(Sorry, couldn’t resist the headline.)

Overlooking the fact that Google advertises the wrong directions to get from Grand Central Station to Madison Square Garden, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg today announced a partnership with Google to use Google Maps on a new tourism web site and information center.

The web site, nycgo.com, uses Google Maps to help tourists get information about the usual tourist interests — hotels, restaurants, things to do, plus promotions and special offers. And the tourist information can be sent to your phone via Google Maps for mobile. (No word if it got the Grand-Central-to-MSG route correct.)

But the Cool Factor in this announcement has to be the Official New York City Information Center, which features interactive touchscreen map tables that use Google Maps, and a video wall that uses Google Earth to show a 3D model of New York City. The nycgo.com home page shows this photo of the tables:

If you want to visit the Information Center in person, it’s at 810 Seventh Avenue, between 52nd and 53rd Streets. If you want to see a video, read Mayor Bloomberg’s announcement on the Official Google Blog today.

Related Topics: Google: Earth | Google: Maps & Local | Google: Partnerships

About The Author: Matt McGee is Search Engine Land's Executive News Editor, responsible for overseeing our daily news coverage. His news career includes time spent in TV, radio, and print journalism. His web career continues to include a small number of SEO and social media consulting clients, as well as regular speaking engagements at marketing events around the U.S. He blogs at Small Business Search Marketing and can be found on Twitter at @MattMcGee and/or on Google Plus. See more articles by Matt McGee