Originally Posted by
Roody
Did anybody notice that everybody here says how many miles (or kilometers) they are from the store? OTOH, motorists will say "I live 10 minutes from Kroger" but they have no idea how many miles that actually is.
What does this mean?
It depends on the expected trip method. I think in the midwest driving is most common, so people assume you're going to drive. In NYC, this may not be the case, so people will often tell you how many stops on the subway. On this board, bicycling is expected.
Driving times are more uniform for different drivers, so that someplace is a half hour drive can be accurate for other drivers. However, a 15 minute drive can be 3 miles at rushhour or 15+ miles on the interstate.
By bicycle, 3 miles across town is very different from 15 miles on the interstate, but the general distance lets each bicyclist estimate the tiem & effort to get there.
Locally, I have 3 supermarkets 2-3 miles away, with a Whole Foods that's about 6 miles. When I worked out of state, one Kroger was about 1½ miles, with a new one 3-4 miles away. (Distance - I usually bicycled.)