Zagat Connecticut Restaurants 2008-2009 Book

I was born and raised in good old Kansan while the author has hit the nail on the head. The state itself has a bad rep for the most part while so many think there is nothing to do, which in some senses can be absolutely true for the most part, or that we are all stuck in a few colors of shade. But the state that I was born and raised in isn't the same as these "outsider" judgments.

So as for the book it was interesting - covering both the things I had heard about and a few things that I hadn't heard about plus a few that I had wanted to see. Being a child in Kansas I had the pleasure of being able to visit a few but there were definitely some places and cities lacking altogether (could this be since as she said she isn't a Kansan?). A big few major misses would have been The National Agricultural Center & Hall of Fame (come on the state is based on agriculture why isn't this included?), the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum, and/or the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home(our one president you couldn't make any mention of?).

Furthermore within the state itself we pride ourselves on our summer fairs so I would have maybe included a section on those alone. Some of the big ones are Skunk Run (Ottawa), Power of the Past Antique Engine and Tractor Show (Ottawa), the Baldwin Maple Festival (Baldwin), Kansas City Renaissance Festival (Bonner Springs), Neewollah Festival (Independence), the various County Fairs and Dodge City Days (Dodge City) just to name a few. Many Kansans work hard and we know how to play hard too while the love of arts and crafts just doesn't come home until you see what we have for sale.

My other complaint with this book was that it was partially organized. Yep the author did split the sections up for Kansas but after that it was a mess. What I would have suggested is instead of stating the name of the attraction with the name of the town I would have split each chapter so one part would read the town and then all the places you can check out there then onto the next town instead of reading the same name once or twice.

Meanwhile the author did have a great selection of places otherwise even though the majority just focused around individuals. It was thoughtful for her to include addresses and/or phone numbers, especially in the cases of living people since that could eventually end up being awkward. And the history that was offered for her places was good although I frowned upon the usage of buffalo and Indians (a pet peeve).

So altogether this book was mediocre - if you want a good real tour of a small town just find someone from there. They can tell you the best hole-in-the-spots to eat, sights to visit, local history and if you are lucky drag you off to a county fair or festival. And if you carry this book with you can also throw in a few extra things to round out your trip.