How Far Is Main Street From Where You Stand?

Main Street is easy enough to locate in a small town like my fictitious one of Quiet Anchorage, Virginia. Look for the street with all the businesses operating on it, and that probably is Main Street. The city where I live outside of Washington, D.C. makes it a bit trickier to find its Main Street. There is a street named Main Street, probably where it ran when the city was still a mere hamlet somewhere back in the day. There are a few shops, offices, and restaurants that line our Main Street, but it doesn't quite resemble the Main Street I created in Quiet Anchorage. Its Main Street has the same shops, offices, and restaurants, but there are also lots of folks out and about. The Main Street where I live is almost a ghost town, and I'm not sure how the merchants can turn a profit, especially in tough economic times. Many of the spaces have "For Rent" signs in their windows. Quiet Anchorage's Main Street is also its chief social nexus. Not only are there people present, but they stop and talk to each other. Granted it is probably chitchat, but the interaction gives the Main Street a vibrancy I don't observe on the Main Street where I live today. I don't think the folks are any less friendly, it's just that they are not there. Maybe they go to the indoor malls to hang out and socialize. I also enjoy the indoor malls, while I also like being on Quiet Anchorage's Main Street, even if it only exists in the pages of my latest cozy mystery The Cashmere Shroud.