Best Driving Accessory

When it comes to getting around in a car, Houston is a sprawling, featureless, illogically laid out mess. Which means you should never attempt to get anywhere without a Key Map in the car. For 42 years the Rau family has been producing annually updated, easy-to-use maps of Harris County -- maps that make it a breeze to find your way to Nottingham Way (not to be confused with Nottingham Street, Nottingham Circle, Nottingham Court, Nottingham Lane or Nottingham Drive). It's easy to get lost in Houston, but it's almost impossible to do it with a Key Map handy. Each year brings thousands of updates, whether it's new streets or schools or renamed office buildings or a just-opened park. It also has finally fixed one of the enduring peeves drivers had: trying to find a location that's at the very edge of a page. You may not need to buy a new edition of the map every year, but if you keep one in the car, there will no doubt come a time when you are very glad you do.