1,000 Places to See in the U.S.A. & Canada Before You Die by Patricia Schultz
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Book Reviews of 1,000 Places to See in the U.S.A. & Canada Before You Die
Book Review: Some Good Selections But Still Too Concentrated On Luxury Travel
Summary: 3 Stars
I was pretty harsh on Schultz's previous international edition of this book. So I am going to be a little nicer here and admit that the book is fun to read through and does let readers know about some great places to visit that they might otherwise have never heard of.
But the fact remains that Patricia Schultz is who she is, a snobby writer for Conde Nast Traveler magazine who has an intense obsession with fancy hotels, restaurants, spas and resorts that are out of the price range of most travellers. I also agree with the previous reviewer that the more you enclose yourself within the gated confines of luxury the less of an authentic travel experience you are likely to have.
I was especially upset by Schultz's international edition because it reinforced the notion, that too many Americans already have, that global travel is only possible for wealthy jetsetters. Instead the truth is that travel on a budget is available to everyone. And, in fact, many backpackers manage to spend a year or more travelling around places like Latin American and Southeast Asia for less then the costs of paying rent and bills at home. Of course, the declining U.S. dollar is making this harder to do now, but that's a whole other story.
I see Schultz's fascination with the lifestyles of the wealthy and fabulous to be slighty less problematic in this book because Americans and Canadians are generally more aware of domestic buget travel options as compared to travelling abroad. Still I think if Schultz focused a little less attention on the Hamptons and Palm Beach, on $700 hotels and $300 restaurants, then she might have been able to write a book that is more useful to the ordinary traveller.
Book Review: No Rick Steves
Summary: 1 Stars
1,000 places to go before I die? More like 1,000 spas and resorts and resturants. Big deal - the more money you spend, the bigger the wall you create between yourself and the local culture. Who wants to know about exotic resorts and five star restaurants? Don't tell me about the big ticket items! Tell me about quirky offbeat places with personality and charm, things I cant get anywhere else. Tell me about Hole in the Rock, UT. Tell me about The Last Stoplight on I-90. Tell me about a PLACE, not about how to spend money at generic locations.
Worthless.
Book Review: 1000 places to see before you die.
Summary: 2 Stars
I have an 'undying' love for some of the places listed in this tome... and have a greater appreciation of the diversity and complexity of America to the South. I was hoping to see more similar places and people listed for Canada... but perhaps that is too much to expect from an American Publication. With todays Gasoline prices, reading about those American destinations and searching for them on the Internet is perhaps the only travel my family and I are likely to launch into. Book Review: An o.k. book, but missing some items!!!
Summary: 3 Stars
This book is great, but it is missing some key places to visit or see before you die. There are others places that do not validate why I should visit them. This book is a great guide, but do not use it as a "be all" bible type book. Book Review: 1000 places to see before you die
Summary: 4 Stars
My husband and I are planning a trip through the southwest this summer and found this to be very helpful in planning our trip. Also, learned of a few places we did not know about, that are close to home. Anyone who likes to travel should buy this book.