|
Southwest USA (Regional Guide) | 
 enlarge | Authors: Becca Blond, Lisa Dunford, Andrea Schulte-peevers
Publisher: Lonely Planet
Category: Book
List Price: $24.99
Buy New: $15.54
You Save: $9.45 (38%)
New (36) Used (4) from $15.54
Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 249451
Media: Paperback
Edition: 5
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 576
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.8
ISBN: 1741047137
Dewey Decimal Number: 917
EAN: 9781741047134
ASIN: 1741047137
Publication Date: October 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Offering coverage of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Southwest Colorado, plus a new chapter on Nevada, this travel guide outlines the best road trips, fun detours, dinosaur sites, and ghost towns in the Southwest.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
Not on par with Lonely Planet Standards March 23, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
There don't seem to be many all-encompassing guides that address travel in the Southwestern US. However, I was excited to see that Lonely Planet was among them. After reading some of the reviews on this site, I was a bit apprehensive about purchasing it, but a combination of my high regard for Lonely Planet and the alternative of having to purchase several books convinced me to buy it. After spending the past month trying to use this book as a resource for planning a week long vacation in the Southwest, I have to agree with the critical reviews.
Perhaps the editor of this text had a trigger-happy finger with the delete key; whatever the reason may be, this text is missing a good bit. There are many generalizations and few applicable insights. I found myself having to rent other texts from the library, do a good bit of research online, and print maps of the bigger parks from their websites. The maps that are included are difficult to read and a good portion of notable features are missing. Many areas and parks don't have real maps though, including Mesa Verde. The attention given to state parks is even worse. Their treatment of Monument Valley was especially disappointing, as there is less than half page on it, no mention the park's lodge or area's restaurants and statement like, "There are tours" that leave much be further researched. I'm also wondering why the dinosaur tracks outside of Tuba City aren't mentioned; why the IMAX theater outside the Grand Canyon isn't noted; why there isn't any mention of famed attractions inside some of the parks (such as Double Arch in Arches and Angel Arch in Canyonlands); why multi-award winning Las Vegas restaurants such as Bouchon (whose founder was recognized by Time magazine as "Best Chef in America") aren't noted; and so on.
Obviously, there is a lot to cover, but I'd happily pay an extra $5 - 10 for a slightly thicker book that does the region more justice. If I could revisit my purchasing decision, I'd look at Moon's Four Corners guide a bit more (their guides have been just as good and even better than Lonely Planet's in my experience) and supplement it with a small Vegas guide.
 Good travel book, but a little weak in details. March 15, 2008
I feel this book has been very helpful in planning my forthcoming trip to the area. However, compared to other lonely planet volumes, I feel the details concerning points of interest, lodging and dining are a little skimpy.
 Downright incomplete June 3, 2007
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
I am a major, lifelong supporter of Lonely Planet from the first core Asia books. I have till date not filed a review of a book online, but felt compelled to highlight some major deficiencies in this product and make a recommendation to look elsewhere for information on the American Southwest. Of late, I have begun branching away from Lonely Planet for more detailed information, but still rely on it for useful phone numbers, maps and other logistical information. For a three week camping trip in the Southwest with a few splurges along the way, I wanted to rely heavily on just such a book.
In the Southwest book, much of this information was not present (for example, 'Many campgrounds are available in local state parks' is one of the entries, but no phone numbers, maps nor details given. Not only were options for lodging half-heartedly described, often food options and maps were entirely missing or erroneously described.
The cities are a bit better described, but that isn't offering much of an excuse for an area and geography that is utterly unlike any on earth.
It is not surprising that this particular book is so short on useful information given its small size, but I found it egregious that LP would compromise so heavily on its core responsibility - providing useful, practical information that saves time and enhances the travel experience.
I highly recommend flipping through another guidebook in your local bookstore or experimenting with one of the other brands before relying on the Lonely Planet in this case. I plan to do so for the near future.
 The leader in books on the American Southwest.. A must-purchase! April 5, 2007
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
I recently made a road trip across the American Southwest and purchased both the Lonely Planet 4th Edition (December 2005) and the Rough Guide 4th Edition (October 2006) as my guides for the week-long adventure. Lonely Planet emerges as the clear winner when the two are compared side by side. It is less than half the thickness of the Rough Guide book, yet has more coverage per town or natural site. I commend Lonely Planet for using such a thin but readable font and thin, high-quality paper to make this guidebook have such a small footprint.
The Lonely Planet guide is divided into tabbed chapters by state (the guide covers Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Las Vegas, and Southwestern Colorado). Maps cover both regions and downtown areas of the major cities and towns in the Southwest. For each city, restaurants, hotels, attractions, and essentials like internet access, post offices, bookstores, and medical facilities are listed. The sidebars contain information from a historical or side note perspective--these are perfect for reading aloud during the inevitable driving time for any Southwest adventure.
If you are planning to spend a long time in the Grand Canyon or other attraction area, I recommend purchasing an additional supplemental guidebook. As a road warrior, I appreciated that this book has all the essentials, but leaves week-long trips to Las Vegas or the Grand Canyon to other guidebooks.
Tons of information, well organized February 14, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This guide has tons of info for food, lodging, shopping, services, attractions, and activities. Margin "tabs" make it easy to thumb to a specific area. My only complaint is the greyscale maps are unreadable because of tiny fonts and low contrast.There is bleed thru from backside of pages also causing contrast problems and readability. Overall though, it is a good, packable guidebook.
|
|
|
Copyright 2008 - RailroadBookstore.com
| |
