Google: All Your NYC Tourists Are Belong To Us

(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.