California

I am a geographer, and I have to say that this is by far one of the best travel guides that I have or seen. It is well written, easy to use, and packed with nice illustrations and descriptions. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for something like this.

I purchased this book and also the current Frommers CA guide. I appreciated this book, because as we drove around the cities- the book gave detailed information about the different points of interest including their history and origins. It was great for all of those times we wondered what the heck something was- or how it came to be - while driving around CA cities. I also found this book more helpful in pointing us to some cool shops in the cities. While the Frommers guide was more detailed in its restaraunt and hotel descriptions, this book was more helpful in finding some of the off the beaten path - fun to see sites.

I am never the type of hard working traveller who would dig into lengthy travel books to find out everything. I found this book very useful for me. It's all in color (so, it's a pleasure to read, though that makes it heavy), and it has great maps which highlights all attractions in addition to detailed maps in the end of the book. That keeps me focus on what I want in a very easy way, instead of searching for where that particular attraction is.I went to San Francisco, and places as far as 3 hours driving to north, and 4 hours driving to south. For San Francisco part, this book even included different architecture style, which greatly enhanced my experience. As for others, most of the places they describe, they include pictures also. This helps me to know what to expect. Though I don't like it to be so heavy, it's my favorite among my collection.

Dorling Kindersley makes the best travel guides hands down. They are extremely well illustrated, have extensive and detailed maps up to date information on hotels (rates, rooms etc), restaurants (costs and reservation policies), and sites to see. The travel guides have wonderful pictures, well researched histories and facts about California (the cities and the sites), what wines to look for and taste (not just by region and vineyard but also by year), detailed walking tours, information on famous sites (The lore behind Man''s Theater in LA, the La Brea Tar Pits as well as Alcatraz and some of the top wineries to visit in Napa and Sonoma).The guide covers travel information, driving directions, the best places to shop and see celebrities in LA, where to get good deals and SOOO much more. The book give you wonderful ideas on how to best see each area in a limited time or really enjoy it if you are there for more than a few days. The book also covers things to do that many tourists might over look as well as telling you what is worth your while and what to skip. This is one of the best guides available on the market. It is perfect if you are planning to go to a few cities in a limited time or for more in depth information when planning a longer trip.

This book was a great find! Now I only use the Eyewitness travel books. It is organized in sections based on region. Then each section is organized by area. So everything in the book is organizaed by area. This lets you plan your days extremely easily, if you want cultural, arts, or historical. And all the points of interest are great. Has things for the Adventrous and the Classic traveler.