When we first moved to D.C., people liked to ask us whether we felt like our perceived neighborhood was expanding. As in, was our comfort zone growing in the big bad city? Yes, of course, we’d say.
But as the weeks turned into months, I realized the opposite was even truer in my day-to-day life. Because when you walk (instead of drive) everywhere, the radius you’re willing to travel for run-of-the-mill errands is really not that big (at least not for laaazy me).
As a result, the proximity of certain amenities becomes really, really valuable. Lucky for us, we live on a block packed with all the commodities we could reasonably hope for, including our bank, a big fancy grocery market, a CVS, a kickass hardware store, two coffee shops, a yoga studio, a handful of restaurants and bars, and now even a hair salon.
And now that I work from home? Well, forget about it. I could literally go weeks without ever crossing the street.
But alas, the time has come for us to move to a new apartment. Don’t worry, we’re still keeping it real in Logan Circle, but our new digs will be three (3!) blocks from such necessities as the Whole Foods sandwich bar. And pathetic as it may be, I’m getting nostalgic. I mean, I know three blocks is really frickin’ close. (For some perspective: I used to live in suburban Des Moines, Iowa, and drove 13 miles on the highway just to get to work.)
Ridiculous, sure, though I can’t help but wonder: Since when did convenience (or more directly: P Street) become the rock of my lifestyle? Because I honestly think the diminished sense of immediacy, negligible as it may be, is going to take some getting used to. Like, who has time to look both ways before crossing when you’re on a coffee or vegetarian muffin run?
[Photo via Flickr]
My husband and I moved 2.5 blocks south a few years ago, making us closer to P but farther from U (by barely three blocks!). And yes, we had a serious pro/con location conversation. Couldn’t help it. We are lazy.
So I totally agree with your distance theory.