Miami Skyline © Juan Vasquez

Shot on a drive back from Miami Beach.

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Two Jack Lake © Mathew Beeton

Two Jack Lake in Banff National Park.

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The cover shows Pulpit Rock in Utah's Echo Canyon, in a photochrom by William Henry Jackson.

The strong economy by the end of the 19^th century, when North America was fully settled, led to affordable popular tourism. Not only wealthy people had the means to travel. Also the less well-off set out to discover the continent — via canal barge, rail, steamboat, automobile, and even horseback.

Coast to Coast: Vintage Travel in North America by Anthony Shugaar, Catherine Donzel and Marc Valter depicts these extraordinary trans-continental journeys and offers a panorama of the North American continent. Excellently researched, the book records a bygone era of travel with fascinating illustrations and engaging prose, as in the introductory chapter “Transcontinental”. The following sections — “Eastern Seaboard”, “Midwest and the Mississippi”, “Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, and the Southwest”, “Pacific Coast” and “Canada and Alaska” — are accompanied by full-page maps (five in total).

I asked myself, how can I make Coast to Coast justice? Rather than writing a review in the traditional sense, I would like to share my favorite quotations from the distinctive personalities and travelers who so vividly described the places featured in the book.

Paul Morand on New York, 1930:

Unlike London and Paris, New York does not possess a number of good old hotels. The old Fifth Avenue Hotel, for instance was replaced by the Waldorf, which was in turn dethroned by the Plaza and the Ritz… About the middle of the nineteenth century, New York replaced its family boarding houses with the Astor House, and then in 1856 came the Fifth Avenue Hotel, a place of gas-lit luxury, boasting its six floors of white marble and the first elevators; there followed the Commodore, the Brevoort, and finally the Waldorf-Astoria, the opening of which made no less of a sensation that than of the Grand Hôtel in Paris…

The Plaza Hotel, seen from the Grand Army.

F. Scott Fitzgerald on New York, 1925:

(I)f the night was mellow I strolled down Madison Avenue past the old Murray Hill Hotel and over Thirty-third Street to the Pennsylvania Station.

I began to like New York, the racy, adventurous feel of it at night and the satisfaction that the constant flicker of men and women and machines gives to the restless eye. I liked to walk up Fifth Avenue and pick out romantic women from the crowd and imagine that in a few minutes I was going to enter into their lives…

Herbert Russell on Atlantic City, 1947:

Just what people do in Atlantic City is a mystery to anyone who comes here to observe. Some undoubtedly come to rest and enjoy the wide beach and the Boardwalk and the sunshine, and to sleep to the sound of surf. Visitors are old and middle-aged and young. To watch their mass comings and goings is like watching a swarm of bees, or rather ants, for they are perpetually restless, and they are everywhere.

Morrie Ryskind on Palm Beach, 1929:

Florida, folks! Sunshine, sunshine! Perpetual sunshine all the year around! Let’s get the auction started before we get a tornado.

Girl on the beach.

Baron de Hübner on Chicago, 1871:

I find myself in a great avenue on the banks of the lake, with a row of magnificent buildings on the other side. This is the celebrated Michigan Avenue, the quarter of the plutocracy of Chicago. In these splendid mansions, all of wood, but plastered over, and built in every imaginable style, Italian, Classic, Gothic, Roman, or Elizabethan, each and all surrounded by pretty gardens bright with flowers, liv the families and men who, in a few years, have realized millions…

Charles Dickens on Cincinnati, 1842:

I have not often seen a place that commends itself so favourably and pleasantly to a stranger at the first glance as this does: with its clean houses of red and white, its well-paved roads, and foot-ways of bright tile. Nor does it become less prepossessing on a closer acquaintance.

Kate Chopin on St. Louis, 1980:

After a day of close and intense September heat, it had rained during the night. And now the morning had followed chill and crisp, yet with possibilities of a genial sunshine breaking through the mist that had risen at dawn from the great sluggish river and spread itself through the mazes of the city…

William Henry Jackson on Yellowstone National Park, 1871:

We were to enter the Yellowstone from the North, then the easiest route. On the way through upper Utah and across Idaho I took a few pictures. Up in Montana I made a few more picture… From Virginia City and its tired-looking Chinamen patiently reworking old gravel we moved over through Fort Ellis and established our base camp at Botelers’ Ranch on the Yellowstone River…

George Bird Grinnell on Glacier National Park, 1901:

Far away in northwestern Montana, hidden from view by clustering mountain-peaks, lies an unmapped corner — the Crown of the Continent. The water from the crusted snowdrift which caps the peak of a lofty mountain there trickles into tiny rills, which hurry along north, south, east, and west, and growing to rivers, at last pour their currents into three seas.

Olympe Audouard on Colorado Springs, 1869:

Colorado has its summer resort for “la high-life”. It is a spa high in the Rocky Mountains, near a hot sulfur spring. As you arrive in these desolate landscapes, having traveled through grim and barren country, you are astonished at the sight of a darling little house, decorated and equipped with a degree of — dare I say it? – luxe.

Robert Sterling Yard on Zion National Park, 1919:

The valleys bloom. Pomegranates, figs, peaches, apricots, melons, walnuts, and almonds reach a rare perfection. Cotton, which Brigham Young started here as an experiment in 1861, is still grown. Lusty cottonwood-trees line the banks of the little rivers. Cedars dot the valleys and cover thickly the lower hills. And everywhere, on every side, the cliffs close in.

Anne O’Hare McCormick on Reno, 1931:

You soon discover that Reno is Reno, wonderfully and singularly itself… It is a throw-back to the hard, tough, roomy epoch of the gold rush and the mining camp. Its free and easy manners belong to its tradition. Gambling is in its blood.

Jack Kerouac on San Francisco, 1950s:

Then up the Sierra Nevada, pines, stars, mountain lodges signifying Frisco romances… I suddenly realized I was in California. Warm, palmy air — air you can kiss — and palms. Along the storied Sacramento River on a superhighway; into the hills again, up, down; and suddenly the vast expanse of bay (it was just before dawn) with the sleepy lights of Frisco festooned across.

Annette Fitch-Brewer on Seattle, 1913:

There are so many fine trips to be taken around Seattle: both by land and by water. Puget Sound, “the inland sea,” with its islands, its inlets, and its canals and bays. I don’t wonder the Scandinavians flock to this country by the thousands for it must make them think of their own country.

Mrs Arthur Spragge on Yoho National Park, 1887:

About half way down the hill a beautiful valley opens out, formed by the north fork of the Kicking Horse River; blue woords recede into purple forests, and these again swell into an amphitheatre of lofty mountains, whose peaks had caught and held the first rays of sunlight, and were glowing in rainbow lines, while all above was mist and shadow.

Arthur Granville Bradley on Vancouver, 1905:

The densely-wooded mountains of the coast range, snow-capped by November and often earlier, rise into the sky, while the leafy slopes and promontories of their foothills relfect their gorgeous colouring in the narrow waters of the fiord… And as one runs slowly into Vancouver and sees the busy city covering the slopes beside the water, the big ships and liners lying off it in the most beautiful harbour in the world, one tries to realise that twenty years ago this whole scene was an obscure wilderness of wood and water.

Other destinations include New Hampshire, Lake George, Niagara Falls, Miami, New Orleans, South Dakota, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Canyon, Salt Lake City, Portland, Los Angeles, and Quebec. You will also find quotations by the New York Times, Franz Kafka, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Jack London.

Travel related ephemera such as photochroms, vintage photographs, posters, travel brochures, inserts of facsimile guidebooks, menus and vintage post-cards with barely recognizable messages follow the quotes from every destination. All in all, the book includes more than 400 colour and black-and-white illustrations.

Aerial view of the Banff Springs Hotel.

I particularly enjoyed a photo of turn-of-the-century picknickers at Lake George, Adirondacks, an ad for the new Boulevard Room in the Jefferson Hotel, St. Louis, from the mid-1950s, a picture of Aspen’s The Hotel Jerome, photochromes of Cape Horn on the Columbia River and Oregon’s Mt. Hood, a full-page spread of the Golden Gate Bridge with the San Francisco skyline in the distance, and an aerial view of the Banff Springs Hotel.

Santa Fe railroad conductor amusing his young charges, bound for the Grand Canyon, 1909.

Richard Moe, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, likens the 320-paged hardcover book to a cherished family photo album. Coast to Coast certainly gives a new meaning to the joyful pursuit of imaginary travel. And when David Owen, in his review, states “I want to travel on those trains, camp in those tents, and spend weeks, if not months, in those hotels. I want to order the crab croquettes at the Hotel Ponce de Leon in 1880, and I want to cross Lake Michigan on the S.S. Christopher Columbus in 1893”, I wholeheartedly agree.

More information:

Read sample pages of Coast to Coast: Vintage Travel in North America at issuu.com and find the book profile at The Vendome Press.

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Brooklyn Bridge © Anja Mutić

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On the visual travel guide and tour review site Ruba, I recently created a short guide titled ‘Best beaches in New York City, New York’. Ok, so I haven’t seen Long Beach or the Hamptons… yet, but these beaches do make for great day trips from Manhattan.

“If you don’t mind sharing the beach with kids, loud familes, improvised soccer games and portable CD players, you’ll probably like Coney Island as much as I did.”

To read the full guide, just click on the link below.

For other tips on things to do in NYC, do check out travel guides New York.

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At HI SHREDABILITY | North from New York | VBS.TV I came across a motorcycle/surf road trip starting in New York.

The wisest words from the video: “You almost wanna get lost… ’cause getting lost is part of the fun.” Very true. Some of my best travel memories consist of the number of times when I’ve gotten lost.

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© Dee Fontenot

Traveling to New York soon? Don’t forget to pay a visit to Williamsburg. This part of Brooklyn is not far from Manhattan but a different world worth experiencing at least once.

The only picture I had of Williamsburg before visiting in August 2004 came from “ok, amen” by the Swedish culture journalist and author Nina Solomon. This book about her time with the ultra-orthodox Jews in Williamsburg gives a unique insight into a radically different culture and mentality. You can recognize the Chassidic Jews on their black hats, black coats and corkscrew curls. Even though they live in the heart of a world metropolis, they live more or less isolated from their surroundings.

How to get there? The subway’s L-line (the grey on the map) starts on the 8^th Avenue on Manhattan and continues along 14^th Street through Brooklyn. The Bedford Avenue subway station is only one stop from Manhattan. If you choose the J, M, or Z-line, you’ll end up further south closer to the blocks where the Chassidic Jews live.

Somewhat related: Ava Dakota Kim in Block Magazine, Williamsburg Pop:

New York in general has always been a pretty grimy place, from the days of horse carriages, trolleys and feces sharing the roads to the days of the subway full of sleeping homeless folks. However, in the past, Williamsburg was used not for its fashionable reputation, but passed off as other locations because it was convenient for filming. The Southside of Williamsburg, for example, has found a special place in the heart of filmmakers seeking a slummy background. In countless chase scenes and crack house busts, from Serpico to American Gangster, Williamsburg’s once-elegant (we’re talking late 1800s, before the opening of the Williamsburg Bridge) Southside has played the site of another city or neighborhood’s crime. In fact, in the 80s, it was truly the site of many a gang crime and crack bust. Slanted tenement roofs and fire escapes evoke Bensonhurt in Spike of Bensonhurst and the Lower East Side in Once Upon a Time in America, and even Harlem in American Gangster. In The Departed, Park Luncheonette on the border of Greenpoint and Williamsburg, with a few antiques added in, stands in for a classic Bostonian mom and pop grocery and diner, and the Marcy Avenue Armory and Works Engineering Motorcycle Shop play grimy interiors. In Garden State, Sea on North 6th Street stands in for a disgustingly posh Vietnamese restaurant that Zach Braff’s character serves at in LA.

I didn’t write any journal at the time of our visit and have no recollection of the cafés and shops we went to, but if you have your own tips about things to do and see in the area, feel free to share in the comments.

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NYC & Company, the City’s official marketing and tourism organization, has launched NYC: The Real Deal — a new marketing campaign to boost tourism to New York City this year.

The first phase of NYC: The Real Deal, available through June 30, offers “buy one, get the second one 50% off” at more than 100 NYC & Company member businesses and organizations, including museums, tours and attractions, arts and entertainment venues, nightlife spots, spa and beauty venues and transportation. Through the Travelocity widget on nycgo.com, you can also book hotel stays at “buy one, get the second night 50% off,” or better if available, at 26 participating hotels (book through May 30, travel by June 30). If you book a hotel stay through nycgo.com’s Travelocity widget, you can also purchase tickets at “buy one, get the second 50% off” at 16 participating attractions or Broadway shows.

“The NYC: The Real Deal program is designed to entice visitors and locals to experience the vibrancy, energy and excitement of New York City while taking advantage of unprecedented savings this year,” said Jane Reiss, CMO of NYC & Company.

The new consumer micro site nycgo.com/realdeal, part of the Real Deal promotion, details all special offers throughout the five boroughs: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and Staten Island. Choose between enjoying the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, seeing Chicago, the Musical, attending the Tribeca Film Festival, and other deals catering to every age group and interest.

“We are pleased to create the NYC: The Real Deal program that brings so much value to consumers while at the same time offering excellent visibility to NYC & Company’s members — this is a worthwhile effort to boost tourism to New York City in 2009,” said Kelly Ann Curtin, senior vice president of Membership and Convention Services.

The second phase of NYC: The Real Deal will start in May with retail and dining offers, followed by other great reasons to plan a trip to New York City this year.

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Brand names from the US are popular worldwide, but there is a certain American quality that isn’t marketable yet.

The world is flat, says Thomas Friedman. Clearly, he hasn’t trudged up and down the streets of Europe, balancing shopping bags and a coffee cup in high-heeled pumps. But while I don’t agree with him on a literal level, figuratively he couldn’t be more right. Having been in and out of five different countries in the past two weeks, I got a chance to see firsthand this flat, even, comfortable terrain Friedman is talking about.

Starbucks' familiar sign offers solace to tired travelers at London's Heathrow Airport.

Dazed and confused by premature dawn after my ten-hour flight from Philadelphia to London’s Heathrow Airport – foggy English mornings are bad enough when they come with forewarning – I walked into a Starbucks kiosk in pursuit of much-needed coffee and that friendly green circle. The all-too-familiar sign is just another corporate trick, designed to gnaw at a human being’s comfort in the face of familiarity, drawing him into its serene interiors with as much the iced java chip frappuccino as the customary green and white cup.

An unambiguously British greeting (that decidedly tells apart the Heathrow joint from one of many on Market Street) and four dollars later, I sat down to admire terminal five, the airport’s latest and most impressive annex. Calvin Klein, Liz Claiborne, and other household American names peddle their wares across duty-free shops, enticing the weary traveler who is still somewhat suspended in time and space. It’s one thing to drink coffee from a friendly cup, but a whole different one to be accosted with impressive labels that mean the same everywhere: corporate hegemony playing havoc with your wallet.

A Dunkin Donuts café in Berlin.

Be it Berlin’s Ku’damm street, Copenhagen’s famed Stroget district, or Chennai’s Mount Road, retail chains and fast food giants are ingeniously similar worldwide, down to the color of their napkins and “buy one, get one free” offers. While some stores take excessive care to change nothing, others masquerade under pseudonyms carefully crafted to fit the crest and seal. Still others acquire new and better looks – it would be safe to say that no Dunkin Donuts in America comes with the Berlin joint’s custom umbrellas and matching set of chairs.

The only things the overseas counterparts seem to lack are American excesses. Your silverware comes wrapped in single ply tissue, and paper towels are rarely strewn across tables. Even the unabashed McDonald’s refuses to keep endless supplies of ketchup and cream on its counters (and you wonder why Americans are obese). Nonetheless, the meat of it all is uncannily familiar.

It’s hardly surprising then, that my shopping sprees through Europe rang drearily similar to an expensive Saturday back in the States, except for the occasional pause to snap a quick picture of a quaint comic shop, a couple hours spent poring over maps at an antique Copenhagen bookstore, and grappling with rapid-fire euro-dollar conversions and improperly-sized Danish kroners alike.

Then there was the frequent need to explain what I meant by “cream” for my coffee (European espressos are far too skinny for plain milk) and being momentarily stumped by a Danish barista’s smug “to go?” after I spent an eternity explaining to him that I’d like to carry my beverage with me. But Berlin’s rich history and Denmark’s beautiful waterways and archaic buildings more than made up for the little travails.

A Copenhagen bookstore: Obama is not just the "it" candidate in the US.

The similarities don’t end with fashion and food. Barack Obama stares out of book covers in English and translated editions on store windows worldwide. Sarah Palin jokes elicit ripples of laughter in any audience. Weather breaks the ice during awkward social moments the world over, especially without the Yankees to fall back on. American sitcoms provide as much an excuse for laughs in Copenhagen as they do in New York City.

I would have been pretty oblivious in my world without borders, seamlessly moving from country to country had I just observed the sights and sounds, extricating the human element from them. Brand names and even buildings are often similar in cities everywhere, but what really distinguishes a place are its people.

With the exception of the man who growled at me from the passport checkpoint during my Danish exit, most people I met in Copenhagen were helpful and friendly, speaking in pristine English when requested, and interpreting my crumpled and dog-eared map without complaint. What I missed, however, was the easy affability I’d come to know and love in my seven years in the States. So it wasn’t surprising that the three people who engaged me in conversation for conversation’s sake during the entire two weeks hailed from Maryland and Texas and New Jersey.

Pizza Hut in Chennai, India

The Germans, however, make the Danes look exuberant with their tendency to stare down anyone who looks different, hand German menu cards to customers who are clearly foreign, and in making little attempt to speak beyond what is expressly necessary. My entry into India’s Chennai airport riddled more holes in my world-is-flat theory. A push, a shove, and a curt nod later I had no doubt that I had indeed landed in my homeland of billion-plus angry inhabitants.

I enjoyed my trip immensely, observing different people, their languages and cultures, and reconnecting with my own country. But at the end of my two -week sojourn, it was refreshing to land in Philadelphia, walk into a Starbucks café, and be greeted with the familiar “What can I get started for you?”

Eight-hour workdays, a whole load of coursework, and my nose back on the grindstone for the rest of the year, I thought. “A grande cappuccino, please,” was all I said. The rest is often left unsaid in a country where adrenaline is always running high, time is of the essence, and yet politeness and sociability never seem to take a backseat to the task at hand.

“Hope you had a pleasant trip,” said the man at the checkout counter.

“A terrific one,” I said. “But am I glad to be back!”

Karthika Muthukumaraswamy is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia. She writes about politics, media, Internet technology, science, tennis, travel and social issues. Her website is: karthikaswamy.com

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© Claudia Meyer, sxc, Paris

Dear Santa,

It is my very first Christmas with my new family and I have been a good pup all year long. I stopped leaving my toys around the house, chasing the neighbor’s cat and am completely house trained. With all these good deeds, I’m hoping for a special treat this year.

For my first Christmas, I would like to go on vacation. Where? Well, my people were reading the Sunday paper and I learned about this place in Michigan that is perfect for dogs like me. Santa, can you send my family and me to Grand Traverse Resort & Spa and their “Dog House-The Ultimate Dog Retreat?” It’s the coolest place ever! I’ll have a whole house to explore, other dogs and toys to play with, and best of all, no crates! I get filtered water too, so no drinking out of the toilet for me.

While my family stays at Grand Traverse, they can come by and see me whenever we want, since my place is open 24-hours. Oh, and don’t worry Santa, there are people there to feed me and play games with me.

I know this may be your first letter from a dog, so I have included the website for you to learn more about The Ultimate Dog Retreat and Grand Traverse Resort & Spa at www.grandtraverseresort.com

Thanks so much Santa, I’ll leave some of my treats out for you!

Sincerely,

Scottie

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Even though I like living in Sweden, I miss New York incredibly much right now. So here comes three classic songs worth a read.

Autumn in New York - Billie Holiday

Autumn in New York, why does it seem so inviting?
Autumn in New York, it spells the thrill of first-nighting
Glittering crowds and shimmering clouds in canyons of steel
They’re making me feel: I’m home

It’s autumn in New York that brings the promise of new love
Autumn in New York is often mingled with pain
Dreamers with empty hands, may sigh for exotic lands
It’s autumn in New York, it’s good to live it again

Autumn in New York, the gleaming rooftops at sundown
Autumn in New York, it lifts you up when you’re let down
Jaded rou’s and gay divorces who lunch at the Ritz
Will tell you that it’s divine

This autumn in New York transforms the slums into Mayfair
Autumn in New York, you’ll need no castle in Spain
Lovers that bless the dark on benches in Central Park
Greet autumn in New York, it’s good to live it again

Wouldn’t Have You Any Other Way (NYC) - Elton John

I remember it like it was yesterday
Snow in the park and skaters on the ice
Long black cars standing side-by-side
Loading up the boys at night

Turned up our collars to the chill of the wind
Caught an innocent smile from a taxi at the lights
Not something you’d see on a New York street
It’s such an uncommon sight

But I wouldn’t have it any other way
This city’s got a thing about it
Don’t try to understand it
New York City I’d really like to stay
New York City I wouldn’t have you
I wouldn’t have you any other way

Oh the subway rumbled underneath
Italian lights where Joey Gallo died
And the man on the door down at Fifty Four’s
Is letting only the pretty inside

I’d wake with a stranger under the covers
Late in the day and longing for the night
Just like the snowfall there’s so many bodies
But somehow it feels so right

And I can feel the magic
And read a million lips
And no matter what might happen
They’ll never sink this ship

New York, New York - Frank Sinatra

Start spreading the news, I’m leaving today
I want to be a part of it – New York, New York
These vagabond shoes, they are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it – New York, New York

I wanna wake up in a city that doesn’t sleep
And find I’m king of the hill – top of the heap

These little town blues, are melting away
I’ll make a brand new start of it – in old New York
If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere
It’s up to you – New York, New York

New York, New York
I want to wake up in a city that never sleeps
And find I’m a number one, top of the list
King of the hill, a number one

These little town blues, are melting away
And I’m gonna make a brand new start of it in old New York
And if I can make it there, I’m gonna make it anywhere

It’s up to you – New York, New York

New York

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Designed to provide a high-end experience of service and product to business travelers that frequent Doral and leisure travelers visiting for golf breaks and other Miami offerings, The Blue is the city of Doral’s first luxury resort offering.

Each suite offers large private verandas, fully-equipped kitchens, bathrooms with rain shower and Jacuzzi bathtub accompanied with a flat screen television, 42″ flat panel high-definition LCD televisions, wireless internet access, sound systems with DVD players and iPOD docking stations.

For more information about The Blue, visit www.theblue.com.

Another option for Miami visitors is the luxurious hotel Townhouse on South Beach’s Collins Avenue.

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To see the rest of the most walkable cities in America, head over to Walkscore City Rankings.

What is your favorite city, or neighborhood, to walk in?

1. San Francisco (Chinatown, Financial District, Downtown)

2. New York (Tribeca, Little Italy, Soho)

3. Boston (Back-Bay Beacon Hill, South End, Fenway-Kenmore)

4. Chicago (Loop, Near North Side, Lincoln Park)

5. Philadelphia (City Center East, City Center West, Riverfront)

6. Seattle (Pioneer Square, Downtown, First Hill)

7. Washington D.C. (Dupont Circle, Logan Circle, Downtown)

8. Long Beach (Downtown, Belmont Shore, Belmont Heights)

9. Los Angeles (Mid City West, Downtown, Hollywood)

10. Portland (Pearl District, Old Town-China Town, Downtown)

If you are looking for a hotel in these Most Walkable Cities check out HotelClub , they offer great hotel deals in all of these cities from Budget Hotels in San Francisco to Luxury Hotels in Portland.

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WHAT? The guidebook in question is the Las Vegas For Families e-Book 5th Edition / August 2008 by NineBlue.com.

The illustrated travel guide provides you with tips and information about Las Vegas’ best family attractions, hotels, sights, shows, saving you from stumbling upon adult venues by accident.

WRITTEN BY? One of my favorite bloggers, Lara Dunston, recently wrote we should judge a guidebook by its author, just as we would any other book.

On NineBlue’s website I read that the guide is written by a 20 year resident of Las Vegas. Having spent two decades in Vegas surely adds a great credibility to the guide and proves that the author has a local knowledge of the destination. Without doubt, he knows Vegas, the ins and outs of the city, the best family hotels, the most noteworthy attractions, the best time to visit, tourist traps too avoid. Yet, despite his familiarity of Vegas I want to know his name and qualifications. Has he written any travel guides before? Most important, has he written any other guide books on Vegas? Does he have a degree in journalism? What is his background?

Last week, I read a blog post by Lara on Cool Travel Guide about how the author’s book also will be judged by their friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, the local media and tourism industry, not just the readers and publisher. Very true. This means it’s very likely that an author’s guidebook about their hometown will be their best. Therefore, even though I don’t have any more detailed information about the writer, I would be willing to buy the guide.

If there would have been no evidence of the author’s knowledge of the destination, I would not want to own a copy of it. Buying a travel guide by a writer who might not even have visited the place in the first place is downright stupid. Say you’re visiting Vegas for the first time, you wouldn’t want a person from Wisconsin show you around to the best attractions – even if he did research online. This was an extreme example, but you get my point. A local is always your best bet.

Moreover, on NineBlue.com I read their researchers keep up-to-date on all the family fun in each city. Does this mean several people have contributed to the Las Vegas guide, but only one person wrote it? This was not exactly clear from the description. However, when I open the book I read the guide was written by several residents of Las Vegas who spent their childhood, 20s and 30s in the city.

Conclusion, even though the authors have lived in Vegas since 20 years shows a clear expertise of the destination, I believe NineBlue should spell out the names and a short bio of the writers on the website. This would give all the more trustworthiness to their work.

NineBlue does have a track record of consistent sales and happy costumers, but we buy a book based on the skills and reputation of the authors – not solely the publisher or guidebook company. So, to satisfied all skeptically inclined people, NineBlue ought to give us a somewhat longer description than “the guide is written by a 20 year resident of Las Vegas”.

Nonetheless, the brand does matter.

WHAT COMPANY? The company behind “Las Vegas for Families” is NineBlue.com, a trusted source for family travelers with more than 100 travel guides for download. They are committed to fulfilling the needs of traveling parents and aims to put together the most extensive list of fun things families can do in the world. So far, NineBlue’s travel guides stands behind 20,000 family attractions listings in 1,300 cities. The company is headquartered in Las Vegas and also maintains an office in west London. The founder of the company is Edward Serrano.

In general, the guides help families plan quality vacations by giving advice on what to pack, where to go, how to get around, where to stay, good restaurants, child care and much more. Up to now, parents from more than 50 countries have put their trust in NineBlue’s family travel e-books.

WHEN? The newest edition of the popular guide “Las Vegas for Families” is available now at NineBlue.com.

If I’m not mistaken, the guide has been available for purchase since July, 2008.

FOR WHO? As already mentioned, this guide is intended for families. “Las Vegas for Families”, the title says it all. Although the book is written with families in mind doesn’t mean grown-ups with a penchant for children attractions, kid’s meal at restaurants, or the convenience of family hotels, won’t benefit from the book.

And remember, a family these days is not only a happily married couple with three children. A family can be a single mom with a five-year-old daughter, a gay couple with a seven-year-old kid, a single dad with a teenage son, a lesbian pair with an adopted child, a grandmother with her granddaughter, an aunt with her orphan niece… I think you know what I mean. And for some people, family means friends. Anyhow, as long as you’re a family and enjoy doing what families normally do, this travel guide is for you.

PROMISE? At NineBlue.com I read a quote by the founder:

“Each year almost 4 million children visit Las Vegas with their parents and our guides helps entertain them and keep them out of trouble.” – Edward Serrano, founder NineBlue.

The promise of the guide is simple, yet desirable. Who doesn’t want to be entertained? Who doesn’t want to keep their kids out of trouble?

Edward Serrano knows how to create a demand with a positive, straightforward message.

LOOK? The look is important, there’s no denial about it. But, it’s not the most important thing. No matter how stunning photos, you don’t know nothing about the content unless you open the book and turn the pages. You might think you know a book must be truly brilliant because of the typography and the amazing images on its cover. But you can’t know for sure. Hence, never ever judge a guidebook by its cover – just as we shouldn’t judge people by their looks. It’s the inside that counts. And a flawless surface is no indication of what’s within.

At the same time, an average look is no reflection of the content either. When it comes to this book, I must say the cover does not impress me. Not at all. It’s rather simple with a blue border, blue “NineBlue.com Travel Guide” heading, and an orange “Las Vegas” title. Below, a picture of a shark with the description “Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay”, a boy with big sun glasses, a man and a woman in an acrobatic show, a tiger and a few other pictures.

The text, next to a cowboy doing thumbs up, says “Best Attractions, Coolest Hotels, Rollercoasters, Kid-friendly Sites, Fun in Las Vegas!”

The cover of the guide clearly shows it’s aimed towards kids and parents. The text is in big letters and easy to read. In my opinion, the pictures look a bit blurry; the cover would have seemed more appealing and professional with other images. A better way to create an eye-catching cover is to focus on one or two pictures, three at the most, rather than nine or ten pictures next to each other. Less is more.

CONTENT? As already mentioned, we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. The content is what matters.

Let’s face it. The content is the essential part of any book. No question about it. We want to learn something new, get an insider’s tips and suggestions,  discover things we wouldn’t have found out on our own.

“Las Vegas for Families” highlights these topics:

• Discover the best attractions for kids
• Find out which Vegas hotels are best for families
• Shows that will put a smile on your child’s face, not tears in their eyes
• Find hotel child care options
• Family dining listings including which offer free/discount buffets for kids
• How to get around the Strip with kids
• Strip movie theaters, arcades, and more

So far, I’m satisfied. They have covered what’s important for families: where to go, where to stay, what shows are fun but not too scary, where to eat, transportation, and even more attractions.

Reading the first pages I am pleased by their choice of focus. The Introduction covers important aspects such as “Safety Rules” followed by “What to expect”, “Money”, “What to pack”, “Getting around”, “Child care”, “Alone time” and “Annual events”. All of them topics parents will find handy when traveling to Las Vegas for the first time.

The subsequent chapters include:

Family Attractions: From the Shark Reef and Bellagio Fountains to the Eiffel Tower and Venetian Gondolas, the guide’s 21 attractions ensure all visitors can find something for their personality.

Family Hotels: Of all the 130,000 hotel rooms in Vegas, the writers have picked out the 11 most family-friendly hotels including New York New York, The Sahara and Four Seasons.

Family Shows: The 24 featured shows in the guide range from Free Circus Acts and Stomp Out Loud to Xtreme Magic with Dirk Arthur. No matter the age of your kids, they will find at least one favorite. Parents too.

Family Dining: The restaurant you opt for when traveling with kids can make or break your day. “Las Vegas for Families” takes care of the hassle of finding a restaurant where children are more than welcome. The 31 suggestions include China Grill, Grand Lux Café, Picasso, Rainforest Café, The Cheesecake Factory and many more. Something for every budget.

Swimming Pools: I didn’t expect this chapter, but it’s one of my favorites. Who doesn’t want to cool off after a hot day in the sun, swim a few laps, or play in the water? The guide shows you the best swimming pools in town: Mirage Pool, Bellagio Pool, The Beach at Mandalay Bay and more.

Museums: Yes, not only adults enjoy museums. This chapter lets you know about 5 museums where you can take your kids including Bellagio Gallery of Fine Arts and King Tut’s Tomb.

The last chapters, Travel Information, Directory, and Las Vegas Strip Maps and Kids Travel Kit, end up the guide in a smart way.

So, what did they miss? Apart from a minor grammatical error in the introduction (“It’s really is possible…” rather than “It really is…”), I couldn’t think of anything at first. The book is written in an authoritative and easy way all English speakers will understand. I immediately get a sense they know their thing, they’ve been there and done that, and this shines through in the writing. It’s honest and uncomplicated.

Since I haven’t been to Vegas I don’t have their local knowledge or expertise of the city. But I would have liked a chapter in the vein of “After the Trip” or “We’re Home, Now What?” giving suggestions of what to expect of a return-trip, what to think about if they want to visit Vegas again.

HOW MUCH? “Las Vegas for Families” is available for €12.99. When I first saw the price, I was neither surprised nor shocked. €12.99 is a relevant price for an e-book. A price of €9, or anything under, would leave me doubtful of the quality of the book. Set a too low price and readers will wonder if it’s too good to be true. What’s the catch? Why is this book so inexpensive? Is this a genuinely good travel guide, or are they selling it cheaply just to get rid of it? NineBlue avoid all this with an appropriate price.

Anything above €25 would have been too much. I do believe some people would gladly pay more than €20 for this guide. Even at €30, a few people might curiously wonder, what’s the deal? Why does this guide cost so much? Is it really that good? And, despite the high price, they will buy it, perhaps out of fear to miss out on something important that will guarantee a terrific trip.

With a price of €12.99, NineBlue shows that they cater for everyone’s needs – well off families who wouldn’t think twice of purchasing a travel guide for €30, price conscious budget travelers, and everyone in between.

HOW TO ORDER? “Las Vegas for Families” is available for purchase by phone or paypal. Phone people will want to order by phone, and computer savvy consumers prefer paypal. NineBlue knows this and accommodates to everyone’s preferences.

ADVANTAGES? Buy the travel guide and you will receive a free Travel Kit with fun games for kids (connect-the-dots, mazes, coloring and more) and 4 children-friendly maps of the Las Vegas Strip.

Another benefit, all guides are available for instant download. No unnecessary waiting or pricey shipping costs. With an easy PDF download, you both save and care for the environment since you only print the pages you need.

In addition, as a way of saying thanks, NineBlue offers a free babysitter referral service that connects parents and sitters. Sure, traveling with kids is all fun but sometimes we want a bit of alone time. The babysitter referral service is free of charge for both parents and the sitter.

DISADVANTAGES? As previously mentioned, the cover of the book. We shouldn’t judge it, yet they could have put more of an effort to create an artistically pleasing front. Also, they say the authors are residents of Las Vegas since their childhood. I don’t doubt this fact, but I want to know who they are. Why not include a chapter in the end with a picture and short bio of all contributing writers? And perhaps also a note of their favorite attraction, hotel or restaurant?

Misspellings. Sure, I noticed one but it still makes me wonder. Does the book have more errors? A content of a book may be great, but misspellings lower its overall quality.

WHY? Why should you buy “Las Vegas for Families”? If you have skipped straight to this part, don’t be so impatient. Read my whole review. If you have already read everything up to this part and still don’t know whether to buy the guide, read it again.

Then read these customer testimonials from NineBlue’s website:

“I like the fact that the guide can be downloaded and printed if needed.” -A Dad from Canada

“I highly recommend [Las Vegas guide] for anyone…My husband and I were also very impressed with the books’ detailed information on all aspects of what is good to know about travelling and staying in Vegas” -A Mom from Canada

Wrapping up, “Las Vegas for Families” may not be the best guidebook on Vegas,  and it’s certainly not the worst, but I give this a 3,7 out of 5 for a job well done.

To buy or not to buy, that’s your choice.

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