Billy Joel is my guide

When I was in law school, it was downtown Los Angeles. The streets are nuts downtown with some going under tunnels with no entrance to the freeway and about six freeways intersecting all at the same place going in illogical directions. If there was construction or if I had to go to a seminar away from campus, I was really at a loss as to which freeway to get on. Finally, I figured out that Figeroa was one way to a freeway entrance I liked. From then on, I could always get myself onto Figeroa and onto a freeway I knew. Of course the first time I didn't know which way to go on the freeway. I lived in West LA at the time and my choices were north and south. I got so incredibly and miserably lost going north, that it was ingrained in my mind thereafter to go south. It became rote.

Fast forward to after I am a practicing attorney in Glendale (far, far away from West LA). Little by little that first year, I learned how to get to all the courts downtown and how to get on the right freeways to get back. But alas, once I was at a bankruptcy hearing that took place deeper downtown. I found myself on Figeroa and rejoiced. I followed my nose, but alas soon I was going toward West LA and not Glendale. How did that happen I asked myself. I know that Pasadena and Glendale are east, but of course my choices were north and south. So in the words of Billy Joel, I repeated over and over, "Don't go south." Such directional messaging has served me well.

A few weeks ago, I was in the Federal Court house downtown. The address of the courthouse is on Spring Street, but that is a one way street going away from the direction I am coming from. So I always enter the court on the other street to the rear of the building. If I had a lot of time and a map, I would of course know that it is Main street, but in my usual rush to court and rush out again, I find myself staring at the elevator buttons. My choices are S and M. Which floor did I come in on??? A few weeks ago (after looking like a fool the week before going back and forth between floors, because nothing looked right), it came to me "Down on Main Street, down on Main Street." I should have known Billy Joel would steer me in the right direction.