Tours and Travel Books

Marsha Cudworth has written a most useful and usable guide to the architecture of Cape May, NJ. Cape May, a National Historic Landmark, lays claim to being America's oldest extant seaside resort. It certainly is one of the loveliest and Ms. Cudworth's book shows why in a series of easy-to-use walking and driving tours.

Especially useful are pen and ink drawings of outstanding structures in this remarkably well-preserved and carefully restored slice of Victoriana-by-the-sea. Many of the drawings are taken from the beautifully-rendered Historic American Buildings Survey of Cape May. Others come from the author's own hands.

This slender volume is neither a full-scale history of Cape May nor a scholarly discussion of the town's architects and builders (for that, one should consult Emil Salvini's "Cape May: Summer City by the Sea" and Thomas & Doebley's "Cape May: Queen of the Seaside Resorts").

But for a lovingly written and charmingly illustrated traveler's companion, this small book is just about perfect. It is a model of the sort of well-researched yet non-academic guidebook which enhances the appreciation of our nation's historic districts for tourists, newcomers, and long-term residents alike.

Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (7/06)

Anticipating a trip to the New York City and area, this book certainly has taken the scare out of visiting an incredibly large city. "Serendipitous Outings Near New York City" simplifies the trip and gives the reader an opportunity to visit New York City with ease.

Harrison and Rosenfeld intended this book for all walkers - experienced trail hikers, antique hunters, nature lovers, as well as slow walkers that just love to browse and enjoy conversations with those they meet. The book starts off with the "Deserted" Village in the Allaire State Park of New Jersey. The authors give a brief history, description and when the village is open. They explain that guided tours are available if one so desires, but they also encourage self-guided tours. After the walk, they suggest a trek to the Atlantic Ocean where another small town exists.

This is only one of the many walking trips that the authors suggest. They include an easy to follow map and there is no doubt they have trekked the streets and areas themselves. They say things like "Before leaving Stonecrop, be sure to walk on a small path through the woodland garden: Azaleas, rhododendrons, and other shade-loving plants have been carefully placed to blend harmoniously with this natural habitat. Nearby is a pond surrounded by lilies and groupings of..." How enticing is that! With descriptions like this, one can't help but wander on the path.

I'm looking forward to using this book on my trip to the area. At first I wasn't anticipating visiting some of the areas which include New Jersey, Long Island, the Hudson Valley, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. However, after perusing this book, the travel plans will have to include these areas.

I found this book most useful on a recent trip along the Chinese Silk Route and would recommend anyone doing the same to purchase the book.

This time (the third time) when I visited the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, I had my narrated tour in my pocket (actually on my iPod) and could take my time and see what I wanted to see and linger for as long as I wanted without having a guide shoushing me and 20 others along on a tight schedule. Sister Wendy's description of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is wonderful. I even enjoy listening to it as I look at a picture of the ceiling. Audio tours are the way to go!

SKI TOURS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA filled a major missing link for me - I found it a definitive and very readable book. Now I know a lot more places to go cross country skiing in Southern California. There are 68 trips in the book, complete with trail maps. The trails are in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego Counties and within a one to three hour drive for most Southern Californians. I have now skied nine of the trips. Mr. Anderson's book makes it easy. I found the trail instructions, as well as the directions to the trailheads, clear and easy to follow. It is amazing, in this bastion of fun in the sun, that there are so many places with snow to play on and that it lasts so late into the spring.

This book has a little something for everyone. The trips range from beginner to advance. But it is not just a compilation of ski trails. It includes photos, some cross country ski history, useful information for beginners, safety tips, skiing basics, ski gear information and even tips on skiing etiquette (like what you do with a sitz mark). It also has interesting information about the area where you are skiing. Do you know the world's largest lodgepole pine is in Southern California? I have now skied to it.

And for those who cannot tolerate either cold or snow, there is even a trip to Kelso Dunes in the Mojave Desert! You ski on sand - a definite change of pace from your usual skiing venue. Ski Tours in Southern California should expand most skier's horizons.

This book contains easy descriptions of touring and trailheads within day-trip distance of the Denver area. While the "extreme" backcountry skier may find that most tours described lack the desired excitement, there are still quite a few gems, and for the more classic cross country skier this book cannot be beat. Check out Dawson's guide to 14ers for the death-defying routes, but this book has everything to keep most skiers entertained. Most of the expert terrain described requires long approach routes, but every serious front range backcountry skier should buy this book without question.

Empire Publishing presents "So You Wanna See Cowboy Stuff?", by Boyd Mager, all the Western movie and TV filming locations and sites of interest in the entire United States, the only complete tour guide ever assembled...Magers whose vast knowledge takes you state by state to famous Western film locations noting birthplaces, gravesites, monuments, museums and parks...insights of film festivals, bibliography and oral histories where you can visit and vacation....this book was written and extensively researched over a three year period from the heart and it shows.

Table of Contents (Chapter, Title and Page Numbers)

Acknowledgments - 6

Introduction - 8

Alabama - 11
Alaska - 13
Arizona - 15
Arkansas - 32
California - 34
Colorado - 133
Connecticut - 139
Dstrict of Columbia - 140
Florida - 141
Georgia - 144
Hawaii - 145
Indiana -146
Iowa -150
Kasas -152
Kentucky -154
Maine -155
Maryland - 156
Massachusetts - 158
Mississippi - 159
Missouri - 160
Montana - 163
Nebraska - 165
Nevada - 167
New Jersey - 172
New Mexico - 173
New York - 180
North Carolina - 181
Ohio- 184
Oklahoma - 188
Oregon - 197
Pennsylvania - 198
South Carolina - 200
South Dakota - 201
Tennessee - 204
Texas - 207
Utah - 221
Virginia - 230
Washington - 232
Wisconsin - 233
Wyoming - 234
Canada - 239

Oral Histories - 240 (Columbia University has an extensive oral history section with recordings and unpublished
interviews by Gene Autry, Walter Brennan, Richard Boone, Joel McCrea, John Wayne and many others)

Film Festival - 241 (complete listing of all the Annual Western Film Festivals - as dates for festivals change annually
you'll need to call for dates, brochures or flyers offered and accomodations)

Bibliography - 244

Index - 245

Hats off to Rhonda Lemons and her staff at Empire Publishing, the author Boyd Magers putting down on paper without a doubt the best book exact film locations where Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy, Wild Bill Elliott, Roy Rogers and John Wayne, with top western museums in the country...detailed Studio Guides to Monogram, Republic, Warner Bros. and Universal that helped make the B-Western great...sharing many facts inclusive within their own individual sections in the book...we now have answers to the many questions about the B-Western era...If you're into the memories of the B-Western, this is the one you've been anxiously waiting for...another winner from those early days when the western made it clear where a man stood Magers and Empire Publishing has captured the moment...just the way we like 'em!

Total Page: 264 Pages ~ Empire Publishing 0944019390 ~ (3/10/2003)

Everyone has seen David Hyde Pierce on the popular TV series Frasier where he plays the brother Niles.

Well what most of us did not know is that both Niles and David in real life are wine Geeks. David is very knowledgeable about wine, has a keen pallet and loves to talk about wine. He does it so well in this naration about Sonoma wine country and the wineries and the wines.

Living in Sonoma, I have many relatives and guests back East who want to come out and visit the wineries. Before they come, I always loan them a copy of Sonoma Uncorked so they can prepare their itinerary and at the same time get in the mood for their visit. If you have a CD player in your car, you can listen to David's soothing and melodic voice give you all the inside tips you may need in visiting Sonoma. He gives a lot of good history, gossip and trivia that makes a Sonoma visitor feel more at home and gain the most from California's best wine country!.

When buying tour books I am always miffed when they have advertising in them and it is obvious that we are receiving biased information. What I like about this book is that it is totally a fair evaluaiton by a long-term resident in the area and she is very balanced in all of her judgments and reccomendations.

This is an interesting look at the South just after the Civil War by a Yank. He recounts many conversations with people of all classes. The excellent maps of battle fields aid in the understanding of the struggles that took place in them. The engraved pictures appear to have been taken from other publications and many pretain to events during the War. The freshness of this eyewitness report made during this era is important to the understanding of Civil War history and the people who lived it.