That's the question I ask myself anytime I drive anywhere more than 30 minutes away. Sometimes I show up at wherever I'm going without having paid a second of attention to the route because the whole time I've been pondering the logistics of how people got around prior to, like, 10 years ago, or whenever these things became wide spread.
Take this weekend for instance, The Alt-Tab's very own Dr. Jack, TVD (Television Doctor), went and got himself hitched down in Long Island (great wedding by the way, congrats Dr. Jack), I'm going to be completely honest, without the advent of the GPS, I wouldn't have been able to go.
Have you ever driven in and around NY? Its just a jumbled mess of parkways, expressways, thoroughfares, and any other highway euphemism you could think of. How on earth would I ever navigate that without some electronic, vaguely British women yelling at me constantly to stay on course? Would I take a map? Do I need a compass? Seriously, how did people do it...I'd imagine you have to stop at like every rest area on the way and just chart where you are on the map, right? That shit could get time consuming real fast, not to mention, expensive. Once you write on a map, that's it, it's ruined. You'd be going through dozens of maps a year. Granted I have no idea how much a map costs but I'm gonna go with $1.99? Multiplied by say 24 trips a year (twice a month for more than 30 mins), that's $48 a year in mapping budget...Do you know what my current map budget is? 0$ p/l (per life). That's right, I've never spent a nickel on maps. Parents gave me a GPS and that was it. I'm set. But even if they hadn't, I would have ponied up to buy one, at $48 a year for maps, the GPS would pay for its self in like 16 months. Its a bargain.
PS: hey New York, I know you're ridiculously over populated, you've got people all over the place, and you need like, 1,000 roads all to get to the same general area because of all the asshole cabs and commuters that flood your city on a daily basis, but I've got one request. How about one outbound road to Connecticut and Massachusetts called the "Get The Fuck Out of NY Fast, Expressway." (GFONYFE). Seriously. When I'm just trying to get home and am facing a four hour ride, how about one main highway leaving the city/state. Like get me to the border of Connecticut and I'll be on my way. I don't want to have to listen to traffic reports and try and decipher your ridiculous code of acronyms for all the aforementioned parkways and expressways. Just one road. The GFONYFE, for those of us that don't feel like putting up with your traffic.
Thanks,
Every Masshole Ever...Double PS: Your drivers are far more insane. I'm not complaining, just pointing it out. 
