Quick Escapes Dallas/Ft. Worth

Rating:
Summary: Not exactly a "quick" escape...
Review: Ostensibly, a book entitled "Quick Escapes Dallas/Ft. Worth" would emphasize the "quick"--that is, follow a general theme of time, suggest short-but-satisfying trips, give an approximation of travel time upfront, list trips from closest to farthest away, not require you to read the entire book to figure out which trips are the closest to Dallas etc (after all, you're trying to save time). However, a more appropriate and truthful title for this book would have instead conveyed that one should have good knowledge of Texas geography and roads...because that's how this book is laid out--not exactly friendly for the Texan newcomer! Counter to what I expected, this book does not suggest or organize "quick escapes" based upon the destination's distance from Dallas, but categorizes the different trips based on direction--do you want to go East, West, South, or North? (hmm, I thought I just wanted a "quick escape," I don't really care which direction I go in!) You'd better have a detailed Texas map handy too because otherwise you won't have a clue how much mileage is involved for each trip! And I'm sorry but 7 hours in the car is not my idea of a "quick escape," which is how long some of the suggested trips would take you if you actually compute the mileage. Some other gripes I have is that approximate prices are not included for suggested lodging and that some of the "escapes" cover redundant territory and/or don't give you a sense of how little (or much) there is to do once you are there. I took the trip to Caddo Lake and realized that I could complete the suggested itinerary for TWO other "escapes" (Jefferson and Mineola/Tyler) all in the same weekend--and no, I wasn't racing through towns just to say I had been there either, it was all at a leisurely pace. Leads me to believe that one should be retired, well-off, adept at cross-referencing this with other guidebooks, and not exhibit any ADD tendencies if you are to find this book truly helpful. But if you can ignore these details, and don't mind the misleading title of the book, the content is quite good...and I like how the author has included "pit stops" (cafes, bakeries, local restaurants and dives) into the itinerary. I have actually found "Official Guide to Texas State Parks," a book that I bought at the same time as "Quick Escapes," the more inspiring of the the two. Though it has similar faults (although it neither claims to be about quick escapes nor Dallas, so that isn't even a valid fault) it has gorgeous, compelling photography that give you a real sense of what the place is like. When used in conjunction with the Texas State Parks website, planning a trip is a snap...which is what I had hoped "Quick Escapes" would be.