or, How Walkable is Your Neighborhood?

I’ve been walking to the local grocery store recently. Mostly because I think it’s a waste to get into my car after having driven home simply because I don’t have any ideas about what dinner should be. And because my favorite grocery store, TJ’s is not too far, just involves too many hills. So I walk to the other grocery store. I don’t bring my iPod, just some bags, my wallet (most of the time, I’ve had to walk back before), and a list, whether physical or meta.

And it’s been awesome. What a great way to see the neighborhood! I’ve met marathoners-in-training who walk a 2-mile circuit 10 times a day so that they can walk the LA marathon (I’m very impressed by this, since I’d love to train for a tri, but what am I doing instead? Blogging about it.) I’ve given directions to people who are lost, which forces me to realize that I really do know where things are in my neighborhood, as well as getting me to interact (shock!) with people. And I’ve developed plans for gardens by observing the ones around me. One guy has this awesome checkerboard of Irish & Scottish mosses (would that be Gaelic moss?) that makes me want to make fun designs out of moss.

“And it’s a great way to stay in shape,” as Rides a Ten Speed Everywhere Guy would say.

Treehugger, which is a fun site, linked me to the “How Walkable is Your Neighborhood” site, which made me realize that I do live in a great place to walk. Yes, my work is 5 miles away and takes more thought than I really like putting into most things to get me to bike to, but I’ve got grocery stores, libraries, parks, and museums within a mile of me. I may still want a garden of my own, but in the mean time, I’ve got a pretty sweet set up.

(Incidentally, I’ve always liked walking meditations and one of the ones I do is “Peace is every step”, a bumpersticker of which I saw on an SUV recently…” It certainly fills me with peace.)