The Unofficial Guide to San Francisco [Paperback]

I've bought several of the Unofficial Guides and they are my first choice in travel books. The rating system for hotels, restaurants, and attractions makes it very easy to compare one to the other and choose whatever is appropriate for your needs. More importantly, they are upfront about what to avoid. We all know about the "best" things to see and do from the other travel guides. The Unofficial Guides let you know what's a waste of time and/or money, as well as giving you tips on how to get the best out of the "best". I buy the Unofficial Guides to get the nitty gritty on areas of town to avoid due to high crime, lack of public transportation, etc. This helps me pick a hotel in a decent area and time my sightseeing trips accordingly. Very straight forward and easy to read. I hope the authors someday write Unofficial Guides to European cities as well!!

The title of this book baffles me. Is there some Governing Board of Guides to Cities which can issue the "official" label? Is this guide unauthorized by the city of San Francisco for revealing super-secret insider information and tips?

Sadly, no. This is a pretty basic, no-frills guide to the city. The worst part about it is that it uses thick paper, a large font, and rambling paragraphs to present information. It comes in twice as thick as other guidebooks, and offers no extra information for that extra bulk. However, there is some good information in here, including some background and travel tips I didn't find in other guides.

As a general rule, I don't believe that there is one-size-fits all guidebook, and when I travel, I get an arsenal of books and select the top three to use on the road. This guide should be a part of your pre-trip planning, but it is not a good choice for the one book you tuck in your purse or backpack for a week in the city. The book follows a pretty standard format, opening with history, times of year to visit, accommodation selection, and then tips on getting around. Bonus sections not found in other guidebooks include details for business travelers, the most detail on public transportation that I have found in any book, and an extensive section on excursions to locales in the surrounding area outside the city proper.

The book is heavy on restaurant profiles and reviews, almost at the expense of details on attractions and entertainment. Most guidebooks have the opposite split--heavy on attractions, light on the restaurants--so this actually makes a good companion to a book such as the Lonely Planet guide to San Francisco.

This is a complete guide to visiting the city of San Francisco. The book is well written, very clear, and has a tremendous amount of information. It covers hotels, restaurants, attractions, etc. The authors provide several possible itineraries depending on what kind of trip you want and how long you intend to stay. In short, the book is an excellent tool to help you plan your entire trip.

The only drawback is that there are no pictures at all and SF is a visually exciting and diverse city. When deciding what you want to visit, a picture or two could go a long way in deciding what is a must see and what is not. For example, I had never heard of the Palace of Fine Arts but when I saw a picture of it in another book I knew I had to go there. This is an excellent book but it would be better still if they could add some color photos in the next edition.