One for the Road: Hedonist Guide to Buenos Aires

by Kelly Amabile on

This sexy guidebook is one you want to be seen holding if luxury travel is your style. It’s fresh, fashionable and smart in both design and content. The Hedonist Guides package the very best of “independent advice for intelligent travelers” in sleek black books accented in soothing colors — as cool as the travelers holding them. The latest in the Hg2 series is a guide to Buenos Aires that is available this month.

Maps in the front introduce the city and each neighborhood, followed by sections that cover where to sleep, eat, drink, snack, party, play and shop. The emphasis here is on pampering and indulgence — travelers who prefer gourmet dining, chic bars, stylish clubs and elegant hotels will find Hedonist guides to serve as indispensable traveling companions. They distinguish themselves further by offering post-production online access to listing updates, keeping sophisticated travelers in the know at all times.

In 2006 Hedonist Guides (published by Filmer Ltd.) released a bunch of titles in this series, including Istanbul, Berlin, Marrakesh and Moscow. Buenos Aires is their first new title in 2007, although they have done some creative online launches of mini-guides for London, Rome, Paris and most recently, Barcelona. Other new hard-copy titles to be released later this year include New York and Prague.

One for the Road: Moon Metro NYC

by Kelly Amabile on

This week’s One for the Road suggestions start and end with mentions of Moon guides. Today it’s another NYC guide, since this is my home-base (and where I usually try out different guidebooks when friends come to visit.) This week my pal Eszter, from Hungary, is visiting NYC (and the US!) for the very first time. Upon her arrival earlier this week I gave her several guidebooks as reference, since I wasn’t going to be able to show her around that much.

Of all the NYC guides I’ve looked at recently, I recommended the Moon Metro NYC guide as my favorite choice for Eszter’s sightseeing needs. The flip-out map feature of this guidebook series is what really sets it apart from the rest. The first half of the book contains a series of ten glossy fold-out maps that cut Manhattan into size-able chunks. Descriptions of sights, along with some tips and basic historical background, make up the second half of the book.

Different guides serve different purposes, and Eszter agreed that this one would work best for her quick four-day jaunt through NYC. She already had a good idea of what she wanted to see and do, so she wasn’t really looking for ideas. But what she did need was a good navigator, and Moon’s “Unfold the City” guide helped her do just that.

One for the Road: The Slow Food Guide to NYC

by Kelly Amabile on

We haven’t really talked much about the Slow Food movement here at Gadling — we leave that to the experts, our friends over at Slashfood. But it’s worth a mention, especially now, while I’ve got this great Slow Food Guide to NYC in my hands!

Founded in Italy in 1986, Slow Food is an international movement dedicated to preserving regional cuisine and products from around the world, while also advocating for sustainability and biodiversity in the food supply. The NYC guide is organized first by “cuisines”, then by “special foods & nightlife” and finally by “food shops, markets and producers.” The listings in each section highlight establishments throughout the city that serve food in line with the Slow Food mission. My mouth is watering with slow food goodness…ya gotta love a book with special “tribute” sections devoted to delectables like pickles, tamales, smoked fish and New York Cheesecake!

Other books in this series are Slow Food Guides to Chicago and San Francisco. None of these guidebooks are brand new, so you may run into some outdated info. But they’re still plenty useful for travelers looking to savor slowness while eating their way through these cities. Bon Appetite!

One for the Road: Lonely Planet Encounters

by Kelly Amabile on

I’ve got a friend visiting New York this week for the very first time, and in advance of her visit, I road-tested a few guides to see which might work best to use during her short stay. For the rest of this week, I’ll feature the NYC versions of several guidebook series. Consider this part-two of my previous I Love NY mini-book reviews.

First up is New York Encounter, the Big Apple edition of Lonely Planet’s new series of pocket guides that were launched in May. Geared for “urban adventurers seeking unique experiences” the books are for travelers who want to “rapidly immerse themselves in a city.” They were created in collaboration with travelers who seek info from locals in the know. Some short Q&A’s throughout the book showcase the diversity of personality and place that characterizes these guides: there are interviews with the guys behind the High Line, a pedicab driver originally from the Ukraine, a Brooklyn bodega owner and a curatorial assistant at MoMA.

The focus is on experience. There are limited accommodation suggestions, since the emphasis is on what you can do, and in a city like NYC, sleeping doesn’t really count for much. Organized by neighborhood, each section has maps that show places to eat, shop, drink, see and play. There’s a free pull-out map in the rear too, for when you don’t mind looking like a tourist as you plunge deeper into your encounter with the city.

One for the Road: Moon Spain Handbook

by Kelly Amabile on

One flip through the first few pages of the Moon Spain Handbook and I’m itching to get back there. The intro to this new book begins with a colorful overview of a country bursting with life — the Plaza Mayor, Costa Brava, La Rioja, Galicia. A smart color-coded map marks Spain’s regions in a rainbow, an appropriate way to introduce the diversity that exists throughout this Iberian gem.

The guide starts with a short summary of each region, followed by a few suggested itineraries. It then gets meaty, beginning with the very heart of Spain. After dissecting nightlife, shopping, accommodations, sports, cultural offerings and food (of course!) for Madrid, the guide moves on to do the same for Castilla-La Mancha, Cataluna (including an expanded chapter on Barcelona), Aragon, Valencia, Andalucia, the Islas Baleares and other regions. The 900-page handbook wraps up with a section of county background information – logistics, cultural tidbits, history and popular festivals. It’s comprehensive, but still lightweight enough to accompany you on a visit to any or all of these areas.

Moon’s Spain handbook is one of three European guides that were released recently — a first for the popular guidebook series. Ireland and London were also published this spring.