>> He reported in his book, I'm A Stranger Here Myself, that he had been stopped by concerned neighbors on multiple occasions, offering him a ride

That has happened to me before in a scenario similar to the original poster's scenario, walking between a hotel and supermarket. This was in Texas. Perfectly polite, they probably just assumed that my car was in the shop.

If you wanted to walk in peace in a neighborhood like that you would need to get a dog.