Santa Barbara and the Central Coast, 4th: California's Riviera

I just wish this book would be in color! But production costs force all too many of the travel books into a black and white framework... To see the vibrant colors of the Central Coast, go visit the cities by yourself! The subtitle is "food and wine lovers guide," but in fact also history and architecture buffs will not be disappointed. Chapter 8 is devoted entirely to history of the central coast of California. I like the balanced amount of contemporary details for travelers and historical backgrounds. The book provides most notably separate chapters on Santa Barbara and San Louis Obispo. Smaller satellite towns of Santa Barbara, like Carpinteria and Montecito, and the coastal towns in proximity to San Louis: Cambria, Morro Bay, Pismo are described in separate chapters. The book contains also tours of the many wineries in the vicinity. We have been to Santa Barbara many times before we got this book, and we have instantly discovered how many facts about the city were still unknown to us... I wish I would have had this guide before my first visit to Santa Barbara! For example the excellent public transportation in Santa Barbara allows visitors to enjoy the wine and food, and get around with ease without ever touching the car. Now we know all about it, and how to use it. Before that, we were relying on the usual drive and park routine, and took rather coffee with the meals... Our copy is the 3rd edition from 2004. I am sure, more editions are still to come!