Victoria: Secrets of the City

Ann Turner is the financial and budget manager of the University of
British Columbia Library.

With the publication of its revised and expanded second edition, the
Vancouver secrets guidebook is joined by a sister publication revealing
Victoria’s secrets. Residents as well as tourists will enjoy exploring
the two cities with these fact-filled, offbeat guides in hand. Indeed,
many already have, as the first edition of Vancouver secrets, published
in 1998, went through three printings. The information is organized
under the same chapter headings in both guides: “Landmarks and
Destinations,” “Transportation,” “Sports, Leisure and the
Outdoors,” “Dining,” “Literature and the Arts,”
“Shopping,” “Media and Entertainment,” “Nightlife,”
“Notoriety,” and “Living.” The Victoria guide has one additional
chapter, “Gathering Places,” which includes all manner of public
spaces from coffee houses to cemeteries (“final gatherings”).

In addition to serving up the usual guidebook lists of recommended
places with addresses and phone numbers, these guides provide a wealth
of interesting and unusual background information about their subjects,
including anecdotes, statistics, black-and-white photographs, and
little-known factoids of the strange-but-true variety. The writing is
lighthearted and full of humor, an enjoyable read even if you never step
outside the door. Both guides are well indexed and recommended.