How did I not know this? I've always run the open command in the terminal for hidden folders.
Because it isn't obvious, or even really very easy to find.
Also, people will spend days customizing their Linux systems, but think OS X needs to be exactly the way they want it out of the box. Why is that? I agree the software quality has declined over the past few years, but many people here seem to be nitpicking.
But it's shitty UX. You can navigate to folders, except this arbitrary list of them that you can't control, in which case you go somewhere else to navigate to them.
And the 3 or 4 ways to view the folders, in (at least) one of them you can't create a new folder, but others you can. Brilliant.
.. = parent directory
Here's the funny thing: Click the Go menu in Finder, and look down at the bottom where it says Go to Folder...
See the shortcut? Yup, it's Command-Shift-G.
I have no idea why I never paid attention to that before.