This thread reminded me of a question I’ve been meaning to ask: Is there anyone here who can’t read a Thomas Guide[sup]TM[/sup] map?
My wife, whom I love more than anything, can’t. Since I drive 90% of the time, this makes her role as navigator a largely non-functioning one (though she is good at reading street signs).
She says she prefers those fold-out ones, which I find a royal pain, so I don’t own any in my car. She says she gets confused moving from one page to the next and that all the “jumping around” from page to page is irritating. I find them exponentially easier to consult (especially as a driver) and just don’t get it.
How can you not read one? (that is, unless you’re bad at reading maps in general) Anyone else out there that can empathize/explain Mrs. AG’s perspective?
I don’t miss much about the time I lived in L.A. except the THomas Guide. I wish they would publish one for NY. (and I am bad at reading maps in general.
Before I got a computer, I used Thomas Guides all the time. I can relate to the hassle of turning to the right pages. This is because I can never be bothered to look up the route beforehand, and it’s hard to drive and flip pages at the same time. (L.A. traffic, doncha know.) So I usually just use MapQuest and print the page out.
But I still keep a Thomas Guide in my car, and I do still use it when I don’t use the computer. But I’ve learned to pull over before I start reading it.
IMO if you live in L.A., you must have a Thomas Guide.
I’ve never heard of a Thomas Guide™ map, but I infer from your post that it’s basically a map in book format. Rand McNally makes a line of city street maps called StreetFinder that comes in book format. I bought one when I first moved to Chicago.
I agree with your wife that flipping from page to page is annoying. But the amount of detail it offered made it indespensable. To deal with the flipping of pages, I just looked at the map to learn a basic route to my destination before I left, and left the book open to the page that contained my destination. When I got the general vacinity, I could consult the map for more specific detail.
I have sinced move to Rocheter, NY. Though a much smaller city, I bought a street finder book here as well. I love 'em. I occasionally flip through my Chicago one for nostalgia. Aah…
Interesting. I’ve lived in CA most my life so I assumed TG was a nation, not a regional, resource. I’ve seen other types of maps in book format that definitely aren’t user-friendly, but TGs are great: Big Grid letters, directional arrows that tell you which page is N/S/E/W, micro-and macro-maps in the same book, and a spiral binding that makes folding pages back to the relevant page incredibly easy. Is CA the only state with TG maps, or are there others?
Thomas Bros. makes maps for Southern California; Northern and Central California; Pacific Northwest; Greater Washington, D.C. Area; Las Vegas, Nevada; Phoenix & Tucson, Arizona.
Thos. Bros. map books are like bibles for me. I think I used them in the Wash. DC/N.VA areas, as well as the ADC series (which seems better for DC/NOVA). I sometimes check Mapquest, but have been given wrong info. or complicated routes.
Never heard of Thomas Guide Maps. Got links to any sample pages? I have a feeling they are much like a Mapsco, which I personally love, but I agree they are an acquired taste. Once you figure out how to use them you never go back.
The Thomas Brothers Company is in the process of being sold to Rand McNally. It was family-owned and the latest generation of Thomases aren’t interested in it. However, the maps will still be sold under the Thomas name because it has a lot of goodwill attached to it.
In the library where I work there are always a few people who don’t want Thomas Guides. So we keep a few Auto Club maps for those who can’t grasp the concept.
Last summer I sold an 8 year old Thomas Guide for close to what I paid for it new. The buyer thought it was a good buy. I received my first one in 1984 for Christmas from my mother. It was the King/Pierce county edition for Washington. In 1994 I upgraded to the King/Pierce/Snohomish edition. Last summer I bought a 2002 KPS edition and that is when I sold the old one. I still use mine quite a bit, I find it is handier than online maps if you want to look at a map of specific area rather than a specific address.
Thomas Guides are in the same spirit as Mapscos. When I lived in Dallas/Fort Worth until 1993, I thought they were great. Then I moved to Los Angeles and saw the Thomas Guide.
The amount of useful information in the TG’s is stunning. I’ve got a 1997 LA/Orange Counties edition in my truck, and it’s finally starting to fall apart. (There’s no good place to store it, so it gets shoved/kicked around a lot). I can probably hold out until the 2004 edition hits the shelves.
I hope Rand McNally doesn’t mess with Thomas too much - I didn’t know that they were buying them, and it worries me just a tad. The Rand McNally book-map that I bought once left a lot to be desired.
