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***At least in my reading, the term "blocks" goes back quite a ways in the US***
Right, Worldwalker. What you must bear in mind, though, it that American cities are relatively new and were designed and built from scratch on a sensible grid system of straight streets and avenues, divided by 'building blocks' of pretty well equal length.
This didn't happen in, for instance, Europe where most towns and cities go back to pre-Roman times and developed haphazardly, often following ancient tracks and geographical contours.
You could never get (geographically) lost in New York, but in London, for instance, licenced Hackney Carriage drivers (the famous London cabbies) have to go through what's known as 'the knowledge' ... two years of going around town on a pushbike to get to know the city's nooks and crannies intimately. Then they must pass a rigorous test before being awarded their licence.
Europeans tend to direct strangers according to the number of streets and turns and, of course, distance. Landmarks in the UK were once churches, but now they're pubs ...
"Straight down there, mate. You'll pass three streets on your left. Ignore those. Turn right at the Glog and Ferret. You'll find Grub Street second left, just at the traffic lights. About ten minutes' walk."
Cumbersome, but those bloody Druids and Romans left us no choice.
Bestest. Neil
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