An Open Letter to the Drivers on Main Street in Rochester, NH

I worry about my wife.  I grew up in a city, but she grew up in the country.  She is not used to crossing streets, and whenever we visit a city, I am always terrified she is going to get hit by a car.

She’s not stupid, and she’s not an invalid, but she is a deep thinker and sometimes is not as aware of her surroundings as I am.

I want to thank each and every driver that goes down Main Street in Rochester every day.  I know that it is the law to yield to pedestrians at a crosswalk, but here in Rochester, every driver seems to follow that law.

Every day Shawn (the wife) walks to the Postal Center down the street from our apartment and without fail, as she approaches the crosswalk, traffic on both sides stop.  At first, she took it for granted and but gradually she has caught on that New England is like no other place in the world where we have lived or traveled.  Drivers are super aware and respectful.

I know, everyone has experienced road rage, or tailgaters and had accidents but what strikes her so much is that every day, without fail, all the drivers stop.

No one beeps to make her speed up, they just politely stop and let her cross the street. Maybe Rochester is different from other New England cities, I mean I’m sure you can’t say the same about Boston, but this small aspect of our new hometown pleases her every day.

So, thank you, drivers, in Rochester, NH for being so kind.