins a description of someone he runs into with sly, almost vicious adjectives, look out. You know the game is about to begin.

I share a lot of the author's opinions, especially when he compares lawyers to prostitutes and expresses nothing but disdain for weak-handed politicians and substance-less celebrities. He seems to explore an inordinate number of sex trade sites around the world, shining the light of day on the cockroaches that reap profits from the suffering of others. As a single Western man, I suppose he's bound to be a target for the profiteers trying to separate him from his money. For those of us curious about how such things work in these far-off places, thankfully we have Theroux to describe them for us. Look out, Japan! Your weird fascination with school girls and French maids has been captured in print by one of the best travel writers in the biz!

Theroux seems to reserve special animosity for Singapore. Despite the city-state's facade of prosperity and glamor, wrapped in a mantle of super-security, the author manages to delve below the surface and reveal that here too there is an underworld, seedy sex trade and community of low-life individuals who deal in flesh, including that of the very young. It seems that Theroux is accomplishing a bit of payback here - as he was sacked from a teaching job there way back in the 1960s. From what I can tell, the despotic prime minister and all the mealy-mouthed underlings deserve everything they get.

Paul doesn't seem to hold back on descriptions of people he meets, including some famous writers. I often wonder what they think when they read what he has written about them. He is a bit of a name dropper, managing to rub elbows and spend time with some of today's most famous authors, including Orhan Pamuk, Sir Arthur Clarke and Murakami Haruki, as well as Prince Charles and Camilla. Oh, well. At least we get a bit of insight as to what they're like. I'll never get to talk to them so I'm glad he did. I admit that some I'd never heard of before reading the book so the author has provided another service - to broaden horizons.

I've been to many of the places Theroux describes (Eastern Europe, India,Burma, Southeast Asia, Russia) and it's interesting to read his take on things. He has a habit of looking at places differently, describing and visiting little known sights that, though I was there, never got to. I suppose that's another of his differences between tourists and travelers.

In summary, I'd very highly recommend "Ghost Train." It reveals more of the author than anything he's written thus far; mulling regrets about past mistakes and the inevitable disasters we are all confronted with at some point in life. His sentimental journey, like "Dark Star Safari," allows the reader to understand a lot about why he is the way he is - and where he's coming from.



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Review of Fodor's Buenos Aires, 1st Edition (Fodor's Gold Guides) (Paperback)

It's amazing how important it is to get an up-to-date guide book.This book was extremely helpful with great restaurant selections, helpful tips about cabs and insightful history notes.A couple of the addresses were correct as listed, but incorrectly marked on the maps, so beware.And prices had changed slightly, but that's to be expected.All and all, a good bible for a visit to a new city.

Product Description
Packed with insider information in an easy-to-use format, Fodor's guide to Buenos Aires explores an exciting and extremely popular holiday destination

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Review of Hedonist's Guide To Buenos Aires 1st Edition (Hedonist's Guide to..., A) (A Hedonist's Guide to...) (Hardcover)

Doesn't hold back. Get's straight to the point. HG2 have got under the skin of BA. It's a great book. the shopping is great here. this book has all the best shops and some really cool hidden ones..
Covers some whacky places too..


Product Description
Luckily Buenos Aires is not all about football and tango. Currently the toast of South America, Argentina's capital has seen unprecedented growth and development since the economic crash of 2002. Urban renewal has led to the gentrification of the city's seedier barrios transforming artisan's workshops into cutting-edge restaurants, chic shops and the hippest of hotels. The recent opening of small, design focused hotels such as Home and Bobo have attracted as much interest as Phillippe Starck's offering the Faena Hotel + Universe. Buenos Aires is stylish, the elegantly sophisticated porteñas know how to shop and the streets of Palermo Viejo, the city's hippest barrio, are littered with cutting edge Argentine fashion and design led restaurants/bars. Beyond the look, locals possess almost unfathomable levels of stamina and are often to be found partying into the morning sunlight on a weekday night.

About the Author
Charles Froggatt is one of the world's leading polo journalists, he has worked for Reuters, CNN and more recently Hg2, writing our book on Miami. He has produced an extreme sports documentary in Los Angeles and has lived in Buenos Aires for two years. He is the ideal candidate for the job.

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Review of Time Out Sydney (Time Out Guides) (Paperback)

Plenty of information on restaurants (especially pricey ones), cafes, clubs, etc... but less focus on touristic places and hotels. Average on general info (how to get in and out of airport, tips, currency, etc) and history. Not so much on excursion outside the town. I guess this is exactly what we should expect from Time-Out, which is mainly for entertainment of the locals.

If you visit the city to "enjoy the city" rather than enjoy tourism, this is probably the book for you.

Product Description
Time Out Sydney is the definitive guide to the multicultural, laid-back, sun-kissed delights of Australia's most exciting city

About the Author
Juliet Rieden lives in Sydney and has edited and contributed to three Time Out Guides to Sydney. She has worked for The Mail on Sunday's Night & Day magazine, The Daily Mail newspaper, Radio Times, The Sun-Herald, The Australian and currently for In Style magazine. Co-editor Katie Ekberg lives in Sydney and has contributed to two Time Out Guides to Sydney. She has worked for Woman magazine and TV Times and was editor of TV Week magazine in Australia, deputy editor of Who Weekly and currently works as a freelance non-fiction book editor.

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Review of Fodor's Argentina, 5th Edition (Fodor's Gold Guides) (Paperback)

I love Fodor Guides and always buy them when I travel.This Argentina guide was a bit of a disappointment, however.Note: I used it only for Buenos Aires.

The basic problem with this book is that it lists lots of individual places, but it does not really provide a city guide.We needed more middle-level information, such as some suggested walks or geographically-defined shopping recommendations.

Also, the guide does not provide much information on Uruguay.But when we visited BA, we eventually figured out that Uruguay is really where "portenyos" go for beach trips.The guide really should include Uruguay.

In all fairness, I suspect that BA is a tough city to describe.It seems like a great city in which to live, but it is not the best to visit.It has few monumental attractions that define the city.Rather, the city offers mile after mile of lively urban streets, nice restaurants, and interesting shopping.It is a bit like Milan (but without the Duomo): a vibrant city with few tourist attractions.

I don't know if other guides are better, and we did successfully use this guide.But it did not seem to be as good as other Fodor guides.

Product Description
Argentina's vast territory encompasses the sophisticated gateway and capital city of Buenos Aires as well as rural landscapes that range from subtropical jungle and arid pampas (grasslands) to snow-capped Andes and monumental Patagonian glaciers. Fodor's Argentina covers it all, taking readers on a journey not only through the country's landscapes but also through its culture and history.

·Magazine-style illustrated features highlight the quintessentially Argentine: tango in Buenos Aires, vineyards in Mendoza, gauchos in the pampas, fly-fishing in the Lakes District, waterfalls in Iguazú, wildlife in Patagonia

·Elegant interactive maps and planning pages that help readers get their bearings, pick their destinations, and plan their trips.

·Expanded coverage of Patagonia, including its northwestern lakes and ski areas, its Atlantic coast, and its southern glaciers.

·A special chapter on planning adventure vacations---the best trips, tour operators, and travel tips.

·Color Insert

About the Author
Every Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by resident experts.

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Review of In a Sunburned Country (Paperback)

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Bill.As a proud Australian, it has been a never-ending source of irritation that Australia is forever portrayed as a land of beer-swilling "yobbos" who say "cobber" and"fair dinkum" rather a lot.For instance, 'The Simpsons' -usually such a witty, clever and insightful show - completely missed thepoint in their Australian episode.Finally, someone has managed to capturea bit of the character of this great country.He releases it from theshackles of the Paul Hogan stereotype.

This is a terrific read.Brysonhas, mercifully, gone well and truly off the beaten track to explore manydifferent parts of Australia - the cities, the outback, the tropics, andeverything else in between.But as ever with a Bill Bryson book, more thanthe destination itself, the pleasure is in getting there.Laugh-out-loudmoments abound, though perhaps more in the restrained way of "A Walkin the Woods", as opposed to the guffaw-fest that is "NeitherHere Nor There".

You don't have to be at all familiar with Australiato appreciate and enjoy this book.I am, sadly, one of those Australiansto which Bryson refers that has never seen Ayers Rock / Uluru myself.Infact, I have never been to the majority of places Bryson visits.It was arevelation for me, too.

Bryson once again recounts numerous historicaland trivial anecdotes which, together with his unique view of the world,elevate this book well above the mere travel genre.This is insightful,this is informative, this is FUNNY.

Perversely, my only criticism isperhaps that he likes Australia a little too much.God knows, I'm sopleased that he does.However, he is, I believe, at his best whendistressed.Dull and drab places, and stupid, mindless people bring outthe devil in Bill Bryson, and have always proven to be useful comic fair. There are elements of that here - his body boarding experience, his viewson Canberra, and his trials and tribulations with hotel receptionists inDarwin - but at the end of the day, opportunities to vent his sarcastic witare somewhat limited.

Being an enthusiastic and devoted fan of the greatStephen Katz, I would also have loved to have seen him deal with thehardships of outback Australia.He would have absolutely LOATHEDit.

Read this book.It is a treat.



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