How do they know what direction ..

bobbyss

Watch a US TV crime programme and you will inevitably hear ' I'm heading North on Main then East on 42nd' or if someone is giving directions: ' Just heafcwedt for 5 miles and then go east and you will find it'.

If you asked someone for directions in O 'Connell St, you are unlikeky to be told to go West until you see the bank then turn East.

Does anyone understand this way of giving directions?

ThisRegard

It comes natural to knowing where the compass points are if you use them regularly. Most cars in the US have compasses in them to make it easier, and road signs can indicate the direction. Some road signs here too also indicate the direction you're heading.

soups05

yes i do understand it. that said i would rarely give directions in that manner as its not really common place in this country. in any street in my town i would always know north, south etc but thats cos i lived here all my life

amcalester

It's the grid system.

Odd numbers on one side evens on the other, numbers going up and you're going further in that direction ie further east on east street

punisher5112

In the us streets are in blocks in most cases so they tend to only go 4 ways...

ceadaoin.

It's because all the roads are in a grid so it's easier to know which direction youre going. Streets are also named according to where on the grid they are. Eg there's a road where I live called charleston and it's divided into East and west sections and named as such. Roads going the other way are north and South. You'd know all the major cross streets so it's easy to explain where a place is by saying the road it's on and which cross streets it's between

AtomicHorror

bobbyss wrote: »

Watch a US TV crime programme and you will inevitably hear ' I'm heading North on Main then East on 42nd' or if someone is giving directions: ' Just heafcwedt for 5 miles and then go east and you will find it'.

If you asked someone for directions in O 'Connell St, you are unlikeky to be told to go West until you see the bank then turn East.

Does anyone understand this way of giving directions?

We're not able because of our wonky streets made for horse and cart and all those winding country lanes. Half the time I use Google maps I end up at an asymmetrical 5-way junction to be told "slight right".

How slight though Google? How slight? It's important.

neonsofa

I can't even do the usual "turn left at the bank then right at the top of that road" type directions., I get so confused giving directions. When people stop me in my local area and ask for directions to somewhere i pass every single day I will still get flustered. I don't know how people do it.

punisher5112

When streets were designed here they actually weren't designed more so for convenience and the part of anything been straight was done by eye so no wonder nothing is straight as they were all on the dirty beer.

Beyondgone

Americans are like homing pigeons.
You can send them off anywhere and they shít all over it.

Spanish Eyes

Have to say I have often wondered about this too.

But I still don't get it. Must turn on compass on phone next time, note to self.

bobbyss

ceadaoin. wrote:

It's because all the roads are in a grid so it's easier to know which direction youre going. Streets are also named according to where on the grid they are. Eg there's a road where I live called charleston and it's divided into East and west sections and named as such. Roads going the other way are north and South. You'd know all the major cross streets so it's easy to explain where a place is by saying the road it's on and which cross streets it's between

Yeah but if you went to a city or an area that you were never in before without any nearby street signs and you were told to head South for a mile then turn North when you see the bank, how could anyone know where they were going? It doesn't make sense to me. If you asked anyone who was walking from O 'C Bridge to Parnell Sq what direction they were walking, they wouldn't have a clue.

Badly Drunk Boy

bobbyss wrote: »

Watch a US TV crime programme and you will inevitably hear ' I'm heading North on Main then East on 42nd' or if someone is giving directions: ' Just heafcwedt for 5 miles and then go east and you will find it'.

As others have said, it's because of the grid system. The thing that wrecks my head is when they say stuff like "The suspect is in the north east of the building!" to people who are in the building.

There's no grid system in the building, and if you're going through a building, you'll be turning at corridors and coming out different doors so it's not as if you'd be thinking "Well, I came in the east side, took a left, 2 rights, a left, straight for a while, right, right, left, right, right. What? He's at the north east of the building? I know exactly how to get there!!".

bobbyss

Badly Drunk Boy wrote:

As others have said, it's because of the grid system. The thing that wrecks my head is when they say stuff like "The suspect is in the north east of the building!" to people who are in the building.

Yeah. That's true. But that may only be for TV. I doubt very much if anyone in real life would know what that's all about.

If it is the grid system it only means they understand directions in the environment they are accustomed to and therefore like everyone else if you placed them say in Copenhagen, they wouldn't know East from West.

C Montgomery Gurns II

bobbyss wrote: »

If you asked someone for directions in O 'Connell St, you are unlikeky to be told to go West until you see the bank then turn East.

Does anyone understand this way of giving directions?

Given my phone GPS says go West/ East/ North I should think it does.

SEPT 23 1989

They say the streets are paved with gold

ThisRegard

amcalester wrote: »

It's the grid system.

Odd numbers on one side evens on the other, numbers going up and you're going further in that direction ie further east on east street

Their freeways are numbered too so you know if you're on a north south one or east west one.

Jimbob1977

American roads tend to be designed in a logical grid pattern. Avenues run in a certain direction and the streets are perpendicular to them.

If the given address is 4210 8th Avenue...

It's on the block where 42nd Street joins 8th Avenue and you are House #10.

In many ways, it's perfectly logical... but it's boring. I prefer directions by landmarks

amcalester

Jimbob1977 wrote: »

American roads tend to be designed in a logical grid pattern. Avenues run in a certain direction and the streets are perpendicular to them.

If the given address is 4210 8th Avenue...

It's on the block where 42nd Street joins 8th Avenue and you are House #10.

In many ways, it's perfectly logical... but it's boring. I prefer directions by landmarks

Used to know an old guy who would give directions to Gaelic grounds using only pubs as the landmarks.

Usually got you to stop in them too.

Dravokivich

Badly Drunk Boy wrote: »

As others have said, it's because of the grid system. The thing that wrecks my head is when they say stuff like "The suspect is in the north east of the building!" to people who are in the building.

There's no grid system in the building, and if you're going through a building, you'll be turning at corridors and coming out different doors so it's not as if you'd be thinking "Well, I came in the east side, took a left, 2 rights, a left, straight for a while, right, right, left, right, right. What? He's at the north east of the building? I know exactly how to get there!!".

North east eh, which floor? :pac:

irelandrover

bobbyss wrote: »

Yeah but if you went to a city or an area that you were never in before without any nearby street signs and you were told to head South for a mile then turn North when you see the bank, how could anyone know where they were going? It doesn't make sense to me. If you asked anyone who was walking from O 'C Bridge to Parnell Sq what direction they were walking, they wouldn't have a clue.

Wouldn't this just send you back where you came from?

Senna

Did an America tourist ever shop you for directions over here, "ya I'm looking for the R683". Me = confused.
I've lived here all my life, I have no idea of road number.

ThisRegard

Yeah, we tend to give roads names based on where they either end up or go through.

Dravokivich

ThisRegard wrote: »

Yeah, we tend to give roads names based on where they either end up or go through.

Yeah, wanna go to Limerick, take the Naas Rd. Wanna go to Sligo, take the Chapelizod Byspass/Lucan Rd. Wanna go to navan, take the Navan Rd.

topper75

Limerick actually has a mini grid.

The Newtown Pery district was built in the Georgian times - same as the US cities.

We don't use compass directions for blocks though as, instead of numbers, streets were named for fat local merchants and their spawn.

MarkR

I think the national roads in ireland have the equivalent of mile markers, giving road name and approximate direction?

LordSutch

bobbyss wrote: »

How do they know what direction ?

There's only One Direction...

https://images-production.global.ssl.fastly.net/uploads/posts/image/112797/one-direction.jpg

Parchment

I find Irish people are very "casual" about directions. My non-national partner is so specific - he will say "its 15 km away" while i would say "oh its about 10 minutes in the car".

East, West etc would have smoke coming out my ears.

Yourself isit

It's not literally north south on Manhattan. As the island basically slopes north east. North just means heading uptown and south downtown.

Probably that's true elsewhere

xabi

I know they use the grid system, but there is no way that they all follow North-South, East-West lines.

OldGoat

bobbyss wrote: »

If you asked someone for directions in O 'Connell St, you are unlikeky to be told to go West until you see the bank then turn East.

As O'Connell St (Dublin) runs North/South telling someone to go East is a bit of a dick move.
You might however be given directions to go Up (North) or Down (South) the street instead.

Ash.J.Williams

bobbyss wrote: »

Yeah but if you went to a city or an area that you were never in before without any nearby street signs and you were told to head South for a mile then turn North when you see the bank, how could anyone know where they were going? It doesn't make sense to me. If you asked anyone who was walking from O 'C Bridge to Parnell Sq what direction they were walking, they wouldn't have a clue.

Americans concise accurate directions are hard for us to comprehend, just as our..."go 8 mile down there til you see the dead tree, then go down the headland til you see the pub, Oshea's not murphys....jaysus if you see murphys you're way to far...then hang a left down as far as the Connors shed, the mouse Connors now not the bunty Connors.....and you'll see a boreen with a grass strip up the middle....DON'T go up that borreen....go passed it and you're there on your right."

biko

When people ask me for directions I look around and then point to some other fella
"you see that fella, go ask him instead."

Maximus Alexander

It's easy in a grid city. I was in San Francisco earlier this year and it's pretty much impossible to get lost. I spent 4+ hours strolling around randomly one afternoon and always knew exactly where I was. You very quickly pick up that major streets like Geary, Fulton and California run East/West across the entire city, while the likes of Divisadero and Van Ness run North/South. Once that's in your head you always know where the cardinal directions are pointing and you can get around really easily.

Nomis21

I asked someone in Dublin once and they said...

"I wouldn't be starting from here now"