Knowing that Gothamist likes all things New York, Urban Mapping sent us the Dynamap, a map geared towards tourists that layers three kinds of maps (street map, subway map, and neighborhood map) into one. The Urban Mapping technology compounds images that are then calibrated to a "specially designed polymer lens substrate" or imagine a sophisticated hologram. You tilt the map to see neighborhoods, then tilt it a little differently to see the streets. Tilt it again to see the actual subway lines (which is nicer than just seeing what subways are at which stops since some lines curve and careen).
The map covers Manhattan from Battery Park to 70th Street, which covers most of the usual tourist areas. On the back of the map, beside having locations of some places of interest and shopping destinations, there's a little guide to "Getting Around New York" that's helpful for even the native New Yorker, which things like "Little West 12th Street is not the same as West 12th Street" and "There are 3 Broadways and they are not the same" - all the stuff we had to learn by a lot of trial and error. As we do with any map of New York, we spent some time studying Manhattan (there are so many tiny streets, like Baruch Place off Houston and Staple Street in TriBeCa). Good times.
You can find the Dynamap at many NY stores, like Flight 001 or the MoMA Design Store, or purchase it here. It retails for $17.95, which is a little more expensive, but if your friends or family visit you in NY, it could be a good reference map to have around to give them as you send them to explore.
These photos don't really do the Dynamap justice, but they do give some sense of how the colors for the different maps (red for neighborhood, yellow streets, and blue for subway) change as you tilt the map.
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That looks like a great map, but I think there are four Broadways: Broadway, East Broadway, West Broadway, and (I know it won't show up on this new map) Old Broadway (in Harlem). More Broadways? Anyone?
then you can start really confusing the tourists and send them to broadway in brooklyn. and queens. and i am sure staten island and the bronx as well.
this map looks so cool with the hollogramish technology!
yes but does it tell you how to properly pronounce Houston St.?
Jen: Does the Dynamap they sent you reflect current subway lines or does it anticipate the February 22 changes?
These dudes would like you to whore yourself out to them.
When people say "trial and error" in Manhattan, one thing springs to mind: accidentally taking the uptown express from the 59th St/Columbus Circle station.
eh... don't most New Yorkers know where the subways go in Manhattan, and how to transfer to each one?
A far more useful one would have one with Queens.
i remember seeing a thing about this in the times a while back. a really, really small blurb.
and is urbanmapping on craig's list any different than what sony did when they introduced that phone with the camera attachment?
The map covers Manhattan from Battery Park to 70th Street, which covers most of the usual tourist areas.
Except, you know, the Guggenheim, the Whitney, the Met and the Museum of Natural History, plus all the cool stuff inside Central Park itself above 70th St...
I might consider buying this for myself, since I do get confused downtown every once in a while, but those omissions mean I'd never get or recommend it to a tourist.
although the Guggenheim, the Whitney, the Met, and the Museum of Natural History are all quite easy to find, I have to agree with Lia that the north of 70th lack is somewhat glaring. A map to at least 125th is pretty much necessary in my mind because of Central park (e.g. the Conservatory Gardens at 105th would be shown).
jenny: it's houston like 'house' not like the city in texas i lived in for 3 1/2 years (my boyfriend and parents are still confused)
Thanks, Janelle! That sure cleared it up for me.
heck, i'd pimp myself out for one of these, they seem pretty neat. I'm wondering whats on the other side of the map, cause it seems that it could hold more of the city. The two photos on Gothamist are the from the same side, aren't they?
I can totally agree with Gothamist's position that north of 70th Street is unecessary because I, like 1/2 of Gothamist, actually live on 70th St....
There are TEN Broadways. Yes, ten.
Broadway, East Broadway, West Broadway, Old Broadway, Broadway Alley, Broadway Terrace, plus a Broadway in each of the four other boroughs.
Oh, and just to be confusing, there's also a Broadway station on the LIRR that's miles from any of the ten actual Broadways.
Sigh, once again those of us in Harlem and other parts of northern Manhattan are deemed unimportant. Unlike the outer boroughs we don't have a map of our own to turn to.
I have conflicting opinions about the lack of north of 70th Street. As an Upper West Sider, there is a ton of stuff that tourists would love (aside from Riverside Park and the AMNH, Columbia and Harlem above, NY Historical, etc.), as well as a wealth of things on the Upper East Side (the Met, the Gugg, the Frick, etc.). But I'm happy if tourists stay downtown, like in Times Square and SoHo.
Seriously, what I think prevented Dynamap from including 71st and above is economics: At under $20, the Dynamap is pricy but psychologically, at least it's not $20. Include more streets, it goes for something around $25. And there's tons of stuff, as others note, in the outerboroughs that aren't usually included. I don't know if there's a definitive map out there, but I did like how the Dynamap tried to make the multiple layers of information for that area work.
*waves from upper Manhattan* Inwood never makes tourist maps, most don't go above about 145th street. I don't know if this is a bad thing, though. Y'all can keep the tourists.
I bought this guidebook at Barnes and Noble and it's the greatest little book ever. It even shows you which stores are where in the most traveled neighborhoods, and has maps of the boros.
map man read the comments and likes the reaction. can't tell you how torn up i was about cutting it off at 70th st--1st thing is that this is the first of hopefully many products and we value user feedback, ie, there will be future editions (ie, change is good).
but my reasoning...1)for the sake of economics (retail price), physical size had to be constrained; 2)inclusion of areas further north would have resulted in a bulky tome of a map; 3)most (i mean most, not all, and i am a new yorker so i empathise) visitors don't travel too much north of 70th (granted, museum mile is omitted...); 4) the city isn't all that complicated north of CPS--it is on a simple grid, and most trains run n/s.
that said, i can't wait to have edition #2 which will be super-fresh, better and less expensive. but don't hold your breath--been in negotiations with publishers for a while...
map man - next edition I'll buy if it's got a bus map, lower manhattan street map, and something involving brooklyn