I've always thought that this was the case.

I have a very good memory for places. But I am terrible at remembering where places like relative to each other.

I grew up on a coastal town, where essentially every 'area' lay on a single highway. And after living there for ~15 years on and off, I could name almost every business in three towns, which ones had shut down and re-opened as something different, what had been swamp a few years before.

Everything.

But if I got in my car, and tried to drive to a specific location, I was completely useless.

I could tell you what the building looked like, what was accross the street, what was next to it on either side.

But I woukd be completely unable to tell you if it was north or south of me.

I often had to navigate by mentally walking from building to building.