Crumple-able maps for bad-tempered tourists in rainy cities. Baggies included.
You know when you’re trying to find your way around a foreign city and you’re lost because all the streets look the same, plus you’re so flummoxed that you want to squish your street map up into a little ball and throw it away?
Temper tantrums aside, Palomar’s Crumpled City Maps are the hardcore all-terrain vehicles of the urban navigation world. No need to fold this baby up neatly. It loves being shoved into its little bag or your back pocket. It scoffs in the face of rain, being 100% waterproof. Especially handy for London, where clouds are ever-present; the other 31 cities include New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Berlin, Madrid, Moscow, Paris, and Rome.
Each map provides a sightseeing index with monuments, museums, art galleries, plus a list of 10 “Soulsights.” Since they’re printed on high-tech material and are designed to last, rather than falling apart after a weekend of intensive use, these temper-busters get our eco-vote.
The price of such super-resistant, lightweight Italian innovation: 12 euros ($15).