The editor:

Barbara Ireland, a writer and editor based in western New York State, is a former deputy travel editor and deputy Op-Ed page editor at the New York Times. While on the Times staff, she commissioned and edited many "36 Hours" columns and wrote a few herself. She is a graduate of Cornell University and was a John S. Knight journalism fellow at Stanford University.

The ultimate travel guide to the USA and Canada

To travel in North America is to face a delicious quandary: over these vast spaces, with so many riches from glittering cities to eccentric small towns and heart-stoppingly beautiful mountains and plains, how to experience as much as possible in limited time? One answer is the quick hit, a jam-packed adventure that delivers a full sense of a single place’s opportunities and personalities over a well-plotted two-night stay.

The New York Times has been offering up dream weekends with practical itineraries in its popular weekly "36 Hours" column since 2002. The many expert contributors, experienced travelers, and accomplished writers all have brought careful research, insider's knowledge, and a sense of fun to hundreds of cities and destinations, always with an eye to getting the most out of a short trip. Want to read what Sam Sifton suggests in his beloved borough of Brooklyn, or David Carr advises in Minneapolis, Mark Bittman in Death Valley, or Ariel Kaminer in Lower Manhattan? Here is where to do it, with full-color photographs to entice you and handy maps to guide you.

In this book, the Times and TASCHEN bring together updated and new versions of "36 Hours" columns in 150 U.S. and Canadian locations, from the great urban centers on everyone’s travel list to surprising locales with undiscovered character and charm. The paths lead to fashionable clubs in Manhattan, blues joints in the Mississippi Delta, architectural treasures tucked in the Pennsylvania hills, the French America of Quebec, the seaside cliffs and Hollywood cool of California, and well beyond. For a taste of adventure and a veritable journey throughout the continent, explore 36 Hours in America.

* 150 North American destinations, from metropolitan hot spots to unexpected hideaways

* Practical recommendations for over 600 restaurants and 450 hotels

* Color-coded tabs and ribbons bookmark your favorite cities in each region

* Nearly 1,000 photos, most of them from The New York Times archive

* Small enough to throw in your suitcase, big enough to enjoy from your favorite reading chair

* All stories have been updated and adapted for this volume by Barbara Ireland, a veteran Times travel editor

* New illustrations by Times illustrator Olimpia Zagnoli of Milan, Italy

* Easy-to-reference indexes

* Detailed city-by-city maps pinpoint every stop on your itinerary