Walk, is something that people and animals alike do, it is a way to get from one location to another. As we all know, most people walk less than we should, and drive or ride most of the time.
I have occasionally wondered if I could pick a subject at random, and then write something about that subject. The subject I picked is, “sidewalk”, and I will write something about it.
Sidewalk is a term used for cemented areas that people walk on. If you live in a poor neighborhood like those of us who are retired and on a fixed income, you might be lucky enough to have a walk from the street to your front porch, but there is no walkway along the street.
I remember in the olden days when I was a children, (I like saying I was a children more than saying I was a child) there were sidewalks along most paved streets. Also in those days, if you lived on a gravel street, you were poor and there were no sidewalks. At some point in time it was decided that the builders could save money by not installing sidewalks, regardless of what your income was.
As a kid we could usually ride our bikes, roller skate and just run and play on the sidewalks and not be in the street. If we were going to a friend’s house a couple blocks away, we did not need to walk in the street, as people in our neighborhood do now.
As I think about this subject, there were not a lot of grown people walking on the sidewalks, even in the olden days. There was a city bus system in Cape Girardeau, MO. I am not sure but I think it cost a nickel to ride the bus.
It may have been pointed out to you, “Most likely incorrectly”, that the sidewalk has leaves on it and it needs to be swept. A walkway from the street to the house is just that, a walkway, and not a sidewalk. The term, “Sidewalk”, indicates that you would be walking beside something, like a street, that is why, “side” is in front of, “walk”.
In our neighborhood the kids play on the street. There are teenage boys that throw the football around and younger kids that ride their bikes and scooters on the street. People who are out for exercise, whether it is for them, or their dogs, they walk in the street.
An interesting factoid, the city owns about 10 feet of everyone’s front yard here in Hewitt, but is someone was walking up and down the street and if they were in that 10 foot area the home owners would be upset, especially if they had a dog. The area is owned by the city but taken care of by the home owner.
A couple times I found myself saying something like, “playing in the street”, but to be correct shouldn’t we say, “Playing on the street”. If one was in the street, wouldn’t that mean they were a part of the street itself?
If, being on the street, is considered to be like being in a room, then we would in fact say, “In the street”. Please feel free to provide instructions to me as to which is correct!
Would you believe, that had I have won the 1.6 billion from the Powerball, I would have paid to have sidewalks throughout Hewitt? I would not believe it, I just wondered if you would.
In or On, Walkway or Sidewalk, enjoy the day!
Don Ford
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