Customer Reviews

The Chesapeake Bay Book, Fourth Edition: A Complete Guide

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

 

 

You know the author has actually been to a place when she offers details like that. And Blake does, on page after page - and topic after topic. The book's history sections are comprehensive, then - voila! - great info on recreation and right-on reviews of restaurants. It seems obvious that not only does she live in the region, but plays in it, studies it, embraces it. As a complete novice to the area, I used the book when exploring my Chesapeake roots, and found it was about all I needed.

a college friend invited me to spend a few weeks with her in annapolis, but, when she got a job she couldn't refuse just before i arrived, i had to fend for myself entertainment-wise. thank heavens i wandered into a local bookstore and picked up this book. i didn't know a thing about the area. nor did my friend really. (i'm from texas, and she just moved there from connecticut.) but, with the help of this guidebook and a rental car, i wandered happily throughout the back roads of the chesapeake region. i found great little towns to stop in with its help, deliciously fattening restaurants to eat in and cool things to see. if you're a newbie there, i highly recommend that you pick it up!

Allison Blake's easy-to-follow guide to the Chesapeake Bay has been a godsend to me, twice. I used an earlier edition to plan my wedding (from out of town) five years ago and the most recent edition to plan a family reunion in Annapolis. Ms. Blake's precise descriptions for lodging, dining and entertainment were true time-savers for me and my guests in both cases. I cannot imagine the hours it would have taken me to do this research on my own. From such basic information as which B&Bs require bath-sharing to where to find the best crabs, this is far and away the best guidebook for the region I have seen. I would recommend it to anyone -- whether they had ever been to the region or not. I found it simple to use, concise but descriptive, and full of useful information.

I am new to the Chesapeake Bay Area and have purchased a variety of guide books. This one is the worst of the lot. If you are trying to plan even a simple weekend getaway, this book falls way short. The book makes an attempt to divide the CBA into five regions, which is fine except for the fact that the actual chapters of the book are written according to activity. So, if you decide you want to go to the Upper Eastern Shore, you have to look through every chapter of the book to determine the basics. Of course, there is no way you could determine that you wanted to go to the Upper Eastern Shore because it does not have its own descriptive section. The reader is forced to piece together a description of each region by picking out transportation, dining, recreation, etc. reviews out of the chapters. It is incredibly frustrating. If I could, I would demand a refund.

This book, now very-dog-eared, is indespenible for our weekend and holiday sojourns to the Bay area. It is well thought out and organized in a manner that allows us to plan our getaway, and all the details - from finding the best crabcakes and quaint inns to the selection of our tranpsort of choice - the sailboat charter or kayak - with a minimum of fuss. The author is thorough in researching the details and finding the Bay's may hidden treasures, so all that we have to do is enjoy this gem!

Almost all travel guidebooks I've seen are organized by location; but the writers, editors, of this book decided on lumping everything by subject instead. And that, I agree with the reviewer above, was a big mistake. It can be very time-consuming and irritating to use this book. Say you are going to Cambridge on the Eastern shore: you will have to search for info about architecture, accomodations, restaurants, shops, nearby wildlife refuges, boat tours, golf, etc. etc. all over the book. Unfortunately, there are not many books on the Chesapeake Bay region to choose from. If you do get this book you may also want to get a stack of Post-it Notes to attach to pages and label these about what is to be found there. You may then find yourself with maybe a dozen pages labled "Cambridge" and so on ...