In the past, many a town was planned on a grid of horizontal and vertical lines. The people would try to orient the streets north-south, and east-west. There might be a square in the middle of town where the courthouse would stand, or a church. Around the square would be shops and markets and good things to eat.

The streets around the square might be labeled in an organized way, to make them easy to find. There was a Main Street or a Grand Street. Then there were numbered streets, such as first, second, and third. These might be the east-west streets. Then there might be north-south streets in alphabetical order, labeled A, B, and C, et cetera, or Adams, Bush, Clinton and Eisenhower. Or Annie, Bella, Candace, Darla and Elizabeth. Or Agarita, Bluebell, Carnation, and Dahlia. Et cetera.

One day, though, or perhaps across a long period of time, the grid plans got buried in a flurry of change. Loops and streets with intriguing curves came into being. Roller coaster style highway intersections were built. We've been in awe, and often lost, ever since.