Yes, Node.js is perfectly suited to making calls to external APIs. Just like everything in Node, however, the functions for making these calls are based around events, which means doing things like buffering response data as opposed to receiving a single completed response.

For example:

// get walking directions from central park to the empire state building

var http = require(http);

    url = http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/directions/json?origin=Central Park&destination=Empire State Building&sensor=false&mode=walking;



// get is a simple wrapper for request()

// which sets the http method to GET

var request = http.get(url, function (response) {

    // data is streamed in chunks from the server

    // so we have to handle the data event    

    var buffer = , 

        data,

        route;



    response.on(data, function (chunk) {

        buffer += chunk;

    }); 



    response.on(end, function (err) {

        // finished transferring data

        // dump the raw data

        console.log(buffer);

        console.log(n);

        data = JSON.parse(buffer);

        route = data.routes[0];



        // extract the distance and time

        console.log(Walking Distance:  + route.legs[0].distance.text);

        console.log(Time:  + route.legs[0].duration.text);

    }); 

}); 

It may make sense to find a simple wrapper library (or write your own) if you are going to be making a lot of these calls.