Wednesday, August 10, 2011

This getting old is weird

So sometime this last year I apparently hit the age that makes me look like I am a nice and knowledgeable enough person to ask directions from. It happens almost every time I walk outside, someone or a couple of someones will ask me how to get somewhere.

If only they knew, growing up I was never aware of my surroundings. I literally got into an argument on a cellphone with my mother about them(the royal them?) moving a freeway on ramp (pro-tip the freeway on ramp was located where they believed it to be located). It was in not moved so much as I had turned the wrong way (miles before) and no where near where I was telling them that I was. Since High School I have learned how to navigate the city in a much better fashion, and more importantly I am able to visualize the layouts of cities, make connections and generally pay attention where I am going. I take note of street names, notice businesses and am getting to the point I've told people I could make it from Federal Way to Lynwood on surface streets (no highways or Freeways). For those that don't live in the area, it is well south of the city of Seattle to well north of the city of Seattle. It would take forever, by freeway at normal speed it takes about 40+ minutes to do. By surface street I expect it would be about an hour and a half, maybe longer.

Wow that was tangential, but I'm curious what type of people do you look for when you are considering asking someone for directions?

12 comments:

  1. Anonymous5:32 AM

    Interesting!

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  2. I search for friendly and local(?) looking people.

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  3. i'm a man! i ask no directions! =)

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  4. i just follow the trail of homeless people and whores till i find my front step.

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  5. hmmmm, I can't answer that one...

    it does, however, get me to wondering why i have the kind of look that inspires total strangers to unburden their life's miseries and woes onto me. people tell me things, i just don't want to know.

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  6. It's doubly hard when you move to a new city at an older age. I suck with street names and Chicago is huge. Thank the gods for GPS.

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  7. Once that happens to me, I'm going to adjust my look so that I scare children and don't encourage conversation.

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  8. I never ask for directions haha! But when I was 13 or 14 people asked me for them. Maybe because i'm a girl, so they weren't looking for directions...

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  9. Personally never cared what they looked like I'll ask them directions. If I don't get anything from them I'll head into the nearest store and ask. Gotten many a group through a city that way.

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  10. hmmm..I'd go for older one or teenagers.

    Older because, of course, I have this thought that maybe they knew the place well enough.

    Teenagers because they loved to jump places. ^___^

    and when someone ask me..I will just smile and say, "sorry, I don't know" but of course I will not stop there, I'll ask someone for them :)

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  11. I usually just hit up a mall or some place with free wifi. Google maps ipod action. Every time I've been asked for directions I always think I'm being jumped or something. Must look super sketchy.

    +followed

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  12. Do you currently have a beard? That could be part of it. Also, you are the exact opposite of a hipster which automatically makes you more approachable, that and you dress up for work. I'd ask you for directions now, if I needed them. Sadly, I still give directions to people in Seattle. Yes, I'm that good.

    I am barely out of getting lost all of the time in SA - stupid freeways.

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