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I feel kind of sorry for kids who don’t have to walk to school anymore - or whose parents are rightly afraid, these days, to allow them to do so.

Agree. I lived in the city, and had to walk a mile to school. In the old days, there was a lot of shops and activity along the way. Two blocks away from home was a broom factory, always had these large barn-style doors open so I could glance inside and watch people at machines. Three blocks away was a bakery, with the fresh smell of donuts being baked. Then a park to walk through, and various mom-&-pop stores along the way. The daily journey was fun.