If you are looking for an inexpensive and easy-to-carry guide of San Francisco, here are two books you might consider purchasing. Where San Francisco Eat! and Where San Francisco CityGuide cost $9.95 each and are published by Globe Pequot Press. The books are small enough to easily fit in a nook or cranny in your car, or to slip effortlessly into a purse or a pocket.

Each book contains two general maps of San Francisco. One is a map of the city and Golden Gate Park while the other’s focus is the downtown area. Although small, the maps are easy to read and highlight special points of interest.

As the name suggests, Where San Francisco Eat! is all about food. The listings are arranged by 12 neighborhoods with each restaurant’s cuisine and price range defined. Each section also has a full-page map of the neighborhood showing the location of the restaurants mentioned.

The Cityguide features a range of activities from sightseeing attractions to shopping and eating options. The only full-page supplementary maps are of Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39, the greater Bay Area with ferry routes, and the city’s public transit system.

Although both books offer the same pop-out maps, I prefer the Eat! guide because of the more detailed neighborhood maps that accompany the restaurant listings. Not only do you get more bang for your buck map-wise, but the variety of restaurants listed provides quite a few opportunities for sampling San Francisco’s ethnic fare.

The only downside with these two exceptionally handy map guides is the “pop-out” feature. If you open the map up too far, it may not fold back properly. I must admit I learned this the hard way, but not to worry. If you can’t make the map behave as intended, just fold it horizontally!