Greensboro: Not really a walking town, is it?
Tuesday, 11 November, 2008 at 6:22 PM ;)
Greensboro Photo: Tim JonesUnless you live in the fabulously-expanding downtown area of Greensboro, or around any of our colleges, it's not really that common to see many people walking to their destinations. I'm always a little aware of this, and rarely so much as today.
When I decided I didn't need to wait until tomorrow as planned, (when I had lined up a handy lift by another freelancing pal,) to get the new muffler I Couldn't Wait One More Day To Buy And My Neighbors Will Love Me, Too, Thank You Very Much, I tooled on over to a muffler place on West Market Street. I optimistically packed up my laptop so I could work while I waited. It would be really funny if I had videotaped, for you, the facial expression of the muffler dude when I asked did there happen to be, perchance, any wi-fi on hand. (Your facial expression would have been pretty similar, no doubt, if you'd seen where I was.)
There was no way I was going to sit in a stale waiting room for an hour or two and miss those prime working hours. What to do? Well, there's a Panera within a mile of the place, although you couldn't see it from the parking lot. My friends who live in larger (or differently-arranged) cities wouldn't have thought twice, but would have immediately headed on down the road. Me? I stood there in that parking lot, and contemplated my options.
It's a little tricky to explain why that is but I'll try. First, when I was about 17, I sometimes walked to my part-time job at a daycare center. It was a mere few miles between my house and the nursery, and the entire route took me through lovely, historic neighborhoods. No problem, right? Well, one afternoon as I walked, I looked ahead and noticed a blue pickup truck slow down, and the greasy blonde guy driving it, turn his head all the way around to look at me. I still remember the expression on his face. I realized the truck was the same one that had driven by me a few minutes before, and of course that was alarming. When I soon realized the same truck was parked by the side of the road a couple of blocks ahead, you know I turned around. I took a different route that day, walking faster than ever before. And my new route took me along a much more heavily-traveled road. The same truck with the same blonde, greasy man passed me again several minutes later, again looking at me, but this time flanked by others who would have seen him if he'd stopped. I never walked to that job again.
What's that got to do with walking in Greensboro? I am not an uncertain 17 year old girl. Naturally I've taken hundreds of walks in the years that followed. In many different cities. No worries. But most of the time, it occurs to me, I walk in neighborhoods for pleasure, not from place to place, carrying my bags, out of necessity. No doubt if a woman is going to be accosted or even harrassed, it'll happen no matter what the purpose of her walk, bags or no bags. Nonetheless, I know my own walking choices have been affected by that long-past incident. Since that day, I've chosen to walk as others walk, when and where they walk, with similar purposes to the walking of those around me. Neighborhoods and parks? Recreational walkers abound. City streets with businesses and dwellers alike, coming and going? Walk as often and as far as you like. Otherwise, I've always had a little nagging sense of wrongness when I've trekked out on foot.
Today I reminded myself of the millions of people who don't live in these middle-sized towns, neither big cities nor small towns. Greensboro has suburban areas and rural areas, and it's almost as if there's an unspoken agreement that some streets are meant for walking and others? If you're there, you're best off in a car.
Never mind. Today I hefted my bags up over my shoulder and set off down the road, feeling mildly conspicuous - especially in the areas where the sidewalks disappeared - and ignored the occasional eye-meeting of drivers who looked curious. When they called to say my car was ready, I walked back up the road, just as I'd come before. It felt oddly liberating.
I'm not saying I'd like to start doing all my errands on foot - in this town it's just impractical. But as I walked today, I realized I miss living in areas where walking is more common. I want to do more of it. Maybe next time I move, I'll have to look into the downtown area again. Then I can walk whenever and wherever I want, and never think twice about it. That would be nice.
Reader Comments (4)
I don't think I have ever told anyone (other than Clay) about this but I had a similar experience in law school. I had stayed at the law school library late one night studying for finals and realized I hadn't eaten anything. So I stopped at the Taco Bell across the street from school and picked up dinner to go. It was probably 11:00 pm - maybe midnight. Not very late. So I hopped on the T with my dinner and popped in my headphones and headed for home. I saw a weird looking dude looking at me on the T but hey - this was nighttime in Boston - the weirdos come out at all times of the day and especially at night. So I kept an eye on him and wasn't worried. He exited the train at the same stop as mine which was weird because, even though this was still in the city, it was very neighborhoodish and quiet. I rarely had anyone else exit at my stop other than the usual residents of the Russian Jewish community home that I had to pass on my quiet street. So I took notice but wasn't worried. It was about a mile walk from the train to my house on the quiet dark road. So I kept him in range. I crossed the street where I normally wouldn't - and he did too. I crossed back over (not my side of the street). He followed me. I panicked a little. Grabbed my keys out of the pocket of my backpack and went faster. I was an avid runner at the time and felt I could probably out run him. He went a little faster too. I tried not to think about how my key fit into the deadbolt or which way to turn the key because I knew I would overthink it. I bolted up the stairs to our house, through the front door and then put my key into my apartment's lock and it opened. I quickly turned around and locked the door and slumped down onto the floor against it. I could hear him at the door. But nothing happened. I had grabbed my phone by then and had it in hand but didn't need it. It was weird - I had lived there so long and had walked that long road home at all hours of the day and night and that was the only time it happened. I tried to convince myself later - after dinner and a couple glasses of wine - that it wasn't real.
Wow. A) I'm so, so sorry this happened to you. Even if I hadn't had my own similar experience so long ago, it would be clear to me, reading this, how frightening this would be. And how fortunate you were that you handled this so well and that nothing actually happened in the end. And B) you're a really good storyteller. By the end of reading this, I was holding my breath. DARLIN! Thank you for sharing your story...
The funny thing about the whole situation is how UNFAZED I was by it. I don't even recall thinking about it when I went to sleep or even having trouble sleeping. It was like, well this is what my life is like while living in Boston. I had to walk the same street everyday, weirdo following me or not. Now, living in suburbia, this would have totally freaked me out and would have been all I could think about. Shoot, now I worry about getting the recycling out on time. It's funny how perspectives change.
Fascinating. So many of our decisions are situational, aren't they? I'd say you were in what some people refer to as "survival mode," in Boston, although I guess that's a little melodramatic. Hm.
Funny about the recycling deadlines! ;)