Tours and Travel Books

When you go on vacation what kind of hotel do you look for? A five star ediface that has twenty-four hour entertainment, heated pool and room service to die for? Or do you look for that quaint out of the way inn where you can relax the day away? Or do you prefere a bed and breakfast, where you can feel like you are part of the neighborhood for a few days? Or do you look for that room with an ocean view? All of those kinds of hotels are okay, but if you really want something different, why not check out a haunted hotel.

Would you like to meet nursemaid Annie who haunts the Kendall Manor in Alabama? Or would you rather meet the ghost of Thomas Rowe who haunts the Don Cesar resort in St. Petersburg, Florida? Or perhaps you'd like to get to know the night watchman at Kennebunk Inn in Maine. Oh, did I forget to mention that the watchman is dead?

Yes, you too can visit a haunted hotel, maybe see a ghost, and you'd want to see a friendly ghost, so stay away from the Overlook Hotel. Anyway, if you want to meet a ghost in a haunted hotel, this is the book for you. Very well written too. A delight to read.

Review by Vesta Irene

This book will help you decide where to (and not to) stay when you go on trips. The stories were well told, and enjoyable.

I bought this book in Northern California at a Ranger station. I asked what book to buy and was directed to this one. The descriptions of nature - the flowers, trees, animal life - is a pleasure to read. If you can't actually be there, just reading about the beautiful places is satisfying. Also the author's love for this natural country and his awareness of how precious it is, and how endangered, is moving. All of the places he describes are in danger of being logged or abused by grazing cattle, and in fact I noticed both in some of the hikes I did based upon his book. The most beautiful place I visited was Young's Valley. I highly recommend visiting there if you can. It is 17 miles into the wilderness on a dirt road which can be traversed by auto, though the last couple of miles are very rough and have to be taken extremely slowly. You'll come to a large pond before the final stretch. Stop and take a look. There are flowers around but what you'll be struck by the most is the absolute quiet. Look in the water. It is filled with Western newts! Then drive the last couple of miles, park and hike down into deeply forested country below. You'll find abundant meadows on all sides, fragrant white Azaleas wherever you see water running, flowers of all kinds....Once you come to Young's meadow you'll find a huge expanse of grass and wildflowers with many smaller meadows around and snow-topped mountains ranging around. At the bottom end of the meadow you'll find a trail which follows a creek, ranging through deeply forested country with mossy rocks along side the creek. Red monkey flower adornes the creek and other flowers grow along the banks where there is some sun or opening in the forest. All I can say is it is beautiful country and I hope to God it is not destroyed. The author has done his best to insure that these beautiful places are kept that way for posterity.

This little (fits in a jacket pocket. Handy!) book is a masterpiece and worth every penny. Not only do you get detailed maps and descriptions of trails in the Kalmiopsis wildland, Red Buttes and High Siskiyous, but you are also given good advice: walk it(don't ride, bike or drive). Pack everything out with you (rather than burying it. The bears *will* dig it up). John Hart tells you how to access some very obscure and little-known trails, how to follow trails which are faint, neglected and devastated by natural or human-inflicted disaster(s), gives you a "heads up" about areas where you might otherwise unwittingly trample salamanders and/or rare plants and speaks about wilderness areas that were (and still are) threatened by the activities of loggers and miners in Northern California and Southern Oregon. He gives potentially life-saving information, pinpointing locations of clean drinking water and shelter, weather conditions and recommendations for clothing and gear. Even if you never get off the sofa and go for a hike, this book is a terrific read!

After buying several books and guides I have found that Historic Houses Castles & Gardens is the perfect guide for anyone interested in travel to Great Britain and Ireland. It is jam packed with color photos of each location it presents. It provides acurate information on such topics as opening times, availible options, and location. The book also provides a very helpful listing of recommendations of properties by Johansen and a useful calender of events. Also included is a list of sites that perform civil marriages and maps showing all locations featured in the book. This book is wonderful for anyone that loves architecture or is planning a vaction. It is a very concise guide to some of the most wonderful treasures of Great Britain and Ireland.

Historic Houses Castles & Gardens is a wonderful guide for anyone interested in looking at beatiful architecture and for anyone planning a vacation. It has very accurate information and includes opening times, what is availible at each site, and interesting facts. The book also in includes reccomendations on where you can stay when in Great Brittian or Ireleand. It is a very comprehensive and wonderful guide to some of the treasuers of Great Brittian and Ireleand.

Anybody at all interested in California history should own this book. It consists of 544 double-columned pages of historical information, arranged by county, and includes information on everything from historical ranches to famous trails to old Mexican land grants. The listings are truly all-encompassing. There is also an exhaustive index that includes just about every proper noun mentioned in the text and a bibliography that is as thorough as any on the state. The book is also well illustrated with many photographs. An extremely valuable and useful reference book on the historical places of California.

A great resource for the researcher of early California, the Gold Rush, geography and history of each county. Richly detailed and illustrated accounts of the people and places which make California unique. The authors provide details of history which make the lives of the early settlers understandable and interesting.

This book tells the story of the founding and exhibits of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. This book does not replace visits to the Museum. It is an excellent reference book to have in combination with visits to the Museum. The Holocaust Museum is one of the finest Museums in Washington, DC.

The history told at the Museum is powerful in so many ways. My hope is that humanity can learn from history not to keep repeating the many horrific mistakes that were made during the period of Hitler and Stalin. We must always remember that most of the terrible crimes during this period were sanctioned, promoted and authorized by National Governments. The Governments of nations can and do become evil, corrupt and murderous. We the people of the world must be forever vigilant against vesting too much power in the hands of too few people. Concentrated power almost always becomes corrupt.

We must learn from history how to prevent the concentrations of power in too few people. These concentrations of power can sooner or later lead to evil. Even power that is initially built on good intentions will good bad eventually. That is the nature of the human condition that we must fear that charismatic leaders will concentrate power in ways that are unhealthy and deadly. We should find ways to avoid electing charismatic leaders as these types of leaders are just too dangerous. The Holocaust happened just seconds ago in terms of the lifespan of our planet, and something like it will happen again unless we learn the lessons taught to us by history.

Having recently visited The Holocaust Museum, I felt compelled to own this book as a tangible memory. The book captures the essence of the holocaust experience with outstanding images and words, often understated, that continue to evoke the emotions felt in the museum.

One doesn't need an entire day to appreciate the arts and life of the great city of Chicago. "Hour Chicago: Twenty Five Self-Guided Sixty Minute Tours of Chicago's Great Architecture and Art" is a guide for tourists and residents who looking to savor full appreciation of the city's culture in conveniently bite-sized doses. Presented in a compact and portable form, Hour Chicago is the perfect guide to carry along for any trip through the city. Highly recommended for community library travel collections.

Other guidebooks can tell you where to eat, where to stay, what to wear or what plays to go to. But if you love cities because of their art and architecture, if you want to get off the tour bus, THIS is the guidebook you want.

The author is the perfect guide. After a few pages, you feel like you've gotten to know her, and you're eager to get her opinions on whatever she shows you on the next page. She's not afraid to say when she thinks a building is dull, which is a nice change from the hype of most tourist guides. But when she likes something, it's obvious. Somehow she can explain what makes a painting, sculpture or building great, in just a few choice words. You get the feeling she knows way more than she has space to share. But "share" is the word. She doesn't talk down to the reader, but she also knows that not everyone has a masters in fine art and architecture. There's a great glossary and good maps, which you'll need, because this guide doesn't stop at the Art Institute and the Loop. It takes you into the neighborhoods for galleries, architecture and smaller museums with collections that are world-class, but are overshadowed by the Art Institute.

The book is the perfect size for a backpack or fanny pack -- you can tell it's meant to be USED. The prose is clean and direct, and should not be a problem for tourists whose 1st language is not English.

It's organized into short tours that you really can take if you only have an hour, but you can also string them together if you're lucky enough to have a weekend or a lifetime. (This book is not just for tourists. It's must for people who live here, especially if you already think you know the city.)

What I like most about this book is that it seems to have a special place in its heart for the person who is by himself or herself. Anyone who's travelled to a great city alone has felt at times the lack of a companion to share the experience with. You find yourself wanting to turn to someone and see your excitement reflected back. In "Hour Chicago,"that person is the author. You feel like, whether she's physically there or not, she wrote this book for you and is hoping to see her excitement reflected back in you.

Simply lovely photos - but to see Bucks County in person - is to know true Beauty.

I was thrilled to find this book at my chiropractor's (Ron Maltz- Lahaska) last week! It's a great photographical tour of our area. Bob captured what we really see when we live here. I was especially excited to see the aerial of Twin Silo Farm- an often unheard of part of our landscape! What a treat!

Thank God for people like Bob Krist to do something to preserve
what matters to our landscape vs. these build another McMansion types.......

Southern in terms of south of Virginia, Kentucky, Arkansas and east of Texas. This book focuses on Civil War sites in the deep south.

If your thing is dragging the wife and kids to every CW site within fifty miles of your vacation jaunt, this book is for you. It is a handy guide with a glossary, information on the organization of armies and character close ups (though I think anyone who would pick up a book like this would know these items already).

The tour information is well organized by state with battle summaries (or "what-happened-here" descriptions), tour organization, points of interest, dining and accommodations and "what it looks like today" discussions.

For the serious CW traveler, a helpful guide.

This book, although long, not only gives involved discussion of different sites and good directions from a man who has obviously been to all of these sights, but also a detailed account of what was going on at that time in the war. While a bit preachy at times, This book is very interesting, and reads as well as most novels. This book is not only an interesting read, but a travel plan that looks like a great option for this summer.

Kevin Dwyer's "Ireland - Our Island Home" highlights that island's heritage with a stunning collection of aerial photographs around Ireland's coastline. The images, shot from helicopters and small planes at low altitude and oblique angles, provide beautiful, detailed panoramas. The contrasting scenary ranges from the urban areas around Dublin and Cork to the wilds of West Ireland. A series of captions and miniature maps describe the subjects and the general locations where the photographs were taken.

The photographs are a reminder of how varied the Irish landscape can be, and how beautifully green it looks from the air (and from the ground). Lighthouses, farm fields, sheep pastures, and small villages mingle with old forts and modern port facilities. This book is highly recommended to those who have been to Ireland, and to those who plan to go. The book provides a unique perspective on a lovely country.

We went to Ireland and picked up this book while we were there. I was afraid that it would be cheaper in the U.S. -- we paid 30 euros -- and it was. Still, we have no buyer's regret.

This is a set of stunning aerial shots of the Irish coastline. While we took what we think are very good pictures, these are beautiful pictures that we cannot duplicate because they are aerial. They will be treasured reminders of many of the places that we visited.

If you're going to Ireland, been to Ireland, or just wish that you could go, and you love to hang out in coastal areas, this is a book for you.

After purchasing several guide books to Ireland, I went back for another look. This spiral guide jumped out at me...and it was exactly what I need for all of the information needed for my trip to Ireland. It begins with "arriving at the airport" and continues with "your first two hours". The suggested itineraries are in terms of "one day, tow day...etc". Without knowing exactly how far each site it from another...it would be impossible to map out my trip. The photos are superb..suggested hotels, B & B's, pubs.....it is all there. Every time I buy a new travel guide...these spiral guides will be the ones I will order. Thanks for finally coming up with the perfect guide!

This was the book we used most when traveling around Ireland in 2001. We found it had just the right amount of information, not too much, not too little. It is designed for at-a-glance reading, with a convenient spiral binding and color maps on both end flaps. Each part of Ireland gets a "in 3 days" list of must-see attractions, well illustrated with color photographs, followed by a list of "at your leisure" activities for those who have more time or particular interests. Hotels, B&Bs and restaurants are included for each region, though these lists are limited. Then there is a section on "practicalities" - money, how to use phones, etc..., and even some history is thrown in. We found that this book helped us get around without having to wade through a lot of extraneous text. We plan to use it again this year to see the rest of Ireland.