A Neighborhood Snapshot on CityMaps.com

Wednesday, 07 December 2011 | by Pat's Picks

As city dwellers we all have a pretty good mental map of what’s on our own block. But what about 10 or 20 blocks away? Or if you have to pick somewhere to meet in an unfamiliar neighborhood?

This morning’s New York Times tipped me off to City Maps. The website tries to deliver a complete picture of the street-level businesses on any block. So far they’ve done Manhattan and Brooklyn, with the other boroughs of New York City, San Francisco and Boston next in line.

I was impressed with the website when I spent a few minutes with it this morning. It was easy to navigate, and very accurate for the neighborhoods where my mental map was able to act as a check. And visually it confirmed something that New Yorkers already knew: there are a lot of Starbucks and Duane Reade locations in midtown Manhattan.