For the paranoid travelers in the house, a new tool has just been created (still in Beta) to make your transition to become a bit more adventurous easier.

Windows Live Local lets you drive around (virtually, of course) the cities of Seattle and Washington. As you cruise around, you get a view of the sattelite map and street level photos which you would be seeing, if you were there for real.

To date, virtual cruising is only available in 2 cities. More will added later, I assume.

Unlike in real life, however, there are no crash-ups on this version. So, if you do get to travel, I strongly suggest that you use a different approach when you get there for real.

[as seen on Gridskipper]