127 Lorentz Avenue
I rented a room on top of a pretty big hill in Morgantown, West Virginia, while attending graduate school at WVU. It's said the West Virginia would be as big as Texas if they flattened out the hills and mountains. The room was in my price range $200 a semester. Even adjusting for inflation it was a fire trap in the days before smoke alarms. But it had location, location, and location. Graduate school without a car and little money required some adjustments. The room was close to the student union, three college bars, almost all my classes and not much further to the library and downtown Morgantown.
The hill was significant. The direct route from University Avenue to the room had no sidewalk, but it did have steps, the stairway to heaven. Now I wish I had counted those steps and the change in elevation. It was a hike and I wish I had some easy access to pictures.
The neighborhood was called Sunnyside.
I wish I had a step counter back then. I probably would have had 10,000 steps before noon. Class, food, the post office, having a cold beer, campus movies, the library and even a trip to the bus stop to go to the other campus for Operations Research classes at the engineering campus or basketball games at the field house required walking.
Generally all this walking wasn't a problem. Peanut Butter, a loaf of bread, a pound of hamburger. I don't remember a lot of vegetables or fruits being part of the food groups back then. Hoagies, pepperoni rolls, and whatever beer was on sale. Usually Iron City in quarts cost 49 Cents back then. Morgantown did not have supermarkets downtown. But it did have small butcher shops with the essentials.
Now I have a car. Until I got the step counter I drove almost everywhere even within a few blocks to get everything. Groceries, beer, lottery tickets, and to go out to eat I'd get in the car, drive, park and spend money. This is a sure way to gain weight. Last night I walked to the local convinience store for a beer to drink while I watched the tube. I've walked to the grocery store, the bank, the drug store, Barnes and Noble and walked just for some cool time in the morning the last few weeks. Now I've even walk to the Metrorail Station when I need to go downtown. I doubt I will give up driving anytime soon but 10,000 steps can get you a lot of different places and it is a lot healthier.
The hill was significant. The direct route from University Avenue to the room had no sidewalk, but it did have steps, the stairway to heaven. Now I wish I had counted those steps and the change in elevation. It was a hike and I wish I had some easy access to pictures.
The neighborhood was called Sunnyside.
I wish I had a step counter back then. I probably would have had 10,000 steps before noon. Class, food, the post office, having a cold beer, campus movies, the library and even a trip to the bus stop to go to the other campus for Operations Research classes at the engineering campus or basketball games at the field house required walking.
Generally all this walking wasn't a problem. Peanut Butter, a loaf of bread, a pound of hamburger. I don't remember a lot of vegetables or fruits being part of the food groups back then. Hoagies, pepperoni rolls, and whatever beer was on sale. Usually Iron City in quarts cost 49 Cents back then. Morgantown did not have supermarkets downtown. But it did have small butcher shops with the essentials.
Now I have a car. Until I got the step counter I drove almost everywhere even within a few blocks to get everything. Groceries, beer, lottery tickets, and to go out to eat I'd get in the car, drive, park and spend money. This is a sure way to gain weight. Last night I walked to the local convinience store for a beer to drink while I watched the tube. I've walked to the grocery store, the bank, the drug store, Barnes and Noble and walked just for some cool time in the morning the last few weeks. Now I've even walk to the Metrorail Station when I need to go downtown. I doubt I will give up driving anytime soon but 10,000 steps can get you a lot of different places and it is a lot healthier.
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