# If you're going to ask for directions, give complete information **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 28, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-going-to-ask-for-directions-give-complete-information/572953 "2011-02-28T19:07:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-going-to-ask-for-directions-give-complete-information/572953/41 "2011-03-08T19:57:03Z")
I love quadrants, it narrows things down and makes it a LOT easier IMO, but anything right on the border of a quadrant that is not RIGHT downtown is horrible. I was an hour late to a job interview because the bus went NW not NE and there was no direct way to walk to this office from the train station that was a spit away except to cross through a big field with a silo of some kind. Here’s one that boggles me still. Last summer we were going camping (sweetie, Velociraptor and myself) and were meeting in the middle. So I pack up the car and off we go to Lacombe which was the only place he could get a site (long weekend). Drive into town and realize I must have gone too far so I pull over at the first gas station I see to ask directions. Me: Hey where can I find the campground? Him: … There’s one at Gull Lake. Me: I know, but Sweetie is here. There’s a campground in Lacombe, right? Where is it? Him: Lacombe? I walked out in disgust then. Thankfully the other customer overheard and told me I overshot, just go back up the road and hang a left. That was when I saw the teeny camping sign. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-going-to-ask-for-directions-give-complete-information/572953/42 "2011-03-08T20:16:12Z")
What kind of gets me is when people need directions in Manhattan. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a city more logically laid out. (I understand that below 14th St. things get a little weird.) Maybe Salina, KS is as good. Maybe. I haven’t spent much time there but I’ve had people ask me directions. “Can you tell us how to get to the Empire State Building?” “Yeah, it’s at 34th and 5th.” “Where’s that?” “This is 38th and 6th, so go that way one block and take a right. Then go four blocks and look for a freakishly tall building.” “What’s the name of the street where we turn?” “Uh… 5th.” Granted, it can be an overwhelming and confusing place, but seriously, it’s not tough if you know the intersection near where you want to go. ---
**Author:** ![Find\_Friends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@Find\_Friends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Find_Friends)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-going-to-ask-for-directions-give-complete-information/572953/43 "2011-03-08T20:37:28Z")
> [@TravisFromOR](#): > > I once gave a guy directions–he got halfway to where he was going, decided that I gave him bad directions, turned around, came back, and yelled at me. If he would have followed through with all the directions, he would have got there just fine. > > Also, I used to live relatively close to the California border. I worked at a gas station (in Oregon there is no self-serve gas) idiots would argue with me, then ask where the nearest self-serve station was. I’d give them directions to the closest California town–about 45 minutes away (without really mentioning how far it was.) That’s a bit mean, but given how huffy people can be when asking directions (as in both of your examples) I can’t say that I blame you. Once I was strolling down a major street in my burg, [Rochester, New York](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochester,_New_York). A seemingly nice woman asked me for directions to Schmuck Street. Since that started just a bit to the west of us (and it only ran to the north) I thought: Easy one. There was only a single intermediate side street, Nincompoop Street. \*Just walk on down that way, and first you’ll see Nincompoop Street– Her, testy voiced: No. I want Schmuck Street. Me, maintaining composure: Okay. I’m telling you how to get there. First you’ll see Nincompoop Street. The **next** side street is Schmuck Street. Her: (nothing)\* Good grief! You’d think that people would be more patient when someone is politely answering a question from a stranger. And if they can’t be polite… Well, there are maps and street guides. There was even a comprehensive city/inner suburbs map in the front of the local official Yellow Pages. I was tempted to give her directions to a somewhat lower-altitude location. _ **- Smilin’ Jack** _ ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-going-to-ask-for-directions-give-complete-information/572953/44 "2011-03-08T20:49:24Z")
> [@Trans Fat Og](#): > > That’s a bit mean, but given how huffy people can be when asking directions (as in both of your examples) I can’t say that I blame you. People can get really huffy. I had this exchange once: “Excuse me, young man.” “Yes?” “I was wondering if you could help me.” “Sure, I can try.” “I need directions to somewhere.” We then had a staring contest. I had an expression on my face that said for her to continue. She had the expression of a zombie. I don’t know how long we stayed like that, but it felt like forever. Finally I decided to say something to get the conversation rolling along. “What are you looking for?” She got really pissed. “That’s what I was just about to tell you!” ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-going-to-ask-for-directions-give-complete-information/572953/45 "2011-03-08T22:09:21Z")
On a bus to work one monring, I overheard another passenger ask the driver where she should get off for a certain apartment complex on Campbell. Thing is, there are two stops for Campbell because of its “L” shape; I was getting off at the first one and tried to get the other passenger to come along. She declined because the driver said to get off at the other end, where there are shops and restaurants but no apartments. So I went to work, put down my briefcase, and went back downstairs. I met the lady at Campbell & Randolph and pointed out the three buildings that comprise the complex she had mentioned. She wanted the management office, which is on the short end of the “L” and next door to the building where I got off. ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-going-to-ask-for-directions-give-complete-information/572953/46 "2011-03-08T22:23:42Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > … > “This is 38th and 6th, so go that way one block and take a _ **right** _. Then go four blocks and look for a freakishly tall building.” Well when you give directions like that I think people are better off not asking you. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-going-to-ask-for-directions-give-complete-information/572953/47 "2011-03-08T22:27:43Z")
> [@DooWahDiddy](#): > > Well when you give directions like that I think people are better off not asking you. 😉 Right is wrong? I’m pretty sure right is right. Right would make them go south. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-going-to-ask-for-directions-give-complete-information/572953/48 "2011-03-08T22:29:33Z")
Until two years ago, I worked in the Crystal City neighborhood. Interesting mix of hotels, apartments, offices, retail, and a Metro stop. When I had time, I’d offer help to the obviously lost, but that changed when the county decided to alter the street addresses to better correspond to the actual entrance locations. I had a seaman ask directions once and I had to tell him, “Sorry, after they changed the addresses, I don’t know where anything is! Do you know the name of the building?” He didn’t. I did direct him to a nearby map, though. ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-going-to-ask-for-directions-give-complete-information/572953/49 "2011-03-08T22:38:41Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Right is wrong? I’m pretty sure right is right. Right would make them go south. Ah, sorry, I misread you. I was thinking you were having them go down 6th Ave. to 34th St. and then take a right (which would be wrong), instead of cutting over to 5th Ave. on 38th St. and then heading south (which would be right and correct). The “go that way **one block** ” should have tipped me off; apologies! ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-going-to-ask-for-directions-give-complete-information/572953/50 "2011-03-08T22:51:55Z")
No problem. Maybe next time I visit, I can show you around the place. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-going-to-ask-for-directions-give-complete-information/572953/51 "2011-03-08T23:12:27Z")
Ha, I deserve that. 🙂 In my defense, however, I still think it would be easier to send them my way, down 6th Ave and then hang a left. Obviously either way gets you there, but my instinct is to keep people who don’t know much about the city (i.e. tourists) on Avenues as much as I can. And walking across 34th St. from 6th to 5th Ave. is a much more pleasant and open-air walk than crossing 38th St. (34th is a major street and has twice as many lanes). Plus you can tell them to check out Macy’s on the way! ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-going-to-ask-for-directions-give-complete-information/572953/52 "2011-03-08T23:14:54Z")
Good point, and I don’t know the place well enough to know what the “good” streets are. Given a choice I’d always choose to go down 7th anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-going-to-ask-for-directions-give-complete-information/572953/53 "2011-03-09T03:37:42Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > The first time I used my shiny new navigator was when we went to the [Boyce Thompson Arboretum](http://www.pr.state.az.us/parks/both/index.html), about thirty miles down US60 from where I live. We’d been there many times and the entrance is right on the highway so I really didn’t need the nav, I was just getting used to working it. So, I’m going down the road watching the display scroll and the miles count down, and we’re at the entrance when the nav says there’s seven miles to go, about three miles west of Superior. > > When we left, I continued on (we were going to Globe, anyway) and when the nice lady proudly we’d arrived at “Bos Th’ms’n Arb’rtum” (That was when I figured the speech synthesized) we were three miles _east_ of Superior at a nothing in particular spot. The place has a real address (37615 U.S. Hwy 60) so when I got home, I plugged it into Mapquest, and was about a thousand feet off, Google Earth, which was about a half mile off, and finally Google Maps, which had the seven mile off location. I figure Magellan is using Google Maps’ database. > > It kind of shook my confidence but it’s never been so far off since. Once it was a good quarter mile off, but since it was for a big-ass hotel I had no trouble finding it. Most of the time it’s within a hundred feet. It’s possible this was a deliberate [trap street](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trap_street) type error to catch potential copyright violators. ---
**Author:** ![Pigs\_in\_Space](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@Pigs\_in\_Space](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pigs_in_Space)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-going-to-ask-for-directions-give-complete-information/572953/54 "2011-03-09T04:13:42Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > What kind of gets me is when people need directions in Manhattan. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a city more logically laid out. (I understand that below 14th St. things get a little weird.) Maybe Salina, KS is as good. Maybe. > > … > > Granted, it can be an overwhelming and confusing place, but seriously, it’s not tough if you know the intersection near where you want to go. I know it sounds silly, but if you don’t expect it to be logical, it can be very confusing. I grew up in the middle of nowhere, where there were no street numbers, and went to college in Boston, where the numbers make no sense at all, even if they aren’t trying to actively get you lost. It was a shock when I moved to California and realized the numbered streets went in order, and house numbers go in order and odds on one side, evens on the other. It’s like they planned it. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-going-to-ask-for-directions-give-complete-information/572953/55 "2011-03-09T04:34:46Z")
> [@Bookkeeper](#): > > It’s possible this was a deliberate trap street type error to catch potential copyright violators. Trap streets were never as common as laymen think they were. The legal value of such “traps” was always a little dubious, and since 1991 [(the Feist decision)](http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=1195336269698056315&hl=en&as_sdt=2&as_vis=1&oi=scholarr) they have been of no legal use whatever. Needless to say, the three data providers for satnav/GPS systems are in fierce competition to have the most accurate data sets. But it’s a big complicated world out there. As it happens, I drew the phone book maps for Globe-Superior-Miami, and so I have a better understanding than most people of the shortcomings of Gila County datasets. To find out the streetnames for Miami south of the highway, I spent the afternoon at the volunteer fire department. ---
**Author:** ![Find\_Friends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@Find\_Friends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Find_Friends)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-going-to-ask-for-directions-give-complete-information/572953/56 "2011-03-09T15:38:37Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > People can get really huffy. I had this exchange once: > > “Excuse me, young man.” > > “Yes?” > > “I was wondering if you could help me.” > > “Sure, I can try.” > > “I need directions to somewhere.” > > We then had a staring contest. I had an expression on my face that said for her to continue. She had the expression of a zombie. I don’t know how long we stayed like that, but it felt like forever. Finally I decided to say something to get the conversation rolling along. > > “What are you looking for?” > > She got really pissed. “That’s what I was just about to tell you!” Unbelievable! I’d say that tops, or at least equals, anything for sheer “WTF?” in this category of conversations. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-going-to-ask-for-directions-give-complete-information/572953/57 "2011-03-09T15:46:49Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Lord, you’ve reminded me of an episode years ago when I got lost in a rural area. I’d turned off Interstate 95 for reasons lost to memory now, and had trouble finding my way back. I saw some country people on their porch, and stopped to ask them. > > [snip] > > Me: “and go ANYWHERE ELSE ON EARTH, which way do you start out?” > > Them: _point correctly to I-95_ Maybe they were hard of hearing, and only heard you when you yelled “ANYWHERE ELSE ON EARTH”? > [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Must be hell for them if they have to find a location on one of the infamously long streets that run from Chicago through all the suburbs without changing its name, like Ogden Avenue. That would be Post Oak in Houston. > [@Ibanez](#): > > What gets me is when people as for directions to a place that I know of that’s quite a distance away, unless they have a map in their hands I automatically think to myself “they’re never going to remember all this” and just say sorry don’t know the place. What you should do is give them partial directions (“Go that way for 7 blocks”) and then tell them to stop and ask somebody there. 😃 > [@not\_austin](#): > > Quite the opposite of asking for directions… about 30 years ago, I was hitch-hiking in Galway in the west of Ireland, aiming to come back to London. Car pulled up and asked where I was heading, I told him I was aiming for Dun Laoghaire for the ferry to Wales. He asked again where I was heading, so I told him London. Again, he asked where I was heading, so I said “Plumstead”… to be asked what street. > > Turned out he lived two streets away from me. Did he then say, “Sorry, I’m not going that far, can’t help you,” and drive off? 😃 > [@Flutterby](#): > > I must have gone too far so I pull over at the first gas station I see to ask directions. > > Me: Hey where can I find the campground? > Him: … There’s one at Gull Lake. > Me: I know, but Sweetie is here. There’s a campground in Lacombe, right? Where is it? > Him: Lacombe? > > I walked out in disgust then. Thankfully the other customer overheard and told me I overshot, just go back up the road and hang a left. That was when I saw the teeny camping sign. Oddly enough, I have found that people that work at gas stations, convenience stores, retail outlets (pharmacy), etc do not actually know the area, and usually can’t give you directions. Every time I’ve asked anyone like that about something local, I get blank looks and “I don’t live around here”. The latest was I wanted to drop something in the mail as I was heading out of town. I stopped at at store to buy a gift card, then got on the highway, and stopped in an area of the city I don’t hang out looking for a post office. Tried convenience store, then pharmacy, finally one of the customers told me where to find it, a couple blocks away. Seems odd to me, I mean I run errands during the day from work, so I would expect people to know how to find things nearby their place of work (maybe during lunch, or coming and going). But I also live a couple blocks from my office, so to me they’re the same. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-going-to-ask-for-directions-give-complete-information/572953/58 "2011-03-09T16:00:25Z")
> [@Pigs\_in\_Space](#): > > and went to college in Boston, where the numbers make no sense at all, They make some sense. For instance, 1505 and 15 are not the same address. ---
**Author:** ![fjs1fs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fjs1fs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fjs1fs)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-going-to-ask-for-directions-give-complete-information/572953/59 "2011-03-09T16:02:50Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > I was out working in front of my garage when a car pulled up across the street and 3 ladies got out. They approached and started making small talk about the weather and how they fought traffic getting here and they were still early and suprised they were the first ones there. I assumed they were there to visit my next door neighbors (retired couple who have a lot of visitors) and were just being friendly. They seemed awful chatty though and weren’t heading next door. > I finally excused myself and said “well, back to work” and one replied “oh, so should we just go inside then?” > “Excuse me?” > “For the open house?” > “Mmmm, no open house here today. Do you have the right address?” > “Yes, 2111 Goodyear Court, just like on your house.” > “I see. However this is 2111 Goodyear **Ave.** You want the street over.” > > They were pretty embarassed. I hate this type of naming convention. Why the hell do they need a Goodyear Court and a Goodyear Avenue? Goodyear Court and Firestone Avenue would lead to much less confusion. Better yet, Goodyear Court and “Nothing related to tire companies Avenue.” ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-going-to-ask-for-directions-give-complete-information/572953/60 "2011-03-09T16:20:27Z")
> [@fjs1fs](#): > > I hate this type of naming convention. Why the hell do they need a Goodyear Court and a Goodyear Avenue? Goodyear Court and Firestone Avenue would lead to much less confusion. Better yet, Goodyear Court and “Nothing related to tire companies Avenue.” Have fun. [Pearl City,Hawaii](http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=pearl+city,+hawaii&ie=UTF8&om=1&t=h&z=17&ll=21.400755,-157.957757&spn=0.007452,0.013497&iwloc=addr) [Holt Farm, Holt Ln, Leeds, Yorkshire LS16 7NN, United Kingdom](http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=yEF&q=holt%20farm%20yorkshire&cts=1259540732601&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-going-to-ask-for-directions-give-complete-information/572953.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-going-to-ask-for-directions-give-complete-information/572953.md?page=4)