h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You'd feel right at home in Austin - there's one road here that's variously called 182, Ed Bluestein Blvd, East Anderson Lane and Research Blvd

If you're going to get around in Austin you also have to know that Koenig Lane is Ranch-to-Market Road 2222, the Mo-Pac Expressway is Loop 1 and the Capital of Texas Highway is Loop 360.

Ben White Blvd is both US Highway 290 *and* State Highway 71

How about Kirkstall Road / Commercial Road / Abbey Road / New Road Side / Rawdon Road / Leeds Road / New Road Side (again) / New Road / Leeds Road (again) / Otley Road, also known as the A65?

Outstanding

I've had little trouble navigating Northbridge, Southbridge, Nicholson and crossing that all the various street names The Royal Mile uses on each block. I've become very about it.

Watling Street used to be just Watling Street, throughout its entire length from Dover to Wroxeter. Far more sensible. Fosse Way was Fosse Way, all the way from Exeter to Lincoln. Likewise Ermine Street from London to Lincoln.

But then, what have the Romans ever done for us?

In Houston, visitors to the city need to be wary of the variations on "Post Oak". There are myriad roads in the same general part of town named "Post Oak". Post Oak blvd. is completely separate from Post Oak rd. Ok, thats to be expected; but Post Oak Blvd. and South Post Oak blvd have around a 5 mile gap between them. These are major North/South thoroughfares near the West Loop (I610) that don't connect.

What makes this more confusing is that most locals refer to several of the different streets as simply "Post Oak" leaving it up to context to distinguish one from another.

Imagine living in Atlanta (or most places in Georgia, for that matter) where so many streets are called Peachtree

One thing about US cities that would send me doolally as a driver is the way that streets aren't always continuous. One street can have several sections, entirely separate from each other, and if you choose the wrong section you've got yourself a mighty fine detour to navigate in order to get to the next one. Which also might not be the one you want.

Like Margate Street in the San Fernando Valley, for instance http://i.imgur.com/ckZiv6S.jpg

That's not even the worst one in the vicinity - I chose Margate Street because of the scale of the map. I could have chosen other streets that are longer and just as fragmented.

It's not just a California thing though - there are streets like that not half a mile from Fort Gosho, and one of them is not only fragmented - it changes its name from one thing to another and back again, entirely randomly

We even have streets broken up like that in Little DooDah. Fortunately, any detour here is a short one.

BG, I am very jealous. I really want to spend some time in Edinburgh.

I'm finishing my vacation shortly. I'm trying to balance two variables: a good night's sleep before my early flight vs. my left over beer and whisky coupons (unexchangeable Scottish pounds). The coupons are winning. I'm down to £10 British, one Scottish fiver and a bit over £3 in coins which will become worthless in the States.

I've just had a look at the money I've got left over after my last trip to Blighty - a £2 coin, eight £1 coins, three quid in assorted change and an Elizabeth Fry fiver. Aside from the fact that inflation means that it isn't worth what a fiver was worth in 2008 (I think it was 2008), I'm not sure if the Elizabeth Fry is even legal tender any more.

Fear not, Fry is hanging around until 2016 when she'll be replaced by a plastic Winston Churchill: http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/polymer/Pages/default.aspx

Going back to the roads...

Hereabouts, if the name ends in "road", it is almost always "The ____ Road", but if it ends in "street" there's no "the".

And if it's the X road, it nearly always leads (or used to lead) to the place called X, whereas streets can just be named randomly after people, flowers, or whatever else.

It's interesting the way that, to me at least, the name of a thoroughfare immediately suggests its use or setting.

Road - something that goes from somewhere to somewhere else, whether it be from one town to another or places within a town. Some kind important or main thoroughfare
Street - something urban, houses on both sides, unless they've been pulled down or there's a park on one side
Lane - something rural
Avenue - definitely suburban and very probably tree-lined
Boulevard - something wide, probably in Paris or Los Angeles
Gate - something in an old city centre with overhanging buildings
Crescent - well, the shape, obviously, and it could easily be old or new, but almost certainly in a town

Of course, that doesn't always work, but if you go back far enough in time it might once have held true. You could hardly get less rural than Brick Lane; it's been a very very long time since Brick Lane was in the country. Bishopsgate and Moorgate are definitely not narrow streets with overhanging buildings, although they could have been at one time.

Then there are other road names that are a bit vague such as Way, Walk and Grove, and those that are as plain as the nose on your face - Hill, Square and Circus.

And then there's the aforementioned High Street, which can be both an urban thoroughfare right in the middle of the town *and* a main road, having possibly been the reason why the town grew up where it did on one of the country's main trunk routes.

Aren't words fascinating

Edinburgh has narrow Wynds and Closes. My favorite was Worlds End Close. Very apocalyptic.

Was there a bloke walking up and down with a sandwich board saying "THE END OF THE WORLD IS NIGH"?

Nope. Just a pub.

I can think of a few pubs, roads and places called World's End (Camden, Chelsea, Enfield). There must be a story there.

Oh, there is. The pub is located at the site of the former gates of Edinburgh from the early 16th century. It was considered the point where The World Ended and Edinburgh began" (or the other way around depending on which side of the gate you were on, I suppose).

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/edinburgh/pubguide/worldsend.html

Interesting but there is always at least one to break the trend.
I raise this "Worlds End" which has been a good place to stop when I've been there, however it is not on the edge of town (more like the middle of B***** all) and despite a ship on it's sign it is well inland.

http://plus.google.com/115634297444199001551/about?gl=uk&hl=en

There's also a film.......

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1213663/?ref_=nv_sr_1