Customer Reviews

Access San Francisco (7th ed)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having been to SF a few times before (some years ago), I purchased this guide as my only guide for the city. I didn't want to carry a big heavy book on my weekend trip and, more often than not, I found myself without the information I needed. The typical questions any visitor might have go unanswered and the information is spotty. For instance, the author gives a list of the primary local radio stations, including the radio dial numbers for them, but fails to tell the reader what some of the primary city bus routes are that run in and out of the center of downtown. And yet, looking at the maps throughout the book, you'll see route numbers on many of the streets depicted, but these refer to bicycle routes, not buses. Really, how many tourists are even going to think about riding a bicycle through probably the hilliest city in the world? The most obvious thing that is lacking is any information about the one thing that any visitor wants to know about: the cable cars (there is mention of the oldstyle electric buses or trolleys). Look in the index under "cable cars", and you won't find it. The basics about the cable car system are missing: what the cable car routes are, where does one get on the cable car (I knew that you can get on one at any stop if it's not full - good luck), and how to pay for the cable car ride (the operater collects the fare or looks at your day pass just before the car leaves the stop).

The restaurant reviews are handy, but again, uneven. My companions were eager to go to Fisherman's Wharf (one place I knew to be such a tourist trap that it was best left unvisited) and have dinner. Once we were there, we found the guide lacking in any mention of the most obvious places to eat in the heart of the Wharf. The author mentions one restaurant, Alioto's, but discounts the rest as simply not worth going to. So we went to Fisherman's Grotto, which I was apprehensive about, but it wasn't bad, certainly not haute cuisine. We were all pleased with what we ordered. I tried the sand dabs, a type of small flat fish caught in the Bay, which were nicely prepared and very delicate: lightly floured and fried in a little butter.

On the plus side: the maps are very handy, and easy to read. I did like the way the book was sectioned-off into the different districts.

Overall, the book is best suited as a supplement to a more thorough guidebook, but not the primary source for your trip. I just can't see how anyone can write a guide book to any city and fail to give information about key places that most tourists will want to know about.

The very best part of this book are the SF residents' (Dianne Feinstein, Shirley Fong-Torres, Herbert Gold, Wolfgang Puck, William Stout and others) recommendations. Residency in a city affords one the opportunity to discover the best of the best -- and, oh, are these suggestions good. Plus, the suggested walking tours described in the back of the book provided the perfect amount of information, just enough to incite interest without giving away the experience. This book is so good that I'm ordering an updated copy.

I have always thought this was the best guidebook series going, but since Richard Saul Wurman sold the series to Harper Collins the books have been getting sloppy. The writing has been taken over by "updaters" who don't check the facts. The updater's name doesn't appear until the outside back cover (in this case a woman named Linda Peck).

For instence: in the section on the Fairmont Hotel (p. 84) the writer states that the Crown Room has wonderful buffets, brunches and dinners. In fact, the Crown Room has been closed to the public for the last four years -favoring private functions and banquets which presumably bring in more money per square foot.

Excited that the book said the Crown Room was open, I e-mailed the Fairmont to make sure. They replied that it is still used only for private functions, with the exception of "holiday buffets" such as Easter, Mother's Day, and Christmas. (In other words, special days when they can fill the entire square footage.)

I know that things change in cities, and guide books have trouble keeping up with all the store-front restaurants that open and close. But we're talking about one of the world's most famous hotels -not to mention one of the world's best views which has now been denied to both guests and the public.

On page 21, a paragraph about the War Memorial Opera House says "(See the plan on the next page.)" The problem is that the plan is directly below that paragraph -not on the next page. If you take the writer at her word and turn the page, you are looking at a diagram of the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall instead.

Richard Saul Wurman's entire life has been dedicated to accurate communication. He has worked too hard to build this series to see new editions jammed together without proper proof reading.

Oh yes, with modern printing technology Harper's can just as easily print entire articles in the key color -just as Wurman did. The books look cheapened by having only the paragraph titles in color.

I have visited SF many times but never was able to get a clear picture in my mind of the different neighborhoods. This book's presentation of splendid neighborhood maps (and comments on the architecture and history) has allowed me to get a hold on the city which I much appreciate.

This book was the most useful book I purchased to plan our trip to San Francisco. I can't say enough good things about it. It divides the city into neighborhoods then goes through each one not only listing the good points and points of interest, but also listing the bad. The information is practical and easy to find and understand. His carefully researched data helps one understand the city and the culture that make it so unique. From parking garages to street vendors this is the book to have on San Francisco.

To be fair, I found the book very helpful based on the neighborhood maps and the annotations to find sites. I did use it frequently. However, it was lacking in discrimination. If one is going to list hotels and restaurants, it would be helpful to offer more opinion rather than less, particularly for the unitiated. The restaurant descriptions are bland; everything is made to sound just fine when, in reality, there are a lot of less obvious tourist traps that should be avoided and the Guide makes no allusion to any problems in accommodations or dining facilities. Neighborhood histories and descriptions, although short, are good. The book is heavily geared to retail stores also. At times I felt that it had been sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. I would probably not buy an Access book again.

In the spring of 1996, I traveled to the Bay Area with a friend for what would turn out to be the vacation of a lifetime, thanks to San Francisco Access guidebook. SFAccess was the best read material of the week. It outshined all other tourist info and guide books that we had. The reviews and suggestion were right on. I have increased my collection of Access books to now include the London and Paris editions. I can't imagine that I would have made it around each of these cities, or enjoyed my vacation as much, without these guides. I am going back to SF in a few weeks and I am buying the new edition of SF for the trip. And hope to add the Italy edition next year. I put my seal of approval on Access travel books.

I could be a guide myself but nobody does a better job than Wurman. Current information with all the color, history and geography you'll ever need for a great visit to San Francisco. This is the must book for a happy traveler.

I have used various versions of this guide over the last few years and have found it to be the most organized and enjoyable of all the guidebooks I've seen on the market. The traveler is guided almost building by building, street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood through this beautiful city. It's the best guide for hotels, sights, shopping, and general information. You can't go wrong!

A San Francisco resident since 1976, I still rely on each new edition of the Access (and Knopf) Guides to maintain familiarity with other neighbourhoods, and supply out-of-town guests with copies of each.