On Becoming a Planner

This weekend confirmed that I need to know this area a bit more without being so overwhelmed by the sprawling nature of Washington DC.
Those who know me well know that I need a GPS system badly.
I mean I truly Need One.
I can get lost easily on foot or in a car and have no sense of direction. Literally. I might be able to use the sun as a compass in the wild--but in the streets of DC, I just Can't Understand which way I need to go.
Consider the highway system here, poorly marked and also sprawling, and you have a recipe for Getting Lost.
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I'm not really a pool person. I'm not a mall person. I'm not a drive around in your car person (anymore).
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That means that with the kiddos in tow, I have to have solid plans about What to Do and where we are going. Gone are the days when I can just head out the front door, go to the community garden, head off on the T and go to the aquarium on a whim.
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Now I need an Actual Car and Actual Directions and Actual Plans. It's daunting. I like to wake up, go get coffee at a coffee shop, and push the stroller down to the T...maybe head up to Harvard...maybe go to a musuem there. Maybe not. I also liked rural living: wake up, country store, gardening, maybe go strawberry picking. Maybe see a friend. Maybe a play date, the library, or ...
And now...I have to plan. Zoo. Museum. DC. Figure out how to get there via car. Without Brian, who was born with the best sense of direction I have ever seen.
Go figure!