That's what I used to do but this is more convenient plus there's something nice about creating a content page with notes about linking into a maps application.
And yes, I'm bringing .cx back. Too soon? It was either that or Libya.
There are quite a few .to domains available still. For example, right.to is available and would work for this application (although it's not terribly short). They're $50/yr, but you have to buy 2 years up front. I used it for Yak because it makes sense to yak.to/stanford, yak.to/chicago, etc.
And yes, I'm bringing .cx back. Too soon? It was either that or Libya.