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please do not read lonely planet. lp is destroying the planet. a single mention in these book wreaks havoc on the local economy. a visit to the backpacker infested hellholes of thailand and laos will turn you off for good. read wikipedia instead. eschew lp.
I hear you, cixa, and I do agree about not religiously following LP, especially in non first world countries. But these city guides for north america are both pretty handy and fairly benign. Telling tourists in DC that Adams Morgan has bars isn't really going to ruin the aesthetic of the neighbourhood. Plus, these things are actually pretty sweet. I used one the other week in NY and it was awesome. No data required (after the initial download), so a great map with a little blue dot to tell me where I was, plus little pin points to show me metro stops and other places of interest like famous bars and restaurants, all without having to have a data plan. Awesome.