Southern California is inviting, appealing, and a bit overwhelming. There"s so much of it that it"s easy to feel lost, even discouraged. The area presents a challenge for a travel guide, a challenge to which Kim Weir has risen admirably. She covers hundreds of accommodations, places to eat, recreations, sports, museums, sights--all without losing her audience. With extensive coverage of outdoor adventures (such as whale watching, surfing, hiking, biking, kayaking, and camping), interesting articles on the Santa Ana winds and California cuisine, plus the low-down on Disneyland, Universal Studios, and how to negotiate the freeway tangle, Weir has pulled together a compact, elegant, and extremely useful guide.