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UK Holidays - City Secrets: London
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List Price: $19.95
Our Price: $13.57
Your Save: $ 6.38 ( 32% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Little Bookroom
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Turtleback
Dewey Decimal Number: 914.210486
EAN: 9781892145079
ISBN: 1892145073
Label: Little Bookroom
Manufacturer: Little Bookroom
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 250
Publication Date: 2001-09-09
Publisher: Little Bookroom
Release Date: 2001-01-01
Studio: Little Bookroom
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Editorial Reviews:
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The travel advice in City Secrets London comes directly from the personal recommendations of those who know the city most intimately: writers, critics, artists, and producers. By following these in-the-know recommendations, any traveler will extend well beyond the normal tourist experience to discover a private city rich in personal history. The secret energy of London is discovered not only through details on new, hip locations, but also by exploring the favorite hidden hangouts of historical personalities. Read this book and take an unsuspecting friend along for the trip, they'll be impressed by your cool and by your insider knowledge.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: not as thrilling as the Italian versions
Comment: Of course few places inspire such passion as Italy, but I've read the NYC version as well and found it much more intruguing than this one. It seems as if most of the entries concern Georgian architecture and stodgy gardens. Did Thatcher kill lively London?
Customer Rating:
Summary: Lived-in London
Comment: The "City Secrets" series is based on contributions solicited from expats and locals living in the city of interest. This distinct approach has two very pleasant benefits to the reader: first, the recommendations are written with style and panache distinct to each contributor (the artists recommend arty stuff and describe how things look), and second, the recommendations are the sort you get from people who live and breathe in the city rather than just the rest of us, who just run-in-see-the-sights-turn-around-run-home.
City Secrets: London is even better than other European entrants (say, the Rome book), because virtually everyone writing for the book seems to be a permanent resident, rather than a on-and-off-again visitor.
So, rather than hotels and a greatest-hits list of museums, you get favorite places to walk, nice places to have a cuppa on the way, museums you would discover only on the third walk down the street. Not all of them are "secrets" in the sense you wouldn't otherwise have known about them, but all of them are worth knowing.
There is a slight tendency toward redundancy, when multiple contributors mention the same destination. But this is a very minor complaint. This little gem of a book should be slipped into your pocket for the plane ride over; it will add more to your vacation than any number of more traditional guides.
Customer Rating:
Summary: My favorite guide book for London
Comment: This is the quintessential guide for anyone who wants to visit the rare and cool side of London. I found a lot of really wonderful ?off the beaten path? kind of places via this guide. It has great, quirky restaurant suggestions, and tips on getting into strange museums (like the type museum!). A must have for those of us who like to pretend we?re locals and know all the ?secrets? of the city.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fine guide for your second trip
Comment: You will need time to make the purchase of this book worthwhile. London is gigantic. It's difficult enough to hit the very well documented high points. If you are making your first trip and/or have less than a week, stick to Eyewitness. If you are a repeat offender, disinterested in the main tourist attractions, or have a lot of time, you will not regret this purchase. This guide will get you off the beaten track and provide advice about how to avoid being trampled when you are on it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Hot tips from old hands....
Comment: LONDON CITY SECRETS is a little book of good places to visit the next time you're in England. The authors describe their book as a "highly subjective" collection of recommendations, not an all-inclusive list of places to eat, sleep, visit in London. The folks making the recommendations are artists, writers, historians, and others who live and work in London. They share favorite spots to eat; favorite paintings, sculptures or museums; favorite walks, historical houses and other spots discovered over the years. LONDON CITY SECRETS is divided into 13 areas: 1/ Trafalgar Square, Soho and Covent Garden; 2/ St James, Westminster, & the Embankment; 3/ Hyde Park & Chelsea; 4/ Oxford Street and Mayfair; 5/ Regent's Park & Camden Town; 6/ Bloomsbury & King's Cross; 7/ Islington & Clerkenwell; 8/ The City (of London); 9/ The South Bank; 10/ Notting Hill & The West; 11/ Hampstead & The North; 12/ The East End & Beyond; and 13/ South of the River. Because the selections are subjective, the National Gallery and the Victoria & Albert Museum are mentioned, whereas the National Maritime Museum is not. Fortnum and Mason is included, Mark's & Spencer is not. Scrubb's prison is listed, the Tower of London is not. Plenty of good places to eat are listed, no good places to sleep are included. Never thought you'd visit Islington? You might find yourself eating at the Smithfield Market, Moro's, or the Quality Chop House. Think the East End is a dump? You might discover a science fiction ride on the nighttime tube. Symbols are placed next to sites with London Underground stops and places to eat. Plenty of bars, pubs, and other assorted oddball watering holes are included. The various authors, artists, etc. also recommend plenty of additional reading material about favorite spots. LONDON CITY SECRETS is eccentric, esoteric, and entertaining.
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