[Earw0rm]

Yep.. something about setting out in to the unknown, a battered paper map as your guide, and the combination of surprise and lack of accountability (doesn't perfectly describe what I mean, but I can't find a better word) you'd get in return.

It was possible to do that before cars, but mass car ownership & a modern road network made it something the average consumer could do semi-routinely, instead of something that required more spare time & energy than people had day to day.

When you know not only what businesses, facilities etc. you'll find in the town 50km away, but have a fair idea of what they're like (google reviews..), the world is so much a smaller place than it was even up until the mid 1990s. And with social media, you're no more or less a stranger in your own town than anywhere else.

[foobarian]

Street view is the last nail in the coffin, why drive when you can just take a peek from your computer.

On the flip side, it's a fun activity to do with my kid. Pick a random country, "drive around" on SV to see what it's like there.

I'm sure we lose something from the watered down interaction though. Walking into a faraway bar or diner and chatting up the locals is much more enriching.

[earthling8118]

Yet now, to me, public transit is the way to venture out into that unknown. Finding out a cool new place along a route you use, or even trying out a new route and seeing what it gets you. That's been super enjoyable. With cars I only have time to go to things that I already know about. I can't look around well enough while paying attention to the road. If I'm on a bus I can see something cool and hop off and go check it out

[Earw0rm]

Same with bikes. You're present in the space in a way you just can't be in a car. Not as quick of course, but enough to cover a meaningful amount of ground across the city while still being able to interact as if you were on foot, more or less. Long distance trains too, for the serendipity of random conversation.