Customer Reviews

Not for Tourists Guide to 2010 Chicago (Not for Tourists Guidebook) (Not For Tourists Guidebooks)

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

 

 

Lots of info,maps and well-categorized pretty easy to focus in on details by interest and area.In most ways,the book does live up to it's promise.The one real issue is the font.The books' printing is SO SMALL that it is nothing short of irritating.Map names are so small as to be almost illegible.While I recommend the book for it's info,I give it equally negative rating on it's ridiculously tiny print.

This book was extremely helpful while I was in Chicago. It's got like 40+ maps that break Chicago into tiny pieces, and basically allows you to see what restaurants, atms, grocery stores, bars, etc. are in each section of the 40+ maps. On the left page, there is a detailed map of that section of Chicago, and then on right page, there is a list of all the things that are available in that section (restaurants, atms, etc). In addition to that, in the back of the book, theres suggestions for what to do for entertainment during different times of the year, and there's also reviews of all the bars and restaurants in Chicago. The only thing I think this book is lacking is a better map of Chicago's downtown. There was no map of like all the downtown sections combined together. So, you have to keep flipping pages to find which map section that you are in, instead of just using one large downtown map. Other than that, this book is really helpful in getting around Chicago and finding things to do. It has the phone numbers and hours of like every single store, restaurant, museum, or bar in Chicago, so if you have any questions that the book can't answer, you can just call the number and find out for yourself.

Holy smokes, this book is so cool and handy! Not only do I absolutely love the way it looks and feels, but it gives practical information as well. Perhaps the most important thing this book offers me is the break-down of all the different Chicago neighborhoods. It gives me loads of maps and resources. All of the questions I had that remained unanswered by humans and websites were answered in this book. Books are our future!

Now that I have moved to Chicago, I go almost everywhere with my NFT for the maps. I have GPS on my phone, but if my battery is dying, or I'm underground and can't get service, or my GPS isn't updating quickly enough, I turn to my NFT. When I am downtown, in the loop especially, I can get turned around fairly easily. I will get off a train, choose an exit, and not know quite where I am. All I have to do is find a corner and locate it in my NFT, which is easier than typing it into my phone. Also, the street maps have all the different L lines included, which is indispensable. I've seen many maps here, and none are as good as the maps found in my NFT.

I received this book a couple days ago and just realized that there is a newer (2011) edition. I think this book will do just fine though. NFT Guide to Chicago is an excellent resource. If you're thinking of not buying one of these guidebooks because of the small font that some reviewers have commented about, the font isn't really that small. I can see the street names very clearly and it has not been a problem for me.

This book is great for those planning on moving to the Chicago area and deliberating on an area to move to. Each area is broken down into what banks, gas stations, supermarkets, schools, nightlife hot spots, restaurants (and many other businesses) are in the area. It also has tons of other valuable information about Chicago, making it a must-buy for the Chicago newbie.

This book is great in many ways and has been helpful for me with all my trips to Chicago since 2007. The maps are excellent and the layout makes sense. Also, the authors are truthful about things (for instance they don't sugarcoat when it comes to the lousy public transportation in the city...they are very honest about it). They have a good sense of humor, too. My main problem comes to the small writing of the various places and also the fact that each place does not have a corrosponding number on the map, just a symbol. Therefore, there may be 40 different shops on State street, but only a few shopping bags will show up on the map symbolizing all of them. So how do you know which ones are which?
Other than that, I really like it.