City Smart: Austin

Rating:
Summary: An indispensable guide to a multifaceted city.
Review: "City Smart Austin" is an indispensable guide to aculturally-rich and multifaceted city.

Austin natives EleanorS. Morris, Paris Permenter, and John Bigley wisely present the city in six geographic zones. And they cover everything from Austin basics (weather, homes, people, etc) and day trips to recreation areas and where to shop/eat/stay.

Whether they are writing about "BookPeople" (one of the largest bookstores in the U.S.) or the 'Dillo Express (one of the city's laudable forms of public transportation), the authors speak with warmth and home-town credibility.

I was especially pleased with their accessment of Austin's accommodations. Yes, they duly point out the grandeur of the historic Driskill Hotel. But they also note the convenience and affortability of the La Quinta at the Capitol, which not only has a gracious new manager, but renovated "Gold Metal Rooms," which have new decor, 25-inch TVs, and speaker phones!

The book's maps are clear and helpful, with inset-captions for easy referral; and the b&w photos--while a tad too small--are often bright and sharp.

An added treat of "City Smart Austin" are the valuable coupons in the back of the book. Don't miss them!

Rating:
Summary: An indispensable guide to a multifaceted city.
Review: "City Smart Austin" is an indispensable guide to aculturally-rich and multifaceted city.

Austin natives EleanorS. Morris, Paris Permenter, and John Bigley wisely present the city in six geographic zones. And they cover everything from Austin basics (weather, homes, people, etc) and day trips to recreation areas and where to shop/eat/stay.

Whether they are writing about "BookPeople" (one of the largest bookstores in the U.S.) or the 'Dillo Express (one of the city's laudable forms of public transportation), the authors speak with warmth and home-town credibility.

I was especially pleased with their accessment of Austin's accommodations. Yes, they duly point out the grandeur of the historic Driskill Hotel. But they also note the convenience and affortability of the La Quinta at the Capitol, which not only has a gracious new manager, but renovated "Gold Metal Rooms," which have new decor, 25-inch TVs, and speaker phones!

The book's maps are clear and helpful, with inset-captions for easy referral; and the b&w photos--while a tad too small--are often bright and sharp.

An added treat of "City Smart Austin" are the valuable coupons in the back of the book. Don't miss them!

Rating:
Summary: City-Smart Guidebooks are Unique!
Review: City-Smart Guidebooks don't give you long lists of every restaurant, museum, etc., and then make you guess which ones are good. City-Smart Guidebooks are by local authors who write about only the best things to see and do-the best values, the noteworthy restaurants, and the places that give you the essence and flavor of the city. These guidebooks are great for visitors and residents! And they're fun to read-with lots of trivia, tips, and top ten lists.

Rating:
Summary: Great look at a fun city!
Review: I am a longtime Austin resident and discovered some hidden treasures about my city in this useful guide! I will be referring to this book often when I have company in from out of town or when I'm looking to enjoy a little one day vacation without leaving Austin's borders!

Rating:
Summary: Good for potential residents
Review: I am considering a move to Austin and found a lot of useful information in this guidebook. I used it to plan my freetime following a job interview in the city and found it right on target regarding the restaurant reviews. Good buy!

Rating:
Summary: A real stand-out compared to other Austin guides.
Review: Like the last reviewer, I too was considering a work-related move to Austin. I wanted a guide book that could give me a quick and easy entry into what Austin had to offer a tourist and potential resident. This guide book gave me a good overview of Austin while I was there -- it wasn't just an index or list of area attractions and businesses: It contained a lot of useful 'tips' interspersed through out the book and the maps were clear and well integrated with the text.

I had some reservations before I bought this because the maps were not in color. However, the maps were clear and concise. Rather than clutter up 1 map with icons for restaurants, attractions, etc., the maps were repeated in each section of the guide, and contained only the relevant data for that section; this made using them very easy. I'd also say that the authors of the book were very generous with the number and variety of maps.

Overall, the design of the book made reading and finding information easy. Good use of bold type made flipping through and finding stuff easy too.

In the end, I got the Austin job and will be moving there soon. As a future Austin resident, I think this will still be the only guide I need.

Rating:
Summary: Austin makes great vacation or relocation destination!
Review: Writing CitySmart Austin gave us a great opportunity to experience our own hometown like vacationers. We really came to appreciate what the capital city has to offer in the way of ecotourism attractions, historical sites, world-class live music, fun-loving festivals, and a one-of-a-kind atmosphere. The city is a wonderful year-around vacation destination for singles looking for great nightlife, couples looking for romantic getaways, and families seeking unique attractions and good value. We've received many compliments on this book both from long-time residents who discovered some hidden treasures and from first time visitors who said the guide really helped them make the most of their visit to Austin. Recently we heard from one reader from Norway who used the book to plan her first visit to Texas and said that it helped her make her way around Austin and also to plan some day trips in the Austin area to the Texas Hill Country.