I really recommend this map if you are going to live w/o a car:
http://www.rei.com/product/734872
It shows good bicycle routes & walking routes as well as transit stops. It also has indicators on the streets to tell you if there's a hill and if so how steep it is.
(I don't think I'd feel safe riding a bike to work tho.)
When I move to a new place, I get a map & mark down where I'll be working (all jobs & all potential future jobs), and where I think I might want live. Then I also mark down all the major places I shop (Trader Joes, Whole Foods, book stores, and drug stores). If I have a gym there, I'll mark down it's location. If I'm in school, that obviously gets marked down on the map as well (because some classes aren't always on the campus).
Then when everything is marked down on the map I can see geographically how it all fits together and I can decide which area makes the most sense to live in.
And, when I'm living in a new place I'll write down phone numbers for the places I end up going the most in case I'm out & near one of the places but don't know if it's open, don't know if so and so is working, or want to see if something is in stock.
I also write down cab companies phone #s and the names of cabbies that were good.
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