Monday, April 23, 2007


Google Directions: New York To London

If you go to Google Maps and get directions from 'New York' to 'London' you get a simple 64-step plan to make it there. First they have you drive Northeast to Quincy, Connecticut and tell you take a right off of the Long Wharf at Step 23, rather than directing you to jump into the East River from any number of available docks, roadways, and bridges in one of New York's boroughs. Smart. This way, they shaved a week or two of total time off the trip by heading overland and getting further up the coast.

But here's where it gets weird. After you jump into the ocean at Quincy and swim across the Atlantic at Step 24: "Swim across Atlantic Ocean, 3,482 mi.," they want you to crawl ashore at Pont Vauban in France and go through Le Havre over towards Dieppe. This does not make sense to me; rather than make landfall in France and go through all the rigamorole of getting over to the ferry to cross the English Channel from Boulogne, it would seem far more efficient to swim directly to England's traditional port of embarkation, Plymouth.

Someone should bring this navigation error up with the Google people, as it could save on some travel inconvenience.

(h/t to Pat Lang at Sic Semper Tyrannis for surfacing this.)

2 comments:

Bruce said...

"But here's where it gets weird."

Understated humor is the best kind.

MarcLord said...

I haven't checked the Google for directions from Seattle to Tokyo yet. =)