This entry was inspired by C-Mac at "Bored at the Beach." You can find him on my "Links" list on the sidebar, if you scroll down. School is now officially out. Actually, I think it ended yesterday in NJ, because there was no crossing guard by the high school today. To me, this is significant, because it means no more getting stuck behind school buses as they're pulling out in the morning from the bus yard on River Rd. to make their morning pick-ups. The bridge by me has been out for reconstruction since before the school year began late last summer, so I've had to take the detour on River Rd. past the bus yard, and all the landscaping contractors. The latter will be out in full force all summer long, but the school buses will be gone. Yea!

When I was in school, I never got to take the school bus. My parents chose a location that was precisely one block shy of the distance limit for taking the bus: 0.8 miles for grade school, and we were 0.7; 1.0 miles for junior high, and we were 0.9; 1.5 miles for high school and we were 1.4.

It really pissed me off that the neighborhood kids I used to play with after school and on weekends could take the bus, while I always had to walk, no matter what the weather. Even during Nixon's daylight/standard time switcheroo, when mom sent me to school in the morning with a flashlight because it was still dark. Our town had no sidewalks. Some streets had cobblestone gutters in which we could walk. On others, we had to walk in the roadway itself.

Their town is still like that; my town is largely like that as well, but nobody walks anywhere anymore, unless they are taking the dog out, or the kid in a stroller. My town has no downtown village area; one small strip mall about three miles away, uphill all the way, is the only commercially zoned area in the entire town, so we either drive there or shop in surrounding towns that actually have downtown retail areas. You can't even get a newspaper within reasonable walking distance without having it home delivered. But at least in my parents' town, there's a small village shopping area, and extremely upscale mall, and a larger downtown shopping zone, within easy walking or bicycling distance (think two miles or less).

These are the days of one car per household adult, so nobody has to cadge a ride off another family member unless they're under 17, or physically too immobile to drive. In my day, high school seniors were given Camaros by their parents for high school graduation presents, usually well before graduation. Now, the kids get Jeep Wranglers.

But when I was in school growing up, it was one car per household, so unless it was a family outing to church or some family friend's holiday party (yes, bring the kids!), we either walked everywhere or rode out bicycles. It's a habit I've never really outgrown. Even in Manhattan with public transportation, I get annoyed with people who want to waste subway fare on a ride for one or two stops, then still have to walk a few blocks. If it's within a mile and a half, I just walk it--I can do it within 20 minutes, using my power jaywalking skills. I walk fast. Very fast.

I've strayed from the school bus/school days theme, but walking vs. taking a bus or subway isn't that much of lurch. Have a good weekend everyone, if I don't see you until Monday.