In article ,
says...
Dee Randall wrote:
I remember visiting my grandparents in the early 60's. My
grandmother never learned to drive. But in the neighborhood within
a few blocks,
was a butcher shop, a bakery, a produce stand and a small general
grocery. (may have been a candlestick maker as well, but I don't
remember that...)

My grandmothers never learned to drive, either. It was a short walk
to the
shops down the street (very small town). No supermarkets there to
this day,
as far as I know. In fact, I'm surprised the town is still there.
It was a
steel mill town and the mills shut down in the 1970's.

My grandmother, b. 1893, was driving all around the country-side
before I was born; mother b. 1916 driving all around the
country-side, too and into small town for necessities.
DH's mom b. 1916, living in the suburbs, never learned to drive;
but there was transportation - trolleys.

Some women of that era never did learn to drive; I think it was that
darned stick-shift!
DeeDee

Dee, I think there is still a law on the TN books that says someone has to
walk ahead of a woman driving in front of a car waving a lantern to warn
there was a woman behind the wheel

Interesting that both my grandmothers didn't drive. Both lived in the
city for a good part of their lives and so used public transit.

Now that the weather is getting better here in the northeast I've
stopped buying a bus pass. Work is less than half an hour walk by foot.
Grocery store is 10 minutes. Why do I need a car or for that matter a
bus pass? If I'm carrying too much I'll just pay the $1.50 to take the
trolley home from the supermarket. But if the weather is warm and dry, I
love to walk. You see such interesting things when you're walking.