I grew up in a suburb of a city. That statement would get me a whuppin’ there because they did not consider themselves to live in a suburb. They are out in the country. There just happens to be a city nearby. Likewise, people in that city thought that I lived out in the boonies and were amazed that I managed to commute into the city from the outback to work and go to college. Most of the city dwellers had never ventured into the country. When it was suggested that they may want to come out to my house looks of horror could be detected at the suggestion that they risk life and limb and drive that far.
How far did I live from the city limits? 13 miles down the major north-south road in the area.
It is amazing to me how the attitudes towards distance change in different areas. Even now, if I’m visiting my parents and need to go visit someone in a neighboring town I whine about how far it is. But I would travel that distance here without even thinking about it.
Sometimes when thinking about how far I am going to do something here I figure out how far from my parents’ house that distance would take me. What seems entirely reasonable here suddenly seems like an excursion when overlaid on the map of PA.
Reasonable distance here would pale in comparison to the distance people travel to grocery shop out west. I guess everything is relative.
