I think it's time we all admitted to ourselves that gas is just not going to get a lot cheaper. On the contrary; the smart betting has prices going in one direction only. The bad direction. And it won't bring civilization to a grinding halt. Products, raw materials, even people, will still get from Point A to Point B. It'll just be tougher, cost more, and require a little thought. We'll find new ways to get around. I've hit on a new way that I recommend highly: feet.

More and more, I notice that the thing I resent most about driving isn't the hole it leaves in my wallet. It's the time. Time: the one thing I can't make more of. It's schlepping things out to the truck, pulling out into traffic, hitting a dozen red lights, hunting for a parking spot, and then un-schlepping. And then reversing the process. All the while, listening to the same box of records played on fifty-nine radio stations. And watching my gas gauge creeping downward. It's been said before: the more people drive, the stupider they become.

Here in Main Street Takoma, we got it easy. Folks, have you ever stopped to consider how pedestrian-friendly our Main Street is? We have groceries, clothing, entertainment, places to dine, arts, crafts, churches, even a subway, all within a 20 minute walk. And it's all punctuated with parks and neighbors. All things that are easily missed at 30 mph with the windows rolled up.

I had an errand to run downtown this past weekend. So, I stuffed my packpack (21st-century fashion item !) and hoofed it. Cut through a park and watched a family of Baltimore Orioles (the birds, not the baseball players) eating mulberries. Saw an old customer and caught up on news. Bumped into a new customer and got a business update. Cleaned some graffiti off a mailbox (Now that the revolution is here, I urge everyone to carry acetone and a rag. I do. And no smoking!). Went into the pet store and visited the adoption kitties. Stopped at another store for a Facade Improvement follow-up. Got some groceries. Picked up some trash at the Junction, and returned home. Total elapsed time: maybe 90 minutes. Yeah, somewhere in there I did my errand, too. But here's the point: sure, I probably could have driven 20 minutes and done what I really, really needed to do. But where's the fun in that, and to what end? Driving wastes time. Walking invests it.

We have a great investment opportunity right here in Main Street Takoma. It's right under our feet.
John Hume
Design Chair