BOOKBEAT | Another Seattle guide: Dislike at first sight, and yet...

Almost everyone wants to be an insider — the publishers of the series “Not for Tourists Guide to (fill in the city)” count on that. 

Packaged in a sturdy, portable format, this map-and-neighborhood-based guide to international cities does Amsterdam, London, New York, Boston and other destinations. And, since 2008, Seattle, too.

The fifth, updated edition is now out.  Dislike for “Not For Tourists” sometimes tragically hip. snarkiness comes easy - and yet the book has the capacity to grow on you.

Dislike for the book’s sometimes tragically hip, snarkiness comes easy, and yet the book has the capacity to grow on you. 

The introduction, to begin at the beginning, is slightly emetic: “So what brought you to Seattle? Airplanes? Coffee? Please, don’t tell us it was Kurt. Seriously? Are there still deluded youngsters hopping Greyhounds and freight trains for the Emerald City in hopes of reflected glory that they’ll never find? Try Haight Street or the Sunset Strip.… Anywho, ever since the city’s humble beginnings….”

And, yet, the boilerplate information is impressive, covering categories like parks, transit, sports, arts and entertainment (including how to book a theater ticket), kids stuff, rainy-day stuff, restaurants and nightlife, landmarks and hospitals. 

The neighborhood maps are clear and useful. The way Seattle’s neighborhoods are broken down into 41 headings makes sense.

“Not For Tourists” has done its homework.

Of Alki Beach: “The closest Seattle gets to SoCal for two months a year.” 

Or, noting Fremont’s Lenin statue: “The irony grows stronger with every new condo.” 

The Experience Music Project deservedly takes it in the neck, if it has one: “A billionaire’s rock memorabilia collection and a public eyesore.”

“Not for Tourists” strikes a properly reverential tone in Discover Park and waxes lyrical, discerningly so, in Gas Works Park: “If ever you feel disenchanted with Seattle, head directly to Gas Works Park and stand at the top of the kite-flying hill. Even on a dreary day, the strange combination of water, sky and rusted metal is dramatic, and the juxtaposition of natural beauty and urban architecture should be sufficient to remind you why you live here.”

It’s difficult to know what “Not For Tourists” has left out: Everything under the noonday cloud cover seems to be here.

“Not For Tourists Guide to Seattle,” Skyhorse Publishing. 384 pages. $19.95.