Sunday afternoon at the IMA, I was volunteering at the information desk alone. My co-hort and volunteer supervisor, Philomena, was off at a reunion for the weekend, and so I was there manning (or womanning) the desk on my own. Ordinarily I don't mind that. I like answering people's questions, directing them to a specific piece they are looking for, telling them where to catch the closest elevator or restroom, etc. THAT I dont' mind, but I got a couple of the phone calls I dread during my shift on Sunday--calls from people wanting specific directions to the IMA.
I tried my best. I have a cheat sheet to work from, but both of these people still sounded confused after I read them the written directions word-for-word. They started telling me exactly where they were and then expected me to give them turn-by-turn directions to my location...well, that just wasn't going to happen. I knew that I'd get them even more lost, and that would be a disaster.
I'm a landmark girl. You know the type. My directions are all about buildings, trees, parks, etc. I'm known for telling people to turn at the blue mailbox or look for the McDonalds and then turn left 3 streets after that. I'm not usually very good with street names or knowing where one street starts going by another name, etc. Why do they do that to city streets anyway? I mean Michigan should be Michigan all the way through the city and not turn into Martin Luther King Jr. and then West Street (or is it the other way around?). And while I am on this rant, why does Indy have to have both a Michigan Road and a Michigan Street anyway? Whose brilliant idea was that one? I mean, Michigan is my home state, and I love it, but couldn't they have come up with another name instead of naming both streets the same? Where is the creativity there? And why did they name 2 streets the same name if they aren't all that far from each other either?
So anyway, back to the phone calls, when these unsuspecting people call in and want directions from I-74 or Greenwood, I am at a loss. I'm a Westside girl. I know downtown (mostly central and the westside of downtown). You get me too far East (past Mass Ave.), and I'm usually a bit sketchy at finding a location. Don't forget, I'm a smalltown girl living on the fringe of the city's limits here. If you will recall, I live near Brownsburg and Clermont so that I can drive through farmland and escape from the hustle and bustle of 465. I'm the girl who still likes to figure out 30 back ways to get from point A to point B, but that doesn't mean that I always know which road I am on or could find my location on a map. I like to explore and be adventurous, but that doesn't mean that I always know where I am.
Well, I certainly hope those poor people found their way to the IMA on Sunday. I did my best, but I'm hoping they didn't end up in Lafayette or Terre Haute because of my directions. HA!
No comments:
Post a Comment