janisj

Oh - I did see your second post. My point was that you really do need to get yourself an AtoZ (unless you already have one)

Its 'low tech' but really the best way to figure out where things are.

There is a place for gmapping and other apps, but it REALLY helps to have a full scale AtoZ in the flat and maybe a pocket sized one to carry in your handbag

goddesstogo

Yes, but if I have to carry another thing in my purse I'm sure I'll fall into the gap, never to be seen again. We do have various sorts of maps and things that we look at occasionally but then we get distracted by something and go over there. Anyway, if we actually knew where we were going and pointed ourselves in that direction, we'd miss so much of the stuff we're coming across by accident -- Denmark Street, for example.

landineen

GTG, laundry at Bubbles? That is the one I used. Is it still there? I always stopped at Costa for my coffee and returned to Bubbles to put the laundry in the dryer. I'm sure the patrons knew I was from America. I used Tide liquid detergent, which I carefully measured in front of everyone and dryer sheets, waving it in the air for all to see. Hand pressed each item of clothing that came out of the dryer and carefully packed each one.

Everyone else just shoved their laundry into the washer, poured powder into the dispenser, paid and left. Came back and shoved it in the dryer...shoved it into their plastic bag and left.

Sue878

GDT, what is an AtoZ that Janis' mentions? Some kind of map or guide: Also, do you get lost by yourself, you find getting around easy when you are alone.

On my bucket list is to take a month off and leave in a flat in London, so I'm living it thru reading your thread until I can do it.

lizziea06

AtoZ is a map guide that comes in various sizes ranging from purse size to much larger. They honestly make my eyes bleed to look at but they are incredibly detailed. Everyone pushed them on me when I moved here, but I've honestly been managing fine for the past few years with my iPhone and G-maps. In terms of getting lost, I find that having the compass function on my iPhone google maps is enormously helpful for getting reoriented.

On a side note, I hate it when websites for restaurants, shops, etc. use the A to Z maps to show their location. I usually re-enter the address into G Maps so that I can drag the map around and zoom to find the nearest tube, etc.

Sue878

Thanks, someone else is usually reading the map for me in London when we are walking around. I have a hard time figuring out how to get from a to z and back. I can do it when we are driving. That is what's holding me back going alone.

No iPhone either.

julia_t

I don't have an iphone, and have managed perfectly well for more years than I care to say with an A-Z, both driving through the city and walking. If I'm going somewhere specific I highlight the road so I can see it clearly enough to find my way there.

I find the pocket sized one too small to read easily now (!) so use the paperback-novel sized one. It slips easily down the side of my bag or into a pocket, and doesn't weigh much.

Sue, I'm sure you'd be fine after a couple of days to orientate yourself . You'd soon pick where things/places are in relation to each other. Go for it.

Sue878

Thanks julia - Your're right, maybe I'll try a week by myself first and get an A-Z.

flanneruk

I honestly can't imagine life without an A-Z.

My phone can obviously download all manner of street maps. But the idea of driving into town without a paper A-Z (or even allowing our car, which lives 80 miles away, ever to lack one) is unthinkable.

And JT's right. Anyone over about 15 needs the paperback-size version. If you find it inconvenient, you're not organising your life properly. Junk the faddish electronics: throw away your laptop. But make space for a proper A-Z.

goddesstogo

Lizzie, I love gmap for that too. I have a city map book (which is what I assume an A-Z is) which I keep in the car at home but which I only use when I'm in the suburbs. I have a great sense of place and never get lost. I may not know NSE&W at all times but I always know the place of things.

Let's see...would I throw away my laptop in exchange for a street map book? Oh yes. That would make sense. Perhaps in an alternate universe.

Landineen, no not Buttles. We first went to a laundromat on Broadhurst Gardens but it was too small and too many machines out of order. This time we went to what seems to be a fairly new place called AAA Laundromat. It's more or less kitty-corner from The Alice House.

Sue, I really hope you do it and sooner rather than later because then you'll have time to do it again. Don't worry about getting around. This is one of the easiest cities I've ever travelled in and I'm on my own a lot wherever we go because my SO is working or we've each got our own plans for the day.

I've managed to get exactly where I need to go all these years without lugging a street map book around. And my life's organized just fine, thanks, flan, but if I need any help straightening out my purse, you'll be the one I'll call.

goddesstogo

Bubbles. Not Buttles. Damn keyboard.

alihutch

The only map for London http://www.a-zmaps.co.uk/?nid=354

alihutch

ps Londoners use the A to Z

janisj

I'd bet 85-90% of Londoners have at least one A to Z. To replace your lap top? Of course not. But for day to day figuring out the lay of the land, 'real' locations of train and tube stations, figuring out which of the 38 "Kensington something-or-other" or 90+ "Priory something-or-other" you want . . an AtoZ is pretty much indispensable IMO for anyone living in London.

flanneruk

"I've managed to get exactly where I need to go all these years without lugging a street map book around."

You've obviously never lived in a real city before.

PatrickLondon

It's different when your city and its streetnames were planned along fairly consistent principles. But "the rolling English drunkard made the rolling English road", and our streetnames are a palimpsest of local landowners, legends, long-disappeared taverns and centuries of property developers' fancies.

Granted, new technology can present information as well as a book, but I still find the A-Z's combination of index, overview and detailed maps gives me more opportunities for "at a glance" appreciation of the options and complexities for where I'm trying to go. Most visitors aiming for the main tourist attractions won't need all that. But if you're trying to find some office for a job interview, or the back-alley workshop of the absolute master craftsman for some job you want doing, the A-Z is still indispensable.

lizziea06

See what I mean about Londoners pushing the A to Z? They get quite adamant! Different strokes, to each his own, blah, blah, etc.

goddesstogo

Well, flan, I live in a city pop 4 million. I lived just outside of NY for 3 years and was in the city 3 to 4 times a week. I've traveled in Paris, London, Seoul, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Havana, Sao Paolo, Rome, to name just a few of the small towns I've managed to navigate without getting lost. But flan, if you regularly get lost in London, then I'm glad you have the A-Z at the ready.

alihutch

We all have them 'goddess'...guess you're just not a local yet

lizziea06

I have to say, none of my London friends carry an A to Z. For us, it's far more convenient to be able to quickly look up an address on our phone and have walking instructions readily available. And I've lost count of the number of times I've had to look up phone numbers, addresses, directions on my iPhone for people who don't have them. I've never had to consult an A to Z.

I think it's probably more accurate to say that many Londoners use the A to Z, however, many also prefer to use the technology on their blackberries and iPhones to navigate the city. There's really no need to have a tantrum because someone opts to not use your sacred A to Z. Calm down darling.