For the next few months, cold weather will turn us into hermit crabs, never leaving our apartments but making an escape plan—to a beach, a piazza off a winding street, a mountain perfect for hiking—puts the imagination to good use. Hagstrom Map & Travel Center (51 W. 43rd St., nr. Sixth Ave.; 212-398-1222) is a trove of maps, games, and puzzles designed to stimulate wanderlust. These tilting, spinning mini-globes ($9.99 each) make excellent home or desk toys, and they’re a good reminder that Earth is smaller than you think.
Think Global
These hand-engraved greeting cards come with six cedar pencils, a notepad, and a brass ruler ($150 at Mrs. John L. Strong, 699 Madison Ave., at 62nd St., fifth fl.; 212-838-3775).
Haul Local
The Maptote demonstrates local pride, cuts down on plastic, and makes a great souvenir ($15 at Alphabets, 115 Avenue A, nr. 7th St.; 212-475-7250).
Other Cities’ Subways
Get vicarious transit thrills by paging through 97 transportation maps from the world’s other major cities ($25 at Barnes & Noble, 1972 Broadway, at 66th St.; 212-595-6859).
Wear the World
Simply decorative, or a discreet declaration of ambition? ($175 at Tiffany & Co., 727 Fifth Ave., at 57th St.; 212-755-8000).
Let the Expert Lead
Affix Garmin’s dummy-proof, stress-reducing Nüvi 760 GPS to the dashboard of your rental ($700 at Best Buy, 622 Broadway, nr. Bleecker St.; 212-673-4067).
No Sweat Till Brooklyn
Possibly one of the best uses of the transit map: as a graphic on a cotton hoodie ($68 at New York Transit Museum Shop, Grand Central Terminal, Shuttle Passage, 100 E. 42nd St., at Park Ave.; 212-878-0106).