21) Directions

I will be the first to admit, I am terrible with directions. Head north, go downtown, it's on the southwest corner - these mean nothing to me. The only reason I'm able to somewhat navigate in LA is the proximity of the ocean as a reference point, and the fact that I've lived there for six years now. And even then, if I'm driving somewhere unfamiliar, I'll not only look up the standard Google Maps directions, but I'll also zoom in on my destination and note the cross street, as well as the street after the cross street, so I know if I've gone too far. In completely foreign situations I'll go so far as to click street view and do a 360 sweep at the destination, so I know what landmarks to look for.

My need for know exactly where I'm going has reached new levels since I've been in NY. In a city that's completely unknown to me, the chances of getting lost are fair to almost certain. This morning, I spent a good two hours plotting out the exact route I would take throughout the day. My Google Maps was dotted with destinations, connected by a perfectly planned line. An accompanying notebook was scribbled with step by step instructions.

But is not knowing where you're going necessarily a bad thing? Worst case scenario, I get lost and ask someone for directions. Problem solved. Certainly, there are times when it's imperative to know the way. But is there something to be gained from occasionally pioneering your own path? Perhaps my sense of direction would improve if I was forced to be conscious of which way I was headed, and to pay attention to the spatial relationships between streets. In a culture heavily reliant on Google Maps and GPS, is our own propensity to navigate atrophying?