we have the same neighborhood!

it really isn’t that far to any of those places. it’s funny to think about. it’s just your environment, i guess. I think about the town I grew up in and how we’d never walk anyway, and then how a “short walk” when i lived in chicago could be across a couple miles or more sometimes.

and village is just about the only good pizza in los angeles and i feel so glad that someone clued me in.

Yay for walking more! All excellent reasons.

I remember the days of driving to the end of my street to the liquor store. Now I bike everywhere I can and I love every second of it!

Good for you, Annika. I wish to God more people would walk in L.A. For the 20-plus years I lived in L.A. County — mostly in Burbank and Glendale — I was one of those odd beasts who did not own a car. And yet I always got where I needed to go by carefully planning where I was moving to, keeping in mind as I shopped for an apartment or house if stores, restaurants, parks, libraries, bars, etc., were in walking distance. It’s not hard to do.

I think the most important thing you said was the bit about changing what you consider your neighborhood. When I used to drive everywhere in LA I had a very very small narrow view of what I considered my part of LA, and I stuck to that. When I started riding my bike at night with others I suddenly started seeing all these other areas in between points A and B and they were cool and interesting. Then once I knew where I was and I ventured there on bike in the day I was excited to find all these new places and areas that I’d merely driven past before without noticing. After awhile the “wow this is so cool and new” turned into “i know all this inside and out” and without even trying my knowledge of LA and everything that makes it expanded a billionfold. Now I actually get annoyed when I need to drive somewhere because I miss all the cool stuff in between.