October 21, 2005

Tiny, subtle subway maps for your pocket or wallet

There are plenty of ways to tip off a New Yorker that you're a tourist, but the No. 1 surefire way is to pull out one of those huge maps on the subway, afraid the person sitting next to you wouldn't help even if you had the courage to ask where you should exit for Macy's.

If you prefer subtlety, or heaven forbid you live here and you haven't memorized the entire public transportation map, pick up a credit-card sized map you can stick in your wallet.

Anton Miles Co. has been making several versions of these little cheat sheets for years, with Manhattan subways, Brooklyn and Queens subways, a Lower Manhattan street map and even Central Park with nearby museums. You find them at some bookshops or bodegas around town or the Transit Museum annex at Grand Central Terminal.

The newest one out there is from Tauranac Maps, which is almost 11 inches long but accordians into the credit card size. The advantage to the Tauranac version is that it has Manhattan subways on the front and all the bus routes on the back. Also, it's the most up to date; it's the only one without the 9 subway line, which was retired in May.

The Tauranac map sells for $2.95 and is available at Urban Center Books at 457 Madison Ave., just behind St. Patrick's Cathedral. Map.

Related: Manhattan User's Guide on Maps
MUG Maps, Part 2
Justin Ferate's favorite NYC maps
NY Public Library's permanent collection of maps
"Treasured Maps" exhibit at NYPL through April 9
Forgotten NY's Lower Manhattan street necrology.
About.com's guide to NYC maps

Earlier: Mapping roundup: new ways to shop, eat, traverse

October 21, 2005 08:48 AM in Maps, Transportology

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