Customer Reviews

National Geographic Traveler: California

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As expected, this book has some of the best photographs and illustrations available. What was more surprising in a travel guide was the quality of writing, the great social insights, and the historical contextualization. While Critser touches all the necessary points of interest, he also discovers hidden marvels from excellent cheap restaurants to the often unsung corners of L. A. If you are going to buy one guide, this is it.

Recently we visited California for the first time. We covered San Francisco, LA and San Diego in one week. We had planned everything before-hand using the National Geographic Traveller and our experience is it turned out very useful in that respect. It exaclty tells you what is a must see and what looks good from where. So we were prepared and we expected certain things. For e.g. this book says that the views from Coit Tower are breathtaking and they really are so. We had to walk up from China Town to Coit Tower on the very steep streets of San francisco. But once we were at Coit Tower the views of the city were excellent. This book also mentions some driving tours which are very useful. One thing I would like to mention here. We had rented a mustang convertible to drive the Calif Highway One along the coast. Our friends recommended to take the 17 mile drive on our way and we were surprised why it was not mentioned in this book. But after driving through the seventeen miles we continued the drive along Highway One. And let me tell you the 17 miles drive is nothing compared to the gorgeous views on Rte One. If you ask me, please avoid the 17 miles drive it is just a rip off of 8 bucks. There is much more beauty ahead on Rte One. We should have listened to the book, the book was right by not mentioning it!

As a Californian I'm always a bit cynical of these type of travel books. They tend to run towards the cliche. Not this book. Mr. Critser takes us to places that only someone with imagination would, Monterey Park and not just Monterey Coast, Euro Pane and not just La Brea Bakery. The lovely Balboa Park in San Diego is given equal weight to San Francisco's Presidio. I loved reading the front part of the book that covered in such beautiful style the history of the amazing state. This is a book that I will keep on my shelf for me and for out of town guests. I hope to see National Geographic use more of this intelligent personal style in both their books and in their magazines. Bravo Mr. Critser!

This tour book is not exactly what one would expect fromthe Geographic nameplate. Clearly the publisher is moving in a direction that is less pure boosterism and more wise and appreciative of nuance. Greg Critser clearly loves the Golden State in all its beauty, eccentricities and he even loves the state for its faults(the foible kind, not the geological ones). Quirky entries interlace with the straight dope and the combination makes an enticing read. This isn't just a book for tourists, its one for the reference shelf of anyone entranced with the land that is, for all its shortcomings, undeniably enchanted. With its delicious visuals and knowing reportage, this guidebook should leave readers enchanted too.

This is a travel guide and reference book that all Californians should own, not just visitors. The writing makes the difference -- those familiar with the author's work in magazines like Harper's and The New Yorker will recognize his voice right away. He brings humor, personality, and a seasoned journalist's eye to the material, raising it well above one's expectations for this genre. It's not just informative; it's a great read. I particularly liked the emphasis on food, wine, and where best to enjoy those things. Reading it made me want to take a year off just to drive around the state and eat.

Disclaimer: This is my experience with just this one book. I have not extensively used other similar travel books, so I can't compare them much.

I was looking for a book to show me the sights around California and I specifically wanted something with a good mix of pictures and text, as pure textual descriptions can be rather subjective and occasionally unclear (not to mention boring). After a day at the local bookstore, I decided on this one.

This book does an amirable job of combining the two elements. The pictures are descriptive and very helpful in determining which places to visit and the text helps fill in the remaining info. The format is pretty basic: You get a half-page photo of the major destinations along with a few pages of accompanying text describing the place and the surrounding attractions. The book is divided into major geographic areas, such as "Southern California", "Central Coast", and "Northern California"; the major cities (LA, San Fran, San Diego, etc.) also get their own sub-sections. This makes it easy to find information.

Unlike some other guidebooks, this one does not come with maps of every destination -- which is something I actually prefer, since those are usually available at the actual destinations and there's no reason to waste pages on them. However, larger-area maps and driving route maps are included and they're certainly helpful in plotting roadtrips.

More importantly, the included destinations seem to be well-chosen. I took the book with me on a one-week trip along California's west coast and it provided interesting things to see all along the way. I explored most of the destinations it mentioned and I was usually quite happy with the results.

My one gripe with the book is that it doesn't always give enough details about the destinations. Some places get a few pages of text, but others are given only a simple sentence or two. I would really have liked to see more about all the mentioned destinations -- such as photos for even the less important attractions and pricing information for all the mentioned restaurants -- even if it meant a thicker and bigger book. The book wasn't bad; rather, I just wanted more of the same.

As I said above, I haven't been able to use any other similar books so I can't really say how this one compares. This review may be changed or updated in the future if I find better guides. But as for now, I'm very happy with this one on its own and I definitely plan to take it with me on my next trip.

National Geographic have set a whole new standard in travel guides. I have several and I think they are excellent. Generally speaking,travel guides become outdated within a year or so after being published. As a matter of fact,some series are issued annually. They are loaded with information on lodging, hotels,B&B's,and restauralts with lots of data on prices. These things become out-of -date very quickly;and even when you look up rates,you will find most of of little or no interest. Besides these things are easily obtained elsewhere ,for instance on the Net.
Where this guide shines is in the information it gives on all the points of interest.It is loaded with excellent photographs,maps and drawings that we have become accustomed to getting from National Geographic. The book also covers history,culture and everything of interest to a visitor to California. This book is so good that when your trip is over,you will want to keep it as a wonderful memory of all the places you visited. A short time after a trip ,one usually tosses the guide,for the simple reason that it is quickly dated,printed on cheap paper,and is very short on real information and pictures,--Not so this one. You'll want to keep it.
I do a lot of Birding,and have many of the Field Guides that have been published over the years.The most popular guide among Birders is and has been for several years is "Field Guide to the Birds of North America ",published by National Geographic.
They have employed the same methods,skills and quality in this book as their others.
This book will serve you even well after your trip as a reference to California, When reading or hearing news about places,or whatever;you'll find this a good place to look for additional information.

Ok, may be not the best - who judge, but very close too. Do not think, just buy and enjoy reading and traveling.

I can't comment on the substance of the book because there's no way to read it. My only advice is that if you purchase the book, DON'T buy a used one from Kudzu Books in Georgia. They ship it via the postal service in a very flimsy envelope. By the time you get it, it will be too mangled to read. Worse, they give no hint as to how to contact them by email or phone. Amazon is no help either.