I walk for pleasure, for exercise, for relaxation, and for transportation. It often seems easier to walk a mile or so than to take a bus or train; it certainly makes more sense to walk a couple of blocks than to drive. More to the point, perhaps, walking is cheap, easy, and a good way to think. All you need is a decent pair of shoes and a little time.
One of my favorite places to walk, and for a lot of other things, is Inwood Hill Park, at the north end of Manhattan, on the hills next to the Hudson River. My park page describes the park briefly, lists some of the interesting and unusual birds that can be seen there, and includes a list of events the Parks Department is planning.
Walking is still a relatively unorganized activity, an ordinary part of life rather than something people think much about, but there are some good walking resources on the net. The pednet mailing list and Web site are for pedestrian activism of various sorts. The focus is on encouraging people to walk more, and on making walking safer. The list can get technical, with discussions of appropriate widths for sidewalks, traffic calming techniques, and the like, but it's straightforward, and even if you're neither an activist nor an engineer, it's nice to have a place to talk to other people who realize that walking isn't archaic, and it isn't just exercise: it's a form of transportation, and the main one for some people. I've also found a nice collection of walking-related links, including organizations, shoe companies, and walking vacations.
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Copyright 1997 Vicki Rosenzweig. Last modified 16 November 1997