Let's Go 2004: London

Rating:
Summary: Could have been better...
Review: I am a huge fan of the Let's Go series, but found myself somewhat disappointed by this book. Some of the information was inaccurate (as mentioned in other reviews), which proved to be more than an irritation for me. The book incorrectly lists some of the opening hours of attractions, which prevented me from being able to see them. For example, the book says that Kensington Palace is open until 6pm, but it's actually only open until 4:30pm. Needless to say, I was pretty upset that I missed out on things because the book was inaccurate. It's not like I had unlimited time and could just go back later.

The book did have some great things, though, such as the walking tours, which outlined 2 full days of activites, including directions from each stop to the next. I only wish they could do that for each day of their "London in One Week" section, because when I tried to follow some of the other days' recommendations, I found myself lost and unable to get into a lot of the places because they were closed.

The book does not mention that many tourist attractions in London are not open on weekends, so I pretty much wasted 2 whole days going to places that weren't open. If I had known that, I would have saved all the museums for the weekend because those ARE open. I was talking to a local about my frustrations, and he said "Well you tried to go on a weekend!" Apparently this is common knowledge in London, so I don't know why the "Let's Go" people didn't know it, or at least chose not to mention it.

The "Let's Go: Paris" was fabulous and I would recommend it to anyone going there. However, the London edition is less than stellar. I was better off with it than without it, but I probably could have done better with a different book.

Rating:
Summary: Got Old Fast
Review: I bought this book before going leaving for London on a 6 month work and travel visa. After my first couple days I stopped taking the book out with me because it wasn't helpful at all. The background history of England was fine, but the guide didn't help me find any good (affordable) restaurants, and it had a poor selection of the sites London has to experience.

The Time Out guide is a much better guide. Time Out is actually a London magazine that lists all the goings on in London. The guide is a collection of quirky shops and good restaurants and off-beat sites plus in includes the traditional must-see sites.

Rating:
Summary: This one is avoidable.
Review: I have to agree with the earlier review that laments this edition's haphazard organization. While I benefited sometimes from the maps and the very basic competence of its information, there are many small errors and omissions that prove frustrating. And these are things that really should be caught and checked before publication.

Take a look at page 236, which claims that the Picadilly Waterstone's is "Europe's largest bookshop." Amusingly, on the NEXT PAGE, the guide says that Foyle's bookshop is "the largest in Europe." Huh?

Another blunder: the book tells you that you can see the "grave" of Winston Churchill at Westminster Abbey. Nope. There *is* a memorial for Churchill there, but the great politician is actually buried at Bladon, Oxfordshire. A quick check on Google could have settled this quite simply. Getting the tomb of Britain's greatest modern politican right shouldn't be such a struggle for a prominent travel series. It's discouraging to think of how many tourists will look at the memorial and think they're seeing Churchill's final resting place, when it's actually just a simple memorial in the floor.

I also noticed when I was in London (last week, late December of 2003) that the book listed incorrect admission prices for St. Paul's Cathedral. These things can change without notice, yes, but for a book that promises current 2004 information you'd think they might have been able to get this one right, too.

I'm sure more of these kinds of errors will surface for the unlucky folks who get stuck with this guide. This is not just nit-picking; these findings pop up as a simple result of trying to use the guide for its intended purposes of illumination and navigation. This reader wishes the editor would have stopped pretentiously thanking Andrei Tarkovsky and Gerard Manley Hopkins in his introductory section in favor of more time, um, *editing*.

Let's Go has basically lost their credibility with me with this guide, and shame on them (and me) for taking my 15 bucks with such a mediocre book. I strongly urge you to opt for another guide.

Rating:
Summary: Already regretting this purchase
Review: When it came time this month for a trip to London, I grabbed this 2004 edition of the Let's Go guide. I usually prefer the Lonely Planet books, but this edition was brand new and I'd gotten a lot of use out of the 2003 Let's Go Ireland book (and admired its youthful and budget-minded tone); I thought I'd give it a shot.

I've only had it for a day or two and already I'm regretting my decision. I know that every travel book is bound to evince some errors and omissions (travel writing is a volatile business and it's impossible to please everyone), but frustrating mistakes and gaps in logic make this edition one to avoid.

Here are some problems I've picked up after literally just a few hours of my purchase:

The "currency exchange" section referred to in the guide's index suggests that you refer to a "Service Directory." This page in turn directs you to a "Once In London" section on page 329. In addition to the confusion, this page number is clearly an error, as the "Once In London" section is nowhere near page 329. In addition, the graph that shows a recent sampling of conversion rates is featured on page 297--sadly, it's never mentioned in any of the aforementioned sections or page numbers!

Foster's Bookshop is mentioned in the "Shopping By Type" chart as being located in the West End, but is discussed only in the West *London* section on page 243. West London and the West End are not the same place.

St. Christopher's Inn hostels have several locations in London. The Let's Go book mentions only one of their locations, and it's on the other end of town from the cluster of larger, more popular locations. Granted, this is confusing, but it's exactly the sort of confusion a good travel book is supposed to clear up, not exacerbate.

The guide also absurdly suggests that men in London *only* drink beer, lest they appear "effeminate." This is just inane for any number of reasons; I wonder, for example, if the guide's researchers have ever heard of Scotch.

You might think it unfair of me to point out these small, scrutinized blemishes. But keep in mind that I've only had the book for a little bit and these blunders are already mucking up the book's usefulness. When choosing a travel guide, wouldn't you rather have a book that doesn't immediately force its reader to figure out and correct its odd mistakes?

Ultimately this book seems rushed and blundering, like a term paper written hastily the night before its deadline. I suggest you skip over it and make a better decision than I did.