Missing the Grid

I miss the grid system. Drivers in Utah, unless you have driven extensively outside of your chosen state, you have no idea what I'm talking about. All of you other drivers, the ones living in states other than Utah, are nodding your heads and smiling.

We've been in Dayton now for a full week. During this week, Ammon has attained a mastery of the roads that I admire. I, however, have not even set foot behind the wheel since I last drove our minivan in Northern Utah the day before we left. The streets here, which are laid in seemingly random patterns throughout the city, make me nervous enough about driving to submit to voluntary chauffeuring, and or house arrest when no chauffeur is available. I know at some point I am going to have to submit to the ways of the land, and learn to navigate myself and my family around to the various things that we need. Mary was kind enough to purchase a laminated map of Dayton city in order to make our travels easier, but the few times that I have tried to follow along as we drive throughout the days I have been unable to locate the street on my map until we are long past and traveling in a new direction. Not exactly helpful when trying to familiarize yourself with your new surroundings. Never before have I moved to an area where I have absolutely no knowledge of the terrain or the customs, and never before have I felt more like a 'fish out of water'. My interactions with the people of Ohio so far have been overly pleasant and reassuring, but the driving still boggles my mind. My word of advice to all you lucky Utah folk? Appreciate your neatly-laid grid system. Appreciate a Main Street that runs directly North to South, and a center street that neatly intersects and starts the number system all over again. Appreciate the blocks which are all the same lengths and coordinate with whole numbers on the grid. Appreciate being able to find a house of a loved one or new friend simply by having the address scrawled on a piece of paper, or noted in your mind. Appreciate not having to learn to drive on narrow eastern streets that have no shoulder, no turning lane, and higher speed limits. I know I will the next time I'm in your neck of the woods!