Google My Maps Roundup
With the recent advent of Google's My Maps, users netwide have created all kinds of customized Google Maps mashups without entering a line of code. Though there's indeed been a flood of maps, most are of minor utility or for amusement only. A good way to check up on the latest noteworthy uses of My Maps is via sites like Google Maps Mania (general news and notable examples) or Ongopongo (a bulk directory of Google Maps mashups). In this first generation, we found several user-created My Maps worth a look. Some are useful, some informative, some illustrative, and some just worth a slight chuckle. If you have examples of good My Maps -- crafted by others or by your own hand -- let us know. After the jump, we got burgers, salsa, Grand Theft Auto, and exploding tanker trucks.
Brett Jackson's: Burger Hunt NYC: Collated from Chowhound posts, here's a rundown of New Yorkers' favorite joints for hamburgers. Includes copious detail and linkage.
Borough, London lunch places: Very droll, scant in detail, and British, this personal map tracks a handful of lunch spots near Borough Market. Fancy some "posh bangers?" They're noted as "quite unhealthy" but recommended anyway. Lots of crap chains, but perhaps a few solid choices for street food.
Craig La Ban's Favorite 76: Created by Philadelphia foodblog Foobooz, this map details the 76 favorite restaurants as rated by Philadelphia Inquirer dining critic Craig La Ban. Pushpins are color-coded by rating, with some venues linked to reviews and bloggy mentions.
The Googleplex: A simple map of photos describing casual working life at Google's headquarters. More cute than useful, but cute enough.
Grand Theft Auto IV Locations: Based on the drooling buzz for the upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV video game, one user attempts to overlay the game's "Liberty City" onto its real-life counterpart, New York.
Healthy Eats on Miami Beach: This map has almost no depth of detail, but it does point out a dozen-plus ostensibly healthy dining spots in the area.
LA Salsa Clubs - Unlikely Salsero: Only notes a trio of places to dance salsa in Los Angeles, but gives decent detail on each one.
New Orleans French Quarter: Supposedly "places of great interest," some are debatable (Walgreens? True Value?). But it's a nice collection of local and touristy restaurants and bars, plus a little Jazzfest help thrown in.
Obscure Street food in Eastern Jackson Heights: How niche can you get? This map notes various street-food stops in a section of the Queens, New York, neighborhood of Jackson Heights, as described by Jim Leff, the original Chowhound.
Tanker fire destroys part of MacArthur Maze at the Bay Bridge: Yesterday, a gasoline tanker exploded on a San Francisco freeway flyover, causing the bridgework to collapse and blocking the freeway below. This very simple map just shows exactly where the destroyed highway section lies.
-- Chris Mohney
