I live next door to a bottle shop, which I believe sells doritos and chewing gum. Up the road a bit is a corner shop, an indian restaurant (where I work), a cafe and a fish and chip shop. All within a stone’s throw but no decent food. The closest proper supermarket is a ten minute drive away, the closest place I would actually eat in is a pub ten minutes walk away.
If it’s before 9pm the closest food is about 7 miles from our place in Lake Mills
If it’s after 9pm and I don’t want a Kwik Trip hot dog, or food from the 24 hour McD’s, I have to go to Watertown. W-town is about 13 miles. They have a George Webb that stay’s open 24 hours and a Super Walmart that would be open for grocceries.
Or I could go to the truck stop in Johnson Creek about 6 miles away, but the food is kind of crappy, so I wouldn’t.
There’s a convenience store on the corner (less than a block away), a Panera at the other end of the alley across the street (also less than a block away), several very nice restaurants within a 2-minute walk. Mapquest says there are 30 “restaurants” within 1/2 a mile from my house. This includes a Wendy’s, a Dairy Queen and a Taco Bell, 5 or 6 pizza places (one very nice one), but also quite a few very nice restaurants. Oh, and there’s a large 24-hour grocery a bit more than a block away. Did I mention the yummy yummy ice cream place that’s just past Panera?
So, yes, I love my location. Oddly, I hardly ever eat out.
GT
There’s a grocery store and a Uni-Mart about 4 blocks from here.
There’s a Burger King 2 blocks away from my mom’s house.
Aaaand, after coming home from work, I noticed I’d forgotten to mention a sushi place, a “food mart”, and another gas station.
And a pub.
I’m a 3 minute walk away from a mind blowingly good neighbourhood Mexican restaurant. Like reviewed in loving detail in L.A. Weekly good. It’s drawing a steady stream of hipsters to the ghetto, I’ve noticed. Every day I drive past it and see some dude with black square glasses sitting out front sipping on horchata.
Good, I hope business keeps going steady. I love them.
Within a mile, there are four liquor stores, three burger joints, two Chinese takeout places, two cafes, two taco shops, two more serious Mexican restaurants, a breakfast place, three pizza restaurants, a raw/vegan restaurant, a sandwich shop, etc. etc. I live downtown (in a suburb, but still). There’s a health-food grocery store probably 2 miles away, as well. It’s not a fun walk to any of those places–very hilly with no sidewalks until you get to the bottom of the hill–but not at all undoable if necessary. My neighborhood may not be the best to walk around late at night, but it’s not the worst, either. I haven’t had any problems and I do walk around late at night sometimes for the exercise (I don’t often have the time or the inclination during the day). The sheriff’s men do keep a close eye on the neighborhood at night; it’s not uncommon to see them driving around looking for crimes to solve.
Okay, within a mile is my entire TOWN, and its…ten (?) restaurants. My “local grocery store” is on the next block. It’s open til 11, I think.
In the middle of the night? I’m screwed.
Well, if I am really desperate I can just walk outside and ask the kids hanging around to bring me something or try to ask the lady who lives in my compound (who only speaks fulfulde) to give me some bouille (a sweet tamarind grain porridge).
If I can make it out, in the mornings there is a woman who makes beignets (savory doughnut hole dealies) and deep fried sweet potatos over an open fire by the pile of rocks just outside my compound gate. A few feet further down is an omelet stand where I can get hot sweet clove-scented tea, omelets and bread. A little bit beyond that is some women that sell whatever they have just harvested from their gardens- right now there are onions, boabab fruit and home made peanut butter, along with various spices. If it is night and the bollywood movie theater hut (a roofless hut with a VCD player) is going there is all kinds of street food, including seasame seed cakes, grilled meat, spicy potatoes, green sauces, millet beignets, and goodness knows what else. If I am really ambitious, the bar down the street has warm beer (which somebody will likely buy for me if I show up) and chicken. All of this stuff with fill you up for twenty to fifty cents.
Life is good here!
Assuming I don’t toss a brick through the neighbor’s kitchen window, we’re about a half mile from a 7-11 in one direction, and a mile from about a dozen restaurants in the other. Weather, time of day, and quality of food desired would factor into which direction I turned on the road.
If I find that brick, though? about 50 feet 