★★★★★ 4
Happy Wanderer
Format: Flexibound
City Trails is not a guided walking tour (like the Freedom Trail here in Boston) of the Metro DC area. No addresses or street names are noted in the blurbs. To actually visit any of these places, you’ll have to consult a real map. For instance, the chapter “Statue City” highlights notable statuary around town. But the Capitol Building statues (in SE DC) are far from the Cathedral ones (in NW DC.) The themed groupings (G-G-G-Ghosts, Animals Around Town, Water World and more) are less maps to any place and more of an interesting overview of our Nation’s amazingly diverse and action-packed city. It’s best read as a primer on experiencing the flavor of the city (I lived and worked there.) It reads more along the lines of the “Weird But True” series made famous by National Geographic for Kids.
I don’t see this being of value to tourists in town for a limited time whose sightseeing is going to include major attractions like government buildings (White House, Capitol), museums (Smithsonian), some monuments (Jefferson, Lincoln, Washington) and other popular sites (Ford’s Theater.) This guide is actually best suited for the Metro-area (WDC, MD and VA) resident – child or adult - who wants a deeper dive into their hometown’s off-the-beaten-path sights and stories. A well designed and written book of historical trivia.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2018
