The New York Times 36 Hours: 150 Weekends in the USA & Canada

edited by Barbara Ireland

My ideal home would have colorful, hardcover coffee table books of all sizes stacked eclectically throughout.  There are several I currently yearn to add to my gradually-developing collection, including The New York Times 36 Hours: 150 Weekends in the USA & Canada.

Traveling to far-off, foreign destinations is so glamorized that we often overlook the beauty and interest of the vast country that is our home. The concept of finding unexplored treasures just around the corner in Iowan farmland or the frenzied street corners of Chicago infinitely intrigues me.

Through practical yet packed itineraries, the flexibound guide directs readers how to experience the full range of opportunity and personality of cities and towns across the U.S. in an abbreviated 36-hour period. The book is an anthology of the popular column that has run weekly in The Times since 2002.  With full-color photographs and maps, 36 Hours is an interactive work of art, inspiration and call to action.