On the Road - Places and Things To Do Map

Since I started Hot Shotting, I have come to the realization that if I end up in some random town or city I've never been in, I have no clue about places to stay or eat (away from the normal fast food fare), especially when hauling a trailer. I have to rely on the interwebz to give me info and half the time its marginal at best. It's also hard to find a parking place for a 30+ foot trailer when needing to stop for a break or place to stay when there isn't a truck stop available. If I am aware of a town that's 5 more minutes down the road, then I'm set.

So, I was thinking about making a secondary map, similar to the On The Road Assist Map, that has info about restaurants (fast food, sit down, or food truck), hotels (motel, Holiday Inn), or just a parking lot to crash in for the night (like Wally World).

Then people can give me info on the business and town and their experience and I can add it to the map. For example:

John's Pizza Place - $$

Great Pizza, great service, no parking for trailers, but can park across the street at K-Mart.

I think of this as the GRM version of Yelp. I know I'm not the only one who drives with trailers or needs a place to crash for the night. I'd also like to not rely on fast food for sustenance when I am looking for some place to eat and honestly, I trust you guys for your opinions (even if we don't all agree )

If there is an interest, I have no problem setting it up.

Update: I started a map. I am seeing if it works. Hopefully it does.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1ho4dBCW6e1moU-Do_9tFkJhcvAA

Sorry for going immediately off topic but I'm very curious how the hot shotting is working out for you. I considered doing that 10 years ago and couldn't make the math work very well. Hope you're making millions....

sirrichardpumpaloaf wrote: Sorry for going immediately off topic but I'm very curious how the hot shotting is working out for you. I considered doing that 10 years ago and couldn't make the math work very well. Hope you're making millions....

Can't tell if you're being a sarcastic ass, but I just started a month ago and I'm nowhere near making millions, but I'm making more than I was at my last job.

I would be interested and willing to participate.

My best advice would be avoid van wert at all costs but i could provide some actual accurate info on parking. on food as well but the choices suck.

I think we are all well enough versed in Chain Restaurants, so it's pretty much understood the type of service you could walk into, I'm mainly interested in making this where people will be comfortable getting a trailer, RV, or large vehicle in and out with no issues for chain restaurants.

But, I would like to add places that have good food that aren't chain restaurants as well.

If you ever get as far as me, i got you covered.

In reply to SyntheticBlinkerFluid:

My sincere apologies. No sarcasm meant in any way. I do hope it's going very well for you. If anything, I'm envious of your taking the plunge that I was too scared to take.

There likely is something like this from/in the RV world.

In reply to foxtrapper:

There most likely is, but that's why in making this a dual purpose map. Part of it is parking and the other part is places to eat that aren't the normal fare. We have a lot of GRMers that are foodies, so I trust what people have to offer.

Yelp and Urban Spoon are good apps/sites to see something other than chains.

In reply to alfadriver:

Yes and I have those apps on my phone but they do not inform me if there is trailer or RV parking available.

Like I said this is like a GRM version of Yelp in a sense. I want to make this places visited by GRMers for GRMers.

If you cross the Mackinac Bridge and head west on US2 you'll come to Manistique in about an hour and fourty minutes. Off the main road (due to highway rerouting) on Chippewa street is Clyde's Drive-In #2. It is well worth your time to take the two minute detour and grab a Big C or the Buffalo Burger. If you want to eat inside you can sit at the counter or the lone booth to the left of the door. That booth is where my wife and I have dinner on our summer date every year.
Clyde's #1 is in Sault Ste. Marie and is probably as good, and if you're there you should check out the Soo Locks. Very cool.

If you're passing through Charleston West Virginia, there's not alot of places with good trailer access and good food next to each other. The best I can think of is just east of Charleston that has a Sleep Inn with a great diner called Harding's next to it (same parking lot). Great breakfast there and they do lunch. Right across the street is a place called Barone's Pizza that's good too. The hotel's lot doesn't look too trailer friendly but there's large clear areas across the street in from of Barone's but I can't recall if it's acceptable to park there.

https://goo.gl/maps/7iNWcMmAopH2

I can give you any number of other good hotels a food choices here too but they're mostly downtown or have small lots not suited for big trailers. If you're passing through without a trailer I can give you more advice.