I was lucky in a way -- I had this realization about space and what I wanted out of life in college, when my friends and I had a grocery store under two blocks from our rental place. It's motivated a lot of my decisions since then. You're right, this lifestyle is not the usual setup in the US.

I hope you're able to get to Berlin soon. What are the restrictions now, specifically? I know American tourists are not currently allowed into Canada, but migrants with a visa are (some college friends moved there from Seattle last month).