Customer Reviews

Not for Tourists Guide 2008 to San Francisco (Not for Tourists Guidebook)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having just moved to San Francisco a few months ago I was excited about the prospect of this book. However, the book failed to live up to my expectations of a "not for tourist" city guide book. The main problem is that the print is miniscule and very hard to read. I'm in my mid-twenties with 20/20 vision - yet I feel that I need a magnifying glass to read this book or risk ruining my eyesight! Because of this small print there is a lot packed into the book - yet only 10% of it is useful to me (maps of neighborhoods and locations of post offices). Also the size of this book is awkward -- it is too large to fit comfortably in a pocket or a purse (unless you have large pockets or a large purse) - so what is the point of the tiny print? This book should have been produced normal size. Instead of this, I recommend getting the 2008 Lonely Planet San Francisco city guide - which is very useful for residents as well as tourists. And if you need maps - just buy a good city map (the MUNI map is a must and can be found at the info center at Union Square for $2.00). If you are moving to the bay area or have just moved, the "Newcomer's Handbook to San Francisco" is also very useful.

I've used the NFT New York guide with great success and found it to also be an invaluable companion in San Francisco. This is the guide you REALLY want in every city. Organization and portability are half of the attraction of NFT (everything organized by nieghborhoods.) The incredible inclusiveness is the other half. Want to find the nearest 24 hour drugstore or pizza, best way to get to Coit Tower, hours of operation for the Palace of Fine Arts? Look no further than this pocket-sized marvel. The San Francisco version is a little disappointing in the lack of a bus map. I got a bus map and tucked it inside NFT. The NYC edition has this info. Otherwise, I couldn't ask for more.

I love this series of books. It tells you all of the places to go to live day to day. When I am traveling and staying for a long period of time, I try to stay in an apartment or condo so I can make my own meals. Books like this are so helpful to tell you where simple things like drugstores and grocery stores are. I previously purchased the Boston and New York NFT books and used them often while visiting.

We just moved to San Francisco and have used this little book constantly. It is compact enough that we do not mind pulling it out to read in public and do not fear looking like lost tourists. It is SUCH a complete guide to any interest you have in the city. We bought the SF tourist guides, the Cheap Bastard's Guide (also useful), but once we find our niche here we will still use this book as a great reference tool. It's easy to navigate, provides street & public transit maps we couldn't find elsewhere, and really helps you feel like you know what's going on. Buy it!

I love the NFT series of books, and this one is no exception! It's full of useful information, it's well organized, and it's pretty funny.

NFT is a cool company, and you can actually view their books on their site for free. However, at this price, it's well worth your money to have the whole book in a convenient portable format.

I have bought these as gifts several times, as well as for myself. I highly recommend them.

My husband is originally from San Francisco, so we visit frequently. We like to try new areas and return to favorites. This spring we wanted to make use of the public transportation system, so we purchased this book. I know that we will use this for many more visits--both in the planning and during the visit!

I live in the City, and I needed a guide to the City for a full-time resident. I'm also a tourist, as I love the City, and I travel there too, although I don't have go to very far :).

This book is small, so you can put it in your pocket or purse and have it with you anytime you might need it. It covers all of the main features a resident might need. Getting around. Local blow up inset maps of each neighborhood. Lots of information about attractions (like Golden Gate Park or the Presedio) that is as or almost as detailed as most guidebooks.

The print is small, so on the one hand, you will be amazed at how much information is in this book. But the print is small, so if you need glasses, either wear them or don't get this book. Or bring a magnifier with you :(.

When I was first learning the city, this and a Streetwise San Francisco map is all I carried with me, and they were all I needed. Now, I don't need anything most of the time, so I don't carry this any longer except on occasion. I have many other guidebooks on San Francisco, but most of them didn't add much of value to the basic information contained in the NFT guide. If you want chatty discourse, you will not get it here. If you want raw and clear information, you will get it here.

The book implies tourists shouldn't apply by the title, but that is marketing. It's as useful for a tourist as any guidebook, if you are a tourist that wants to get off the beaten path of the few main tourist attractions and actually explore the City. It doesn't focus on tourist attractions, but it does list them. So if you want a book that has 50 pages on Fisherman's Wharf, this won't be it. If you want everything to get equal treatment, this can work. And you'll find information about places you won't find in the guidebooks, which makes the City that much more interesting.

One thing this book won't do is weigh you down. And, it's well constructed, and made to hold up to a lot of abuse. The paper is strong, and the cover is flexible but also very strong. Far better than the simple paperback format of most guidebooks.

In short, this was a great purchase, and I would recommend it as one of your resources if you are living in or visiting in San Francisco.

"Not for Tourists" is certainly an accurate title for this little deceptive "handbook". While the graphics are attractive, the size compact and efficient and the initial look promising, unless you already know your way around SF well, this little extra help will be not much help at all. Several problems that interfere with the practical value are the following: 1) print and graphics are hard to read because of size; 2) index is desultory and can only help you find streets; 3) area maps cover such a small area it is a struggle to locate activities/places within the context of the city at large; 4)the "big" map in the back does not have enough detail to be much help.
In short, pretty but not helpful.

NFT for any city are great. It definately doesn't highlight overly touristy areas. I had some visitors and was using my NFT to navigate our day and thinking there wasn't much in a particular area we stumbled into a major tourist trap. No big deal but funny that there wasn't anything on the map. Other than that it is a perfect guide for a newly relocated city dweller.