I
went on a walk this past weekend. It was upon this walk that I realized
a few things that I had known subconciously all along. Within reasonable
walking distance from my house, and within five minutes of any point A, B or C from below, there are

* Two grocery stores
* Two convenience stores
* Two delis
* Two dry-cleaners
* Two karate/tae kwan do dojos
* Two hot-tub/jacuzzi stores (!)
* Two party stores
* (At least) two manicure places
* Three hair salons/cutteries
* Three computer part/repair shops and a Radio Shack
* Four pizza places (albeit two are also the aforementioned delis).

That doesn’t even count the places across Route 7, a road which only a madman pedestrian would cross.

It
made me think of an incident from a few years ago. When I worked at the
camp, I asked my co-worker and friend, a South African bloke, what he thought
of America, and what some of the big differences were. He told me that it
was nice enough, and that one of the largest difference he saw was the variety,
the choice here, for products and services.

He paused for a second.

“How much of that do you need, though? Shelves of the same vegetables, just with different labels.”

I really began to ask myself the very same question, after the walk.

Posted with Livelizard