Community Chat

[Q-Checker]

I use Mapquest directions that I find online and jot them down on a piece of paper taped to thr steering wheel-- I am a proud low-tech old lady! And I still have a pretty large collection of maps from many local and distant car trips, which I keep in the trunk of my car. Maybe they will become a collector's item in the distant future?

[Venezia]

There are places where I live (businesses and such) that state on their websites NOT to use Google Map directions or you'll end up on a dirt road in the boondocks.

Once while traveling to somewhere with a visiting friend, she was "reading" the Google instructions.  We came to a busy road junction (no lights) and I was going to turn right.  I'd been that way before, but she insisted that Google said to go straight on.

It took me ages and courage to whizz across the road in a gap.  And, I kid you not, we went across for miles, turn right...miles...turn right...miles.

And where did we end up?  Back at the road we would've been on, had I turned right at the junction!  And now I had to get back across it to go left!

Another time Google almost got me mired down on a tiny dirt road, on a magical, mystery tour that brought me back to the road I'd been on!

Thank you, but I trust my own navigational skills more and I always keep an Atlas in my car.

[Venezia]

Oh yeah - and there's the time this same friend and I were visiting Pigeon Forge.  On the morning we were leaving, we printed out Google directions.

Thankfully, I showed them to the nice guy (turned out to be the hotel manager) at the checkout desk.  He looked, crossed out the first two or three directions and told us to just stay straight down the road until we came to a sign for the highway.

He said Google was no doubt "trying to be helpful" but, had we followed their directions, we would've gotten lost on a very narrow mountain road and we never would've made it to the airport for our flight!

People need to marry these "helpful" tech solutions with common sense.

(I miss MapQuest; they were always pretty accurate.)

[roeroe1005]

@monicakm,

You must have been following me today!  So funny you bring this subject up.

I have no sense of direction.  Never have.  I remember getting lost when a main street in the area I grew up in, changed to one way and I could not figure how to get home.  I'm a lost cause.  

Never could read a map either.  

I had a Garmin in my car that was always on.  When I finally got a car with navagation, I was over the moon.  But still got lost.  I think WAZE gets a $1 for every unnecessary turn they have you make.  Ugh.

When I lived in Delaware, I had WAZE set up every time I left my development.  And since I moved back to NY ... forget it..  Today I actually drove by my development.    I'm a mess.  

[Q-Checker]

@Venezia I use Mapquest and find it online. Last used, a couple of months ago.

[monicakm]

You have to be kidding @Franklinbell   I have a dear friend who used to live in CT but now in FL.  Her name is Nora.  If you tell me your mom's name is Nora...LOL  She makes pound cakes for EVERYone from the butcher to the ladies in the Dr's office to the mailman.  If she's leaving the house, she has a pound cake with her.  Gosh, the homemade bread and fried chicken sound wonderful too.  Must have made for some memorable trips

[monicakm]

@Bonkers1 

That's a whole different topic.  I bet Elon Musk 

could do it but that's about it (g)

[monicakm]

@Venezia 

I think Google Maps and others are continuing to improve.  I like Waze more than Google.

[monicakm]

@Venezia 

People need to marry these "helpful" tech solutions with common sense.

For sure.

[monicakm]

@roeroe1005 

I do know that big cities like NYC with tall buildings can have horrible issues with GPS because of interference.  

Today I actually drove by my development.  

Too funny (g)