Customer Reviews

Lonely Planet Los Angeles Encounter

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

 

 

This is an excellent and useful book. I'm a little rusty on LA, but I'm looking to go back soon and this will be the book I take with me. The author is remarkably perceptive and intelligent; I almost feel like I know her. Her judgment is impeccable and discerning and her writing is skillful and wise. This book is highly recommended.

In this great pocket size guide, there is stacks of information. It covers so much to help the tourist out, and for people like me who already know LA so well, it covers lots of little extras such as new restaurants and stores etc in all kinds of different neighborhoods. It covers, Hollywood, Griffith Park, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Mid City, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Westside, Santa Monica, Venice, South Bay, Downtown, Burbank and Universal Cit and Pasadena. There is info on Orange County too, so almost nothing is left out. It has a great pull out map at the back of the book and with topics about transport and where to eat and what to do, you almost don't need any other guide. I love how they also do mini interviews with locals about their favourite places (even Charlie Sheen's stand in is interviewed about where people hang out).

Any restaurant, hotel or store etc mentioned that has a website has their website listed alongside so you can do further research for yourself, and there are a lot of places mentioned in here that I haven't seen in other guides. With each neighborhood listed in their own color sections, this is really easy to use and it's small enough to take with you on your vacation without weighing you down or taking up space.

I highly recommend this guide. It covers so much in enough detail to give you ideas on where you want to go and what you want to do (and where you want to shop). Both Time Out guides and Lonely Planet are truly the best guides out there and so pick up a copy of this if you want to have a great vacation or try new places when you go back to LA again.

I brought this book with me to LA... it was very handy. It is small enough to carry in my purse. I would def recommend it. Check out some of the restaurants!

I did not care for this guide very much. I wanted something more complete and more detailed, after all, we are talking about LA. No thanks.

I have just arrived back in Melbourne, Australia, from California (L.A., Hollywood, Anaheim, Santa Monica, San Diego).

I did not find the book useful at all.

It did not say that the bus money machine did not give out changes, it did not say the correct fare tickets for buses, it did not say how to go to Universal Studios, Disneyland, Santa Monica Beach Pier, etc precisely by public transport. It did not say the tour companies available and their contact details. It did not say the admission price to the Disneyland, Universal Studios, etc. I went to those places by tours (admission tickets were included) by the way and it was great.

The map shown in the book did not cover some places like Santa Monica Beach pier and it did not mention how long it would take to go Santa Monica Beach from my hotel (by walks, bus, etc) which was in Santa Monica (hence I wanted to see which way I should follow to go to the beach but I couldn't find it in the book).

Without the helps of the book, I have now a sound knowledge of L.A. area and I know which hotels are good (location, accommodation, etc) and where to visit when I'm back in L.A. :)

1/5 (the book's author got 1 star out of 5 stars because at least she spent time to write the book).

Stanley.