Is this road map ideal for local use?

Question

i went out today to buy a road map but apparently it's difficult to find old-fashion road maps in stores now. i went to costco and walmart and neither or those stores carried it.

i need maps for washington dc and 3 surrounding counties. i found this one online (link below) and was wondering if anyone knows if this is good mainly for local use. i haven't purchased a road map in over 10 years and i remember i had separate maps for individual cities/counties. it would be nice to have the entire US all in one map but how will this map work when i will be using it locally 90% of the time?

link: http://www.maps.com/map.aspx?pid=3844

i dont really care about having a map of the entire country. it's more important that i get a detailed map of the DC area. i can't tell from the site if this would give me detailed streets in local areas.

it's not for me. it's for my dads friend who just moved to the US. he's gonna have to learn how to drive around the area by himself eventually mapquest wouldn't be practical for him. he needs something to leave in the car incase he gets lost. otherwise, mapquest or any other online mapsite would work just fine.

Answer 1

There's no shame in admitting you have a problem. Getting good maps, I mean :) You should join AAA. For not that much money, they'll give you all the maps you could possibly want, and free towing too! Keep coming back, it works!

Seriously, your local AAA office is likely to have basic for-tourist street maps for most major cities worldwide, including Washington DC. Once you get *to* Washington DC, find the local AAA office there, wave your membership card and get the maps they give out to locals. If you have a few weeks, you can also order these, I believe.

The link you provided is for a national atlas which has a map of the whole USA, and also for each state. It's for planning routes across states, none of the maps will be for city streets.

Like you say, 90% of the time you want local maps. Get em from AAA, or the new trend is for bound books with map panels... they're so popular that the real-estate MLS gives coordinates in those books. I believe here's the leading one for DC:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0875306527/

Answer 2

You have a computer, why not use 'mapquest' or something similar? You can get as much detail as you need by using the sliding scale on the side of the map. Then, compile the printouts into your own "atlas". This way, you can concentrate on the areas you need most.

Answer 3

I use a cheap program: Microsoft Streets & Trips 2006. I can plan national or local trips and print the maps I want/need as necessary - or use my laptop. I've been using the various versions for years and am very pleased!