Microsoft Maps versus Google Maps

Many of you know of the introduction of many more cities in Google Maps "street view" series, which can give you an actual, ground-level view of places like Paris, London, Rome, Madrid, etc. But their coverage is still limited abroad. If you want to get a better view of your destination (say, view the neighbourhood in which your hotel is located) then you might want to try Microsoft Maps. They have an option called "bird's eye view" at many locations...if that title across the top of the map is white, it's active....if it's greyed out, it's not available. If you go to Microsoft Maps, copy and paste the following coordinates into the address bar (45.424932, -75.699695), switch on "Aerial" for the satellite shot, then "bird's eye view," and you'll see a great photo of Canada's parliament buildings in Ottawa. Use the circular rotation arrows on the left to rotate around the building in three more views. Another planning tool for you to consider.