Great Escapes: Northern California (Great Escapes) [Paperback]

Laura Del Rosso (Author)

Book Description

Series: Great Escapes | Publication Date: May 17, 2008

Great Escapes: Selective guides for travelers who want to find quick trips and getaways within a specific locale. They take away the drudgery of sifting through online and printed travel info by listing only the most worthwhile events, activities, and places to stay and eat.

Great Escapes: Northern California provides at-a-glance trip ideas to major destinations such as San Francisco and Lake Tahoe and lesser-known areas such as the Gold Rush towns of the Sierra foothills and the isolated beaches of the Sonoma coast. Activities range from catching the sunset from the best spot on Monterey Peninsula to hiking to a Sierra Nevada lookout point. Carefully-chosen places to stay all have unique charm or historical significance, and dining options range from Michelin-starred restaurants to local favorites. 30 black-and-white photos

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Laura Del Rosso, a lifelong resident of northern California, is an award-winning freelance journalist and former bureau chief for Travel Weekly, the travel industry's leading newsmagazine. She lives in San Francisco, CA.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Countryman Press; 1 edition (May 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881507830
• ISBN-13: 978-0881507836
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #371,048 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful yet compact guide to an amazing place, September 13, 2008

By 

Ed Glennon (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great Escapes: Northern California (Great Escapes) (Paperback)

I always thought you should have a really heavy guidebook when traveling, even close to home. But I don't think that any more after reading this one. This book is a great deal, an excellent guide for both locals and visitors to the Bay Area. From Big Sur to Mendocino to Lake Tahoe, it gathers a wide range of both well-known and more obscure Northern California destinations in a concise, informative, and personable volume. Its less than 200 pages are packed with dozens of ideas for one- to three-day getaways with ample specifics to keep you busy.

The book pulls it off through a combination of tight, interesting writing and limited but thoughtful and discerning listings for things like food and lodging. Other examples of this approach: This isn't the guide for a full-bore winery tour, but it will get you to some smaller off-the-beaten-track vintners. And while Great Escapes includes San Francisco, Berkeley, and Oakland, it skips the typical tourist attractions, instead opting to describe some neighborhoods and spots that locals will recognize approvingly.

Use this book on its own for some outstanding and even unexpected experiences, or as a starting point for your Northern California travels. As someone who has lived in San Francisco for several years, the book makes me realize how many places I didn't even know I wanted to visit.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Come Away With Me., February 14, 2010

By 

Robin E. Greear - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Great Escapes: Northern California (Great Escapes) (Paperback)

This is an excellent book to read, plot, imagine and plan your next adventure in Northern California. My sister and I were on a "staycation" and used this book to help us see things we hadn't even thought of, as SF Bay Area Natives. Highly recommended!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is the perfect balance..., March 16, 2009

By 

Georgia (Northern California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great Escapes: Northern California (Great Escapes) (Paperback)

I would never think I can be more excited about my "all but first two years of life" home of Northern California, and then I read this book. It's the perfect balance of planting & nurturing enticing seeds, without telling the reader how to harvest, prepare and enjoy the results. It's a great book for "lifers" as well as new residents, vacationers, folks on business trips ... something for everyone. I am so glad this book was written!