Chicago (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

Jane Ewart ... [Goo?] [Posters]

This Turtleback Book item from DK Travel was reviewed on 24-Oct-2008.

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1) Turtleback Book Chicago (Eyewitness Travel Guides) by DK Travel. I´ve reviewed several travel guides lately, a number from Eyewitness Travel. This is another useful guidebook. And since I am from Illinois originally and Chicago always beckoned as a terrific place to visit, I was most interested in how well this book satisfied. Well, to end any suspense as to my answer, it satisfied very well indeed.

As with any guidebook, there will be questions about why certain sights were mentioned, certain hotels selected, certain restaurants singled out, etc. But that is a part of development of any guidebook. Choices must be made.

The first part of the book provides background context on Chicago--from four suggested tours of Chicago to a brief history of the place and other introductory information. On pages 21-25 are some bold selections. On Page 21, the top ten tourist attractions (I´m not sure that these would be my Top 10, but some are no brainers, such as the Art Institute, the Magnificent Mile, the Field Museum, and so on). Pages 22-23 feature the best museums in the city--and the choice is pretty reasonable.

One of the standard features of any guidebook for a city is a consideration of the different areas within the city. Here, I´ll just mention a couple.

One, the downtown core, including the Loop (defined by a loop in the elevated train tracks). There are some great buildings and museums here--the Art Institute (both a great piece of architecture and a stunning museum), the old Marshall Field´s flagship store (now Macy´s; it´s still hard to refer to the place as Macy´s!), Sears Tower, Auditorium Building, and Millennium Park. Places to stay? I love the old classic Palmer House. I also enjoy staying at the Hyatt Regency (its restaurant, Stetson´s is also worth mentioning, although it´s not listed in this guide). Some grand ones. I always enjoyed Miller´s Pub, with its fine baby-back ribs. And walk out toward the Lakefront from here and enjoy the view.

Two, the North Side. Tribune Tower and the Wrigley Building are wonderful. Want to shop till you drop? Check out the Magnificent Mile; in the process go up to the observation deck of the Hancock Building. I´m nervous about heights and get conniptions, but I can survive because of the splendid view! Some fine steak houses are located here--the well known Morton´s and a Don Shula.

There is also a valuable guide as to where to go for antiques, art and art supplies, books, gifts and souvenirs, sporting goods, and so on.

As someone who has visited Chicago numerous times and has a soft spot in his heart for the Windy City, I find this a very good volume. So, a strong recommendation!
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2) Turtleback Book Chicago (Eyewitness Travel Guides) by DK Travel. For the most part, Dorling Kindersley´s Eyewitness Travel Guides are terrific both as a backpack resource and as a keepsake afterward. I have about a dozen of their books at home, and I return to them frequently since I am a fan of the pleasing graphics and intuitive organization by neighborhood. The New York City guidebook (or more accurately, the Manhattan guide) is a particularly strong entry in the series, but the slim volume put together for Chicago, last published in 2003, is a relative disappointment. The gap comes from how the editors define the city´s boundaries or at least what they perceive to be the areas of highest interest. Of course, the Loop and the Near North Side are covered thoroughly, but popular neighborhoods like Lakeview and Lincoln Park are given short shrift relegated to small paragraphs in the Farther Afield chapter.

The first part of the book presents a brief history of the city that is interesting if rather cursory with events that are cross-referenced to the more popular sights you would want to see there. There is a well-presented survival guide toward the end of the book that highlights important travel information as well as recommendations on where to stay, shop and eat. Moreover, there is a comprehensive street finder, which helps you navigate without the inconvenience of fold-out maps. But again, the shortcomings reflect the selection of key areas at the expense of others. Even with copies of Chicago and Time Out, I was not able to achieve a more holistic view of the city when I traveled there.

The pluses remain in its format. All the information is contained within a user-friendly, laminated paperback format that slips easily into backpacks and holds up well against inclement weather. Of particular use are the detailed pictorials showing animated aerial shots of neighborhoods and cut-away floor plans of the more heavily visited buildings like the Art Institute of Chicago. However, the net result is a guidebook that provides only marginal value in spite of the high quality of the series as a whole.¤

3) Turtleback Book Chicago (Eyewitness Travel Guides) by DK Travel. I think these are the best travel guides. I wish they had them for every city!!¤

4) Turtleback Book Chicago (Eyewitness Travel Guides) by DK Travel. I used to live in Chicago, and I can tell you that had I had this book back then, I would have visited lots of places I never knew existed or didn´t fully appreciate at the time. As in most DK Travel Guides, there´s lots of information, photos, maps and graphs.

Sure, the book is a bit outdated, but then again, IT´S A BOOK! In any case, the good people at DK keep updating their books from time to time.

I do have one complaint, in the fact that this book has less than half the pages that the New York book´s got. Because it´s less famous it doesn´t mean that Chicago is less of a great city as the big apple is...¤

5) Turtleback Book Chicago (Eyewitness Travel Guides) by DK Travel. Great book, but not as great as other books from that series.¤

6) Turtleback Book Chicago (Eyewitness Travel Guides) by DK Travel. Includes: the North Side, the Downtown Core, South Loop, Near South Side, South Side, and to parts further outside the city.¤

Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 21-Nov-2008, 0789495627635517095623, 3X0-260-770-660-270-440-460-8

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