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Lonely Planet`s 8th Edition, 2017
These Lonely Planet guides are excellent. Of course there are innumerable other sources, especially online, of reviews and recommendations but many of these are extremely partial. Also, I find there something reassuring about having a book rather than an electronic device. It puts one`s mind to rest to know that the item you are reading can`t simply disappear or change instantly, nor disappear from sight when your battery dies.
Admittedly, some of these guides can be heavy to lug around- a solution being to remove and carry only the sections relevant for your particular trip. My Peru guide has been thoroughly dissected so that each geographical area is a detachable pamphlet.
I`ve found this series of guides (along with The Rough Guide) to be very reliable.
They are not geared to rich mid-Western Americans like Fodors, nor to tick-box sightseeing like Eyewitness, nor are they exclusively for save-tuppence-ha`penny-a-night-in-this-fleapit backpackers. They aren`t aimed at millionaire archaeology nerds like Baedekers either (I have a Baedekers to Turkey which seems incapable of recommending a hotel that doesn`t cost 300 US$ a night) though they contain good basic notes on all sights likely to be of interest to the general reader.
The Lonely Planet books are written with a ironical sense of humour too (perhaps attributable to their British origins), and are a pleasure to read. Fodor`s guides are stiflingly self-important.
Anyway, with this book in hand I now feel ready to conquer Chicago.
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