if (GBrowserIsCompatible()) {
      var side_bar_html = '<ul class="locations">';
      var gmarkers = [];
      var htmls = [];
      var i = 0;
      // arrays to hold variants of the info window html with get direction forms open
      var to_htmls = [];
      var from_htmls = [];


      // A function to create the marker and set up the event window
      function createMarker(point,name,html,hours) {
        var marker = new GMarker(point);

        // The info window version with the "to here" form open
        to_htmls[i] = html + '<br />Directions: <strong>To here</strong> - <a href="javascript:fromhere(' + i + ')">From here</a>' +
           '<br />Start address:<form action="javascript:getDirections()">' +
           '<input type="text" SIZE=40 MAXLENGTH=40 name="saddr" id="saddr" value="" /><br />' +
           '<INPUT value="Get Directions" TYPE="SUBMIT">' +
           '<input type="hidden" id="daddr" value="'+name+"@"+ point.lat() + ',' + point.lng() + 
           '"/>';
        // The info window version with the "to here" form open
        from_htmls[i] = html + '<br />Directions: <a href="javascript:tohere(' + i + ')">To here</a> - <strong>From here</strong>' +
           '<br />End address:<form action="javascript:getDirections()">' +
           '<input type="text" SIZE=40 MAXLENGTH=40 name="daddr" id="daddr" value="" /><br />' +
           '<INPUT value="Get Directions" TYPE="SUBMIT">' +
           '<input type="hidden" id="saddr" value="'+name+"@"+ point.lat() + ',' + point.lng() +
           '"/>';
        // The inactive version of the direction info
        html = html + '<br />Directions:<br /><a href="javascript:tohere('+i+')">To here</a> - <a href="javascript:fromhere('+i+')">From here</a>';

        GEvent.addListener(marker, "click", function() {
          marker.openInfoWindowHtml(html);
        });
        // save the info we need to use later for the side_bar
        gmarkers[i] = marker;
        htmls[i] = html;
        // add a line to the side_bar html
		side_bar_html += '<li>' + 
        	'<h4><a href="javascript:myclick(' + i + ')">' + name + '</a></h4>' + 
			'<address>' + html + '</address>' + 
			'<table width="100%" cellspacing="0" id="springfield-gardens-hours" summary="Below is the store hours for Weisman Home Center in Springfield Gardens">' + 
			'	<caption>Store Hours</caption>' + 
			'	<thead>' + 
			'		<tr>' + 
			'			<th scope="col">Days</th>' + 
			'			<th scope="col" width="50%">Hours</th>' + 
			'		</tr>' + 
			'	</thead>' + 
			hours + 
			'</table>' + 
			'</li>';
        i++;
        return marker;
      }

      // ===== request the directions =====
      function getDirections() {
        var saddr = document.getElementById("saddr").value
        var daddr = document.getElementById("daddr").value
        gdir.load("from: "+saddr+" to: "+daddr);
      }


      // This function picks up the click and opens the corresponding info window
      function myclick(i) {
        gmarkers[i].openInfoWindowHtml(htmls[i]);
      }

      // functions that open the directions forms
      function tohere(i) {
        gmarkers[i].openInfoWindowHtml(to_htmls[i]);
      }
      function fromhere(i) {
        gmarkers[i].openInfoWindowHtml(from_htmls[i]);
      }


      // create the map
    if(!document.getElementById('map2')) alert('test');
	var map = new GMap2(document.getElementById("map2"));
      map.addControl(new GLargeMapControl());
      map.addControl(new GMapTypeControl());
      map.setCenter(new GLatLng(40.680622,-73.751135), 10);

      // === create a GDirections Object ===
      var gdir=new GDirections(map, document.getElementById("directions"));

      // === Array for decoding the failure codes ===
      var reasons=[];
      reasons[G_GEO_SUCCESS]            = "Success";
      reasons[G_GEO_MISSING_ADDRESS]    = "Missing Address: The address was either missing or had no value.";
      reasons[G_GEO_UNKNOWN_ADDRESS]    = "Unknown Address:  No corresponding geographic location could be found for the specified address.";
      reasons[G_GEO_UNAVAILABLE_ADDRESS]= "Unavailable Address:  The geocode for the given address cannot be returned due to legal or contractual reasons.";
      reasons[G_GEO_BAD_KEY]            = "Bad Key: The API key is either invalid or does not match the domain for which it was given";
      reasons[G_GEO_TOO_MANY_QUERIES]   = "Too Many Queries: The daily geocoding quota for this site has been exceeded.";
      reasons[G_GEO_SERVER_ERROR]       = "Server error: The geocoding request could not be successfully processed.";
      reasons[G_GEO_BAD_REQUEST]        = "A directions request could not be successfully parsed.";
      reasons[G_GEO_MISSING_QUERY]      = "No query was specified in the input.";
      reasons[G_GEO_UNKNOWN_DIRECTIONS] = "The GDirections object could not compute directions between the points.";

      // === catch Directions errors ===
      GEvent.addListener(gdir, "error", function() {
        var code = gdir.getStatus().code;
        var reason="Code "+code;
        if (reasons[code]) {
          reason = reasons[code]
        } 

        alert("Failed to obtain directions, "+reason);
      });


      var request = GXmlHttp.create();
      request.open("GET", "stores.xml", true);
      request.onreadystatechange = function() {
        if (request.readyState == 4) {
          var xmlDoc = GXml.parse(request.responseText);
          // obtain the array of markers and loop through it
          var markers = xmlDoc.documentElement.getElementsByTagName("marker");
          
          for (var i = 0; i < markers.length; i++) {
            // obtain the attribues of each marker
            var lat = parseFloat(markers[i].getAttribute("lat"));
            var lng = parseFloat(markers[i].getAttribute("lng"));
            var point = new GLatLng(lat,lng);
            var html = markers[i].getAttribute("html");
            var label = markers[i].getAttribute("label");

			var hours = markers[i].getAttribute("hours");
            // create the marker
            var marker = createMarker(point,label,html,hours);
            map.addOverlay(marker);
          }
          // put the assembled side_bar_html contents into the side_bar div
          side_bar_html += '<div class="clear"></div>' + 
		  	'</ul>';
		  document.getElementById("side_bar").innerHTML = side_bar_html;
        }
      }
      request.send(null);
	}

    else {
      alert("Sorry, the Google Maps API is not compatible with this browser");
    }

    // This Javascript is based on code provided by the
    // Blackpool Community Church Javascript Team
    // http://www.commchurch.freeserve.co.uk/   
    // http://econym.googlepages.com/index.htm