On this side of the Irish Sea we would 'drop in' to Rooney's rather than 'drop up',which I haven't heard before. I don't hear it much used now, but we here go 'up to Town', meaning London, and the 'up train' always was the one you took for London.

Hibernicus, that was interesting about the up and down the street business I hadn't realised that there was any rule to it, just assumed it was arbitrary. Only thing is, doesn't right and left depend on which way you are facing, or which side of the road you are on, at the time you are giving directions? Am I missing the obvious - again?