I am writing this solely on the request of my husband, James. Being a service technician, he is constantly having to call customers and get directions to their place of work. And he gets what he calls "Turn Right at the Rose Bush Directions." Let me explain.
Many of us are fond of putting character into the directions we give each other. For example, "Oh, just get off Highway 99 and then you'll come across this gas station where I filled up my first car. And then - oh, about 2 blocks down, you'll see a bank. Drive a little farther and you'll see a day care center. Make a right there... uh, what street, you say? I think it's Lantana Avenue, no wait. That was at the other day care center. Freesia, I think. Yes, okay, make a right at Freesia and go for about 2 minutes and you'll see the prettiest house on the block. It's blue with white trim. That's not mine. Mine is about three doors down. With a fully blooming rosemary."
Sound familiar?
There is a method to this madness, of course. It works for whoever gives the directions because that's what the person notices when she drives home from the freeway. By the way, women are notoriously bad for this. Admit it, women!
So, here's how to give good directions:
1. Use cardinal points. Left and right turns are easily mistaken. Especially when freeway driving is involved, cardinal directions are a sure way to get someone straight home.
2. Use names of streets at turns. Go south on 99 and exit Lantana Avenue West, then turn right at Freesia is a lot easier to follow. Besides, the person driving is probably paying more attention to streets that daycare centers!
3. This one is a personal pet peeve. USE NUMBERS! Your house has a number on it for reasons other than the mailman. You can show the guest your rosemary later.
4. Finally, if all else fails and you have a computer handy and the person asking for directions doesn't have a navigation system, be kind and just use a map search!
The driver will be a lot nicer when he gets to your house or place of business. I promise.
Friday, March 23, 2007
The Art of Giving Directions
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1 comments:
I was first to comment on your blog! Heck, what a privilege and stroke of luck.
Realtors(r) frequently put the worst directions in the MLS, don't they? The main thing I don't like is that some of them are dyslexic, and say thgir when they mean tfel. Oh wait, I meant they say right when they mean left.
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