Not So Southern Hospitality

I'm a native North Kakalakian and I've lived in the VA/DC area for a couple of years now, but I swear I did not inherit the southern hospitality gene. People around here LOVE to speak and wave. And I can't stand it. The random conversations in the metro, the "hello's" and "how are you doing's"...it all gets to be a bit much (especially when you've encountered it from 10 people already). I live in an area that attracts a lot of people, so I walk around always feeling like I have to be "on". I spend 40-60 hours a week bojangling it up with my co-workers. You mean I'm supposed to do that for complete strangers too? Just because I'm walking my dog and you're walking your dog does not mean we need to stop and chat...in fact, the mindless yacking is preventing my dog from handling his business (a sista got thangs to do!) That's not my style, and really, even in the NC it wasn't my style then. Do I really need to speak to you other than giving you directions or calling 911 (yeah ok that's a bit extreme but still..)? Walking to and from the metro, going to the mall, grocery store, post office, etc. is my ME time! I love it in NYC because no one expects you to communicate with them. It's great. Is it really so bad to not want to make eye contact all the time and keep it moving? Is it wrong to want to take time to myself to think and decompress...EVEN while I'm walking down the street? I'm not a mean person, I just like to think it's ok to add boundaries to your personal space.....