This is a big thing in Eastern Kentucky. One goes “up” or “down” the Kentucky River and its forks, so one in Jackson goes “up” to Hazard or Whitesburg or “down” to Beattyville.
This is complicated because the river flows roughly to the northwest. So going “up” is really going southeast. But it’s a bit intuitive because you’re also going “up” into the mountains.
Anyone over 50 who has lived here all their life will correct you on this quickly.
Growing up in Philly, we would go down the shore, even if it was to Long Beach Island which is east. On the other hand we would go up to the Poconos. Here in Montreal you go down east since it is down the river.
I use South if I’m heading to Fresno, but I almost never go North, so I have no reason to use it. I guess I use “over” the most.
“I’ll be over there” or “I’ll see you over there”, feels pretty natural to me.
Up north, down south, out west, back east, get down, get back up again, out there and back here.
North and south are up and down. I’m on the East Coast. East is out, West is in.
Up and down are unambiguous when altitude is significant.
Climb up a mountain. Dive down in the ocean. Go up to heaven, down to hell.
And Czarcasm beat me to it: out West, back East.
I also generally use up/down/over for north, south, and east/west. Sometimes it seems to changed based on how one gets to the other location.
For example, when I used to live in Medford, OR, it wasn’t uncommon to hear people speak of heading “up” to Grants Pass, even though it was basically due west. However the most direct route there was northbound on I-5.
Eh, what?
We go ‘down’ to Denver (elevation). Nothing else is up from where we live.
My Wife is from Pittsburgh, and using cardinal directions there is pointless for road directions. There is not a straight road in all of Pittsburgh.
I use NSEW for most stuff, as a mapper, it fits for me. But not in Pittsburgh.