In California, we're definitely car people. We have constructed a whole world built around short walks and long drives. And, generally, we like that world. Even those of us who are fortunate enough to only spend a few minutes getting to work are prepared for the unavoidable day of the long drive, the romance of the car radio and the ultimate sophistication of the cupholder. But, maybe, we ought to be thinking of the walker as well.
Some people are walkers, or drivers, by birth.
There's just something in the genes that makes us drive two blocks to the supermarket or sneer at people who do. Most of us are trained by where we grew up. For my mother, who grew up in New York City, learning to drive at 30 was a barrier, a whole new way of thinking. For me, who was commuting 20 miles each way by the time I was in high school, cars weren't new or even particularly interesting. They were there to get me from wherever to the other place.