Who are the people in your neighborhood?

I live in a 1970s suburban neighborhood. It's full of ranch-style snout-nosed houses (you know, where the garages and driveways stick out the front of the house). Of course you know it--you grew up there, too.

This particular neighborhood has one main street in and out. Big Box store hell lies beyond.

Forgive my snarkiness, but I think of myself as an urban girl. I like sidewalk cafes, corner markets, boutiques. I like walking. I like public transportation. I'm enjoying my bus rides. But the walk from my house to to the bus stop--which takes me 24 minutes--is an unusual experience. No one else in my neighborhood seems to walk it.

Well, that's a slight exaggeration. Here are the people who walk: members of the half-way house who can't drive anyway; retirees who have all the time in the world; dog walkers; and teenagers who don't have a driver's license yet. Sometimes after the stay-at-home moms drop their kids at school, they'll do a little walking. No one walks to the bus stop, though. No one. If they take the bus, they drive down there and park in the grocery store parking lot.

At first I was self-conscious about being the only person walking. It's a small neighborhood so I know the people in about every third car that whizzes by me. I don't know if I want them to see me, or not. If they see me, they say, "Hey! I saw you walking the other day--where were you going?" This cracks me up--they saw me walking but didn't offer a ride? On the other hand, I've had people who know me very well drive right past me and obviously not see me at all. I trudged past a neighbor's house the other day and he said, "Are you exercising?" I look down at my suit and the purse I have slung over my shoulder. "Um, no, I'm walking from the bus stop." From the look on his face, I might have been speaking Chinese.

But like I said, I enjoy public transportation. I'm a dork, but I think it's kind of fun to figure out how to get from point A to point B. The other night, I had appetizers out on the water after work with a friend. When we were done, we jumped on the trolley and then parted ways at the transit stop to our respective buses. I strolled home from the bus stop. All was quiet in suburban America. It was a warm evening and the stars were out. I shared the journey with a couple of dog walkers.