Like a lot of people I imagine, I consider Google Maps a lifeline for driving. I first started using it for navigation when I was living in Austin, Texas, and you can tell -- my map of the city is covered in bookmarks for everything from Ikea and Torchy's Tacos to the hospital where my son was born. I still use it regularly, whether I'm headed to the doctor or embarking on a roadtrip.
Looking up critical business info
No need for a web search
Frequently, I just want to know my options for a future shopping run, date night, or miscellaneous errand. It's certainly possible to use AI or a generic web search for this, but I find that Google Maps lets me cut to chase. The app does a pretty decent job of centralizing everything I might be concerned about, and Google of course collects massive amounts of data.
Many restaurant listings include menus upfront, saving me the trouble of jumping from site to site to figure out if there's something I'd actually want to order.
Basics include the likes of phone numbers, web links, and operating hours. Those hours tend to be trustworthy, as long as business care about how they're represented, and you'll get warnings around holiday hours if they might be shorter than normal. A feature I know many people like is the ability to check activity trends -- if you absolutely hate crowds, you can use Google's charts to avoid them.
Something I use Maps for semi-regularly is figuring out where to eat. Beyond being able to search for cuisines, like tacos or sushi, many restaurant listings include menus upfront, saving me the trouble of jumping from site to site to figure out if there's something I'd actually want to order. It's especially important now that I live in Edmonton rather than Austin -- trying to find quality Tex-Mex can be a challenge here.
Plotting PEV and biking routes
Your mileage may vary
It's probably no secret to anyone that the popularity of PEVs is growing. These days, I see people riding e-bikes on a regular basis, and electric scooters have gone from being ridiculed to an everyday commuting tool. My own vehicle of choice is an electric unicycle (EUC), specifically a Veteran Patton like the one in the photo above. It's so powerful that if I was a better rider, I could keep up with car traffic everywhere but the highway.
For bike paths, Google Maps can be immensely handy, or at least handier than Apple Maps, which doesn't seem to have as much trail info.
I'm still a relative newcomer, though, and pretty risk-averse, so I mostly stick to bike paths. For that, Google Maps can be immensely handy, or at least handier than Apple Maps, which doesn't seem to have as much trail info where I live. Both apps can have their gaps -- the path right near my house, for instance, is completely missing, even though my housing development has been around for a couple of years.
I'm hoping that Google will do more to address this in the future, since PEVs and conventional bikes are a more economical way to get around when weather cooperates. Not that weather is always a problem -- some of my fellow EUC riders are commuting through snow and ice. Me, I'm still worried about taking a tight turn.
Making travel plans
Marking targets of opportunity
I've been an obsessive travel planner ever since I first moved to the US. I migrated solo, so I was terrified that if I didn't plan properly, I'd end up lost, stranded, or broke. Those thoughts still haunt me, even though I'm usually traveling with my wife or a friend now.
You shouldn't just limit yourself to bookmarking airports, hotels, train stations, and major destinations, though. I've used Maps to explore surrounding neighborhoods, labeling anything that might be a point of interest if the time is available, or useful in case of emergency. When I visited Berlin in 2012, I bookmarked a few places I never ended up going to, and others I did visit simply because they were convenient. Google has dedicated "Want to Go" and "Travel Plans" labels now, which makes it easier to sort things out. I sometimes find myself using those in my own city.
A lot of hotels, restaurants, and attractions sound great in the abstract, but can turn out to be dumps once you check out their photos and reviews.
In many circumstances, Maps can be an invaluable form of recon. A lot of hotels, restaurants, and attractions sound great in the abstract, but can turn out to be dumps once you check out their photos and reviews. With better locations, you might still find out about quirks and requirements you wouldn't have been aware of otherwise -- if you want to see the inside of the Reichstag, for example, you need to schedule a tour months in advance.
Scouting out a new home
Doing your homework pays off
I've lived in four different cities so far -- Ottawa, Austin, Calgary, and Edmonton -- and had to explore the possibility of moving to variety of others. If you haven't visited somewhere before, much less lived there, the prospect can be intimidating. There are all sorts of potential pitfalls: dangerous neighborhoods, bad roads, figuring out where your child is going to go to school, and more. Then you have to sort out the mundane details, like where you're going to get groceries.
Remember, you're going to have be comfortable with this place for months or years -- if anything feels off, this is your chance to back out.
Google Maps is invaluable for this. It's not going to show you rental rates or house values, but once you've got a general sense of where you need to be and what you can afford, it can help rule some locations in or out. A house that looks like a great deal on paper may turn out to be in a rundown area without decent amenities. Conversely, a little poking around can reveal pleasant surprises, such as easy bike routes or a gym within walking distance.
Street View is surprisingly important, mostly because real estate photos never tell the complete story. If you're interested in a listing, I recommend spending a few minutes at street level to get a sense not just of its immediatate surroundings, but what it would be like to live and commute in a neighborhood. Remember, you're going to have be comfortable with this place for months or years -- if anything feels off, this is your chance to back out. Choosing a better spoit might actually result in higher resale values if you're lucky enough to become a homeowner.