How Do You Read A City Map?
Reading a map can be frustrating for many tourists. It should be very easy and straightforward, but tourists are often plagued by getting lost and backtracking. These problems usually stem from a faulty understanding of one’s position and direction. Fix your position. Prominent landmarks, such as squares, parks, and subway or train stations are often noted on city maps. Tourist city maps will also note major attractions. These should make fixing your position easy, but if you are not near one, you will need to determine it by finding an intersection of two named streets. Fixing your position from an intersection is more reliable than using a local street number, since it takes guessing about which block you are on out of the equation. Determine your orientation, or which way is north. The best way to do this is to simply use a compass, but there are other ways. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, so if it is after noon, stand with your left shoulder pointed at the sun and y
