A Street is just a Street

Exited the subway at Lexington, and although I knew the traffic flow was South, could not immediately get my bearings. And I needed a quick answer. So I took in the people around me on the crowded corner, waiting for the lights to change. The mother with child was my choice. I asked her “what is the next street over?”. Her immediate reply ” you mean Avenue?”. Yes I said with a moment’s hesitation. Her reply caught me by surprise, because I meant the next over piece of asphalt where cars drive that is identified as a road. She meant the term used by those that live there, which delineates Avenues from Streets. Once again, lookin’likeatourist.