History Main / YouCantMissIt

* Ski resorts fall victim to this trope when it comes to trying to get from one spot of a mountain to another. Bigger ski resorts, in particular big Colorado ski resorts like Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone, Snowmass, Steamboat, and Winter Park can fall victim to this, as there can be spots where you have to rely on geographical landmarks to get your bearings, as trail signs are sparse. Sometimes, the locations of chairlifts can be used as a guide in places where trees are sparse. This troper knows from skiing at Vail that going to some places requires turning at a very specific point to avoid going to the wrong lift.
** Tip: when you are instructing your party to meet up again, make sure to also mention the lift you want them to go to so that there's less chance you'll get separated. Don't use ski run junctions.

* In ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory2'', before you can buy a map of the city (which allows you to instantly teleport to any location you've been to before, and navigate the confusing maze of alleyways to anywhere new you need to get), you need to get your money changed to the local currency. The map-seller is happy to give you directions to the money-changer... directions that require note-taking and extreme care to follow correctly.

* In ''QuestForGlory 2'', before you can buy a map of the city (which allows you to instantly teleport to any location you've been to before, and navigate the confusing maze of alleyways to anywhere new you need to get), you need to get your money changed to the local currency. The map-seller is happy to give you directions to the money-changer... directions that require note-taking and extreme care to follow correctly.

* John Goodman's character in the 1997 film version of ''Film/TheBorrowers'' rudely asked a receptionist for directions to a room in the building and she replied by giving him a lot of complicated instructions, ending with "walk quickly". Later on, the KidHero politely asked for the same thing and this time she said "take the elevator to the top and walk straight ahead - "You can't miss it".

* John Goodman's character in the 1997 film version of ''TheBorrowers'' rudely asked a receptionist for directions to a room in the building and she replied by giving him a lot of complicated instructions, ending with "walk quickly". Later on, the KidHero politely asked for the same thing and this time she said "take the elevator to the top and walk straight ahead - "You can't miss it".

* The Wolf, ''{{Hoodwinked}}'', falls victim to this:
-->''[Boingo learns that the Wolf is going to Granny's house]''

-->'''Boingo:''' Oh, yeah. In fact, I know a shortcut.
-->'''The Wolf:''' ''[to Twitchy]'' You hear that? He knows a shortcut.
-->'''Boingo:''' Over the woods and through the river... no, you don't wanna go through the river. You'll get all wet.
-->'''The Wolf:''' You see, Twitchy? You get lemons, you make lemonade. ''[Cuts to the Wolf and Twitchy walking in ankle-deep water through a pitch-black tunnel]'' And then that lemonade turns bitter, ferments and turns to pig-swill. Never trust a bunny with directions, Twitchy.

-->'''The Wolf:''' Well at least the bright side is I've finally dried off. ''[falls into a hole and winds up neck-deep in the water]'' Why couldn't I write movie reviews? We are in a pickle, I blame myself. That bunny was worthless, not to mention he wrote the directions on an '''Easter Egg''' ''(holds up complicated directions scribbled in tiny text on the side of an Easter egg)'' which is very hard to read.

* In RedSonja, directions to find Queen Gedren's castle include "Straight north from here. You can't miss it. But it's worth a try."

* Ski resorts fall victim to this trope when it comes to trying to get from one spot of a mountain to another. Bigger ski resorts, in particular Colorado places like Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone, Snowmass, Steamboat, and Winter Park can fall victim to this, as there can be spots where you have to rely on geographical landmarks to get your bearings, as trail signs are sparse. Sometimes, the locations of chairlifts can be used as a guide in places where trees are sparse.
** Tip: when you are instructing your party to meet up again, make sure to also mention the lift you want them to go to so that there's less chance you'll get separated. At Vail, geographic marks are a necessity if you go to Blue Sky Basin, where signage is sparse.

-->'''Twitchy:''' That's right, never trust a bunny.
-->'''The Wolf:''' (paraphrased) Well at least the goods news is I've had a chance to finally dry off. ''[falls into a hole and winds up neck-deep in the water]'' Why couldn't I write movie reviews? We are in a pickle, and I blame myself. That bunny was worthless, not to mention he wrote them on an '''Easter Egg''' ''(holds up complicated directions scribbled in tiny text on the side of an Easter egg)'' which is very hard to read.

* The Wolf, ''{{Hoodwinked}}'', after he and Twitchy end up in a bat-infested cave after Boingo tells them of a "shortcut":
-->"That bunny was worthless, not to mention he wrote them on an '''easter egg''' ''(holds up complicated directions scrawled hastily on the side of an Easter egg)'' which is very hard to read."

* Ski resorts fall victim to this trope when it comes to trying to get from one spot of a mountain to another. Bigger ski resorts, in particular Colorado places like Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone, Snowmass and Winter Park can fall victim to this, as there can be spots where you have to rely on geographical landmarks to get your bearings, as trail signs are sparse. Sometimes, the locations of chairlifts can be used as a guide in places where trees are sparse.

* The Wolf, ''{{Hoodwinked}}'':
-->"That bunny was a waste of time. These directions are useless... not to mention he wrote them on an '''easter egg''' (holds up complicated directions scrawled on an Easter egg)... which is very hard to read..."

* Not a landmark, but Daniel Jackson uses almost his exact phrase when describing Teal'c in an early episode of ''[[StargateSG1 SG-1]]''.

* In ''HowIMetYourMother'', Lilly gets annoyed that Barney can't get the twenty or so steps to make some oragami figures.

* The "giving directions by where things used to be" thing is not uncommon in small towns everywhere. Everybody knows where the grocery store[=/=]highschool[=/=]police station used to be.

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* ''The {{Discworld}} Mapp'' explains that navigating by asking people where you are never works. Either the person isn't from around here, despite the fact they are walking a dog, or they know where they are in such detail that they can't pass this information on in any useful form:

* ''MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'':

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* The ''LooneyTunes'' short "There Auto Be a Law" had a RunningGag of a man in a complicated overpass asking a hamburger stand attendant for directions to the main road. The attendant keeps giving him different directions, ending each time with "you can't miss". At the end of the cartoon, the attendant confesses that he doesn't know how to get out of the overpass, and that he opened the stand to keep from starving to death.

* WeirdAlYankovic's song "Albuquerque" begins with him describing where he grew up: "Way back when I was just a little bitty boy living in a box under the stairs in the corner of the basement of the house half a block down the street from Jerry's Bait Shop... You know the place."

'''This is not limited to travel directions though.''' Can also be used for other situations like cooking or computer assembly. When the actual phrase "[=~You Can't Miss It~=]" is used, the landmark or destination in question may be either easily missed, perhaps by taking a WrongTurnAtAlbuquerque, or truly and tragically unmissable.

* John Goodman's character in the 1997 film version of ''TheBorrowers'' rudely asked a receptionist for directions to a room in the building and she replied by giving him a lot of complicated instructions, ending with "walk quickly". Later on, the KidHero politely asked for the same thing and this time she said "take the elevator to the top and walk straight ahead - [=~you can't miss it~=]".

-->You go back down that road for half a mile, then first left, it's in a deplorable state of disrepair I'm afraid, I've written numerous letters to the council about it, are you ''civil servants'' or ''civil masters'', that's what I asked them, after all, who pays your wages? then second right, only it's not exactly right, it's on the left but you'll find it bends round toward the right eventually, it's signposted Porrit's Lane, but of course it isn't Porrit's Lane, you look at the ordinance survey map, you'll see, it's simply the eastern end of Forest Hill Lane, you'll come out in the village, now you go past the Bull and Fiddle -- that's a public house -- then when you get to the church (I have pointed out to the people who compile the ordinance survey map that it's a church with a spire, not a church with a ''tower'', indeed I have written to the Tadfield ''Advertiser'', suggesting they mount a local campaign to get the map corrected, and I have every hope that once these people realize with whom they are dealing you'll see a hasty U-turn from them) then you'll get to a crossroads, now, you go straight across that crossroads and you'll immediately come to a second crossroads, now, you can take either the left-hand fork or go straight on, either way you'll arrive at the air base (although the left-hand fork is almost a tenth of a mile shorter) and [=~you can't miss it~=].

-->"turn where you get to where the boot factory used to be, no, tell you what, it'll save you some time, go along where the viaduct was, [=~you can't miss it~=], then turn right only it's really straight ahead, and kind of jiggle past the main road and ... no, I tell a lie, what you do is, you go back down here until you get to where you can see the old hospital was, only you can't no more 'cos they've taken the sign away, and..."

Can also be used for other situations like cooking or computer assembly. When the actual phrase "[=~You Can't Miss It~=]" is used, the landmark or destination in question may be either easily missed, perhaps by taking a WrongTurnAtAlbuquerque, or truly and tragically unmissable.

Especially aggravating for those with NoSenseOfDirection. Also see DirectionlessDriver.

When asked how to get to, say, Scarborough Faire, one has to go down Fifth Boulevard, turn left at the ice cream shop, hang right at the third intersection, go east on North Avenue, north on South Avenue, cut through three-quarters of Hide Park, take the Six Thirty-Six to Fourth Station, do a U-turn after 3.5 stop signs, shake a leg down Short Street, boogie up the West Side, and do the hokey-pokey and turn oneself around, since that's what it's all about.

* John Goodman's character in the 1997 film version of ''TheBorrowers'' rudely asked a receptionist for directions to a room in the building and she replied by giving him a lot of complicated instructions. Later on, the Kid Hero politely asked for the same thing and this time she said "take the elevator to the top and walk straight forward - [=~you can't miss it~=]".

* ''Literature/GoodOmens''.

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