Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Boy, did this book ever surprise me!
Last month, I purchased CALIFORNIA BEACHES from Amazon.Com, hoping to learn about my home state's more obscure beaches prior to prowling them. Having grown up on an L.A. beach (Playa del Rey, near LAX, to be exact), I wanted also to test my knowledge of the coast.
CALIFORNIA BEACHES didn't disappoint. All the knowledge relevant to beach fans was there: quality of beaches, swimming and surf conditions, general description, size of crowds, access information, accommodations, night life, etc.
What I didn't expect, and what has kept me reading this thick paperback night after night, is the richness of its cultural sociology. Parke and Allen have California pegged! CALIFORNIA BEACHES is primarily a guidebook, but it is also the most insightful analysis of life on California's Pacific Rim in the late 20th Century I've come across -- and I've read them all.
Representative topics discussed in extensive sidebars, frequently running two or three pages, include the ocean as icon, the immigration question, land-preservation controversies, freeway congestion, pollution and clean-up of the seas, access rights for beachgoers vs. property rights of beach homeowners, the evolving music scene, North vs. South as a defining characteristic of California life, and so on. Parke and Allen do an excellent job of describing the local cities that front on the beaches, too, in terms of geography, culture, and even political issues.
Moreover, Parke and Allen's descriptions of the state's beaches and beach towns are right-on, based on my personal experience...and they have been to all of them! (I'm envious of their lifestyle, frankly. They get to do this for a living.)
CALIFORNIA BEACHES is witty, trenchant, and just plain GOOD. As I read the book it was as if grown-up members of my high-school bodysurfing club were reporting their adventures, still wondering at the California coast's wonders and mysteries.
One more thing: CALIFORNIA BEACHES, the publisher notes, i! s printed with soy ink on recycled paper; and a contribution is made to the coastal-protection advocacy organization, the Surfrider Foundation, for each copy purchased.
All you surf dudes and dudettes: buy this book! And then get ready to "hit the beach," well-informed.
Bob Jacobson Founding Member, Manhattan Beach Bodysurfing Association, 1966-1970
Click Here to see more reviews about: Foghorn Outdoors: California Beaches: The Best Places to Swim, Play, Eat, and Stay on the Coast
Devoted campers, hikers, boaters, anglers, bikers, and golfers agree: Foghorn Outdoors guidebooks are essential for anyone who wants to spend less time planning and more time enjoying the outdoors. Each book is an excursion guide packed with the latest information on a variety of adventures near and far. Celebrated authors and beach experts Parke Puterbaugh and Alan Bisbort comb each coastal county in the Golden State, providing witty and opinionated facts and features on every publicly accessible stretch of sand between the Mexico and Oregon borders. California Beaches includes up-to-date directions, entrance and parking fees, hours of operation, and facilities available at nearly 400 beaches clever, fact-filled essays on beach life and other California-related topics, the latest lodging options -- from five-star seaside resorts to secluded beach campgrounds, the best in coastal cuisine and nightspots from surf bars to gourmet restaurants, and easy-to-use maps and an extensive index.
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