I’ve spent a large portion of my life being a pedestrian, but have devoted surprisingly little thought to sidewalks. When we decided to rent this house we fell in love with the large yard and quiet neighborhood. It wasn’t until Cooper and I went on a couple of outings that we realized the area wasn’t especially pedestrian friendly. If you look at our neighborhood on Google maps, you realize that it is an island. There’s only one through street, and it’s a big one. Everything else dead ends or brings you back to where you started. This wouldn’t be that big of a deal, except that we don’t actually live in a city (If you didn’t know that was possible, don’t worry, I didn’t either until we moved here.) so there aren’t any sidewalks. None. It’s fine as long as we stay in the neighborhood circuit, but the maximum distance I can go without too much looping is 1.2 miles. I get tired of the scenery and when you’re trying to get back into good running shape, 1.2 miles is nothing.

Cooper and I have braved the major through street once or twice in the middle of the day, when traffic isn’t as bad, but the shoulder is lacking and I’ve already popped two tubes on the jogger. So, I am faced with the decision of turning into a couch potato at home or loading the stroller into/onto (if I take the jogger) the car. Several times I have given in and driven somewhere so I can spend time outside, but I find it somewhat bothersome. I’ve always thought part of going out on foot was the satisfaction you got from snubbing motorized transportation. Now, I no longer find my outdoor jaunts to be quite as fulfilling. All in all, we’re glad that we decided to rent instead of immediately buying a house. One more thing to add to our list of what to look for in a permanent residence: people accessible.