lizzie,
one of my pet peeves about our transit system is that there are no ABOVE GROUND maps of the system for reference. And I would dearly love it if the MTA would post "route and station changes" above ground as well. Even when I know exactly what station I'm heaed to and where it is, it is maddening to walk 3 or 4 blocks to the station, go down the steps, and only then discover that "D trains skip this station Saturday and Sun in June due to trackk repair"!

And like they teach in the scouts: When facing North, East is to your right, West to your left. Facing South it is of course the opposite.

Although a compass might be considered overkill, however, when you walk up the subway steps to street level, it is somewhat confusing to know which direction or which side of the street you landed on. A little compass helps on those occassions.

Knowing that avenues are north and south (uptown and downtown) and streets are east and west helps alot!! We did a lot of backtracking last time and still couldnt figure that out. Thanks!