You go south to get to Canada

Google maps is the shit. Unless you need to print out the directions to and from a particular location. In that case stick with mapquest cause google ain't there yet. Even there new application Google Earth is pretty sweet. It's like Google Maps for the planet.

A friend of mine was messing around with it here in the office the other day. Looking up his old stomping grounds in Chi-town. So naturally I started looking up my old haunts in Motown. While I was looking at the satellite images of downtown he ask what the body of water was on the edge of downtown.

"The Detroit River."

Then he was curious at what was the land mass on the other side of the river.

"Canada."

He gave me a look as if I had just discovered the world was round. Initially he couldn't believe how it was possible. So I had to pull back on the view so he could see how it all came together. Another co-worker was watching this all play out. He thought it was cool but was not nearly as astounded as co-worker # 1. He thought it was simply amazing. The one place in the US you can go south to get to Canada. Then I had to explain about the Provinces. This is where I learned a thing or 2. I didn't realize they had so many. And then there are the territories. Don't get me started.

So I showed him the Ambassador bridge and the map with the Windsor Tunnel. It was Shock and Awe. I forget my initial point but I was fascinated by his surprise. As if his view of the world had just been shattered. Going south to get to Canada did not compute. He is an older guy from the Midwest so I figured he knew. Especially being from Chicago. But, hey, I've only been through Chicago once for about an hour on a road trip to Atlanta. Yeah I know. Don't ask...