Guidance

Because I am a completist and I decided long ago to write a little post about every book I've read; and because I did actually read almost every word of this book (even the section on shopping, which I dislike! I did skip part of the restaurant section, though, for restaurants in the suburbs); and because I really do think this is a good line of travel guides: I'm going to write about this book, The Unofficial Guide to Washington DC.

If I am going to do something or go somewhere, I almost always want to have a book about it. Of course, the Internets have a lot of information (and god knows I love the Internets), but nothing beats having an actual, physical book in your hands. That kind of information is solid, and a lot easier to browse through.

I bought an "Unofficial Guide" before our whirlwind wedding trip to Las Vegas a couple years ago, and I really liked it. They cover things I'm interested in (hotels, restaurants, bars, transportation, travel tips), in a way that doesn't get bogged down and doesn't come off sounding like they just copied the hotel's press kit word-for-word into the book. Josh and I ate at several restaurants that the book recommended and every one of them was awesome (although one was way more expensive than the book led us to believe -- still, I'm a believer in embracing the unexpected fancy dinner, even if you are accidentally wearing jeans and a t-shirt to it, and the food was awesome). In fact, finding Pizzeria Paradiso was worth the price of the book alone. Just look at this pizza (photo courtesy of A.) -- it was so good that we ate there twice just so we could sample more of the pizzas.

So, in conclusion: printed travel guides are good and relevant. This series of them is particularly great. And finally: I want to travel more, please. And eat more pizza.