Customer Reviews

Moon Handbooks: Southern California (1st Ed.)

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

 

 

As soon as you open this book you realize that this is unlike any other travel guide ever written. From the author's disection of California's myths to special topics such as the effects of immigration on Southern California's political, social and economic climate, this book makes California real for any reader.

It is clear that a great deal of time was spent learning to understand Southern California. While most people think that "L.A." runs from the Tehachapis to San Diego, Ms. Weir is able to describe the differences between L.A. and Orange counties perfectly (and humorously).

Fear not that this book doesn't also contain all the sights, activities, museums, parks, beaches, festivals, parades, amusement parks, restaurants, hotels, motels and B&Bs that the others have... you will not be short-changed.

Ms. Weir puts this odd mix of history, culture, politics and practical information together with a style and flare not seen in most novels, let alone travel guides. Wherever your travels take you, you will read this book cover to cover.

Ms. Weir provided us with concise and valuable travel and touring information. However, my opinion is that her personal and unsubstantiated views on the state of ecology and politics of California are inappropriate in this type of handbook.

I wrote a review of this book once before and it dissappeared, so I will to it again because I think that Ms. Weir does a huge disservice to travelers who are truly interested in Southern California, and specifically Los Angeles. I LOVE L.A.....LOVE IT! ....and I will defend it. Ms. Weir starts with the typical (most travel writers do) the smog, the freeways, the crime, the grime. Ms. Weir just takes it to an extreme, about 20 pages worth. Only when you get to Los Angeles as diversion do you get the vague idea that there is anything to see here. Yet Los Angeles outdraws the Bay Area in the number of tourists ( by a large amount) year in and year out. They must be using someone else's travel guide because Ms. Weir doesn't seem to find anything nice about the place. I think somewhere through all the claptrap she does say something positive about The Getty, but you would have to be insane to want to try and get there after reading everything else before it. In her companion volume (Northern California Handbook) Ms. Weir does a wonderful job, has nothing but positive to say about San Francisco. She should stop there. If you want to visit Southern California, and Los Angeles I would suggest the National Geographic guide, or Fodor's, those author's actually seemed to enjoy the place.