California (Regional Guide) (ISBN 1740599519)

Too much politics, not enough substance:
1. I live in California and thus I'm familiar (at least) with the surrounding region I live in etc... 2. This book physically looks good, has a nice layout, but is relatively devoid of concrete data (ie places to eat, stay etc...). Furthermore, it reads as if it were written by some college political science major at USF... 3. It's tough to find a good travel book; Perhaps the Moon publication might be better. However one thing is sure--> if you want a book with actual good information--> forget this one. If you just want a book with very cursory info--> this might be ok in that it's fairly compact, it covers the entire state etc...

Helps you see the whole state:
Most people can say they know San Francisco/Bay Area, Los Angeles/Orange County, or San Diego. These are the places people typically hit up when they plan a trip to CA. Having lived several years in SoCal, I found this book opened my eyes to all the state has to offer. It balances the sections on the large cities with other destinations and activities. You can easily stay with friends in LA or SFO and get a better tour of the town than the book can offer, but what about Death Valley or the Redwoods or PCH? This is where the book has been of great help to me.

A huge timesaver:
Just used this book for a two-week road trip through California. I also had a few other Cal guidebooks with me and this one was the best. It was well organized, in depth and consistently gave good recommendations.

Essential travel companion:
This book is full of gems that I would never have found otherwise. Descriptions and prices listed are spot-on.

Really great book, the only problem, the pictures are all in black & white, its an overview of the Californian State, but if you:
Really great book, the only problem, the pictures are all in black & white, its an overview of the Californian State, but if you want a more detailed focus on each city you may need additional guides.