The New York Times: 36 Hours USA & Canada, Northeast Flexibound by Barbara Ireland (Taschen)

I'm not sure how long "The New York Times" has run this feature, but as a subscriber since 1964 it seems like an institution in my traveling life. We've used it for dozens of cities; a few that come to mind are Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, New Orleans, Seattle, Portland (Maine and Washington), Santa Fe, the Grand Canyon, and many, many more.

The pattern is almost always the same with a pleasant mix of restaurants, night spots, museums, walks, all keyed to a rather frantic, but nonetheless, achievable visit. On four occasions we followed the itinerary exactly, and were surprised that they were very accurate.

It is well worth while to visit the travel website and search on the target city no matter how recent the 36 Hour tour has been published. Sometimes late breaking stories (or even much older ones) suggest changes in the itinerary that prove to be fascinating.

And, even if you don't plan to go to a city, it is great fun to visit a new place using the 36 Hour tour, and then exploring further online, often on the resources listed in the tour.

I'm not sure how or if the "Times" will update this excellent travel reference. My only suggestion would be that it be published in a Kindle version -- it would make a great iPhone application add-on on the ground in the target city. I know that for sure: I often convert the 36 Hour page to a text version on the "Times" website, copy the text, and email it to myself. Works like a charm, but that work around won't work with a hard copy version like this one.