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I have frequently seen addresses, most often in the mid-west of the USA, which have only a name, no word for street etc., like 1245 Elm, or 6622 Grant, etc. This is not, apparently, just an omission or typo -- you see it on letterheads, invoices etc.
At the opposite extemity for elaborateness, is the city of Washington DC. You can easily find a site on the Net which will tell you all about the layout of DC streets and how they are named. Briefly, you have lettered streets, like 'A' Street, 'F' Street, etc. and 'I' Street often written Eye street to avoid confusion, and then there are numbered streets, 15th St., etc., so you can have an intersection of 15th and K Sts. The letter streets go E-W and the no. streets N-S (or is it the other way?) Then there are the avenues, all named after states, which go diagonally. Lastly, the city is divided into 4 quarters, so you can have an intersection of 6th St. & Pennsylvania Ave. NW and a 6th St. and Pa. Ave SE.
Washingtonians think this is a perfectly logical and sensible way of doing things. Anyone who has ever driven in that Godforsaken city knows better. When you get lost, as everyone does, even the natives, the worst think you can do is to try going around the block to get back on track. The diagonal avenues will lead you far, far astray every time.
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Carpal Tunnel
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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")
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New York Streets
Do they still have the Avenue Sprint in NYC? What I mean by that is the system where the traffic lights on the avenues all turn green as far as you can see at the same time, so of course, everyone goes like a bat out of hell to get as far as possible before they all turn red. That's the way it went back in the 70's, which was the last time I drove in Manhattan. In Baltimore, we have timed lights on the principal traffic arteries. This is a computer-controlled system whereby the lights on a given street are set to turn green in rotation so that if you can maintain a steady 29 mph or so, you can go a long way without ever stopping for a red light. Of course, this is easier said than done; maintaining a steady pace without getting stuck in back of some fool trying to make a left turn (maybe from a middle lane), or avoiding UPS trucks stopped illegally in the right lane to make a delivery or even illegally parked cars, is done by carefully choosing lanes and switching when necessary, which is a real science.
On the subject of strange street names, I just remembered Caracas, Venezuela, where I have often had occasion to send goods or documents. Apparently there are no street numbers there, so you have addresses like, "Avenida Simon Bolivar across the street from Sears Roebuck", or, "Avenida XX Agosto a stone's throw from the public library and around the corner from the Royal Cinema".
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If you call it a traffic circle in Boston, you're really in trouble, because the natives (of which I'm one) will know you're an outatowna. They are called rotaries, and they make perfect sense. For example, the person in the rotary always has the right of way over those approaching the rotary, except that those approaching the rotary tend to be moving faster and are thus more able threaten those in the rotary, so they may claim right of way if they so choose. In short, when driving in, near, in sight of, or in any way related to a rotary, just assume you have the right of way and proceed appropriately.
There is actually a part of Boston, the Back Bay, where the streets are named in alphabetical order on a grid (Arlington, Berkely, Clarendon, Dartmouth, Exeter, Fairfield, Gloucester, Hereford, Ipswich...whew!). This always causes great wonderment among Bostonians, and I think it's viewed as a mark of the heights which civilization has attained in that fair city that there's order in that little patch of it - an order utterly lacking elsewhere. One other important fact to remember in Boston - if you ever approach a one-way street (of which there are many), it will always, always be going the opposite direction of where you want to go. You could try the next one, but it probably won't work either.
But I think DC's worse. I've heard the plan it was designed on was intended to foil any armies that might attempt to invade the nation's capital - any truth to this?
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In reply to:
But I think DC's worse. I've heard the plan it was designed on was intended to foil any armies that might attempt to invade the
nation's capital - any truth to this?
Yes.
jimthedog
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Carpal Tunnel
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re rotaries. And for the experience of a lifetime try the Magic Roundabouts in UK. http://www.swindonweb.com/life/lifemagi0.htm. Named after the children's TV show by the locals, the Swindon one featured in the picture above was officially renamed to its nickname by the local council. In this system you have several small roundabouts (Uk term = traffic circle) linked round a larger central one where the cars are going the WRONG WAY! I have driven through the Swindon one twice and it is logical but most unnerving, and I am used to driving on the wrong side of the road in Europe. Rod
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Carpal Tunnel
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But I think DC's worse. I've heard the plan it was designed on was intended to foil any armies that might attempt to invade the nation's capital - any truth to this?Hmmm. Those of you who've read the book "Air America" will remember the bit near the end where the author is riding in a cab from the airport to the city. He asked the driver if he was worried about the North Vietnamese invading Thailand (they were busy sorting out Pol Pot in Cambodia at the time). The driver replied that they could try, but they'd never make it through Bangkok's rush-hour traffic. Those of you who've been there are sure to agree! 
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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Carpal Tunnel
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Named after the children's TV show by the locals, the Swindon one featured in the picture above was officially renamed to its nickname by the local council. In this system you have several small roundabouts (Uk term = traffic circle) linked round a larger central one where the cars are going the WRONG WAY! I have driven through the Swindon one twice and it is logical but most unnerving, and I am used to driving on the wrong side of the road in Europe.
And I still have uncomfortable moments remembering the Birmingham North Interchange ... Spaghetti Junction!
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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Was this plan put in place before or after the Canucks visited in 1812?
Before. We just weren't expecting them. Incidently, although people make a big deal about how Washington got burned, they never mention that we had been burning their cities.
jimthedog
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