Lake Superior's Historic North Shore: A Guided Tour Review

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(More customer reviews)As two Minnesotans one native and one not we both enjoy traveling along the North shore of Lake Superior.
This book outlines some of the major things and not so major things to see along this fantastic scenic backdrop.
We would recommend this book to people who are both Minnesotan and non Minnesotan who want to explore this region.
It is compact enough to take along whether hiking, biking, or in the car glove box.
Hit the road with this book along route 61 and you will be in paradise from Duluth, to Two Harbors, to Grand Marais.
Explore historic sites like Split Rock Lighthouse, visit State Parks like Gooseberry Falls and wander along the lakeshore.

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Lake Superior's North Shore–the vast stretch between Duluth and Grand Portage–is nearly 150 miles long, with an abundance of state parks, state and national forests, streams and rivers, and more than thirty distinct communities representing a broad range of ethnic and religious groups. Many visitors have made the famous drive along scenic Highway 61, the central artery of this popular vacation destination, but few are aware of the historical significance of the villages, homes, and markers that they pass along the way.

In Lake Superior's Historic North Shore, Deborah Morse-Kahn takes vacationers and armchair travelers alike on a unique journey along old roads and byways and into the hidden history of the land and communities along a stunning section of this great inland sea. This informative, easy-to-follow guide offers the history of First Nation peoples, the historic fur trade years, the development of Norwegian fishing villages, and the heydey of splendid tourist lodges like Babe Ruth's famous Naniboujou–traces of which can be found in the grand sites and unassuming structures that still stand today. Detailed maps and practical visitor information help vacationers hit their favorite destinations with ease.

Deborah Morse-Kahn works as a specialist in historic preservation and cultural resource management and is the author of A Guide to the Archaeology Parks of the Upper Midwest.

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Frommer's Cancun, Cozumel & the Yucatan 2009 (Frommer's Complete) Review

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(More customer reviews)After checking out multiple guides to Cancun and the surrounding area, this was by far the most helpful. There was good coverage of hotels, restaurants, night clubs, beaches &water sports, and shopping. The guide also offers good general information on traveling to Mexico in general and Cancun particularly. I should add that the entire Yucatan peninsula has similar coverage in this guide, not just Cancun.
As for their specific recommendations, we found their restaurant choices to be very solid and enjoyed all the highly rated places that we managed to visit. Our hotel was perhaps overrated by one star, but was certainly within the bounds of a reasonable rating. Other attractions such as Xel-Ha, Xcaret, and the ruins of Tulum all seemed to be graded and discussed fairly.
Overall, this guide does a fine job of covering the Yucatan peninsula. The standard Frommer's format is here with "Best of" lists as well as suggested itineraries. In addition to information on each specific region of the Yucatan, there is also some excellent general information helpful to planning a trip to this part of Mexico. I would recommend buying this book. If you plan to do a lot of sightseeing, then also pick up either the Top 10 Cancun and Yucatan (EYEWITNESS TOP 10 TRAVEL GUIDE) or the Insight Compact Guide Cancun & the Yucatan (Cancun and the Yucatan, 1st ed). Both have pictures to help you see which sights you will most want to visit and which ones you don't mind skipping.

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America's #1 bestselling travel series
Written by more than 175 outspoken travelers around the globe, Frommer's Complete Guides help travelers experience places the way locals do.
• More annually updated guides than any other series
• 16-page color section and foldout map in all annual guides
• Outspoken opinions, exact prices, and suggested itineraries
• Dozens of detailed maps in an easy-to-read, two-color design
Completely updated every year (unlike most of the competition), Frommer's Cancún, Cozumel & the Yucatán features gorgeous full-color photos of the white-sand beaches, mysterious ruins, and colorful market towns that await you. Our authors have lived in and written about Mexico for years, so they're able to provide valuable insight and advice. They'll steer you away from the touristy and the inauthentic, and show you the real heart of Mexico's Mayan homeland. Let them take you to charming colonial towns, lovely beach resorts, ancient ruins, traditional villages, and natural wonders, from the glitz of Cancún's hotel scene, to the mysterious ruins of Ek Balam.
You'll travel the Yucatán like a pro with our candid advice and handy Spanish-language glossary. Also included are accurate regional and town maps (including site plans of the major ruins), up-to-date advice on finding the best package deals, a free color fold-out map, and an online directory that makes trip-planning a snap!

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Essential Elements for Strings 2000 - Book 1 - Double Bass (A Comprehensive String Method) Review

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(More customer reviews)This series of methods are used in many school districts to teach beginning strings. Having used them myself, I can testify from experience that everything you need to learn your instrument is here in a graduated path of instruction. I would recommend some basic beginning music theory books to round out your development as a musician.

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Now the best-selling band method is even better! The same great method that directors have come to trust now includes a CD AND a DVD. Features include: * BOOK: Same great Essential Elements 2000 method! * CD/CD-ROM FEATURES: Play-Along Tracks 1-71 (with a professional player for every instrument) * DVD FEATURES: Startup Video (learn the basics - 15 min.); ALL 193 Play-Along Tracks; More Duets and Trios; Music Listening Library * CD AND DVD EACH FEATURE: SmartMusicSoftware (practice, record, and e-mail a performance, plus on-screen assessment - includes Ex. 1-86 with special offer to continue); FinaleNotePadSoftware; Tempo Adjustment Software (for Play-Along Tracks)

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VIVA Travel Guides Peru: Exploring Machu Picchu, Cusco, the Inca Trail, Arequipa, Lake Titicaca, Lima and beyond Review

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(More customer reviews)Viva Travel Guides is the newest entrant in the crowded field of travel guidebooks. As can be said of many youngsters, it has potential but needs discipline and polish. Much of the writing is pedestrian, repetitive, and sloppy; the book is full of typos and bad grammar; and it contains some whoppers of misinformation and tortured geography.
I lived in Cusco for a year a few years ago and know Southern Peru well. I bought this book to see how it measures up to the more established guides. While it is certainly serviceable, and will get you around the country without major mishap, it desperately needs a sharp-eyed editor to tighten and focus the writing, and correct the inaccuracies. The book is published using print-on-demand technology; the text and cover look fine, but the maps are low-resolution and at times indecipherable.
One fault is its repetitiveness. Each section opens with an introduction, then a "Highlights" section, then more specific city listings. This results in needless repetition. For example, in the Arequipa section, the fact that Arequipa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site is mentioned three times in five pages.
Another fault is sloppy writing. The sheer number of nonexistent words shows they didn't run it through a spell checker before going to press. And if you don't know the difference between "its" and "it's," or "lie" and "lay," hire someone who does to edit your manuscript.
More damning---or amusing, depending on your point of view---is the inaccuracies. The book states that the road from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado goes "over the peak of Ausungate." Fortunately, the engineers left the 6,400m (21,000 ft.) peak to the glaciers and ran the road far below. In the Amazon section, the book says, "Most of the hotels and lodges in the Peruvian Amazon are in the cities of Iquitos, Manu and Tambopata." Sorry, but Manu and Tambopata aren't cities. Also in the Amazon, it describes a flight to Boca Manu leading to a stay in a Machiguenga lodge at Pongo de Mainique. In two sentences we are whisked from the Manu River to the Urubamba River, far to the west.
All guidebooks contain errors, but the Viva book is especially egregious. Given the higher-quality alternatives on the market, give this one a pass until they hire copy and content editors to whip it into shape.


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This April 2010 edition is the most up-to-date guide to Peru available anywhere. Peru's soaring mountains, untamed jungles and wild beaches have been welcoming travelers for millennia. Visitors today will find a dynamic, exciting country that is still immersed in its past as the center of Inca civilization and Spain's New World empire. Let VIVA guide you through Peru's fascinating mix of cultures and landscapes. With this guidebook, you can -Explore the legacy of Peru's ancient cultures, from the mysterious Nazca Lines and priceless relics of Sipan to the incomparable Machu Picchu. -Hike centuries-old Inca footpaths through timeless Andean villages -Commune with nature in some of the world's driest deserts, highest peaks and most remote rain forest. Why settle for an outdated guidebook? The VIVA community of on-the-ground travel writers, local experts and travelers like you are continuously updating and improving this guide at vivatravelguides.com. Join them, and together we'll make the best guidebook to Peru even better.

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Sturgis 70th Anniversary Review

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(More customer reviews)If you have been or never been to Sturgis, this is the book to get to induce your coureosity. Not only does it have historical facts and photos from the past, but it takes you to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and the reasons why thousands flock to this area for their motorcycle adventures.
I bought this book as a souvenier to my first solo ride from Southern California to this rally, and I keep it in a place where I can pick it up and remember why I rode such a long way. It is a book to share and is full of beautiful photography and images of people... real faces that show their love for the life they live while in Sturgis.
I would suggest this book to anyone who has any thoughts of not just riding to Sturgis, but driving and visiting to the rally.
As they say, "The Hills Are Alive", and this book will take you to The Black Hills where this nation has made history from Mt. Rushmore to the Full Throttle Saloon.
I wouldn't think twice about this amazing author/photographer's work. Get it and read it for yourself.

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Sturgis is not only the biggest motorcycle event, it's also the oldest. The year 2010 marks the 70th anniversary of this uniquely American event. The Sturgis 70th Anniversary book captures both the history of Sturgis past, and the energy and electricity that is Sturgis now. The Black Hills are even older than Sturgis. The History section starts with the hills, the earliest inhabitants, and then describes how a camp out in the back yard of the local Indian Motorcycle dealer grew into an event that attracts upwards of half a million motorcycle riders. More than just a biker party, Sturgis includes hundreds of events within the event. This photo-intensive section includes images from the numerous bike shows and concerts The heart of Sturgis is Main Street. Another photo intensive section, these images highlight the best tattoos, the sexiest bar tenders and the energy that makes Main Street a must-see. What makes Sturgis the ideal place for a biker bash is the Riding - the two lane highways that twist and turn through the Black Hills and across the rolling prairie. Maps, photos and first-person stories, give both old and new riders someplace to go. Having fun while staying out of trouble is easier with a Sturgis Survival Guide. This section includes tips on everything from riding in a pack to a list of emergency phone numbers.

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Religion and Popular Culture in America Review

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(More customer reviews)This text, which is , in fact an anthology of academic papers on the topic of religion(s) and popular culture is limited by the fact that it only deals with the United States while claiming to deal with America? Other than this, however the essays are for the most part informative, intelligent and lucid in an easily accessible diction and content. Not being a huge fan of abstract theoretical constructions myself, I found the articles well-organized and significant in their content. At the same time, the extensive annotated bibliographies that accompanied each article were useful for myself in tracking down relevant data with regards to the articles about the internet, Pale Rider and Rap music and would, I assume, be likewise for those interested in pursuing other subjects such as the presence of sports and religion or weight loss as a soteriological undertaking.
While I definitely feet that there is a tremendous amount to be gained from reading these articles as far as their in-depth analysis of the interrelationship between Religion and Popular Culture in the United States, I also was intrigued by the fact that. The editors of the volume as well as the vast majority of their contributors felt compelled to support, or rather accepted as a foregone conclusion the concept that religious and popular cultures constitute two areas of thought and endeavor that are, more or less, mutually distinguishable. It seemed to me, even before reading the text, that religion is, primarily another manifestation of popular culture. One of its unique characteristics is the attempt of its supporters to construct an immutable facade which belies the extreme volatility and changeability of even its most cherished and central concepts and practices.

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Fodor's Cape Cod, Nantucket & Martha's Vineyard, 28th Edition (Fodor's Gold Guides) Review

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(More customer reviews)My family used this book as we planned our trip to Cape Cod and Nantuckett. We were delighted with all of the recommendations. Though we stayed in Hyannis we traveled and visited towns across the Cape and took a day trip to Nantuckett. We visited several (4-5) 'Fodor's Choice' restaurants of various price levels and were delighted with what we found! We also tried out several beaches based on Fodor's recomendations and our four year old had an excellent time. I would suggest this book for anyone traveling and visiting the area.

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Fodor's. For Choice Travel Experiences.Fodor's helps you unleash the possibilities of travel by providing the insightful tools you need to experience the trips you want. While you're at the helm, Fodor's offers the assurance of our expertise, the guarantee of selectivity, and the choice details that truly define a destination. It's like having a friend in Cape Cod!•Updated annually, Fodor's Cape Cod, Nantucket & Martha's Vineyard provides the most accurate and up-to-date information available in a guide book.•Fodor's Cape Cod, Nantucket & Martha's Vineyard features options for a variety of budgets, interests, and tastes, so you make the choices to plan your trip of a lifetime.•If it's not worth your time, it's not in this book. Fodor's discriminating ratings, including out top tier Fodor's Choice designations, ensure that you'll know about the most interesting and enjoyable places in Cape Cod.•Experience Cape Cod like a local! Fodor's Cape Cod, Nantucket & Martha's Vineyard includes choices for every traveler, from watching whales and pedaling along the Cape Cod Rail Trail to indulging in spa treatments and browsing art galleries, and much more!•Indispensable, customized trip planning tools include "Top Reasons to Go," "Word of Mouth" advice from other travelers, and tips to help save money, bypass lines, and avoid common travel pitfalls.Visit Fodors.com for more ideas and information, travel deals, vacation planning tips, reviews and to exchange travel advice with other travelers.

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