Off the Cuff / My Other Journal

Address Numbers

For a person who has traveled some, I can say that, in most any country, address numbers were visibly written. True, sometimes, their numbering didn’t follow a logical sequence, but they were easily seen nevertheless. Not so here.

I think there’s a conspiracy to hide the address numbers in our country. Today on US1, I drove north to south, then south to north to find 7151 (a government office) but the only two numbers truly visible were the numbers 9181 on a surgical office and 6815 on a small store. Why were all the numbers in between hidden? I have a suspicion that some people or agencies or stores do not wish to be found by serious clientele. Instead, they want to lure people haphazardly, the thrill of their game resembling a climb on an unknown mountain.

Look around you when you shop. How many buildings really have visible numbers on them? Surely, they advertise--in block letters or neon lights--their names, their phone numbers, and whatever it is they want to say to lure you inside, but do you see any address numbers? If you do, what is the percentage of the businesses with visible address numbers versus those without them?

Address numbers, whether they are residential or commercial, come in cast aluminum, cast bronze, and stainless steel. They can be put up by professionals or laymen. They are easy to install. Some just stick on; others can be nailed in. Some can be electrical. They can even be painted by hand or written with permanent markers.

Address numbers are important because they are indicators. They do have a commercial purpose for stores, for people in business, and their rationale is the ease of being found by prospective visitors and customers.

Why then, I ask myself, whenever I am looking for any place, I have such a difficult time?

Let’s get those numbers out in the open. They are very useful, believe me.