Senior city-zens.

This city has a variety of challenges: stepping outside is committing to one big obstacle course. On a daily basis, I stop suddenly or rush across a street to avoid a speeding taxi or bus. I've turned my ankle more than once on a broken or uneven sidewalk tile. It requires four keys to get into our apartment, and the building doors are very heavy. I clutch my purse close to me to avoid becoming a target for thieves.

I can't imagine having to do all that in old age.

There are plenty of elderly making their way down the streets, some with walkers, even. Vehicles don't have a lot of patience for a pedestrian, no matter what the age: the seniors get honked at mercilessly along with the rest of us. Not every curb is made with the disabled in mind, and restaurant bathrooms are sometimes upstairs or downstairs -- usually there are no elevators in those cases. And while a broken sidewalk tile sets me off balance, the same incident for one of them could be dibilitating or even fatal. 

I suppose living here for your whole life gives you a certain level of toughness. I can't help but admire them.  However, while I do hope to be an old woman some day, I don't want to do it here.