Pacific Northwest (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

Rating:
Summary: Could have been a lot better!
Review: I am a huge fan of Eyewitness Travel Guides. If they are available, I buy them for every city (country) I visit, and I have several on places I haven't been, but am interested in and/or want to visit. Naturally, I was very excited when I saw that a guide was coming out that included the city I live in (Seattle) and two of my favorite Northwest destinations (Portland and Vancouver). I was also glad to see there were also going to be sections on Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.

That being said, I feel this guide is quite disappointing. I'll comment on each city.

Portland:

I have been to Portland a few times, for short trips, and the guide at least covers everything I have done in this beautiful and quaint city. It offers a great amount of information on Portland's interesting neighborhoods, beautiful parks and squares, and extensive information on Downtown, Old Town, Washington Park, and the Pearl District. However, it glosses over some of Portland's most interesting areas, such as the Rose Quarter, the Hawthorne District, and Northwest 23rd (Nob Hill). Those are some of the most interesting areas of the city, and we get little information here. Most of these areas are covered in the "Further Afield" section, but are very much a part of Portand and should have been more expensively covered. One of the biggest misfires is the lack of maps the MAX Light Rail network and Portland's Tram Network. Although every major hotel will be able to provide guests with maps, it would be nice to have them available here.

VANCOUVER:

I was impressed with the Vancouver section of this guide, and really have no complaints other than the lack of a map of the Sky Train Network, which is pretty decent and easy to use. The guide gives indepth coverage of some of Vancouver's best; Stanley Park, Downtown, the Waterfront, Gastown, Chinatown, Yaletown and Granville. I also appreciated the extensive information on Vancouver's main shopping thoroughfare - Robson Street.

SEATTLE:

This is the section I was really disappointed with. The guide provides decent coverage of Downtown, Pioneer Square, Pike Place Market, the Waterfront, Seattle Center, and Belltown, but it is a bit weak. Not much is talked about re: Seattle's great shopping district downtown. A 3D map would have been appreciated and very helpful. It gives little mention of Westlake Plaza, which offers a variety of artist events during the summer, Westlake Center, and the shops that line the streets between 4th and 7th Avenues.

It also pays too much attention to Belltown, which is one of my favorite areas of the city, however, there are more interesting places. Capitol Hill, the University District, and Fremont are glossed over. More attention could have been paid especially to Capitol Hill, where some of the city's best shopping, resturants, and nightlife can be found, along 15th Avenue East, Broadway, and Pike and Pine Streets. Mentioning Capitol Hill in the "Further Afield" section is also distressing. This area is a must see for any visitor. Fremont, the Univeristy District, and Wallingford (which wasn't mentioned) have more to offer as well.

The biggest misfires are the failure of the Underground Tour (in Pioneer Square) and Queen Anne being mentioned. After Seattle's great fire, most of the area was just shoveled over, leaving buildings and streets completely underground. Today, you can take a tour of the area. Although I think it's a bit over-rated, the tour offers excellent historical information about Seattle's beginnings, which provides plenty of comedy. Kerry Park, on the top of Queen Anne Hill, offers the single most spectacular views of Seattle (in the entire city) and absolutely should not be missed. It isn't even mentioned here, which I find shocking. There are also some fine resturants on Queen Anne Avenue and in Lower Queen Anne, which aren't mentioned in this guide.

I was also surprised to not find the Museum of Flight discussed in the Seattle section. It is discussed in the Washington section, which isn't right. The museum is in Seattle and should be included as one of the best things to do in Seattle. Someone who was only visiting Seattle may not look in the Washington section, and could miss this interesting museum.

CONCLUSION:

I can understand why they wanted to lump these three cities together - it's just too bad they took too many shortcuts. For the first time, I cannot recommend an Eyewitness Guide. There are guides that are much more extensive for each destination. If you are traveling to one of these spots for a very short trip, I would recommend this guide. Otherwise, you are better off going with something that didn't take short cuts.

Rating:
Summary: Could have been a lot better!
Review: I am a huge fan of Eyewitness Travel Guides. If they are available, I buy them for every city (country) I visit, and I have several on places I haven't been, but am interested in and/or want to visit. Naturally, I was very excited when I saw that a guide was coming out that included the city I live in (Seattle) and two of my favorite Northwest destinations (Portland and Vancouver). I was also glad to see there were also going to be sections on Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.

That being said, I feel this guide is quite disappointing. I'll comment on each city.

Portland:

I have been to Portland a few times, for short trips, and the guide at least covers everything I have done in this beautiful and quaint city. It offers a great amount of information on Portland's interesting neighborhoods, beautiful parks and squares, and extensive information on Downtown, Old Town, Washington Park, and the Pearl District. However, it glosses over some of Portland's most interesting areas, such as the Rose Quarter, the Hawthorne District, and Northwest 23rd (Nob Hill). Those are some of the most interesting areas of the city, and we get little information here. Most of these areas are covered in the "Further Afield" section, but are very much a part of Portand and should have been more expensively covered. One of the biggest misfires is the lack of maps the MAX Light Rail network and Portland's Tram Network. Although every major hotel will be able to provide guests with maps, it would be nice to have them available here.

VANCOUVER:

I was impressed with the Vancouver section of this guide, and really have no complaints other than the lack of a map of the Sky Train Network, which is pretty decent and easy to use. The guide gives indepth coverage of some of Vancouver's best; Stanley Park, Downtown, the Waterfront, Gastown, Chinatown, Yaletown and Granville. I also appreciated the extensive information on Vancouver's main shopping thoroughfare - Robson Street.

SEATTLE:

This is the section I was really disappointed with. The guide provides decent coverage of Downtown, Pioneer Square, Pike Place Market, the Waterfront, Seattle Center, and Belltown, but it is a bit weak. Not much is talked about re: Seattle's great shopping district downtown. A 3D map would have been appreciated and very helpful. It gives little mention of Westlake Plaza, which offers a variety of artist events during the summer, Westlake Center, and the shops that line the streets between 4th and 7th Avenues.

It also pays too much attention to Belltown, which is one of my favorite areas of the city, however, there are more interesting places. Capitol Hill, the University District, and Fremont are glossed over. More attention could have been paid especially to Capitol Hill, where some of the city's best shopping, resturants, and nightlife can be found, along 15th Avenue East, Broadway, and Pike and Pine Streets. Mentioning Capitol Hill in the "Further Afield" section is also distressing. This area is a must see for any visitor. Fremont, the Univeristy District, and Wallingford (which wasn't mentioned) have more to offer as well.

The biggest misfires are the failure of the Underground Tour (in Pioneer Square) and Queen Anne being mentioned. After Seattle's great fire, most of the area was just shoveled over, leaving buildings and streets completely underground. Today, you can take a tour of the area. Although I think it's a bit over-rated, the tour offers excellent historical information about Seattle's beginnings, which provides plenty of comedy. Kerry Park, on the top of Queen Anne Hill, offers the single most spectacular views of Seattle (in the entire city) and absolutely should not be missed. It isn't even mentioned here, which I find shocking. There are also some fine resturants on Queen Anne Avenue and in Lower Queen Anne, which aren't mentioned in this guide.

I was also surprised to not find the Museum of Flight discussed in the Seattle section. It is discussed in the Washington section, which isn't right. The museum is in Seattle and should be included as one of the best things to do in Seattle. Someone who was only visiting Seattle may not look in the Washington section, and could miss this interesting museum.

CONCLUSION:

I can understand why they wanted to lump these three cities together - it's just too bad they took too many shortcuts. For the first time, I cannot recommend an Eyewitness Guide. There are guides that are much more extensive for each destination. If you are traveling to one of these spots for a very short trip, I would recommend this guide. Otherwise, you are better off going with something that didn't take short cuts.