In this follow-up to The 50 States, Gabrielle Balkan explores 50 cities across the United States, celebrating along the way the people and culture that have shaped the cities.
Each city's map, on its own spread, is annotated with short text and colorful icons. Key features include a "Welcome Box" providing a quick introduction to the city, a sidebar detailing a timeline for a perfect day and spotlights on neighborhoods and inspiring locals. Eight cities that didn't make the cut are rounded up in an end-of-the-book wish list to encourage further discovery. Explorers, wanderlusters and geography buffs will spend hours poring over each page. And the fun doesn't stop after digesting all 2,000-plus facts--as an added bonus, there is a 50-item search-and-find that launches from the endpapers. --Lana Barnes, freelance reviewer and proofreader