I first saw Rand McNally's fabMAP in the Garden District Book Store in New Orleans (great book store, if you happen to visit New Orleans). It is a waterproof, tear-proof map that Rand McNally makes for various cities, and sells for $5.95. It covered a small area of New Orleans, so I decided not to get it. Now the other day I am in my local camera store, and I see a bin of cloth lens cleaners, selling for $5.95 each. Suddenly the cloth fabMAP doesn't seem so expensive! It can easily be folded up and stuffed into your camera bag. When I got mine, it said it was machine washable, microfiber cloth, that can even be used to clean your glasses.
Imagine a cloth that you can use to clean your lenses (or your eye glasses) that also has a map of downtown Chicago (or Las Vegas Strip, Midtown Manhattan Theatre District, Washington D.C. Mall, Waikiki, Hollywood-Beverly Hills, San Francisco Golden Gate Park-Haight Ashbury, New Orleans French Quarter, Miami's South Beach, Key West, Seattle's Pike Place Market, San Antonio River Walk, Denver's 16th Street Mall or San Diego's Balboa Park). You can get them here, along with many other great Rand McNally maps and things. Search for fabmap.
Update 11-16-2008
Rand-McNally let me know that they are having a contest (see 3rd comment) where you could win a $500 gift card, or a brand new Buddy Scooter (valued at $2,000)! They want you to send them a photo or short video documenting your fabMAP adventures by December 5th, 2008. Go to iNeverGetLost.com and check it out. And if you go to their website now, the fabMAPs are all on sale for $2 (regularly $4.95), with free shipping! I'm going back for more (Midtown Manhattan, Washington D.C., New Orleans French Quarter)!!
