After I purchased my last cell phone, I put in the google information number GOOG-411. It seemed like a good idea because I had no regular 411 service on the phone. And, what if?
Probably a year later I found myself in a situation. I was traveling to Florida with a friend and his wife. We were there for one day and off to board a cruise the next morning.
We took a cab from the airport and the seasoned cab driver had not heard of my hotel or the street it was on. Uh oh. Thankfully my friend had an iPhone and was able to give the driver directions.
I dropped off my things at my hotel and took a cab to spend the day with my friends at their hotel because it was a million times nicer.
I was dressed for swimming and only brought a few things. One thing I did not bring was the address of my hotel. I think it was one of those quick judgements, deciding that I had my bearings when I actually didn’t.
Later that day I find myself walking home. The town isn’t too large. It’s walkable to the hotel, but a long walk. I have the feeling that I should have passed my hotel by now. Or maybe it’s just a little further, I think. I look further down the road and everything looks the same in that direction. That’s when I realize that I am lost. It’s late, I’m out of town, and I’m lost.
I am embarassed so I decide not to call my friends. My hotel is basically a tiny hostel and remember the cab driver who told me it didn’t exist. I decide that I need to be sure of the right direction to walk before I go any further. I’m looking through my phone and I see the GOOG-411 number. I look up from the phone and see a landmark, I think it was a Holiday Inn.
I realize that I do remember the cross street I am looking for. I call GOOG-411 and search for the Holiday Inn I am standing in front of.
I am transferred to the Holiday Inn. The hotel looks shut down for the night. A security guard answers and I say I am a current guest. I tell them I am having trouble getting home from a long day out. I tell them I am standing on the street that my hotel is on, the one I am actually looking for. I tell them all I need is to know what direction to walk in. I think the guard was sitting in front of a computer and was able to locate the difficult street.
I get my answer and reverse engineer the directions given to me. I know what direcion to walk to find my hotel. The security guard told me approximately how long it would take to walk. Problem solved and no need to cause a scene.
