As a well-preserved baby boomer, I am increasingly aware of the passage of time and how little there is left of it (even if I live to be 100+, which I definitely plan on doing). I have visited only two of the places referenced in this book, and I found Schultz's descriptions to be accurate and pleasing. After reading this book, I plan to visit at least a dozen more, excluding the museums and old buildings. I'm more of an outdoors and scenery type.

And if you find yourself in need of a travel companion, I suggest Baby Boomer Bachelorette: How to Have S** At Least Once More Before You Die - AT LEAST being the operative phrase here. It's a funny and fast read, with lots of how-to info on internet dating.

This book's description of Alaska's Inside Passage partially influenced the choice of my wife's 30th birthday gift. But had we not read the rest of Schultz's Alaska chapter we would not have gotten off the ship and experienced some of the most remote and awesome lodges and heli-hiking destinations that have just returned us back home exhilarated and ready to check out her other 900-some suggestions. I lived in Italy for 13 years until recently and one could swear Ms Schultz is Italian herself, so perfectly has she chosen those Italian destinations both world-renowned and quietly hidden that make up the quintessentail Italian Experience. My feelings are the same for her coverage of a number of other European countries I feel I know almost as well and much of Asia where I travel often for business.
Who needs a travel agent?

I checked out the book's recommendations for two regions with which I'm familiar: Alaska and Massachusetts. In the case of Alaska the author recommends a couple of places that any 80-year-old on a cruise would be likely to visit. She does not mention Katmai National Park (where you can get up close and personal with bears catching salmon) or any of the other places that an Alaska resident might recommend. In the case of Massachusetts she recommends Legal Seafoods. This is a chain restaurant and if you're hungry in Washington National Airport it is a fine place to eat but it is hard to see how the various branches of Legal's qualify as one of the 1000 top places in the world.

I read this one from cover to cover - took a while but enjoyed it.

Obviously, these sort of lists are highly subjective so one could always discuss the merits of an inclusion or omission but someone has to be make one and kudos to Ms. Schultz.

That said, I can still give my opinions having been to >100 of the places she listed:

- museum list is very uneven: outside of the top 20-ish, there's got to be a thousand of fairly comparable museums in terms of quality and it puzzles me how some were selected. Aside: I am very happy that the marvelous science museum in Munich is there.

- over emphasis on USA and Gr. Britain but considering that is a book written in English, I suppose that this is expected

- the extremely expensive places can be rather meaningless. If you've got $10 000 to spend for just one day, there are plenty of extremely unique and memorable experiences one can have (presumably anyway - but if someone wants to sponsor me, I can do a bit of research...)

What I would love to see is a series of books with more focus: e.g. top Western art museums or top nature sights of S. America etc. Anyone? :)

Cheers,
sccdlc

If grandma and grandpa are getting bored in retirement, this is a fantastic book to buy them. If *you* are looking to explore the world, consider a Lonely Planet or guide better geared at the under-65 crowd.

Certainly people would quibble with my list of 1000 places, but here is why I believe this book is not appropriate for anyone who doesn't get an AARP discount:

- Euro-american focus. The book is almost insulting in its lack of coverage of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. For instance, there is nothing listed in Delhi except a restaurant vs. nine sites in over-touristed Morocco. There is virtually nothing in places not covered by travel guides, such as Central Asia and almost anywhere in Africa that doesn't have pyramids or characters from "The Lion King." Iraq is the cradle of civilization, but apparently UFOs in Roswell and Disney theme parks are more important. At least Schultz acknowledges the bias, saying that places like Kolkata and Madagascar are "arduous choices."

- Cultural insensitivity. Schultz's use of the most anglicized names possible and long-replaced colonial monikers (like Calcutta and Laotian for Kolkata and Lao) makes her occasionally sound like Mr. Burns asking for "the Prussian consulate in Siam."

- Intended for traveler-writers with unlimited budgets. Despite claiming with a straight face that she's "never a travel snob," Schultz typically choses the most expensive way to see a place. I am a travel snob, but sometimes Schultz's recommendations of tours are too outrageous even for me. For instance, Ayuthaya, Thailand, is easily reached by a comfortable air-con first class bus from Bangkok for 95 cents, but Schultz recommends a $390 tour.

- Questionable rationales. Schultz gives the Toronto Four Seasons an entry because, well, celebrities have stayed there. Never mind that the Toronto Four Seasons is potentially the most shabby, cramped, and run-down property in the chain. I have certainly never seen it on a list of Four Seasons's top properties, and the food was nothing spectacular. Entries like that make me wonder if Schultz is holding back the truly great establishments.