Walnut St, Downtown

This is definitely a working-class street in every sense of the word, minus the Kaiser Permanente smack dab in the middle. But the neighborly spirit is definitely alive here, as I learned with no fewer than two examples just recently:

1. I went to the Salvation Army to go donate some used clothing. I pulled into the parking lot, stepped out, and started to wander around trying to figure out where I was going. A little girl, who couldn't have been more than ten years old, approached me, asked me if I was looking to donate, and told me where I needed to go (the location down the road). All that without even asking - I've had paid sales associates in Palo Alto ignore me when I've tried to ask where to locate something.

2. In the same breath, I went to Napa Auto Parts to get a headlight replaced. I have no knowledge of car repair and made this very clear to the man at the counter, who said that "they don't touch the vehicles." I asked again, joking that I wouldn't tell, and he came out to take a look. When he couldn't figure out how to do it, another guy came out a minute later to check it out and said "I can't make any promises, I'm just a customer." When HE couldn't manage, they sent a third guy out, a mechanic (also a customer), who made it work no problem and then gave me an unsolicited estimate on what I needed to get fixed on my engine. So TWO customers, none of whom were required to give me the time of day, gave me the helping hand that I needed.

So if that is the treatment that the people in the area give me, I don't even really care what the rest of the street holds...