You forgot to mention the traffic circles! So even when you know which street or avenue it is -- you go round and round to get to it! but as bad as DC is-- Boston is the worst! Boston drivers vie with NYC drivers for aggressivenes-- only at least in Manhattan-- you can, if you miss your turn go arround 3 blocks-- Most streets in Manhattan are one way-- With odd numbered streets going west, and even numbered street going east. the avenues are are also one way-- but not as orderly-- on the west side 6th Avenue is uptown, but on the east side 1st avenue is uptown-- they just alternate-- which would work fine-- except there are extra avenues-- between 3rd Avene and and 5th Avenue you'll find Lexington and Madison Avenues. and then on the west side Broadway cut across several other avenues at a diagonal. It not perfect-- but it is quickly learned.
But Boston! No rhyme or reason! all the streets are narrow, curved and willy nilly! and every one races on them-- and at places the (Boston) MTA comes above ground-- and the runs trolley like cars down the middle of the street!
But are there any other countries like Japan? HavardC-- how are streets named in China?
In Japan the first house build on any given block is numbered 1, and each house after it is an increment-- so odd and even #'s can be on both sides of the street-- (and if you knock something down, and build something new-- the lot gets a new address! ) -- and most streets don't have "proper names" it more like "the new street next to the old farm road" or "2 streets away from the square" Many Japanese maps don't even list these names... It is chaos to some one trained to a neat grid system.. Even the Japanese recognize it a hard system.. (see reference in "A Taxing Woman")
