I'd be interested to see what that looks like today, given how dynamic the populations of major social sites such as Reddit have been lately.

"He’s even found that foreclosure hotspots tend to be focused in places with the least location efficiency – in spread-out subdivisions, where a family already stretched to the limit can go broke driving 10 miles each way for a gallon of milk."

Not surprising, but that really hits home. I live in a moderately affluent town, and I can see the change as I wander from sub-division to sub-division. I would caution though that the correlation the author is drawing has many other factors that affect it. I don't hear so much about the driving distance as it is just the social expectations of people - newer, nicer houses are built in these cul-de-sac littered areas, so people try and purchase them even though they can't afford it.

The idea that most restaurants serve essentially the same food is very interesting. I hadn't really stopped to think about it but reflecting on it, it's true. It's very hard to notice when you're not specifically paying attention to it, more so when you don't eat at a particular place regularly.