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Aug. 16th, 2011 10:53 amI just had to give directions to someone in three dimensions.
Most of the time, when you're telling people how to get somewhere, you can just say "Go this way, make a right, make a left". Two dimensions: length and breadth.
NOT SO IN CHICAGO, especially in the area where I work, because just north of us there's an actual level change in the city -- a portion of Chicago underground literally ends as the two levels, upper and lower, merge into one. So there are streets you can see but can't get to unless you know the secret passages, and places where you can't go any further because the next level up of Chicago gets in the way. When you give directions in the gold coast, you need to account for depth.
So I had to say things like "Well, you can take Michigan to Grand, but you can't turn onto Grand because it's underneath Michigan. You have to take the stairs, but not the wrong stairs. It's easier to just go through the mall."
It does seem to me that if you're trying to get to Evanston from the Gold Coast via the subway, you may want to do some research ahead of time. Maybe look it up the night before, make sure you know where to catch the Purple Line? Just a thought, really.
Most of the time, when you're telling people how to get somewhere, you can just say "Go this way, make a right, make a left". Two dimensions: length and breadth.
NOT SO IN CHICAGO, especially in the area where I work, because just north of us there's an actual level change in the city -- a portion of Chicago underground literally ends as the two levels, upper and lower, merge into one. So there are streets you can see but can't get to unless you know the secret passages, and places where you can't go any further because the next level up of Chicago gets in the way. When you give directions in the gold coast, you need to account for depth.
So I had to say things like "Well, you can take Michigan to Grand, but you can't turn onto Grand because it's underneath Michigan. You have to take the stairs, but not the wrong stairs. It's easier to just go through the mall."
It does seem to me that if you're trying to get to Evanston from the Gold Coast via the subway, you may want to do some research ahead of time. Maybe look it up the night before, make sure you know where to catch the Purple Line? Just a thought, really.
