Stress-less travel!

I bought the Garmin C550 Street Pilot because this model was our introduction to using a GPS when we were in AZ last May. We liked the size of the screen and the simplicity of the unit's operation. This was truly stress-free travel in that we were directed to our destinations without struggling with a road map, stopping to ask for directions and arguing with each other about which way we SHOULD have turned! As far as we're concerned, the GPS ranks up there with our camera when we pack for a road trip - not to mention through-town (Washington, D.C.) navigation. It is as much a security device as having a cell phone, particularly for females traveling alone, so I also bought one for our daughter for her birthday. Some of the pronunciation is a little off but the visual directions help to clarify any auditory confusion. What I do not like, however, is that the directions give street names instead of Route numbers. We were in VT last week and there are very few street signs in the area where we were traveling. Route numbers are far more visable in most places, particularly in rural areas. Street name signage, typical in more densely populated areas, tend to be nonexistant sign-wise outside a city or suburb. On one occasion the GPS insisted on taking us to our destination via the "local" route rather than using the higher speed roads on which the traffic moved faster, thereby cutting the traveling time. Perhaps I'm just not familiar with all the programming features yet but we had to employ the "recalculating" option a few times - which I LOVE!!! When planning a trip, I would also prefer that when you're searching for places in other cities, you do not need a street address to find attractions, hotels, etc. Other than that, this seems to be a very reliable little unit which has made travel a whole lot more pleasant for us! We recommend the Garmin c550 highly.Read full review