Tours and Travel Books

I have a few of these National Geographic Traveler books. This is a great series of books. This one on Florence and Tuscany is my favorite. The images and thick glossy paper make these books really stand out. After reading the one on Florence I was hard pressed to actually go there because I felt like I saw everything there is to see from the pictures in the book. The maps are great and make getting around the cities easy. I have been through Tuscany a lot in the past year and this is the only guide book I've used.

Being from the New Orleans area -- I like to see read this area's guide books and play the game of finding something wrong in whatever local guide book I am reading. Well this book seemed to get it all right. I couldn't find any boo boos. Another nice feature of the book was that it covered areas surrounding "The Cresent City." New Orleans is one of the world's greatest destinations. If you are a local or a visitor - this book will help you discover and rediscover "The Big Easy."

If you are preparing to visit the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum it would be wise to read this book beforehand to get a comprehensive overview of the museum, its history and its collections. With nice photographs and an easy narrative the book does a good job of evenly going through the numerous exhibits within the museum.

Or if you visited the museum and want a remembrance this would fill that purpose also.

Very good.

What a shame that this book is out of print! I bought a used copy on Amazon, expecting that it would be an introductory cultural anthropology textbook. Instead, it is really a guide book with a focus on cultural tourism, and an extremely good one. It is highly readable, both well-written and also well-printed on high quality paper, and includes some valuable details that my standard guidebook omitted. If I only take one guide book with me on my upcoming Inner Passage tour, this will be the one.

Native Peoples Of The Northwest is a beautiful guide to land, art and culture, just as titled. Enriched by color photos of beautiful artworks, and color coded foldout maps, it covers the Northwest. Organized by geographic region, it lists major sites, art sources and museums as well as suggested cultural tours and activities of Northwestern Native Americans. All information presented is written with the help of members of Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, a coalition of 54 tribes from Southeast Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Northern California, Idaho and Western Montana. In a foreword, the author team refers to themselves as "full bloods" (Jan Halliday is Scots-Irish and Gail Chehak is Klamath Indian) nicknamed Coyote and Raven. With all the cleverness and subtlety of both their namesakes, they have indeed put together a most useful guide book studded with breathtaking photos of art works. This book is well worth the price for the art photos alone! The Native Peoples Of The Northwest also contains history nuggets and suggestions in appendices on powwow etiquette, sacred sites and buying Native art. There is even a calendar of cultural and artistic events in the areas covered. In addition to suggestions and tips to buyers and collectors of Native American art, there are suggested reading resources with brief thumbnail sketches set in the margins. The wonderful thing about this book is it is a part of promoting, protecting and extending Native American art, culture, and history. An example is in the preface is the realization of the dream of coauthor Gail Chehak to establish a large Northwestern Indian Art Festival. Now in Portland there is an annual festival Memorial Day Weekend called Indian Art Northwest - in its third year. This is wonderful news for everyone for we are all enriched by this vast and colorful heritage. The authors endorse Indian-guided tours and Indian-owned museums because the point of view is so different from the non-Native perspective. For example, did you know the Lilijet Feast House in Vancouver is the only truly Native restaurant in the region? Decorated and presented in the traditional Longhouse style, the Native American owner presents entrees such as alder smoked salmon, prawns, venison, wild rice, steamed ferns and bannock bread. This is a beautiful book, much more than a guide book. It encourages you to sample a rich diversity of Native American heritage. It makes one long to explore the area. Perhaps a similar book on "Native Americans of the Southwest" is forthcoming? One can only hope. Nancy Lorraine, Reviewer

Ideal for planing your trip to New England area. You will have several routs to explore this part of the country. Tips, Maps and Photographs that give you a very good picture of your trip. This will help you to don't miss any of the important places of the road.

I bought 2 of these CDs, for me and my wife. This was a really neat way to tour Manhattan at our own pace.

An astonishing variety of experiences, all in or near the Big Apple, described with humor, insight, and enthusiasm. The authors' intimate knowledge and deep love for their city beam from every page. The directions and details are precise and easy to follow. A useful feature is the annotated contents section that makes it quick and easy to browse and choose a destination. HIGHLY recommended for the visitor or for the native who has spent too much time indoors.

An excellent pocket-size guide to restfull oases in NYC. Even my inveterate NYC friends say they learned something new. Use this with the thicker City Secrets guide. Sorry, there is nothing more to be said. Buy this book!

It's a beatiful book, I rated five star but I felt as if I read the first half...Hopefully I'll see the "New York II" shortly on the shelf somewhere..