# Which way is up? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 20, 2012, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-way-is-up/638310 "2012-10-20T09:22:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-way-is-up/638310/1 "2012-10-20T09:22:33Z")
When someone gives you directions like “Go west on Anderson Avenue until you hit the light, then turn and go up Smith Street until you see the red house”, which way is “up”-left, or right? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-way-is-up/638310/2 "2012-10-20T09:27:33Z")
Up may be in the direction the house numbers get higher, or in the opposite direction from downtown. However, if you’re not familiar with the area, “up” could be utterly meaningless. If the person giving the directions didn’t specifically say left or right, I personally would be driving around in circles and possibly have to ask someone else for directions. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-way-is-up/638310/3 "2012-10-20T13:04:36Z")
If there’s a hill? I have a problem when someone asks me to turn up/down the AC. Turn up/down the heat is easy, your move the thermostat up to a warmer temp and down to a cooler temp. Does turn up the AC mean push the thermostat up to a higher temp, or push it down to a cooler temp? ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-way-is-up/638310/4 "2012-10-20T13:11:30Z")
To me going up the street is going to the right at an intersection. Going down is going to the left. That’s just me. I’m weirdly wired. However, If someone has given me a number and I’m looking f or 2206 and I hit the intersection at the 2000 block and the numbers go up if I turn left, then going up the street means turning left. Ascending numbers go up. ---
**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:** [October 20, 2012, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-way-is-up/638310/5 "2012-10-20T13:49:12Z")
Those are just bad directions, it could mean either left or right. Even if there are ascending house numbers or a hill, someone who gives directions like that probably got them wrong anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-way-is-up/638310/6 "2012-10-20T14:35:50Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > When someone gives you directions like “Go west on Anderson Avenue until you hit the light, then turn and go up Smith Street until you see the red house”, which way is “up”-left, or right? My _guess_ would be up a hill, if present, or north if the street is flat. Simpler to just ask the direction-giver to clarify. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-way-is-up/638310/7 "2012-10-20T15:03:34Z")
Up is the direction in which things don’t fall\* So if the directions tell you to go up, drop something and then travel in the opposite direction\*\* - Here on Earth anyway \*\* May be much easier if there is a hill, escalator, or elevator nearby. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-way-is-up/638310/8 "2012-10-20T15:25:37Z")
Another place where these directions might make sense is Manhattan, where “uptown” and “downtown” mean toward higher- and lower-numbered streets. I agree that such directions are bad. When telling someone how to get somewhere, why leave anything open to interpretation? “Left” and “right” have the same meanings to everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-way-is-up/638310/9 "2012-10-20T16:02:30Z")
For a viewpoint that I honestly already expected to see: “Up” is always north. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-way-is-up/638310/10 "2012-10-20T16:10:51Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > Another place where these directions might make sense is Manhattan, where “uptown” and “downtown” mean toward higher- and lower-numbered streets. I think Manhattan is atypical in that the city started on the southern tip of a narrow island and developed from there. So uptown and downtown became synonymous with north and south. Most cities have a more centralized “downtown” and develop out in several directions. So downtown could as easily be to the north as to the south. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-way-is-up/638310/11 "2012-10-20T16:49:28Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > When someone gives you directions like “Go west on Anderson Avenue until you hit the light, then turn and go up Smith Street until you see the red house”, which way is “up”-left, or right? From those directions I would have to assume that either: [ul] [li]the cross street is named differently in each direction, or[/li] [li]Smith St. is one-way, or[/li] [li]Smith St. begins at that intersection[/li][/ul] Otherwise it’s completely ambiguous and bad directions. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-way-is-up/638310/12 "2012-10-20T17:05:24Z")
“Up” means go forward. Those directions are ambiguous unless Smith St. is one-way. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-way-is-up/638310/13 "2012-10-20T17:19:10Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > Another place where these directions might make sense is Manhattan, where “uptown” and “downtown” mean toward higher- and lower-numbered streets. Except he said to turn onto Smith **street**. Now if this were onto an _avenue_ you’d have a point 🙂 (Yes, I \*know \*I’m nitpicking and fighting the hypothetical all at once. Deal 😛 :D) > [@DCnDC](#): > > From those directions I would have to assume that either: > > [ul] > [li]the cross street is named differently in each direction, or[/li] > [li]Smith St. is one-way, or[/li] > [li]Smith St. begins at that intersection[/li][/ul] > > Otherwise it’s completely ambiguous and bad directions. This, plus another two possibilities, but in both these cases still _not_ very good directions:[ul][_]Smith st. is on a steep hill[_]Ascending house numbers (this implies familiarity with the local numbering system however; if I’m asking it’s probably useless for me!)[/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-way-is-up/638310/14 "2012-10-20T17:26:22Z")
I think I say ‘up’ if it’s less than 2 blocks, ‘down’ if it’s 2 blocks or more. So I’m absolutely no help. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-way-is-up/638310/15 "2012-10-20T17:26:55Z")
It doesn’t matter. The world is a globe. Turn either way, keep going long enough and you’ll arrive at your destination… eventually. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-way-is-up/638310/16 "2012-10-20T18:06:36Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > For a viewpoint that I honestly already expected to see: “Up” is always north. True dat. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-way-is-up/638310/17 "2012-10-20T18:11:25Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > For a viewpoint that I honestly already expected to see: “Up” is always north. That doesn’t help if the street runs east/west. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-way-is-up/638310/18 "2012-10-20T18:36:57Z")
> [@sahirrnee](#): > > That doesn’t help if the street runs east/west. Or if you don’t know the area and have no way of telling which way is north. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-way-is-up/638310/19 "2012-10-20T18:39:26Z")
To go “up” a street means to go with the ascending street numbers. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-way-is-up/638310/20 "2012-10-20T19:05:33Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > To go “up” a street means to go with the ascending street numbers. But you have to make the turn first to look at the numbers. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-way-is-up/638310.md?page=2)