Most of Us Couldn't Live Without MapQuest, but We Never Think About It

I never think about MapQuest or give it much credit, but MapQuest may be piece of the Internet that has changed my life the most. Think about it. How many times have you typed in MapQuest.com? If you're anything like me, you've found directions to your parents house, to malls, to barbers, to restaurants. I've MapQuested so many places I can't remember most of them.

Do you remember life before MapQuest? How did you find out how to get somewhere? Well sadly, you had to actually know a city. You had to already know roads and highways. Or you'd have to call someone knowledgeable and ask them. I still get this on occasion, and find spoken directions extremely difficult to follow. Look for a Starbucks and turn right? But there's a Starbucks on every corner! Usually I ignore the directions, ask for the street address, and then go straight to my good friend MapQuest.

I remember one experience when I was younger that MapQuest would have solved. At the awkward age of 16, my mom gave me directions to a relative's house for a family holiday. After an hour of uncomfortable rush hour driving (again, I was 16...all driving is difficult), I made it to Orchard Lake Road. The directions I had written down called for a left turn on 15 Mile. I spent almost an hour looking for 15 Mile (remember this was before cell phones, who deserve an ode almost as much as MapQuest). I didn't find 15 Mile because 15 Mile was called Maple Road at that point. MapQuest would never have made that mistake. We rarely think about how much MapQuest helps us, but MapQuest saves us from this wasted time and these bad experiences.

After all these visits, I have never given MapQuest a bookmark. For some reason, I never think of it. Instead, I type in MapQuest.com every single time. And for all MapQuest has done for me, I've never given anything to MapQuest. Not even a friendly e-card. Good thing I've seen and ignored MapQuest's advertisements. At least I've given MapQuest ad revenue.

So next time you use MapQuest, remember what life was like before MapQuest. Try calling a knowledgeable person for directions instead. Act like MapQuest didn't exist. You won't do it for long. Soon you'll realize that you can't live without MapQuest. And you probably never even thought about it.