Rand McNally Map & Travel Store

The Rand-​McNally was –for years – a fixture on this block. This part of Market st is swarmed all day by business types, of course – but that’s exactly who this map and travel store catered to. People with money; people who take elaborate vacations and journeys; people who plan everything they do out in advance with charts and books and itineraries. People whom – after their vacations were over – would find themselves walking past this well-​kept/​clean/​spruce/​tidy upscale bookstore; pop in and purchase a large coffee-​table type book for the living-​rooms of their suburban homes. I expect to find it closed nowadays; killed by Google. The Rand-​McNally company is probably thriving in the world of GPS – but not a cool, exciting, real-​life bookstore you could actually wander into – take a child to – and enjoy in person. I used to go there as a poor student and just let my imagination roam. The staff were always well-​dressed and it was one of those stores which simply smelled awesome!