The Map Collective: Your Favorite Place in Town
Google Maps lets you carve out meaning in your geography. With a good map, you can fly around and view all the different sites shared by friends and strangers. I love how you can tell a story in — or laid on — the place it took place.
Your assignment, should you choose to accept it: tell us the story of your favorite place in town on the Google map linked below.
View The Map Collective: Your Favorite Place in Town in a larger map
What should I write about?
What floats your boat about the GLA? Where do you love to eat? Where do you love to walk? Where do you love to sit? What/where/who makes your heart sing/ache/desire? Let’s go there.
Last week, for example, Dave Bangert wrote about one of his favorite local hideaways: the Purdue Crew boat dock on the river, with a full autumnal scene, his daughter and his dog. It was a beautiful start.
How do I participate?
1) Log into a Google account — any Google account — to edit the map.
2) Click where it says “View The Map Collective: Your Favorite Place in Town in a larger map” above.
3) Click the orange “Edit” button.
4) Some tools will pop up at the top of the map window. You will see a hand, a blue marker, and a squiggly line. Select the blue marker, and drag it to where you want to leave a point on the map. A window will pop up looking for text. Tell the story in the window! Tell us all about it!
- What happened here?
- Why is this place awesome?
- What makes it special?
- Who makes it special?
- What should other visitors look for?
- Please limit your contributions to public spaces, and don’t include your poor grandmother’s address. I’m sure her pie is lovely.
The squiggly line gives you the option of adding a path to the map. Want to draw a line along the Wabash Heritage Trail? Need to draw a line from Columbian Park to Frozen Custard? Knock your socks off.
5) If you want to give it a funny or custom marker, click on the marker in the text box, and it will give you the option to choose amongst Google’s options or even to upload your own.
Please feel free to play, edit, contribute, and explore.
Ben November 26, 2013 - 8:08 pm
Interesting that no one posted points of interest south of Kossuth Street. Are THINK LAFAYETTE collective map participants all aggregated near downtown or in West Lafayette?
Or, consider that perhaps it IS really less appealing and intriguing down in southern Lafayette?
Lauren Bruce December 3, 2013 - 9:13 am
I’m not sure — I think it’s definitely reflective of the readership. What do you think?
. December 9, 2013 - 8:50 pm
Can’t mention the interesting places on the southside, that would ruin it. This is the internet you know LOL
Lauren Bruce December 9, 2013 - 9:05 pm
Try adding something! Remember it’s a collaborative map. If you see an information gap, fill it in.
Ben December 9, 2013 - 11:35 pm
Yes, we can write a chapter on the secrets of Southern Lafayette!
Lauren Bruce December 13, 2013 - 3:22 pm
(We also love guest submissions! Email us if you’re interesting in writing something.)