Tours and Travel Books

Well written book, nice to see Rich and Sue are doing well, I used to work with them at Eastman Kodak.

"200 Waterfalls in Central & Western NY" is an especially well organized and presented recreational guide to a dazzling, beautiful, sometimes unexpected but always memorable assortment of natural waterfalls in NY. Maps, directions, time and effort required to reach them, as well as distinctive features of each waterfall are listed in this handy, convenient and highly practical vacationer's guide. If you are an outdoor enthusiast and planning to travel through the central and western regions of New York State, then begin planning your excursion's daily itinerary by browsing through the pages of Rich & Sue Freeman's "200 Waterfalls in Central & Western NY."
The Midwest Book Review - Buhle's Bookshelf

200 Waterfalls In Central & Western New York is an especially well organized and presented recreational guide to a dazzling, beautiful, sometimes unexpected but always memorable assortment of natural waterfalls in the New York area. Maps, directions, time and effort required to reach them, as well as the distinctive features of each waterfall are listed in this handy, convenient and highly practical vacationer's guide. If you are an outdoor enthusiast and planning to travel through the central and western regions of New York State, then begin planning your excursion's daily itinerary by browsing through the pages of Rich and Sue Freeman's 200 Waterfalls In Central & Western New York.

Rich and Sue Freeman have come out with another must-have Finger Lakes guide book. This one, called "200 Waterfalls in Central & Western NY," is a well-done guidebook of accessible waterfalls complete with driving directions, access trails and photographs. Their descriptions include information and some historical notes. Whether a year round resident with out of town visitors or a summer resident, you will find this book a fine reference for area waterfalls. Mark this book as a good gift too.
Leona Jensen, The Observer

The 25 Best World War II Sites: Pacific Theater is a guide for travelers and tourists to exploring World War II historical sites, battle sites, monuments, and museums throughout what was once the Pacific Theater. 500 individual points of interest, enhanced with detailed histories and maps, tips, travel information, suggested hotels, and more fill the pages of this excellent and highly recommended travel guide specifically designed for anyone seeking to visit (or revisit) and learn more about the important events and places of World War II while vacationing or otherwise traveling through the regions comprising the Pacific Theater.

Chuck Thompson has compiled a great book on World War II sites in the Pacific. After living in the Phillippines and visiting several of the sites described in his book, I can definetly state that the descriptions in this book are 100% accurate. This is a must have book for anyone travelling in the Pacific.

Chuck Thompson has done an excellent job in THE 25 BEST WORLD WAR II SITES, PACIFIC THEATER of informing and recommending, to war buffs and casual travelers alike, the best World War places to see including Pearl Harbor on Oahu, the route of the Bataan Death March in the Philippines, and the original Bridge on the River Kwai in Thailand.

Hundreds of points of interest are revealed in the book, and Thompson provides comprehensive directions for each site, including detailed maps, guides to hotels, insider tips and photos of the sites.

This was the first book I've read by Chuck Thompson and I am definitely interested in checking out some of his other work because of the throughness of his research and the objective tone throughout.

Ever consider traveling to the real Pacific battlefields of WWII? If so, this is the essential travel and history reference for 25 of the best sites in the 20 million square miles of the Pacific theater. As this book proves, even for those who only dream about travel, it is still an impressive reference to the history and sites today.

25 Best Pacific Site
Author Chuck Thompson draws from his vast travel experiences to present the best sites of the Pacific. He begins the book by explaining the criteria for rating the 'best' sites of the Pacific, by three equally important criteria: historical significance, the amount of attractions at a give site, and finally on its merits as a travel destination (services, natural beauty, desirability). Although subjective, it is a excellent rating system. That includes Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Battan, Tokyo, Tarawa, Saipan, River Kwai, China, Alaska, Hiroshima, Corregidor, Singapore, Peleliu, Marshalls, Guam, Okinawa, Leyte, Solomons, Papua New Guinea, Manila and Nagasaki, to name a few. The final chapter covers North American Pacific WWII sites - including museums and memorials, and general details on auxiliary sites that are more difficult or expensive to get to, such as: Burma, Indonesia, Eniwetak, Midway, Wake and Iwo Jima.

Travel Guide Reference
A chapter is devoted to each of the 25 locations, complete with sites of interest and detailed maps. A one to five 'star rating' system rates each site, in terms of its interest level. Although all sites are important, the star system helps travelers with limited time, or budgets choose what they will want to see. Also, Thomoson draws upon his own travel experiences and suggests the ranges of time required to see the WWII sites - everything from a single full day in some locations, to several days in order to reach all sites.

Well Known & Obscure Location Details
Each chapter covers a wide range of both well known sites, and more obscure ones. For instance, in the Ohau chapter, the natural importance of Pearl Harbor Memorial is fully detailed, but also, lesser known sites, like the "Natsunoya Teahouse" where Japanese spy Takeo Yoshikawa conducted much of his surveillance of Pearl Harbor. Also, lesser known and out of the way sites, like the barracks, airfields and forts of signifigance. Each details any special permissions, limited access, contact information, entry fees and other related information.

More Than A Travel Guide
Author Chuck Thompson has done more than just write a travel guide book, in the traditional sense of the term. Each chapter begins with an informative, concise and well researched historical summary of each of the 25 best sites. Also, a list of suggested reading & references related to that location, that includes history books, veteran memoirs and reading.

For those that dream of exotic Pacific travels, and even those who have already been to some of the 25 best sites, this guide book come highly recommended, and a worthy addion to your history library too, for prespective on the wartime sites today. After completing the book, any reader will be tempted to travel to one, or all 25 of these sites - as soon as possible!

This is the best travel book about the London that I found. It has all necessary information that I was looking for without the tones of text and pictures. It gives you so good ideas about what you can or should see in one day that I decided just to follow the book. :)

Took 3 guides to London for our 2005 trip. This guide has the best pictures of the 3. Most of the information is very good. The walking tours are the best! It even tells you when to stop and eat.hmmmmm

The guide doesn't really cover all aspects if you are new to the culture and city. No real tips on staying out of trouble and the detailed city map is combersome. That aside, the book is well put together with wire spirals, the cover is a hard paper for good construction.

Before traveling to London, we purchased many travel books, but AAA's London guide was the only one we took with us. The book is filled with beautiful color photos, great descriptions, planned itineraries, and a fantastic detailed map. We are planning on traveling to Rome this summer and AAA's Rome guide is the only travel book we will be purchasing before we go.

My wife and I used this travel guide extensively while in London. It served as our bible, tour guide, and street map. It is laid out in a very clearly and the sprial binder makes it very easy to flip to any page. It is filled with clear, color pictures and maps. The guide is broken down into various regions throughout London, with each section highlighting Must See Attractions, and then At Your Leisure sites that are also in the area. It also has a very nice reference on how to see a region in one day. An Underground map is on the inside back cover, and a regional map of London on the front inside cover. Other nice features are sections called 'Finding Your Feet' - which provides great information for when you first arrive in London (either by plane, train, boat, etc..) and a 'Practicalities' seciton that talks about currency, clothes sizes,etc.

What really made this book stand out compared to other London travel guides was it included detailed street maps of these regions. Those proved invaluable for us once we started walking around the area. The book is compact, and fit inside my coat pocket comfortably.

I visited Paris in September 2005, and this book was very informative. I am planning on purchasing the updated version for my trip this year. I recommend it to anyone.

My wife and I used this travel guide extensively while in Paris. It served as our bible, tour guide, and street map. It is laid out in a very clearly and the sprial binder makes it very easy to flip to any page. It is filled with clear, color pictures and maps. The guide is broken down into various regions throughout Paris with each section highlighting Must See Attractions, and then At Your Leisure sites that are also in the area. It also has a very nice reference on how to see a region in one day. A subway map is on the inside back cover, and a regional map of Paris is on the front inside cover. Other nice features are sections called 'Finding Your Feet' - which provides great information for when you first arrive in London (either by plane, train, boat, etc..) and a 'Practicalities' seciton that talks about currency, clothes sizes, basic French phrases, etc.

What really made this book stand out compared to other Paris travel guides was it included detailed street maps of these regions. Those proved invaluable for us once we started walking around the area. The book is compact, and fit inside my coat pocket comfortably.

My only gripe is that for some of the attractions, it did not have the right opening and closing times - and it suggested a shortcut to the lines at the Lourve by getting off at the Tuileries metro stop. Unfortunately, this is one stop too early, but the street map easily showed us the way.

If you only want to carry one compact tour guide for Paris - I would highly recommend it.

If you've never been to Paris and are exploring on your own, I would suggest packing this guide along with the National Geographic DestinationMap for Paris. I also carried the Paris Knopf Guide - which is amazing, but is more for educational purposes than getting from place to place (and might be left at home for later review if you're traveling light).

I spent 11 days in Paris, and it wasn't enough time. I walked from place to place most of the time - seeing the neighborhoods was wonderfully rewarding. Paris is a city to be experienced on foot. The people really live in the streets ---they don't just use them to get from place to place as in New York. The pocket-sized spiral guide was easy to carry. It also has an excellent metro map.

If you're going to Paris - make hotel reservations ahead of time. If you're traveling around France and have limited time, consider EasyJet rather than the train. Most of the time, EasyJet costs less in terms of time and money.

I also suggest buying the Carte Musee et Monuments (you can purchase this at the museums and likely other locations, although I couldn't get it at the metro stations as advertised) which offers unlimited access to 65+ museums and monuments over a one-, three-, or five-day period. You can also bypass lines with it. I used the five-day period to visit many historical sites as well as museums. I revisited the Louvre and the Musee D'Orsay three times each. It was nice to visit the same place on different days...to take additional looks at items of interest... The pass makes it very affordable.

Finally, if you only go to one museum, go to the Musee D'Orsay. It is extraordinary.

Bon Voyage!

Having just spent two weeks in the Paris area, I can highly recommend the AAA Paris Spiral Guide as a prime example of what a travel guide should be. It is concise, well organized and offers just the right amount of well thought out information. In other words for the traveler packing light, it doesn't weigh a ton.

While I do prefer the Eyewitness Guide series for pre-trip planning and research because of all of its excellent maps, photos, detailed information and "how-to" information, it was the AAA Spiral Guide that I carried around with me all over Paris. The Eyewitness Guide (my constant companion before the trip) never left the hotel room.

The AAA Spiral guide gives excellent suggestions about what are "must see" and "check out if you have time" attractions, and even suggests possible daily itineraries based on the geographic areas of Paris. I found that my list of "to do" was very similar to theirs. Also, most of the travel guides that I read had separate sections in the back for restaurants, shopping, hotels, etc. The AAA Spiral Guide organizes these topics into the different geographic areas of Paris. This was a much more logical and welcome organization in actual practice. The Guide also has a small but excellent section of "how to" information.

Overall, I am looking forward to using the AAA Spiral Guides again for future travels. I believe the title list is short at present, but hope to see it expand.

Bon Voyage!

I have to admit, I never knew there even was a National Historic Trail program until I read this fine book. More embarrassingly, I forgot I had even purchased it until I was perusing my bookshelve looking for reading material the other night.

This book offers detailed information on several national historic trails. There is historical background, and, in the case of the section on Lewis and Clark, background on the major players, and good information of what to expect and what to see along the trail route itself. This book is more than just a travelogue, it allows the reader to delve into the trail's past on a personal level. I recently drove a portion of the Lewis and Clark trail and this book helped put it into perspective.

America's National Historic Trails is a very useful book and offers insight into one of the federal government's least known programs.

This book offers more information than a auto club guide. Includes great history and up-to-date information on each trail. Makes the reader feel that he/she is a part of history. Easy to follow.

America's National Historic Trails was just rated #5 on the Baker and Taylor Best Sellers List of Paperbacks from University Presses, and the author was featured in the July 1999 issue of Beyond the Cover, a monthly magazine from Whitebridge Communications of Ingram. Cindy Kelly writes "Cordes' book, America's National Historic Trails, shares her adventures, and shows how the trails -- dating from pre-Revolutionary War days to the Civil Rights marches of 1965 -- bring history to life."

What other reviewers are saying: "This book is simply a prize...it is packed with information..." Brad Hooper , Booklist 4/15/99 "...a wonderful paperback..." Scoop Baslee, News Journal, Daytona Beach 4/25/99 "...fascinating even for non-walkers..." Mike Sajina, Post Gazette, Pittsburgh 5/2/99 "Recommended for academic and public libraries." George Jenks, Library Journal Spring 1999

Twelve National Historic Trails are described in detail in this excellent guide, from the Juan Bautista de Anza NHT in Arizona and California to the Selma to Montgomery NHT in Alabama. All of the major cross-country trails (Santa Fe, Oregon/California, Lewis and Clark, Mormon) are included.

Cordes recounts each trail's history, tells what the trail looks like today, and describes major and minor points of interest along the way. Maps, photos, a lengthy bibliography, and a full index are all here. Anyone interested in exploring these trails will find this book useful and valuable. Armchair travellers will find it informative and entertaining. Highly recommended.

We just returned from Barcelona and used this wonderful guide to explore the city. The book begins with about 20 pages of general introduction to Barcelona and then gives 5 walks, separated by area: El Barri Gottic, Sant Pere and La Ribera, El Raval, Gracia and L'Eixample. Each walk takes about 3 to 4 hours (longer if you stop at recommended restaurants and attractions), and are as good as having a private walking tour. There are lots of interesting little stories about the city, the buildings and the people. We've used many of the books in this series and found BarcelonaWalks not quite as intimate and charming as others, but still very good. Also the book is getting older now so it is less reliable when it comes to restaurants and other venues, but we still enjoyed these walks very much. Each section contains a map (which does not name all the streets, which can be problematic) and a few balck-and-white photographs.

Barcelonawalks is the best guide book I have ever come across. It allows you to explore the old city without the pressures of a tourist guide, introducing you to history that you would never uncover on your own.

As much as I have enjoyed the other books on Barcelona that I have read, nothing has brought this spectacular city to life in quite the same way as Barcelonawalks. I went on the walks with a native who knows the city so well she can get navigate the labyrinth of the Barri Gotic with her eyes closed. The book was a revelation even to her. George Semler, the author, brings considerable reserves of insight, style and wit to the proceedings. As a book, it's a wonderful confection. As a guidebook (a recipe I don't ordinarily care for since they often do to their subject what the Kraft company does to cheese), it is more like private tour with someone who knows the broad arch of the city's rich history, the character of it's people, as well as a baroque quantity of entertaining minutia. Semler's restaurant recommendations alone might be worth the price of admission, as you are likely to find yourself the only tourist in various characteristic and popular neighborhood eateries.

George Semler has told as much about the passions of the people of Barcelona as about its buildings. From the medieval splendor of the Gothic Quarter through the 19th neighborhood of Gracia to the wildly idiosyncratic buildings of the Catalan Renaissance, each block is revealed not only as a sequence of architectural structures but as the place where the great and the ordinary people of Barcelona fought, dreamed and struggled. I walked every one of its routes with pleasure and a great sense of history. Marvellous!

We recently used this terrific book in exploring some wonderful and little used roads in Pasco County. It's great to have direction to unique Florida locales that aren't centered around Disney World or the beach.

We would like to take mini vacations on Florida's backroads. In reading this book, I can see that it will make planning our trips much easier.

Our family just spent a weekend following the trails of this book. It was so interesting and fun to read along the way. It's great to learn more about Florida -- especially how life was before a/c and the Disney era. Bravo!

What a great guidebook this is to the back roads and the stories that await. Douglas Waitley has presented the Center of Florida in such a way that even those who have lived in these parts for years will find new places worth exploring.

Waitley is an advocate of getting off the interstates as much as possible, which is harder to do in Florida than most places since there simply aren't as many back roads as in other states that have had a couple of centuries more of transportation and travel. Then again, there is plenty to explore if you are willing to slow down and see what is around the next bend.

And around the next bend are places with exotic names like Chassahowitzka Swamp and Lacoochee, Micanopy, Mascotte, Okahumpka, Yalaha, Lake Beauclair and Hontoon Island. In these pages, Calvin Coolidge rubs shoulders with Elvis Presley and you will find everything from horse country and swimming holes to missionaries and the Honky Tonk Freeway.

The guidebook takes you on consecutive journeys of under 50 to about 125 miles each, and there is a lot of history and scenery and lore packed in to each of the tours. With Waitley we travel to places where Desoto wandered, to the dens of alligators and thieves, to early settlements that were so close knit ethnically that when the young moved away they became virtual ghost towns, and more.

We find out about J C Penney's lost utopia and Ma Barker's last stand. We hear about buried and yet to be found treasure and the best places to shop for antiques. Want to see the manatee or a 3000-year old tree? Waitley can get you there. The maps and directions are easy as can be. Suggestions for enjoying nature and for stopping for a meal are included in each of the tours.

The book includes lots of good black and white photos taken by the author on his rambles and travels. The people he met populate the text and make the region come alive for the reader.

David Waitley loves Florida and it shows. By the time you read this book, you will have fallen in love with it, too; with all of its surprise and mystery, its local color and eccentricity. A perfect guidebook for being on the back roads, it is also a great armchair traveler's companion.

This book was displayed in the Welcome Center at the Virginia State line.
I looked through it and decided it was one I HAD to have. I made note of it in my little "black" book and when I returned home to the Northwest I knew I could count on Amazon.com to get it to me.

This is a wonderful book loaded with recipes, pictures and Virginia history.I ahve tried many of the recipes and they are delicious. This is a great book to give as a gift to everyone you know.

I rarely buy cookbooks, and I was glad to have purchased this one. Not only are there a variety of recipes, but there is also lots of Virginia-related history and information to read as well. I think this will be the first cookbook that I actually read cover to cover!
If you are familiar with Virginia restaurants, there are recipes from places like Baliwick Inn and Shields Tavern.
The one thing I wish was different about this book is the way it's organized. For example, there is a chapter on cheese and eggs. There could be a variety of recipes in this chapter, from quiche to creme brulee.

Much more than a cookbook, The Best of Virginia Farms contains intriguing automobile tours to plantations and historic farm sites in the Old Dominion, some I didn't know existed and most I hadn't visited but will now. There are 8 (36 by 12-inch) full color foldout panoramic photos of Virginia, interesting interviews of Virginians who had a great impact on agriculture, and so many interesting facts I didn't know -- either about food, agriculture or Virginia history. Best of all, the recipes are delicious and easy to make with clear directions and background information about the Virginians who created them. Anyone who likes good food and likes to learn will really enjoy this book about America's first farm state.

This is a great book! It's just a shame that they forgot to mention The Barnstead Inn in Manchester Center! It is located in the center of town and sits back from the road just enough to help you forget that you are anywhere near town. Like I said the book is great! But do yourself a favor and do not miss this true piece of Vermont. The trips in the book are great and I have taken several of them!

I have used this book so much that it is highlighted on almost every page with the stops we've made while driving the roads of Vermont. In addition to the fourteen most popular drives the book offers interesting sidetrips with such detailed description, you can't resist the urge to check them all out.

I highly recommend this book whether you are a traveller or a resident of this beautiful state. The guide offers many historical, funny, and informative facts.

This is the second edition of the original guidebook and while I didn't read the original one, I can say that this book was very handy to have when my wife and I toured Vermont. T The Schellers are very entertaining people who obviously have a sense of humor and they also have a good sense of what is interesting to visit and what isnt'. They also must have done a lot of driving. We tried out two of the drives they suggested and were amazed at all the things there were to discover along the way, not to mention the physical beauty of Vermont. Even looking at a map I doubt we would have discovered these drives on our own. We tried out some of their "finds" which I'd say were places we never would have found on our own and they made our trip truly special. The book is an amazing collection of information that covers history, hours of operation, interesting little tidbits and so on. Definitely worth the money.

My wife and I recently toured vermont by car and we were very glad to have this book. It made the trip a unique and memorable experience. We were able to find lots of little places that we never would have discovered without it, and met people "off the path" that were genuinely glad to see us. I strongly recommend this book to anyone planning to drive through vermont, even if it's only a short trip. Great book and very funny in places, too!

This is a wonderful guide, with clear maps and smart buying tips for the Flea-Market Junkie and Occasional Peruser alike.
I don't even particularly enjoy Les Puces, but at my home in Paris I have a copy of this guide for guests. When visitors come to stay, I put a stack of reading material on their bedside table (French magazines, books about Parisian history, guidebooks, etc.) and "Bit by the Fleas" is always one of the favourites. A guaranteed crowd-pleaser!

I've been to the Marchee aux Puces many times in Paris and wish I'd had this book with me before! The photos are gorgeous and helped identify different parts of the huge market and types of furniture. I've enjoyed reading through it over and over since my return. It's so interesting and there's so much to learn. Not just what to buy and where, but how to ship it home and how to recognize value or ... non-value. This book is a real treasure for those serious about antiques or just browsing the market for interesting finds.

Stuart Hough saved me thousands of hours of research with his incredibly efficient reviews. I was able to save a ton of time at le marche des Puces by carrying this handy pocketguide with me while touring - and saved some money by knowing who to talk to and how to approach them. It is written with both style and efficiency - if you are into antiques, this is a MUST READ.

Anyone who cares about French antiques knows that there are many good deals to be unearthed at the marche aux Puces, but the place was always somewhat intimidating to me because it's known to be an "insider's" market. It's hard to know where to go and who to trust. I was delighted to come across this book because it demystifies the process very effectively and is written in a no-nonsense, discerning and user-friendly manner. It is not designed as a comprehensive guide to the Puces but rather as a "short list" of the stands that the authors have found to be most worthwhile (be it in terms of selection, quality, price and/or reliability). It's a bit like having a Zagat's guide to the Puces. I also liked the format, which is compact and practical to carry around Paris, as well as the design and graphics, which are tasteful and up-scale. As a result, I've also found it to be a very appropriate gift for friends who share my interest in French antiques.