PICK OF THE WEEK
Central Paris
(Microsoie, $9.95)
Excuse me while I untie Paris from around my neck and wipe my brow with the Seine. And as long as I have the city at my fingertips, I’ll check our progress toward the Avenue de la Bourdonnais and the Eiffel Tower. It’s a scarf, it’s a map, it’s a marvel. It’s an airy square of silk imprinted by four-color process with an easy-to-read map of central Paris — that you can wash if it gets dirty and won’t tear after the first few foldings. It comes in two sizes: the 11-inch square ($9.95) I tried and a larger 17-inch square ($14.95). The Montreal-based Microsoie company offers more than 70 silky destinations — Moscow, Manhattan, Hong Kong, Madrid and Cancun, among them. (514-272-9516)
Coop’s Roadmap Guide to Dinosaur Sites: North Central America
(Lone Mountain Designs, $5.95)
I never thought of a map as a time machine until I looked at this one. In a glance, it shows where dinosaurs died, where Abe Lincoln was buried and where you can see various creatures, all very much alive, right now. This Dinosaur Sites grid, one in a series of four that cover North America, is refreshingly free of the clutter that fills most road maps. It doesn’t show exits or back roads or gas stations or Cracker Barrel locations. Instead, its soft apricot background is scattered with little orange dinosaurs, which indicate sites of prehistoric significance — fossil beds, yes, but also oddities, such as the cabin in Wyoming built entirely of dinosaur bones, and museums with dinosaur collections. Green ducks indicate National Wildlife Refuge locations, and tiny gray squares show other points of interest, such as the birthplace of Jesse James in Missouri or the Jeffers Petroglyphs in Minnesota. And just so you don’t embarrass yourself trying to say words like “Aristosuchus,” there’s a dinosaur pronunciation guide. (800-259-3139)
PHOTO GEAR
Film Shield XPF 20
(Sima, $49.95)
This thing weighs a ton! Well, to be honest, it weighs one pound, 12 ounces, but that’s practically the same thing when you’re slogging your carry-on bags through airport after airport. This XPF 20 version of Film Shield is worth its weight, though, because it protects higher speed films such as 400 or 800 ISO from streaking or fogging during repeated passes through airport security X-ray machines. We’ve used other models of Film Shield before, and we’ve mentioned them in this column. This XPF 20 version — the numeric designation of which could be compared to the SPF ratings for sunscreens — is made of a pliable lead-composite that’s covered in rugged fabric. It holds up to 15 rolls of film or a point-and-shoot camera. (412-828-3700)
PET STUFF
Comfort Ride Pet Seat
(Aquiline Innovations, $59.98)
It’s time you showed some restraint — with your pet, that is. You wouldn’t dream of driving down the highway with a human toddler on the loose in your car. Well, here is a device that operates like a child’s safety seat, but it was created for your pet’s safety and your own peace of mind. The Comfort Ride Pet Seat is a six-inch-high, flat platform that puts your pet at lap level, in the seat next to you as you drive or in the back seat if you prefer. The plastic “seat” is held in place by your vehicle’s safety belt and comes with a synthetic lamb skin pad for a softer ride. Straps that attach to your pet’s own harness are loose enough to allow the freedom to sit or stand, yet keep the critter securely in the seat. (800-872-3773)
KID STUFF
Games on the Go: Travel USA
(International Playthings, $6.95)
Just as in a presidential race, the goal of this game is Washington, D.C. The difference here is that you don’t need a campaign manager or a war chest stuffed with bribes, er, uh, “campaign contributions,” to get there. Just spin the dial in the self-contained, 6 1/2-by-12-inch game board, and as many as four competitors are off across a map of the United States. First one to hit all 31 cities wins. Ah, if only elections were this fair. The board is covered in navy vinyl and folds to checkbook size when not in use. Recommended for ages 7 and older. (800-445-8347)
“Kids’ Interstate Road Atlas”
(UniversalMap, $4.95)
You’ve put six hours of blacktop behind you, and you’re still not there yet. This might help you get the rest of the way. There’s a state road map on every page, the contiguous 48 states in the middle and multitudes of puzzles, games and activities scattered throughout. Canada and Mexico each get a page, and parents get a few moments of peace and quiet. Don’t forget to bring pencils and crayons because this 8 1/2-by-11-inch, 64-page book doesn’t pack its own. (800-829-6277)
———-
Toni Stroud’s e-mail address is tstroud@tribune.com.
