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Guidebook or History Book?
WPA Guide to California PosterApparently, it is illegal to use your cell phone while driving in Los Angeles. I learned this the hard way when I journeyed to California this summer to see what the hype was about. I dedicated 2 months of my summer to California basically to understand why so many people loved it. I am from Northern Virginia, ten minutes outside of Washington D.C. I can’t even count the number of times I have been to California to visit, but this summer I was on a mission to see the “real” California (whatever that meant). For me, this meant doing the “touristy” things as well as trying to experience the local scene. Anyways, where I’m from, being on your cell phone while driving isn’t an illegal traffic regulation, so how was I supposed to know any better? This is where the “California: A Guide to the Golden State” WPA guide would have come in handy.
I had never seen a WPA guide before reading the one about California. I was shocked that there were so many details in the book because I am used to the more modern travel guides. Everything from flowers grown in different areas to traffic regulations was noted. It seemed as though I was reading more of a mini history book on California rather than a guide book. The guidebook was an amalgamation of a history lesson, tour guide, picture book, and law book.
Maybe because I have been brainwashed by modern day tourism, but the guidebooks were a little overwhelming for me. It seems as though good tour guides today have made the WPA guides more concise while still including important information. Of course, modern day tour guides are much shorter than the WPA guides, so every detail isn’t available. Even so, reading the WPA guide didn’t make me want to travel, I merely felt overwhelmed with information and lists of attractions. I feel that travel guides should be an overview to catch the tourist’s attention (once again, I could just be brainwashed by modern tourism). The histories and such should be left for the tourist to learn at the actual attraction. A guide to the state should be less dense, while guides to specific niche markets can hone in on the details. Of course, all these ideas probably weren’t the WPA’s main concerns, so, for the first try, “California: A Guide to the Golden State”, was extremely comprehensive.
I felt the same way when I
I felt the same way when I read the New York City WPA Guide. There were so many details that I couldn't imagine any traveler desiring to know (in just the Washington Square section which spanned several pages, there was significant detail regarding who previously owned, who lived there, what kind of architecture it was, etc.). I now find this all much more interesting than I would had I been a tourist back in the 1930s. I think it's also important to remember the driving force behind these guides. They were part of the WPA which sought to put people to work during the Depression. Perhaps our conventional tour guide might not have been so effective in accomplishing that purpose?