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Pauline Frommer Travel Guides
Like father, like daughter is what they say in this biz these days, I suppose. Pauline Frommer, daughter of the famous guide book extraordinaire, is introducing her own line of guidebooks catering to the adult budget traveler, but not the backpacker. On the market for purchase now include popular destinations such as Hawaii, New York and Italy. The Baltimore Sun online notes that 40 year-old Pauline will edit all the books in the series and write some of them. So least she's not just using her name to sell I guess. The Pauline Frommer guides range from $16-$20 and can be purchased at Frommers.com.I wouldn't mind testing one out myself and if I had to choose from the three I'd go with Hawai'i. I've lived there / been before, but could always use a few recommendations on how to eat and sleep in paradise for cheap.
Filed under: Arts and Culture, Hiking, Learning, Stories, Europe, North America, Italy, United States, Hotels and Accommodations, Books
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Pauline Frommer Aug 21st 2006 11:20PM
Don't think I have a big enough name to sell them...yet ;)
No, after serving as the travel editor for MSNBC.com, the founding editor of Frommers.com and contributing articles to the Dallas Morning News, Newsweek, Budget Travel (where I was a contributing editor) and Marie Claire, among other publications, I decided that I wanted to put my own spin on guidebooks. I felt that there was a dearth of information out there for adult budget travelers.
These guidebooks are different from others in two key ways. First off, they actively encourage travelers to look beyond hotels (key as hotels in many destinations are 20% more expensive this year than last). So they go much more deeply into the subject of alternative accommodations (convents, rental homes, private B&B's/homestays, etc) than other series do; I spent weeks when researching the NYC book simply visiting apartments and homestay opportunities all around the city. And I found some spectacular deals: an antique-filled mansion, the former home of the grand-daughter of JP Morgan where you stay for $95/night; an actual working gallery in Soho where you eat breakfast surrounded by artwork (that's $110 a night); a homestay with the sous chef to a very famous chef, where you get a spectacular breakfast each morning and a lovely, private room in Tribeca for about $110/night.
They also speak to more sophisticated travelers, those who want to see more than just the usual tourist sites. In a section called "The Other" (as in "The Other New York", The Other Oahu", "The Other Venice") we tell our readers about activities and experiences where they'll get to meet locals and take a bit of a peek "behind the curtain" of the culture. In NYC, that might be going to a website that will tell you about a roaming party, that sometimes takes place on the subways at midnight; or attending a cooking class with a top chef; taking free lunchtime tango lessons at the Argentine consulate; playing chess against the sharks in the Washington Square Park area; and more. In Hawaii, we introduce visitors to Kawa bars, slack guitar jam sessions, and one-day volunteer vacations where visitors can work with scientists studying endangered sea turtles. And there are more activities there and across Italy.
So no, this is not just an exercise in nepotism, as your post seems to imply. These books are the result of many hours of negotiations, many hundreds of hours or writing and editing, and a lot of passion on my part and on the part of the team I'm working with to bring these books to life. It's been one of the most exciting, fulfilling projects I've ever worked on, and I think (hope) that they'll be quite useful for travelers. So pick up Hawaii (or the book I wrote: NYC, or Italy) and post again as I'm eager to hear what you think.
Cordially,
Pauline Frommer
Adrienne Aug 24th 2006 9:26PM
Thanks for coming by and providing some additional details, Pauline! The guides sound like really good material for the backpack. As I mentioned before I'd surely try out the Hawai'i guide on my next trip over and flip right to "The Other Oahu" section you touched on. Again, thanks!
Adrienne