BT Bookshelf: 3 specialized summer guides

By Valerie Rains
October 3, 2012
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Courtesy <a href="http://mybt.budgettravel.com/_Cafe-in-Amsterdam/photo/9320617/21864.html">egyptianheidi/myBudgetTravel</a>

Comprehensive, all-purpose guidebooks are great for your first few visits to a new place, when you need advice on everything from where to grab breakfast to which hotel is worth a splurge. But when it comes to the old favorites you revisit again and again, a sharper take on familiar territory is in order. Three new books out this month from The Little Bookroom—each compact, colorful, and concentrated—allow you to take fresh looks at iconic destinations.

Karen E. Seiger's Markets of New York City: A Guide to the Best Artisan, Farmer, Food, and Flea Markets ($17) is a shopper's dream. No other American city is more driven by market-style shopping (as opposed to the strip-mall and megamarket models), and Seiger's guide demystifies the process for all comers. In addition to reviewing dozens upon dozens of markets (including full-color photographs of items you're likely to find at each one and profiles of regular vendors), Seiger provides solid information about where to eat or get coffee near each market, and even includes a section of tips for navigating New York City in general.

As if Paris needed anything more to recommend it, Kim Horton Levesque's new book Pampered In Paris: A Guide to the Best Spas, Salons, and Beauty Boutiques ($17) covers more than 50 places to get fussed over in the grand French tradition—or in the Thai, Chinese, or Indian traditions, if you choose. Spa etiquette, recommended treatments, useful terms (memorize this: plus douce means "softer") price ranges, and practical tips (don't save your spa day for Sunday, when most salons close) are all included. Spas are divided by arrondissement, and super-specialized spots for chromotherapy, thalassotherapy, and hammams get their own sections toward the back of the book. (Note to self: Pitching a Parisian spa-review book to a publishing house = a brilliant move. Just imagine the research!) The book also provides beauty-product shopping guides, from old-school recommendations (try the moisturizing Baume Automobile from century-old shop Detaille) to the best local-secret drugstore potions.

Finally, handmade arts and crafts may not be the first things that come to mind when most folks think of Amsterdam, but thanks to Pia Jane Bijkerk's Amsterdam: Made By Hand ($19), they might at least make it onto the chart. This is Bijkerk's second Made By Hand book—the first, out last year, covered Paris—and details the Australian stylist's go-to sources for handcrafted props, accessories, and decorative objets in the city where she currently resides (in a houseboat, no less). Bijkerk even gives a foolproof tip for stepping right into the heart of Amsterdam's true local culture: Instead of heading straight out the doors of the Centraal Station and down tourist-clogged Damrak Street, just turn left right.* You'll find yourself in the lively, artsy Jordaan neighborhood—incidentally, the first destination in Bijkerk's book's shopping itinerary. One stop I'm definitely adding on my next Amsterdam trip: a visit to the atelier of mixed-media artist (and former Visual Director for Anthropologie) Leslie Oschmann, near the Rozengracht—conveniently located a stone's throw from many renowned design shops.

*Due to an editing error, the wrong direction was inserted. Sorry!

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San Francisco: Where to watch the World Cup

From the beaches of Rio de Janeiro to the Trocadero near Paris's Eiffel Tower, football fans around the world will be gathering this month to watch the World Cup Tournament. San Francisco, with our large populations of Europeans, Asians, and South Americans (not to mention the growing number of American soccer&mdash;I mean football&mdash;fans), has its own set of screenings and parties. Since we're on the West Coast, die-hard fans will be rising early to catch the 7:30 a.m. games. But that doesn't mean they'll be less beer&mdash;just more brunch options. Here are five great places around town to watch the tournament. Free and outdoors Civic Center A giant truck mounted with a 13-by-18-foot screen will be set up outside City Hall at the Civic Center to screen as many games as possible for a crowd estimated in the tens of thousands. An area is set aside for kids to play soccer, and though there are food vendors, there's no alcohol allowed, making this the most kid-friendly spot to catch the games. Civic Center Plaza, Larkin and Grove Streets, free, 7:30 a.m. games will be followed by the 11:30 a.m. games. Valet bike parking available. AT&T; Park The ball park, one of the best ball stadiums in the country (if I do say so myself), will take a break from baseball to screen this Saturday's match between the USA and England.The game will be broadcast live on the HD centerfield scoreboard and in TVs throughout the ballpark. Afterwards, check out the unrelated but equally fun Giants county fair just next door, with 20 carnival rides, midway games, music, and food. 24 Willie Mays Plaza, 415/ 972-2000, free. Gates open at 10:00 a.m. Bars Public House Adjacent to AT&T; Park, the new Public House, an upscale sports bar, will be opening at 6 a.m. to show the World Cup on 22 giant television screens. Almost all of the 24 beers on tap are from local brewers, and the brunch menu by award-winning chef Traci Jardin begins service at 8 a.m. Wear a jersey from a team playing in the World Cup, and you get a free serving of hand-cut fries, onion rings, or chips when you order a famous Marin Sun Farms beef burger. 24 Willie Mays Plaza, 415/644-0240. The Mercury Lounge The self-proclaimed "only bar in San Francisco dedicated exclusively to the 2010 World Cup", the Mercury Lounge in SOMA promises to play every single game, every day. The drink specials can't be beat: Beers are only a dollar for people who get there before 7 a.m. Dollar beers also go to anyone wearing a team jersey&mdash;or simply show your taxi receipt proving you rushed over to grab a seat for the game. In other words, dollar beers for just about any hard-core fan. No cover. Full bar menu. Mercury Lounge, 1582 Folsom Street, 415/551-1582. Kezar Pub Upper Haight's favorite sports bar, The Kezar Pub, has a giant TV screen in the back of the bar&mdash;plus 20 plasma TVs&mdash;making it nearly impossible to miss a score, no matter where you're sitting. Voted as the city's best sport bar in 2009 by the SF Weekly, this pub draws a big European and Irish crowd and features a great menu of greasy pub food, including killer chicken wings and lots of cheap beer. Special hours for the tournament means the bar opens at bright-and-early 4:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. 770 Stanyan St., 415-386-9292. EARLIER World Cup: 9 Free Public Parties

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San Francisco: MOMA debuts new Fisher collection

This month, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art unveils the much-anticipated Fisher Collection, most of which has never been on public display before. Amassed over a few decades by Don and Doris Fisher, co-founders of the Gap, the collection is expected to put SFMOMA on par with London's Tate modern and New York City's MoMA in terms of post-war and contemporary art collections. The June exhibit, entitled "Calder to Warhol: Introducing the Fisher Collection," will feature about 160 works that will take over the top two floors of the museum, as well as the year-old rooftop garden. Viewers will see paintings, photography, video works, and new large scale sculpture. Warhol fans will especially appreciate Triple Elvis and Nine Multicolored Marilyns. The Fisher collection is huge in its entirety&mdash;1,100 pieces dating from 1928 to the present and representing 185 artists, including Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, Frank Stella, Chuck Close, and Richard Serra. But the collection's breadth, not its quantity, is what garners it so much praise: The Fishers made a point of collecting extensive groupings or series or works from all stages of an artist's career, thus illustrating his or her creative evolution. A little background: the Fishers initially wanted to open a standalone museum in the Presidio, but when that fell through, they opted instead to loan the collection (for 100 years!) to SFMOMA, much to locals' delight. The museum is planning a 100,000-square-foot expansion in 2016 to help house the collection&mdash;initial design concepts by various architects will be announced next year. All in all, it's an exciting time in San Francisco's art world. Calder to Warhol: Introducing the Fisher Collection, June 25-Sept. 19, 151 Third Street, admission $15. The museum is free the first Tuesday of each month, and half-price admission is available on Thursdays after 6 p.m.

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New York City: 3 harbor-area experiences

When visiting the Big Apple, definitely put downtown and the harbor on your sightseeing list. The narrow, winding streets of the Financial District are ripe with history, and the waterfront, with the Statue of Liberty as its crown jewel, always makes for a good photo op. Here are three new ways to experience this fascinating part of Manhattan, whether by land or by sea. This summer marks the first time you can have a dinner date with the one-and-only Statue of Liberty. Statue Cruises has debuted evening cruises that include dinner in the ticket price. The tours depart from Battery Park at 6 p.m. and land on Ellis Island. Guests are free to explore at leisure while munching on barbecue or other specialty dinners (menu depends on departure date). Park rangers are on-hand to give impromptu tours or answer questions. Most folks wander the grounds and then plunk down on a picnic blanket, waiting for the sun to set behind the Statue. About 1,200 tickets are available for each cruise, so our advice is to book online in advance; statue cruises are notorious for selling out. And full disclosure: On this cruise, admission to the museum and into the statue is not permitted&mdash;but the nighttime views of New York City should be enough to keep your camera clicking. June 10, July 8, 15, 22, Aug. 5, 12, 19. Tickets are $35 for adults, $28 for seniors, $15 for kids, including dinner. Book in advance at statuecruises.com or 877/523-9849. Downtown, The New York Freedom Trail is a new tour led by the National Park Service. Starting at Federal Hall, where George Washington was inaugurated, the 90-minute tour passes Bowling Green (where colonists tore down King George's statue), Trinity Church, and St. Paul's Chapel, winding north to the World Trade Center site. Federal Hall is just a few blocks from the waterfront, so this is an easy tour to tack on to your downtown explorations. Space is limited; this is another one to reserve in advance. $12 per person. Saturdays through Sept. 4; tours depart at 11 a.m. Buy tickets at nyharborparks.org. Why not splurge a little and take a lunchtime luxury cruise of the harbor&mdash;on a yacht, no less? Circle Line cruises has just partnered with World Yacht to offer two-hour narrated tours from Pier 81 through the harbor, right past the Statue of Liberty. The ticket price of $47 per person (which, let's be honest, is about what a nice dinner costs in this city&mdash;minus the boat ride) includes a gourmet buffet lunch on the Duchess. Thursdays-Saturdays, June 17-Oct. 30. Cruises begin boarding at 11:30 a.m. Book in advance at 212/630-8100 or at circleline42.com. Kids under 12 cost $25.