Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Recent Comments:
What if your supermarket refused to sell Coke, or Best Buy only sold Disney DVDs? {WalletPop}
Jun 11th 2009 7:05AM You're absolutely right, Jason. A shameful move on WHS' part and very frightening.
One for the Road: Pauline Frommer's NYC {Gadling}
May 5th 2007 9:21AM Thanks Kelly for your kind, kind comments. That book really was a labor of love, a poem to my home town and though it was hard work, I had a blast digging up the information, meeting with curators of local museums for the write-ups, clubbing for about a month to pick the hottest dance spots, and gaining about 10 pounds eating out constantly to choose the finest cheap eats. One of the most interesting parts of the book was researching the "alternative accommodations". Unlike other guidebooks, I tell our readers how they can find inexpensive and BEAUTIFUL accommodations in private apartments (either by renting a room in an apartment or by renting the complete apartment). The truth is, NYC is too expensive even for the residents, so many of them periodically rent out their apartments or a room in their apartments to earn the rent money. I visited literally dozens of these apartments, and the vast majority were really nice, much larger than a hotel room yet much cheaper. I looked at the apartments being promoted by a number of agencies, but only included the best of the agencies in my book. You can actually read an excerpt from that part of the book at www.frommers.com/pauline
Another labor of love, Pauline Frommer's Las Vegas, just came out. I spent two months in Sin City researching that, staying in a different hotel every other night (with the exception of two weeks when my kids were with me; we rented a house then and I talk extensively about how to do that affordably); trying indoor skydiving; seeing all 82 (!) of the long running shows in town; gaining another 10 pounds, this time thanks to all the buffet meals; and generally not getting enough sleep (but hey, that's how it goes in Vegas).
So anyway, thanks again for the lovely review.
Best,
Pauline Frommer
Pauline Frommer Travel Guides {Gadling}
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
Pauline Frommer Podcast {Gadling}
Jul 18th 2006 3:46PM Erik: You are too kind. And actually, the kind of experiences I'm discussing you WILL find in the new Pauline Frommer guides (hopefully, that will set them apart).
I also followed the links to see how you're doing and was pleased to see your name EVERYWHERE. You keep up the good work as well. And if you're ever interested in authoring a guidebook, drop me a line. I'm always looking for talent.
