1. Walking anywhere was out of the question.
2. A cul-de-sac was the place to be in the summer.
3. Independence was going to the mall without your parents for the first time.
4. You spent your 16th birthday in line at the DMV, waiting for your learner's permit.
5. And then you spent three months in after-school driver's ed with an instructor who definitely didn't want to be there.
6. But until you saved up for a car (or were lucky enough to be given one), you were borrowing the family minivan.
7. The hottest nightspot was a strip mall parking lot.
8. This was your first date:
9. This was your second:
10. You actually went to your school's football games.
11. After which you took over your local diner.
12. You knew which parks you could drink at without getting caught.
13. Otherwise there was always the one kid whose parents turned a blind eye to drinking in the basement.
14. Your cool local coffee shop was a little place called Starbucks.
15. And this was your hip bookstore.
16. Even if you didn't have one, you definitely knew someone with a pool.
17. You've been to birthday parties at bowling alleys, roller rinks, and laser tag venues.
18. Holiday decorations were a specific kind of spectacle.
19. You knew which houses gave out the best candy on Halloween.
20. And you probably went trick-or-treating a year or so past the time that it was age-appropriate.
21. Your first job was at a movie theater, and you abused your power by sneaking your friends in.
22. July 11 was one of your favorite holidays.
23. Going into "the city" was a big deal, but acting like it was a big deal was out of the question.
24. You loved it and hated it, but either way, it was home.
