Roadtripping
USA: The Complete Coast-to-Coast Guide to America (Let's Go) ,
by Emilie S. FitzMaurice (Editor)
This is the second book in a year that we
have reviewed that claims to be a complete road trip guide to
the USA. The first one, United
States: On the Road by Insight Guides, may better capture
the wonder of roadtripping in America, but Let's Go's new Roadtripping
USA: The Complete Coast-to-Coast Guide to America certainly
makes a good stab at being an actual guidebook. Their approach
in many ways is quite interesting, because they chose to examine
the USA by undertaking eight separate cross-country road trip
routes conducted over the period of January 2003 through August
2004. Two of these routes, "The Great North" and "The
North American," include visits to Mexican and Canadian
cities. Their inclusion makes this book more an "Americas"
roadtrip guide, which is a good thing.
Like Let's Go's other guidebooks, the research
for RoadTripping USA was conducted by students on a
shoestring budget, and this has resulted in some excellent
recommendations for low-cost lodging and dining across the
continent. That said, I found the research and writing to
be uneven. Some of the discoveries described in this book
are outstanding and clearly reflected quality time spent "in
situ" by the researcher-writers. Even just a few of these
excellent recommendations would have made the purchase price
of US$25 a good bargain, and the book includes three or four
dozen. On the other hand, I have been fortunate enough to
spend time in many of the cities profiled in the book and
the recommendations for lodging in places like Barstow, California,
Las Vegas, Nevada, and even Stowe, Vermont, seem to have been
made without the writers' ever stepping foot into the establishments
they mention. In addition, they missed well-known, easy-to-find
good choices in a number of other cities. The book is still
good as long as long as you remember to keep your eyes and
ears open for other possibilities while you travel. Another
thing to note is that at least a quarter of the 995 pages
are duplicate listings because of the criss-crossing nature
of the eight routes.
One excellent feature of Roadtripping USA
is the funny and articulate commentary about the places covered.
I also learned about a slew of fascinating places and events
I knew nothing about, and I've added a number of them to my
"must-see" list for future road trips. For example,
Fager's Island's tradition of playing the 1812 Overture each
night at sunset in Ocean City, Maryland sounds quite appealing,
and it might be fun to meet "Utan", the largest
crocodile on display in America. (He's in Myrtle Beach, South
Carolina.) The "Lineman's Rodeo" at the National
Agricultural Hall of Fame in Missouri, where contestants climb
utility poles and string electrical wire, sounds good, too.
And who'd want to miss the Mermaid show at Weeki Wachee, Florida?
Would-be mermaids have to spend a year in mermaid training
school before they can flip their tails for the public. Info
about roadside wonders and events like these make Roadtripping
USA a great book to have along on any coast-to-coast drive.
The "Getting Around" section in each
town and city description has tips for navigating the area.
I laughed out loud when the writer described the bizarre street
layout in Ogallala, Nebraska. East East Street and West East
Street (if that isn't confusing enough right there) are ten
blocks apart. Amazingly, the writer manages to make sense
out of this counter-intuitive approach to the grid system.
The descriptions of various food treats found
around the country are another nice feature. Three that stand
out in my memory are the Devil's Tower ice cream cone (which
costs $6.80!) available at the "Farson Merc" in
Wyoming, the Road Kill Café on Route 66 in Seligman,
Arizona, and Wall's Barbecue in Savannah, Georgia. The latter
is located in a tiny alley with zero visibility that no one
could find without this guide.
A couple of lodging choices that make my "must
go there" list are the Riverbend Hot Springs Hostel in
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, where guests stay in teepees
on the banks of the Rio Grande River. At the other end of
the spectrum, a stay at the posh McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale,
Oregon, sounds appealing. The property boasts its own vineyard,
golf course, movie theatre, and brewery.
An aspect of this book that takes some getting
used to is the orientation of the map routes included on nearly
every page. The maps are turned so the route always reads
from bottom to top, even if "north" is not the top
of the page. Once you're accustomed to the system, the maps
are easy and convenient to use.
The first 46 pages of Roadtripping USA comprise
a chapter entitled "Essentials." Well worth reading,
it is an excellent introduction to the phenomenon of roadtripping
in America. The raft of information that follows, the sense
of humor of the contributors, and the overall quality of the
research and writing make this a reference that comes very,
very close to actually being a "complete coast-to-coast
guide to America."
Mark
Sedenquist
6/23/06
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