Places: Wiki format

Here is a suggestion that would be nice to see/have on this site or an app; to be able to enter an address and then be able to see a map layout pinpointing what is around you within selectable distances. Beer Where app works that way with GPS basing it on wherever you are, but BW's database is also filled with a lot of crap. Ratebeer's app will also do it based on your location, but they don't link back to see how the business rates on their site. The best would be to have a database of places like BA has that worked (on the app side) where it uses GPS location and shows overall rating of the places (also ability to select place "type" like store, brewery, etc.). But also on the full site side of things, to be able to enter an address and then have the same selection show up as if you were physically at that address and using GPS locator. The idea being that I frequently find myself having to go some place that is non-beer related and want to know in advance what my options will be to get a beer before or afterwards.

The way that the site currently works and even when people start threads like "I will be visting LA, any suggestions?" If you are looking at the list or if two different people contribute to a thread recommending places like Fathers Office II and Verdugo, with traffic and such a large metropolitan area, the place that you are originally going to LA for, may take close to two hours to get to either place. Or if you simply thought that both places sounded good and decided to only do the two beer stops, they can be an hour+ from each other. I think that a mapping functionality like I am suggesting entering addresses in advance and seeing surrounding locations by distance, type and displaying rating; would actually be a little more practical that a wiki format which would have to be grown organically through user contribution, one area at a time and ultimately still wouldn't give any relationship between multiple places.

 

I also use wikitravel, but I'm not sure it is ideal. I'd really like to see a google map kind of thing on here!

 

A potential solution that may be quicker to implement would be a sticky thread at the top of each regional forum covering all the popular destinations that people create numerous threads about. Using the collective knowledge of those locals or other travelers who are familiar with these places, these threads would sort of provide a FAQ section for each destination that any user to contribute to. For example, in the New England forum it seems like there 1-2 new threads a week asking many of the same old questions about making a trip/beer haul to VT for Heady Topper, Lawsons, and Hill Farmstead. The usual questions vary from where to stay, where to eat, what days each brewery delivers, and other questions like that, but having one sticky right at the top would hopefully get people to read that before they create a new thread asking something thats been answered a thousand times before. Another thread for Boston/Cambridge and another for Seacoast NH/Maine and I think the New England forum could be noticeable less cluttered.

 

In most cases, if you go to Google maps and type "Beeradvocate" in the search box, many of the places on BA will show up. I have been clamoring for something better for years, hopefully something will be implemented.

 

This has to be one of the most needed features to be implemented IMO. I think the idea of having a sticky on each regional subforum would be great as that is where people usually look first. This is a case where the community is, ultimately, responsible for the maintenance and updating of the information as I wouldn't expect The Bros and the mods to vet each place listed.

 

My traveling research goes like this:

1. Use map to see where places are: https://www.beeradvocate.com/ratebeer/?path=/Places/RegionMap.asp?rid=0
2. Write down names of places and check them out on BeerAdvocate.
3. Make a list of places I want to visit based on reviews and general feel from the places' websites.

For me, half of the fun is in the discovery and using all of the resources at my disposal. By using the map, I find everything I want - stores, bars, brewpubs & breweries. The only drawback is that I don't believe the maps show everyplace there is but when I look up a place on this site, it shows others close-by in the margins so I'll cross-check my list with that list.

 

This has been suggested and declined many times. A sticky thread such as this will never garner full agreement of the locals and will always have detractors and full-on arguments, but the main reason is that someone will have to commit to updating it--sticky threads are static (if not, they are discussions by nature).
Now, a thread that is started by locals, updated by locals, and kept to a minimum of actual talk could be devised, and then it could be linked in a response to those inevitable queries which come in from someone who is entirely too lazy to do their own search or feels that their plans are much more narrow and sophisticated than all other queries with almost exactly the same thread title. But good luck with that, as an open thread of this sort will no doubt eventually become trashed with disagreement and homerism.
Unless of course you happen to be in the UK (hint) and can agree on such things civilly and make a pact to control unnecessary chatter in that actual thread.