You know those “36 Hours” travel columns you’ve been saving from the New York Times for years? The ones that are stuffed away in a folder somewhere, shredded at the corners, turning yellow and brittle, but you couldn’t throw them out because you were dreaming of the day they’d be stuffed in a suitcase, ready to take you on a perfectly-guided weekend trip?

Toss them! The NYT teamed up with Taschen to reprint the best 150 of them into what might just be my favorite travel book ever (well, perhaps the second best, followed only by Taschen’s Paris): The New York Times 36 hours. It has photos, pinpointed maps, restaurants, hotels, shopping, museums…but only the best of the best, so you don’t waste your time wondering which historical site is a must-see. It’s the perfect antidote to those overstuffed, overwhelming two-hundred-page guidebooks you typically buy for a weekend trip.

The book is broken up by geographical quadrant, so you can thumb through, say, the Southwest and decide whether to hit Scottsdale or Santa Fe. Once you’ve made up your mind? Photocopy a few pages (a much better fit for your crossbody travel bag anyway), and you’re set. It also makes for pretty wonderful imaginary trips…you can picture yourself strolling down the cobble-stoned streets of Boston or the waterfront of Seattle, and there are just enough photos to make it sufficiently tantalizing for mental travel.

Nab it now…and pick up an extra while you’re at it. Something tells me this will be a no-brainer holiday gift for at least 3 people on your list.

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