Walk This Way

When I first got to Los Angeles I had come straight from living in Boston for college. Boston is probably the largest walking city in the United States and I had just landed in the probably the largest driving city in the United States. In Boston, I would literally walk at least 15 minutes to school every day and that was to the closest building. There were days when I would have to walk half an hour there and back just to get to class. And before that I grew up in a small suburb where walking and bike riding make perfect sense. So moving here was quite a shock.

At my second job here they would send me on coffee runs. Typical LA type errand for a assistant level. The closest coffee shop was in the mall that was only .6 miles from our office. I decided that I would just walk there and back. It would take about the same time it would have taken me to drive there, park, walk into the mall, find my car and drive back. Everyone would be amazed that I would walk and that their coffee could still be hot.

"Wait, you walked there and back?"

"Yup."

"With our coffee?"

"Yup."

I was the weirdo but I didn't mind. I was proud of myself and I liked getting out of the office and out of my car. I walked everywhere I could during that job. Not just coffee runs but anywhere I was sent. Cigarette run, lunch run, cupcake run... they all were in walking distance so why wouldn't I just walk there? Then one day everything changed.

I was walking from my office to go pick up some lunch for myself and my boss. I was crossing the street in a cross walk when a car that was turning right decided that I must a figment of their imagination since nobody walks in LA. They proceeded to turn INTO me. Luckily, I wasn't hurt. I had one little bruise on my leg where the car made contact but that driver did do some damage to me that day. He made me hate walking in this city.

Today I will walk if I have to. However, I find myself looking for parking as close as possible. I hate to walk anywhere alone. And when my boyfriend suggests we walk to the grocery store that's only .5 miles from our house I cringe and say no thanks. Even though that's .1 mile closer than it was to get that coffee. That driver may have not done any permanent physical damage but he did drive me towards becoming an LA girl. One point goes to the westside and the tally is:

WALK OF SHAME: 2

DRIVING MISS DAISY: 2