I live in a very walkable and/or bikeable suburban small town, but it's walkable because the Redevelopment Agency that the state just took away funded a lot of improvements to make it so. And with the economy the way it is, small businesses along Main Street are closing and retail spaces are staying empty, which is a real bummer.

The small town I live in is very walkable, for anything except groceries. I can walk to the library, post office, restaurants, the Y, and a whole bunch of stores, and a park. It's not very bikeable, though -- any distance that would require a bike (rather than walking) would probably also have some impossible hills.

Judging by my mother's stories of growing up in East Nashville, the two factors that made it much more feasible not to have a car were the streetcar and the fact that downtown was still the shopping hub. She rode the streetcar downtown on Saturday and went to movies and shopped at the big department stores. There was a grocery store and a pharmacy with a fountain in walking distance, but not really a lot of shopping.

Man, it would be so great if downtown Nashville were still a vibrant community space, rather than Tourist Central. Apart from the main branch of the library and the occasional show at the Ryman, we really almost never go there, even though (a) it's only a couple of miles away, and (b) it's on the way to pretty much everything else.

There's also a hardware store that would be an easy walk if it was open more than 9-5 weekdays and a handful of hours Saturday morning. I can pretty much guarantee I will never be shopping for anything from a hardware store at those times.

Same with our local hardware store! I've lost track of how many times we've tried to go there on the weekend or in the evening and they've been closed. I just want to buy a hatchet without having to drive to the damn mall!

Speaking of cars, I'm going to pick ours up which has a new transmission and is functional for the first time since October.

Hooray!

In regard to Oregon and prescription-only sudafed - OK, it wiped out the meth industry ... how many law-abiding citizens with bad sinuses did it also get?

Have you seen What's the social cost of making it harder to get Sudafed?

Well, I can WALK to Target.

Our neighborhood (North Hollywood) [link] has become much more walk-friendly in the four years we've lived here. We've gotten a seven screen arthouse theater, a pie bakery, a fancy hot dog joint, and a bank converted into a nightclub, along with the stuff that was already here. The subway to Downtown LA stops right there and that also helps.

We still have to drive for groceries, though.

And The Bloggess strikes again (or, why the resale shop closed).

If we had sidewalks on the to main streets I am nearest, it would be a niceish walk to a mall and 2 box store strip malls and a Target and 2 drug stores, but no sidewalks on most of that, and cars probably are driving 40-45 mph on the 4 lane roads with turning lanes so I am not really inclined to bike.

I have a lot of dining options within easy walking distance of me, plus my bank branch, a post office, the local big hospital, and numerous bars should I have any visitors that want a drink. And the library is about a mile away. But the only grocery store within walking distance is the bargain-basement one that has no fresh food and only weird off brand dry and canned goods.

I live walkable from a great grocery store, a decent produce store, a coffee shop, and a bookstore. Plus the casual carpool stop and a bus stop that can get me into downtown SF in 25 minutes if I want. If it weren't for the (possible) drug dealers across the street, and the highway noise and constant traffic, I'd probably be willing to stay where I am. But with luck I can move a little ways and still have the walkability.

ION, I just had a really good chat with my boss about the dysfunctionality of my office and My Nemesis. He really wishes we would just yell at each other and be done with it, but (a) we're women and strongly socialized not to; and (b) it wouldn't make any difference in how she operates anyway. He seems to think a couple of different things in process will help the situation: me, I'm skeptical but I promised not to drag him into any more spats. He's got a lot on his plate.