Best Places Northern California: Restaurants, Lodgings, Touring [Paperback]

Linda Watanabe McFerrin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Best Places Northern California, 4th ed | Publication Date: April 1, 2001

Researched and written by locals, this classic guide points visitors to all that Northern California has to offer-- from pastoral wine country to spectacular mountains to soaring coastlines. New editor Linda Watanbe McFerrin brings new contributors and her own seasoned travel writer's perspective to Best Places, the country's most respected regional travel series.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

About BEST PLACES guidebooks:

People trust us. BEST PLACES guidebooks, which have been published continuously since 1975, represent one of the most respected regional travel series in the country. Each guide is written completely independently: no advertisers, no sponsors, no favors. Our reviewers know their territory, work incognito, and seek out the very best a city or region has to offer. Because we accept no free meals, accommodations, or other complimentary services, we are able to provide tough, candid reports about places that have rested too long on their laurels, and to delight in new places that deserve recognition. We describe the true strenghts, foibles, and unique characteristics of each establishment listed.

BEST PLACES guidebooks are written by and for locals, and are therefore coveted by travelers. They are written for people who live in the city or region and who enjoy exploring its bounty and its out-of-the-way places of high character and individualism. It is these very characteristics that make BEST PLACES guidebooks ideal for tourists, too. The best places in and around the city or region are the ones that denizens favor: independently owned establishments of good value, touched with local history, run by lively individuals, and graced with natural beauty. Travelers will find the information they need: where to go and when, what to order, which rooms to request (and which to avoid), where the best music, art, nightlife, shopping, and other attractions are, and how to find the city's (or region's) hidden secrets.

We're so sure you'll be satisfied with our guides, we guarantee it.

About the Author

Linda Watanabe McFerrin is an award-winning travel writer whose work has appeared in the San Francisco Examiner, Washington Post, and the Seattle Times. She lives in Oakland.

Product Details

• Paperback: 548 pages
• Publisher: Sasquatch Books; 4th edition (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570612706
• ISBN-13: 978-1570612701
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #628,167 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Poet, travel writer and novelist Linda Watanabe McFerrin (www.lwmcferrin.com), has been traveling since she was two and writing about it since she was six. A contributor to numerous journals, newspapers, magazines, anthologies and online publications, she is the author of two poetry collections, an award-winning novel (Namako: Sea Cucumber) and short story collection (The Hand of Buddha), and the editor of a travel guidebook (Best Places Northern California,4th ed.) and four literary anthologies.

A past winner of the Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction she teaches and leads workshops in fiction and creative non-fiction and she is NOT afraid of the dark.

Her most recent book is Dead Love, a supernatural thriller set in Asia, due out from Stone Bridge Press in September 2010 and now available for Pre-Order. The Dead Love serialization, along with near-zombie Erin's Daily Slice, are both online at http://www/deadlovebook.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A fine guidebook, but only for those with fat wallets, October 6, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Best Places Northern California: Restaurants, Lodgings, Touring (Paperback)

I have been a big fan of the "Best Places" series for years, and have enjoyed awesome trips in San Diego and the Pacific N.W. thanks to these guidebooks. But I was disappointed in the "Northern California" edition. I know, it's a guide to "best" places and as such will probably lean heavily toward the pricier establishments. And Northern California tends to be a pricey place. But while most of the other "Best Places" books include a wide range of places, from great ethnic hole-in-the-wall eateries to five-star dining experiences, this particular volume just piles on the five-star recommendations. You'll be hard pressed to find, for example, a basic breakfast hangout, a good sandwich joint, and ESPECIALLY a lodging [for a reasonable price]. If all I want to do is patronize the trendiest and priciest, what do I need a guidebook for? Anyone can find the chic places; a guidebook should help a visitor nose out the less-discovered treasures. Also, the oh-so-trendy, oh-so-chic, been-there-done-that-seen-it-all-eaten-it-all tone of the writing gets a little wearing after awhile. Buy some of the other Best Places guides, but look elsewhere if you want something more comprehensive for Northern California.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Title should have been Best "Expensive" Places in NorCal, April 7, 2005

By 

Gabriel E. Borlean (Odense, Denmark - birthtown of fairytale-writer H.C. Andersen) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Best Places Northern California: Restaurants, Lodgings, Touring (Paperback)

If you're a tourist looking for the finest in lodging, food, and entertainment and have an unlimited budget look no further. As a Northern Californian I've used this for a few outings and while I found the descriptions of the town and areas very accurate and elegantly informative, I was surprised with the limited selection of lodging and eating options. The restaurants descriptions are detailed and you really have a feeling for how the place is (ambiance and atmosphere) and what their food will taste like. Only the most exquisite restaurants and inns are listed and these are the places that always demand top dollars.

This would make an awesome guide for newlyweds or the special-occasion traveler but not for your average monthly outing.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A candid guide to all the amenities to be offered, June 7, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Best Places Northern California: Restaurants, Lodgings, Touring (Paperback)

Top restaurants and lodgings throughout Northern California are rated and reviewed and range from lodgings and restaurants to tourist opportunities. Best Places Northern California features some of the truly best places in the state and provides a candid guide to all the amenities to be offered in its places. Highly recommended; if only one guidebook to the state were to be selected, Best Places Northern California should be the 'Bible' of choice.