Walking to the post office

Image: New York Post Office via NYPL Digital Gallery, ID Number 809379 (source)

Did you read the City Room story about the 200-year old building at 502 Canal Street which was "'red-tagged' by the Buildings Department as unsafe after the storm"? I shared it with my mother-in-law and when we saw each other last month we talked about the article which reminded me of the nearby Art Deco (or Moderne-style) Canal Street Station post office.

I had to pick up a package at that post office earlier in the fall.  My mother-in-law was surprised that I had to travel so far when there is a local post office one block away from the apartment. The local post office is not a government one; it is a private mail center.  Since then I have found a USPS post office within a more comfortable walking distance, but it is a small outfit.  It is probably not a designated site for package pickups requiring a signature.  If I need to mail something with urgency, it is likely that I will walk the shorter distance to the private mail center.

Do you regularly use a USPS post office or a private mail center for postal services?