Are you traveling this summer? Send me a postcard when you do. Do you go by car, and once you are there, do you walk around? Do you use a map or GPS? Do you like getting lost or do you plan ahead so you know where you are going? As you walk or ride around, do you pay attention to the direction you are going? North? South?
In the open air, I usually know where I am headed even though I may be somewhat lost. The only time I get thoroughly confused is in a subway deep underground, where I lose my sense of direction. I spent an hour one morning trying to find my way out of the Shinjuku Station in Tokyo (one of the largest stations in the world) because I couldn't orient myself. I walked our of several exits that deposited me in a completely wrong place. If I hadn't been lost, though, I wouldn't have seen the block long wall of beautifully done calligraphy/graffiti that lined a street that I didn't know existed.
 |
| My first week of watercolors for July World Watercolor Month |
In a car the GPS has become a valuable, though not always reliable, tool for us. We hailed our Lyft driver after an evening in downtown Chicago. We asked her to take us back to our VRBO rental that we shared with our extended Slavin family. The driver depended on GPS to get around Chicago. As we rode around the downtown area, we realized the driver was driving in circles. The signal for the GPS kept being interrupted by the skyscrapers lining the streets. We were going nowhere. The driver had no idea how to get around the metropolitan area of Chicago without her GPS. Luckily one of our nieces knew the way home.
After this ride I came across an article about a study done in 2011 of the brains of London cabdrivers. The researchers found that the cabbies' hippocampus, where memories are stored, grow larger during the 3-year training to become a driver. If you've ever looked at a map of London, you can understand why the training takes so long and why their brains are different than the rest of us. The trainees spend at least 3 years memorizing all the streets and businesses within the heart of London. That 640 mile area has 25,000 streets and who knows how many businesses. "I want to go to Chef Ramsey's restaurant," means the cabbie needs to know where the address is and how to get there.
Here at home, our son, the philosopher that he is, suggested that we only look at the app WAZE to see their recommendations for alternative routes in a traffic jam. He posits that everyone else gets the same information from WAZE and will crowd the alternative routes. He favors proceeding on a different route than the one WAZE suggests.
I can't argue that maps are better than GPS. They both are valuable, but having a sense of where I am going is even better than either of those devises. What tools do you use to make sure you get from A to Z?
Check out the study about the brains of London cab drivers:
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/10/t-magazine/london-taxi-test-knowledge.html
If you would like to try watercolor, check out Charles O'Shield's website:
https://doodlewash.com/event/world-watercolor-month/2019-07-01/
I get lost no matter what. I have little sense of direction. Any deviation from the route I know sends me into a panic. My hubby, on the other hand, has an internal GPS. He can find his way around anywhere. Great watercolors!
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I are opposite too. He can't find his way either without GPS. Having a sense of direction seems to be innate, rather than acquired. I wonder why some people have it and others don't. Luckily we have made maps, compasses, GPS and all the other devices we use to navigate! Thank you, Chandra, for commenting about my watercolors too. Keep on with the ones you are doing -- they are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteFrom Jane B from Facebook: Love this! Your painting of the quail is remarkable! The info about the London cabbies was fascinating. I love using the "blue dot" on Google maps to navigate the traffic around here.
ReplyDeleteHi Jane, I'm loving how people are showing how they find their way around. And thanks for your comments about my watercolors.
DeleteFrom Linda on Facebook: When I call for an Uber ride they inevitably are told to make a u-turn on South St instead turning onto King Ct. They are sent to the park next to my complex. Grrr!
ReplyDeleteLinda, GPS is a little quirky still - just like us!
DeleteFrom Sharol on Facebook: I’m lost without Google Maps! I was born without an inherent sense of direction (thanks Dad!) while my Mom had the directional instincts of a homing pigeon!
ReplyDeleteSharol, husbands and wives seem to have opposite senses of direction--maybe that's a good thing, except when you're the one reading the map and your spouse is driving. Woe if you miss the turn off!
DeleteFrom Mary by email: This reminded me of the many times we went around in circles in San Francisco with our GPS. I do miss using maps, just last week when Ann was visiting she asked me if I had a map in the car so she could orient herself as we were driving back from Tahoe. Our advancing technology is great but sometimes I miss the old ways.
ReplyDeleteI think maps give me a much bigger picture of where I am -- helps to keep things in perspective.
DeleteFrom Toni by email: Your self discipline is impressive!
ReplyDeletethanks, Toni. I agree. I need to set aside time or it doesn't get done. Early morning for me.
DeleteWe use a combination of GPS (me), maps viewed ahead of time (my husband) and good old seat of the pants on the fly ("It's got to be around her somewhere," "I saw it from the freeway so we should make a right here," etc.) We've learned to enjoy the journey! And thanks for posting your beautiful waetercfolor exercises.
ReplyDeleteYou sound just like us! And thanks for mentioning my watercolor sketches too.
DeleteI don't worry...when we go beyond our familiar territory...Sam is the driver!
ReplyDelete