Walkable Hyattsville

Since moving to my new residence earlier this year, I've been getting to know my area, and one thing I like about it (and which is mentioned in their logo above) is that it is "A World Within Walking Distance".  Both the public transportation and walking/biking accessibility score high, and that comes in handy for me, living car-free.

The other day, I needed to bring one of my bikes to the bike store near home to get some maintenance done.  After biking home from work, I then grabbed the bike needing the work, and rode it 10 minutes over to the bike store.  After I dropped it off, I decided to get a haircut at the Hair Cuttery located a couple blocks up the street.  I was happy to see that there wasn't a wait, and I was soon on my way, to walk the 20 minutes back home.  On the way, I enjoyed viewing the established homes and their landscaped yards.  I also saw my neighbors from up the street, walking their dogs and we greeted each other. 

It's nice to have these stores and services within walking and biking distance.  I came across a website that describes all these things, about living green and shopping locally, and the benefits for doing so:

1.  Greater service satisfaction - more pleasant dealing with vendors you get to know
2.  Saves time and money - don't have to travel far
3.  Local purchases have lower impact on the local environment - you can walk/bike to the stores -  no pollution and you get the exercise
4.  Friendship and trust - getting to know and trust vendors who can provide products for your needs

Local shopping is good for my health, wallet, time and for the environment.  Plus I get to know my community better, which feels good.