Maps for sale in Chicago

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OK, I'm a map junkie.  Whenever I travel somewhere, I need to go out and find a map of the city or area.  As I'm reading the guide books about the city, I like to lay out the map and get a feel for the surrounding area.  Sure, the little maps in the guide books will do in a pinch.  But for me, there's nothing better than laying out a full size map to get a big picture of the area I'm reading about (or ready to travel to). There used to be a bricks and mortar Savvy Traveler on Michigan Avenue, but they are only online now.  I'm sure they still have the great selection they had at the store, but sometimes you like to walk into an actual store and check out the goods.  Rand McNally used to have a beautiful store on Michigan Avenue (444 N Michigan) as well, but that has since closed. The various Barnes and Noble stores have a respectable map section.  If you're looking for good travel books and maps, try these folks out before they go the way of Bord...
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Chicago Traffic

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I've tried different sites, but keep coming back to the GCM Travel website (Gary-Chicago-Milwaukee Corridor). If you live in Chicago, click on My Travel and put in the expressways that you commonly travel. It uses cookies, so the next time you pull up the site, you can click on Reports, then Travel Times and it will show you the current travel time (Travel Time), the average historical travel time (Average Travel Time), distance and speed between various points. And if you click on the hyperlink for Average Travel Time, it will pull up a graph showing peak travel times during the day. This can be very helpful: leaving an hour before or after the peak can make a world of difference for your commute time!

Update June 12, 2008

Ok, I have to add to this post. I've been trying out the traffic.com website lately and like one of the features. You put in your A (starting point) and B (destination) addresses, and it will show you the most direct route, with an estimated time of arrival. But even better, it will show you an alternate route with the time estimate. Sometimes the Kennedy or Eisenhower are locked up like a parking lot. In times like these, it helps to have a computerized alternate method! And when I've tested it, it periodically adjusts the route, depending on the traffic level on the surrounding roads. Give it a try!

Another trusted standby is the mapquest.com site. This is especially useful if you want a detailed map of the route. You can also add more than one point on your trip, and search for restaurants, retail, hotels, etc. at the destination. Hit the Directions button at the top, and put in your A and B addresses. You can save addresses, such as home and work, and not have to type them in everytime you use mapquest. If you want to find a coffee shop (or restaurant, hotels, bars, coffee, pizza, movie theaters, etc.) near your destination, hit the 'search nearby' link underneath the address, and type in what you're looking for! You can also do this for point A, C, D, etc.

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Maps for sale in Chicago

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OK, I'm a map junkie.  Whenever I travel somewhere, I need to go out and find a map of the city or area.  As I'm reading the guide books about the city, I like to lay out the map and get a feel for the surrounding area.  Sure, the little maps in the guide books will do in a pinch.  But for me, there's nothing better than laying out a full size map to get a big picture of the area I'm reading about (or ready to travel to). There used to be a bricks and mortar Savvy Traveler on Michigan Avenue, but they are only online now.  I'm sure they still have the great selection they had at the store, but sometimes you like to walk into an actual store and check out the goods.  Rand McNally used to have a beautiful store on Michigan Avenue (444 N Michigan) as well, but that has since closed. The various Barnes and Noble stores have a respectable map section.  If you're looking for good travel books and maps, try these folks out before they go the way of Bord...
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