Sunset (1-year auto-renewal)

I subscribed to Sunset for years, like 25 years and then gave it a rest about 3 years ago because it wasn't of much interest to me. I recently subscribed again when Amazon did a sale on this. What a total waste of money.

Sunset used to have a large section on gardening and things to do in your garden for each month. They also recommended new and different plants, sources to obtain them, what to plant and when, etc. This latest December issue had one stinking page with a new rose variety on it, nothing about how to prepare your garden, basically nothing at all. It did have an article in the gardening section on how to create a table centerpiece from pine cones and pine branch clippings. Wow! How unique.

What this entire magazine has become is a strange food magazine with a couple of travel articles on where to find expensive restaurants in the state.

Sunset should return to what it once knew how to do...show you how to build an outdoor project, focus on gardening and landscaping, places of interest in the West, home improvement projects, and toss in a decent recipe each month. It seems as if those days are long gone and no wonder it's not a staple at the supermarket checkout any longer.

I first came across Sunset after moving to Oregon and seeing it in a local store. Wanting to immerse myself in all things related to my new home, and hoping this was the regional equivalent of Southern Living (which Amazon[.com] also sells and which I recommend heartily), I bought the current issue. After looking through the copious pictures, travel news, and recipes, I immediately sent away for a subscription, and I've not been disappointed by any issue I've received.

Every month, I've seen places in the area that I wouldn't have known about, or maybe wouldn't have had time to take a trip to see. The recipes every month have also sounded very tasty, though until now I haven't actually tried to use any of them. The only weakness I see is that, for a regional monthly magazine, it's a little skimpy in its listing of upcoming local events, even for "large" cities like Portland. However, over the long term that won't matter much these are magazines you'll want to keep long after those lists are stale.

I've just had to relocate away from Oregon for employment reasons, but this subscription is like a monthly present from the area, reminding me why I moved there in the first place, and bringing bits and pieces across the country into my new home. Just writing this has got me anxious to try a recipe or two, as I'm sure they, like the magazine, will bring back the "flavor" of the region for me once more.

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My Grandmother used to give me all her Sunset Magazines when she was done looking through them. Now my Aunt is carrying on the family tradition of keeping a subscription going.

A unique feature in this magazine is the Recipe Index. You can also find ideas for Travel and Recreation, Garden and Outdoor Living, Home and Design and of course Food and Entertaining. The monthly columns are quite unique. Like in the December 2001 issue, Peter Fish wrote an article about The voice of Christmas which is about Bing Crosby.

In the middle of the magazine, you can find a postcard that says: Information worth sending for. They do all the work for you...you just have to circle the information number to receive information on everything from International Travel to products you see advertised. They never leave you wondering where to find a unique product as they have a "Sources: Where to Find It" section.

The Holiday Section always has me dreaming! Who would not want to walk on the Multnomah Falls Trail in Oregon or stand on a log bridge over a river and just dream a day away. Sometimes I would just like to dissolve into some of the pictures. Especially the last issue, where they showed a cabin in the woods with Christmas Lights in Stehekin, Washington.

If you live in Washington, this is a MUST HAVE!

The January 2002 issue has an article on kayaks and a recipe for French Cream with Blueberry Pudding.

Reading this magazine is really almost a family traditon!

~The Rebecca Review

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Sunset is a magazine dedicated to the people, culture, and lifestyle of the American west. This magazine divides its space among many different topics, such as food and entertainment, travel, recreation, gardening and more.

I have been reading this magazine for about six months now and there are several things about it that make it worthwhile. The thing that stands out the most are the photographs, and I'm not talking about just the stunning scenery one normally associates with the West (like the National Parks or the coastline). Even the ordinary pictures are striking. In the Gardening section, for example, it is common to find pictures of family homes that have beautifully landscaped yards full of blossoming flowers and colorful plants. In the Home & Design section, one can find nice photographs of home interiors, showing different designs and furniture.

One of the most unique qualities of Sunset is the fact that it is published in five different editions. There is a specially designed issue for the Northwest (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, and British Columbia), Northern California (Northern California and the majority of Nevada), Southern California (Southern California and Hawaii), The Southwest (Arizona, New Mexico, and the Las Vegas area of Nevada), and Rocky Mountain (Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah). This is a nice idea and it's one that other magazines should consider emulating. Based on where you live or where you have an active interest, this will be the region that your issue spends its pages covering. My subscription is for the Northern California region, so I am treated each month to articles about places like San Francisco, Sacramento, Reno (Nevada), Lake Tahoe, etc.

One of the specialties of this magazine is food and it is common to find recipes throughout every issue. There is a special section set aside for food, but one can expect to find food articles and recipes everywhere as they read. Even the cover page of each issue features a food dish. And as you might guess, the featured recipes are generally those types of cuisine normally associated with each specific region of the west, with plenty of generic recipes thrown in to make sure everyone has something to cook.

One of the specialty sections of this magazine that I like is the "Value Vacation"a subsection of Travel & Recreation. This section highlights a specific place to travel and then offers a day by day breakdown of things to do and places to see, with the cost for each itemized so you know exactly what to expect. The highlighted city or tourist area can be anyplace in the west and isn't limited to the region that your issue covers. This section is nice because it lets you see in black & white what it will cost for a few days of budget entertainment. It reminds me of some of the television programs shown on the Travel Channel.

Advertisements cover about 40 to 50 percent of the pages of each issue and they are often found in bunches in the front and back and on alternating pages for much of the rest of each issue (typical for most magazines). The ads can center on all sorts of different things. Because this is a combination travel/culture/food/entertainment/home & garden/living magazine, the ads cover a wide range of products and services, from laundry detergent to credit cards to cat food.

Overall, Sunset has proven itself an enjoyable magazine. I don't live in the western United States but this region is my favorite part of the country, so it makes sense that I would find something of value in this publication. I like the photography, the personal stories, the gardening and decorating ideas, and most other aspects of this magazine. If you're dead set in your ways and refuse to read about anything that deviates from your Eastern, Southern, or Midwestern lifestyle, then you may not like Sunset. But for the majority of people, Sunset has much to offer with pages and pages of eyecatching pictures and friendly articles about life in the American West.

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This magazine is an excellent reference. My wife and I frequently turn to the current and past issues looking for reciepes, weekend getaways, gardening, and ideas for design and decorating. The magazine's focus is on the west, so most articles relate to activities and places in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and Western Montana. Sunset has great ideas for your life on the West Coast.

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