Unless you are in Hawaii - where N.S.E.W. are useless!
For example, on O'ahu (where Honolulu is) directions are given as toward Diamond Head, toward Ewa (pronounced evah) toward the mountain -mauka or toward the sea - makai.
So you might hear directions as "Go Diamond Head three blocks then turn mauka and Kinau Street is the first left."
Since all the Hawaiian islands are basically volcanos they all have a mountain and - must I mention? - they are all surrounded by the sea!
There are similar directions based on local landmarks on each of the majotr islands - Maui, Hawaii (the Big Island) Molokai, Kaui and Lanai - but I'm not going into all that, thank you! ;)
While I'm on the subject - as a matter of courtesy the contiguous states are called The Mainland - never as The States. After all, Hawaii is a state!!