Finding My Way

If living in New York has taught me anything so far, it’s that I have a poor sense of direction. Actually, scrap that. It’s not poor, it’s nonexistent. In theory, navigating the city should be simple. I mean, Manhattan is laid out pretty logically, with numbered streets to help even the most geographically challenged among us (*cough* me *cough*). The “streets” are generally one way, with the odd-numbered ones running east to west, and the even-numbered running west to east. Perpendicular to the “streets” are the “avenues”, which are arranged alphabetically (Avenue A, Avenue B, etc) and numerically (5th Avenue, 6th Avenue, and so on). So, technically, finding your way should be easy, right? WRONG! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve emerged from the subway only to walk in the wrong direction. Actually, I can tell you. Every. Single. Time.

First of all, I can never remember which direction the streets run (I had to look it up in order to write this post). Secondly, I don’t know how you’re supposed to tell if a street is running east to west or vice versa without whipping out a compass. Do I look like Bear Grylls? Even Google Maps are useless. They just instill a false sense of security. You think you know which way to go, so off you walk confidently only to realise half a block later that the stupid map is upside down and you’re headed in the wrong direction. Thanks for your help Google, thanks a lot. Maybe it’s time ditch technology for an old school map…

Fortunately, at the moment, I have plenty of time to get lost. These “mistakes” are enabling me to get to know my new city a little better – and who knows what kind of exciting things I’ll stumble upon along the way.