Ask an Australian, and they'll say "I'm waiting for you outside the Bank of America on the corner of 42nd Street and 3rd Avenue". Ask an American the same question, and they'll say they're waiting "on the north-eastern side of 42nd Street and 3rd Avenue". They'll both be in the same place, but who do you think I'll find first?
And if you complain that the compass-point direction isn't clear enough for you, an American (trying to be helpful) might clarify that they're waiting "on the north-eastern side of 42nd Street, kitty-corner to the CVS". As if that makes things any clearer! Well, it actually does to be honest, but only once you are made aware that "kitty corner" just means "diagonally opposite". I had never heard that expression before I got to America - and admittedly, it is much more prevalent in Chicago than it is in New York. But still, getting your geographical bearings here can be tricky.
Now I don't mention this to be disparaging in any way, and there's every chance that this geography thing is a challenge that only I have experienced. But even if that's true, navigating by compass points is just another thing you'll need to get accustomed to if and when you visit or live here.
And I think that what works in everyone's favour in New York is that the City is laid out on a beautiful grid, with the Streets running across town, and the Avenues running uptown-downtown. There are some exceptions to this of course (i.e. everything south of Houston Street), but generally speaking, starting your Manhattan life by getting to know the grid helps you become much more comfortable with the whole north-east-south-west ("Never Eat Soggy Weetbix") geography routine.
And of course, a good city map always helps. The wallet-sized ones, or even a decent iPhone app, are discrete options - but you won't need them for long. And hey if you're not in a rush, where's the harm in just getting lost? You're on Manhattan - it's an island, so you're surrounded by water on all sides. How lost can you really get?
