# Are you aware of the cardinal directions at all times? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 4, 2024, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-cardinal-directions-at-all-times/1002475 "2024-06-04T12:16:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-cardinal-directions-at-all-times/1002475/1 "2024-06-04T12:16:04Z")
Maybe it’s because I spend my working hours looking at a map of my county. But I always know what cardinal direction I’m facing or travelling. I go NNE to get to the office and of course SSW to back home. And I also know what direction the major roads travel. So when I was giving directions as “Go north on 41 then turn east at Victoria,” I was surprised when the person asked which direction was north on 41. Turns out that this person travels ONLY by landmarks. I had to amend the direction to “Get on 41 going towards downtown. Then turn right on Victoria.” I didn’t have time to ask them, but I’m guessing that telling them to take I-75 North would probably not work nearly as well as telling them to take I-75 towards Tampa. I know I’m being snobby about it, but I feel like this person is missing an important life skill. Having a fixed directional system really is the way to go since you don’t have to worry about right or left confusion. Using landmarks can work, but considering how much of our urban landscape consists of the same 30 or so chain stores, it might not be that helpful to tell someone to “go past three Publix stores until you get to the intersection where there’s a McDonalds and Wendy’s on the left side, a Chik-Fil-A on the right side, and a Payless shoe store.” How many of you guys use the cardinal points for navigating? And how do you react to the landmark system? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-cardinal-directions-at-all-times/1002475/2 "2024-06-04T12:22:43Z")
At all times, no. Most of the times, yes. I get a feeling of disorientation when I can’t figure out roughly where north is. Most of the time I’m pretty close without thinking about it. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-cardinal-directions-at-all-times/1002475/3 "2024-06-04T12:40:24Z")
Same here, at all times no but most of the time yes. I think there are interesting cultural influences on this. I read of some culture whose language has no words for “left”, “right”, “in front of” and “behind” (or something like that). They use their words for “North” etc for everything. That is, “I’ll take the donut to the north” as opposed to “the one on the left”. Also read a fascinating article about an American explorer/hiker type who visited somewhere in the Amazon forest to hike with some of the locals. They didn’t think, navigate, and talk in terms of “North” etc, but, rather, in relation to whatever river tributary they were closest to at the moment, with words for “upstream”, “downstream”, “down the bank toward the river” and “up the bank away from the river”. This worked well in a forest environment where there were no long sightlines but always evidence of how water drained. I’ve come to try to think that way in my own hiking in state parks which often include lots of land near creeks, hilly areas that were never cleared and farmed. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-cardinal-directions-at-all-times/1002475/4 "2024-06-04T12:41:22Z")
Most of the time I am. I had trouble on the west coast at times when I’d look at a map and my mind was defaulting east to the direction of the ocean. I adjusted based on the north-south orientation of highways. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-cardinal-directions-at-all-times/1002475/5 "2024-06-04T12:42:52Z")
I try to be mindful of this, because I agree there’s value in it. When I’m somewhere familiar, I know how the compass lies. As I sit here at my desk, if I stick my arm out and point to the right, I know that’s west, without having to think about it at all. _However,_ when I’m somewhere unfamiliar, I find myself getting turned around pretty easily, even when I’m trying to be mindful. I was in Copenhagen last week; at one point, my kids asked where (landmark) was in relationship to us, and I had to pause and really consider before I had an answer. I knew it was northwest of our current location, but it took a minute before I could orient myself to our surroundings to know which direction that was. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-cardinal-directions-at-all-times/1002475/6 "2024-06-04T12:44:44Z")
Definitely not. Sometimes, I’m out of town and am using Google Maps to direct me. She will say something like, “Head south on Main Street” while I’m sitting there thinking, “Which way is south?” ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-cardinal-directions-at-all-times/1002475/7 "2024-06-04T12:51:39Z")
Probably comes from scouts, and years of geology and archaeology fieldwork, but I get very antsy if I’m in a foreign place and don’t immediately know where North is. Even if it’s just a transit airport. Need to check the GPS as soon as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-cardinal-directions-at-all-times/1002475/8 "2024-06-04T12:55:26Z")
I’ve always had a terrible sense of direction and been amazed by people who can be plopped down in a forest and know exactly which way is out. I would have been a dismal African explorer. In the military, we had to do map & compass as part of training and I always turned it over to someone else in the squad so we didn’t end up in Mexico. It was easy in Anchorage, as the ocean was west and the mountains were east and visible from everywhere. Portland was more difficult for me, but after 10 years there, I was pretty comfy. But basically, no: I’m not aware of cardinal directions at all times or even some of the time. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-cardinal-directions-at-all-times/1002475/9 "2024-06-04T13:02:23Z")
I am a female. When I exit a doctors office I have to ask them which way I go. If I stand outside my building, I know directions. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-cardinal-directions-at-all-times/1002475/10 "2024-06-04T13:03:44Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Most of the time I am. I had trouble on the west coast at times when I’d look at a map and my mind was defaulting east to the direction of the ocean. I adjusted based on the north-south orientation of highways. I’ve had this problem too because I grew up on the east coast and am now on the west coast of FLA. I’m finally getting used to “east = inland.” ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-cardinal-directions-at-all-times/1002475/11 "2024-06-04T13:11:07Z")
Not a clue. If I’m at home I can obviously orient myself, but if I’m out it’s a matter of where the sun is, if I can see it. My last boss was always aware of the cardinal directions and couldn’t understand why most people weren’t. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-cardinal-directions-at-all-times/1002475/12 "2024-06-04T13:14:13Z")
When I’m in the American midwest (where I have lived much of my life) I orient by cardinal directions automatically and subconsciously much of the time. Things get thrown off when I’m in places where no grid pattern development is present. Weather conditions where one can’t see the position of the sun can also obviously throw things off too. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-cardinal-directions-at-all-times/1002475/13 "2024-06-04T13:28:51Z")
[Montreal directions](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Montreal), generally yes, I know my way around and can orient myself by knowing that addresses go up to the North away from the river (unless I’m south of the canal) and increase away from the Main (Boulevard St-Laurent). Now, the fact that North is actually West (or even West-Southwest in some areas) and the Sun rises in the South is not my problem. I didn’t invent the system, I just live here. It works, locally, though! (Yes, we know the South Shore is East of us.) ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-cardinal-directions-at-all-times/1002475/14 "2024-06-04T13:33:00Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > I’m guessing that telling them to take I-75 North would probably not work nearly as well as telling them to take I-75 towards Tampa. I would think that saying I-75 North would be acceptable as most people, even those that travel by landmarks, use the signpost for getting on the interstate, which cleary are labeled I-75 North or I-75 South. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-cardinal-directions-at-all-times/1002475/15 "2024-06-04T13:33:16Z")
I live in Manhattan so most of the time when I am outside yes it’s easy to know which way is north/south and east/west because street numbers go higher north, and avenues go higher west and most of the city is a straight grid. Anywhere else, not a clue. I am good with directions and knowing where to go on a map but that has nothing to do with north and south. “Take X street ten blocks until you see Y street and make a left, go two blocks and turn right.” ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-cardinal-directions-at-all-times/1002475/16 "2024-06-04T13:34:36Z")
I consider myself an outlier in how often I know the cardinal direction. I often want to say things like “park in the west car park” or “use the road that comes in from the north” but I know it’s rare for the other person to have the foggiest idea what I’m talking about. But even for me, I’m a **long** way off awareness “at all times”. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-cardinal-directions-at-all-times/1002475/17 "2024-06-04T13:40:06Z")
Yes, mostly. I’m in GIS. Mapping is my livelihood. A windy road though can mess me up. But I know where the road begins and ends as far as “I’m going to be East/West of where I started”. That’s Colorado though. The mountain roads sometimes take you south to go west for a bit. My wife depends on right turn, left turn for directions. Not go north on X road. I understand because she is from Pittsburgh. No grid layout. I’ve been to Pittsburgh many times. I pretty much give up there and let my wife navigate since it’s her hometown. There is no point in trying to use cardinal directions there. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-cardinal-directions-at-all-times/1002475/18 "2024-06-04T13:42:36Z")
Yeah, here, no issues, unless I am in a parking lot and my nice Google Maps lady tells me to “go north”, and I have to figure out which way is north while in the middle of a nondescript parking lot. Now, if I lived in the desert SW, I would be sure to know the Pyrrhuloxia directions… ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-cardinal-directions-at-all-times/1002475/19 "2024-06-04T13:42:37Z")
Not that it is exactly the same as the question posed here, but MythBusters had an episode where they tested whether humans have an innate sense of direction. Specifically, whether you can walk in a straight line while blindfolded, and they found you could not. Great episode and available on YouTube. I do find that generally, I have a good sense of direction. It is rare for me to become lost in the sense of, for example, not knowing which direction the hotel is where I’m staying. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-cardinal-directions-at-all-times/1002475/20 "2024-06-04T14:04:27Z")
I am not. (Aware of the cardinal directions at all times, or even most times.) If you make a reference to north, south, east, or west (let alone one of those in-between directions), I’m going to have to stop and figure out where you’re talking about unless (1) I’m looking at a map, or (2) I’ve previously looked at a map or thought about which direction something was enough to remember it. I think it was here in the SDMB that someone once remarked that they lived where there were mountains in a particular direction, and that helped them be aware of the compass directions because they could always easily see which way was west (or whichever direction the mountains were). But I’ve never lived anywhere that had such obvious visual cues to which direction is which. North, south, east, and west all look exactly the same to me. (When it comes to getting around, navigating, not getting lost or easily getting unlost when I do, I think I have a fairly medium sense of direction: neither especially good nor especially bad.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-cardinal-directions-at-all-times/1002475.md?page=2)