So today I decided to do something I've never done before: Take a walk through my neighborhood by myself. My goal was a simple one, to find the places within easy walking distance that sell things like milk, cigarettes, soda, booze, the kind of stuff I might want or need but don't feel like waiting until I do a full-on shopping trip to get.
I eventually found myself on Market Street and discovered a Rite-Aid just a few blocks away. I decided to check it out, Just before I got there, I took this:
You can see the towers of Liberty Center in the distance, giving you a rough idea of how far I am from Center City.
I think tomorrow I'm going to call the Mazzoni Center and try to set up an appointment to see what I can do about getting all my medical and psych stuff transferred over from Jersey. It'll give me an excuse to take my very first ride on SEPTA in about 15 years or so. Yeah, I could drive it if I wanted to, but I want to get some experience with local public transportation, and Goddess help me, maybe even a little exercise.
When I went into Rite-Aid, I discovered that it's exactly the kind of place I was looking for. Not only is there a pharmacy, but they also carry stuff like cigarettes, soda, milk...in other words, it's exactly the kind of place I was hoping to run across. So I guess you could say mission accomplished.
I did, in fact, pick up a few things while I was there and hauled them back to the apartment, thus delaying the necessity of a full-on and close-parking-spot-risking car trip to the supermarket.
On the way back, I took a closer look at the neighborhood in which I find myself. Truth is, while my own street is pleasant-looking enough, a lot of the nearby areas I walked through today aren't pretty. Garbage in the streets and in front of houses, homes that look abandoned or just uncared for, not the kind place I've spent a lot of time in since my punk days. Still, I don't feel nervous or afraid that a place like this is my home now. Maybe it's the lingering familiarity of similar neighborhoods in New York I hung out in when I lived there, but it doesn't really bother me. It's quite a change from the neatly trimmed lawns and well-kept homes of North Brunswick, but somehow I feel at home here, like the place I live now reflects my soul, if that makes any sense.
Despite living there for over thirty years, I never felt like that in North Brunswick. I always felt like an outsider there, like I was living someone else's idea of what life should be, which I guess I was. Sure, it would be nice if some areas were a bit less run down and dirty, but I've seen far worse in other neighborhoods and the people here seem pretty decent, as least so far.
Truth is, I've always seen myself as a city girl, as a woman who belongs in an urban environment, not in the burbs. It's the life I've always wanted and now I finally have it. I have no idea how long I'll stay in this apartment, but right now, I'm comfortable here.
Comfortable enough, anyway.
I eventually found myself on Market Street and discovered a Rite-Aid just a few blocks away. I decided to check it out, Just before I got there, I took this:
You can see the towers of Liberty Center in the distance, giving you a rough idea of how far I am from Center City.
I think tomorrow I'm going to call the Mazzoni Center and try to set up an appointment to see what I can do about getting all my medical and psych stuff transferred over from Jersey. It'll give me an excuse to take my very first ride on SEPTA in about 15 years or so. Yeah, I could drive it if I wanted to, but I want to get some experience with local public transportation, and Goddess help me, maybe even a little exercise.
When I went into Rite-Aid, I discovered that it's exactly the kind of place I was looking for. Not only is there a pharmacy, but they also carry stuff like cigarettes, soda, milk...in other words, it's exactly the kind of place I was hoping to run across. So I guess you could say mission accomplished.
I did, in fact, pick up a few things while I was there and hauled them back to the apartment, thus delaying the necessity of a full-on and close-parking-spot-risking car trip to the supermarket.
On the way back, I took a closer look at the neighborhood in which I find myself. Truth is, while my own street is pleasant-looking enough, a lot of the nearby areas I walked through today aren't pretty. Garbage in the streets and in front of houses, homes that look abandoned or just uncared for, not the kind place I've spent a lot of time in since my punk days. Still, I don't feel nervous or afraid that a place like this is my home now. Maybe it's the lingering familiarity of similar neighborhoods in New York I hung out in when I lived there, but it doesn't really bother me. It's quite a change from the neatly trimmed lawns and well-kept homes of North Brunswick, but somehow I feel at home here, like the place I live now reflects my soul, if that makes any sense.
Despite living there for over thirty years, I never felt like that in North Brunswick. I always felt like an outsider there, like I was living someone else's idea of what life should be, which I guess I was. Sure, it would be nice if some areas were a bit less run down and dirty, but I've seen far worse in other neighborhoods and the people here seem pretty decent, as least so far.
Truth is, I've always seen myself as a city girl, as a woman who belongs in an urban environment, not in the burbs. It's the life I've always wanted and now I finally have it. I have no idea how long I'll stay in this apartment, but right now, I'm comfortable here.
Comfortable enough, anyway.
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