Search Engine Guide readers might remember my experimental week earlier this year when I gave up Google and vowed to use nothing but Ask.com for a full week's worth of searching. One of the things I walked away from that experiment with was the opinion that while Ask still has some work to do in terms of pure algorithmic search, they are really blazing some trails in terms of specialty search offerings. That's an important point to consider when checking out the latest offering from Ask ... Ask City.

Ask City is Ask's new local search offering and boy does it have a lot to offer. Most closely resembling Yahoo! Local, Ask City combines local business listings, event listings and maps but adds in one-click access to plenty of information not offered by any other local search product. The idea behind Ask City was to condense all types of information into one simple interface, but with a bit of a twist.

For example, when you search for a business within a certain area code, Ask not only gives you the standard style business listings marked off on a map...it also outlines the area contained within the zip code to give you an idea of where the business is in relation to your own location. Users can also mark off business after business to daisy chain directions that include multiple destinations. Heading out to run errands at five or six different places? Enter your starting address and then add in each of the places you plan on stopping. Ask will quickly put together both walking and driving directions that take you from point A to point B to point C and so on. Address listings and maps can also be sent to a cell phone via text messaging.

Another nifty option is the integration of other sites like Ticketmaster. When Ask City gives you local event listings, you also get one-click access to purchase tickets to those events from popular sites like Ticketmaster and Fandango. Movie listings also feature one-click access to detailed information about the film including reviews from popular sites like the Chicago Tribune. Restaurants that offer online reservations also feature one-click access so that you can make sure a table is waiting for you when you get there.

My personal favorite option is the ability to place a variety of "pins" on a map with information attached to each of them. Let's say that I'm planning on a night out with my friends and want to share the information with them. Instead of taking the time to put together a full list of all the places we'll be heading and then looking up the address and directions to all of them, I can simply place a marker pin on each location, append a text message in the pop-up window and then email the whole shebang to my friends. They can even make adjustments to the notes or locations and send out an updated email. I'm envisioning some serious potential when it comes to mapping out spots to hit on my next vacation.

While I haven't had a chance to push Ask City to its full potential, I will say that what I've seen so far is impressive enough to make it my new default "local search" option. It's certainly worth a look if you haven't had a chance to check it out already.