Edmonton
Many cities are best appreciated on foot. No matter how plush or sexy a car you have, sitting in it immobile in ugly traffic is just as unattractive as ever–maybe more so, if you’re thinking that somewhere in the next six blocks, if you can ever traverse them, is the bling-swinging pedestrian, high-speed messenger’s bicycle or runaway shopping cart with your pretty car’s number on it, and nowhere in the next eighteen blocks is there such a thing as a parking space for under $40, should you negotiate the next six unscathed. Life in a car is rough enough.
But there’s so much you can see and do on foot anyway that is unattainable or at least seldom noticed from inside a car. Window shopping while driving is no safer or more successfully accomplished than texting at the steering wheel. People watching, one of the best entertainments and learning tools known to observant persons, is at best a fleeting glimpse while driving past, not like the pedestrian’s opportunity to slow down and say hello or, more covertly, sit on the nearest bench and watch the whole human show parade along its way. Some cities, like San Francisco and Prague, Seattle and Stockholm, have enough narrow hilly streets that you can’t see halfway along the block, let alone what’s up over the hill’s crest or down around the next curve.
But if you were trying to operate automotively anyway, how would you be close enough to smell the smoke of a wood-fired oven drifting out a cafe window, to peer in and notice a gilt coffered ceiling behind the revolving door of an old bank building, to catch the eye of the shop proprietor who winks at you out of the dim interior so slyly that you can’t resist going in to see the hand-woven silks so ravishingly gleaming under the curved glass of that ancient mahogany display cabinet? What chance would you have of getting ever so slightly jostled off your straight walking path so that you notice that in the almost invisible gap next to you, between the bent copper drainpipe on the left and the broken rusty post-box on the right, a narrow cobbled alley appears, with sunlight spilling into it in ragged patterns created by its tiny balconies swathed in brilliant yellow and red and purple flowers?
Denton
I’ve always preferred in-town meanders of the bipedal variety over wheeled ones, especially those exploratory ones in a new town or just a new part of a familiar town. If there’s not too much ground to cover, I covet the freedom I have to stop and gape, to slow down, take sudden unplanned tours and detours, to take pictures of the quirky oddity that almostescaped my eye. The fitness that comes from walking certainly beats that of planting my posterior in a car seat, no matter how tensely city traffic might make me perch there, and if I do get weary there are not only refurbished old trams, pedicabs, monorails and water taxis to deliver me from my exhausted state to my actual destination if necessary, or better yet, a nice leisurely cafe break at a sidewalk table with a sparkling mineral water in hand and dark sunglasses on so I can see all of the action nearby without appearing to stare too disconcertingly while I catch my breath and give my aging parts a little welcome recovery time. I’m just grateful to have two functional legs, no matter how modest my fitness level happens to be.
Casco Viejo
Since my dyslexic gifts (yes, I just spelled it dsylexic before editing) include complete lack of an inner compass, one of the particularities of strolling wanders for me is that I must always allow plenty of time, and assume a fair likelihood that I will be well and truly lost at least once per outing. Including in my home town. Possibly in my own yard. But so far I’ve always found my way back again, like the proverbial Bad Penny, and remained alive and unharmed. I’m reasonably canny about not going into dicey areas alone or after dusk, taking off without an emergency cell phone (now that I finally have one, though it really is strictly for emergencies thankfully), or going for a genuine who-knows-where expedition without telling someone. But beyond that, plus some welcome good luck and guardian angel accompaniments, I can say with a certain amount of pleasure, surprise and/or pride that many of my best adventures have happened as a direct result of just staying close to the ground and taking advantage of the fortuitous events that occurred along the way, embracing the goodness of the fun and fascinating people who cross paths with me in those fine and serendipitous ways that happen when you let them. They can’t put that stuff in tourist guidebooks.
So I’m glad that I got out and left behind any car in so many grand places, or I’d never have loved them so well. Munich, New York, Verona, Chicago, London .. . would any of them have been a tenth as lovely from a car as on foot? It’s possible, I suppose, but I wouldn’t take back a single pair of my worn-out soles to find out for certain. I suspect more truly that it’s because I get up and leave my car in all those wonderful, fantastic places that I end up leaving my heart in all of them too.
Boston
Art-Colored Glasses 
Did you like Munich?
I *love* Munich. Great food, wine and beer, lovely people, beautiful parks, a gorgeous and *very* walkable, varied city center, tons of interesting things to see and do. I’d happily live there. Among other favorite places, of course! In any case, it’s been too long since we’ve had a chance to do any real travel, including to Munich.
The wonders of walking around in a city – it’s a completely difference perspective. It works in any city really…Even the one you reside in, the one you know so well. Taking a walk creates this certain type of magic that causes you to see things you’ve never seen before.
Wonderful speculation and a brilliant post, Kathryn.
You’re right–walking ‘at home’ is a *great* practice when you get any chance, since in our normal live-and-work grooves we so often go blindly by lots of fun and fascinating stuff.
I strongly admire your skill with the written word. I have traveled very little, myself, but even where I live, I enjoy hoofing it to driving, when possible 🙂
Thank you for such kind words, K.S. Yes, in addition to preferring it for viewing and pleasure purposes, I trust my hooves more than I trust my driving skills! 😉
I love walking vacations! I’ve walked Chinatown, San Fransisco; Chicago; Florence, Italy; Monterossa, Italy; Verona, Italy; Monterey, CA; Santa Barbara, CA; Laguna Beach, California; my hometown San Clemente, California; my current town Santa Rosa, California; and others. It makes me happy to just think of the lovely things I’ve seen walking.
I’d love to walk Boston. NYC would be great, too. And Paris, of course.
What is a place you haven’t walked that you’d like to visit, Kathryn?
Ah, I have a *very* long list of both new places to visit and favorites to revisit, but I suppose I’d say high on the list of New spots would be almost anywhere in NZ or Slovenia; Edinburgh . . . .
San Clemente, eh? My husband was born in Fullerton (though his parents moved north when he was only 4 or so) and Dad Sparks was born in Yorba Linda. Neither all that far from your home turf, I think? I’ve heard nothing but love for Florence, so that’d be lots of fun, too, as would more of California, of which I’ve seen too little yet . . . 🙂
I think, like you, that when it comes to cities it is a case two feet good and four wheels bad. I worked in London for seven years and found my way around the center by walking most places. I love it when I go back and even off the beaten track places seem so familiar.
So much more fun to feel at home in and ‘part of’ a place, and that’s only really possible on foot, isn’t it. London is *such* a fabulous town. Dublin, too, though I’ve only been there once so far and too briefly!
I so agree with you. Better to walk and experience the city on foot rather than seated in a car, no matter how fine the leather or quiet the engine. When I think back upon my various trips, I would have missed out on so much had a car been the mode of transport. And I’m not only referring to the sights. I’ve met some great people along the way, as well. And if there’s a language barrier, all the better. 🙂
Exactly. It’s almost mythic how many and how quickly people adopt and aid you when you’re vulnerable enough to fumble along with your two words of their language and no car to separate you from real life. It’s a joy. 🙂
I really wish I walked more here in LA…it’s just so dang spread out, so they don’t make it very easy on us! That’s why I love NY so much. But I do agree with you and John, you experience/see so much more in big cities when you travel by foot. I try to walk everywhere I can here on the weekends. 🙂
With the very little time I’ve gotten to spend in LA it’s unquestionably hard to do more than individual neighborhoods or sections on foot, though there are certainly some few that are ever so worthwhile for it too! You just have to drive a good piece to *get* to them!!
Totally agree with you. It is best to see great cities on foot.
My dear, I hope you and Michael will find a time to come and walk around here with us! 🙂 Dallas and Ft Worth (and especially Denton!) aren’t necessarily the most glamorous cities on earth, but they all have their charms. Especially in good company!
And I was just reading an article that had spectacular photos from Loi Krathong in Chiang Mai that made me realize once again how much I’ve always hoped to get there. Before I’m too old to enjoy it!! 🙂
xoxo
Kathryn
I haven’t thanked you yet for all of your ideas for our trip, it was so kind of you. I have started walking more this year, including a daily 40 min walk during my lunch hour p, and I love it! You’re so right cos you miss so much of the surroundings when you drive. Lovely post!
Thank you, my friend, I only hope you will have as much fun in those cities I love so well as I’ve been able to do! 🙂
My intent after discovering your blog site was to leave you a message of thanks which I will do, but in reading some of your wonderful prose, I was not only shocked, but very saddened to learn of Gerri Hancock’s death. I, too, was involved–as was your husband–with the Lessons and Carols at our church where one of the famed Hancock improvisations was to be featured. In dealing with him this time, as well as on other occasions, I found Gerri to be a kind, loving, gentle man, as well as being quite the organ scholar. We’ve lost a magnificent musician, as well as a gentleman in every sense of the word.
Now, to my original purpose….thank you so much for your wonderful, complimentary words on my photo blog. They are so much appreciated. And in writing to thank you, I’ve discovered your wonderful blog. How about that. We met at church and now we’ve further
“discovered” each other’s interests and talents through our blog sites. And that’s just too cool.
I look forward to following your blog and certainly hope you’ll return to mine, as well.
Oh, yes, I am subscribed to your blog already and will absolutely delight in watching you at work, my friend! Thank you too for your kind words. And yes, Gerre was a truly dear man; we knew that the instant we got to meet him. I was fortunate today to share my little post about him with one of today’s new subscribers to my blog (a happy surprise): a member of Pittsburgh AGO just started a blog for their chapter and came over to visit. This blog-land is indeed a small world of its own!!
I have to agree with you there, Kathryn. The only way to know a city is to walks it’s streets. Everything takes a more human approach, you get to see the people and to smell all the drifting aromas. I have walked in Paris, New-York, Barcelona, Madrid and of course Vancouver.
Each city has its very distinctive beauty and the best way to discover it is by becoming a pedestrian.
Yours words are magicians taking me away always, thank you 🙂
Oh, I’d love to see some of Spain! So much beautiful food, culture, art; so many marvelous people and communities! I do some copy editing for an international music magazine and my current editor is in Spain–it would be so wonderful to finally meet her in person in her own country if I could, too!
Isn’t it wonderful, though, that we can share our travels with each other in this medium until when, if we’re very lucky, we can make the trip ourselves! 🙂
xoxo
It’s the only way to explore a city and fall in love with its character.
And its characters, too! When I’m in a car there’s no chance I’ll meet or see that wonderful person who ends up making the whole journey memorable.
Well said and well photographed. When I was still working in Phila., I made it a point to take a walk every day at lunchtime. So much to see and savor even in a short walk. Now, when the weather is decent, I ride my bicycle along the semi-rural two lane roads and enjoy the world, stopping to photograph things that attract my interest.
The bike is a perfect option when you have (relatively) safe places to ride it and especially when the distances are a bit too great between Points A and B for walking. Hmmm, Philadelphia is another city I’d love to explore . . .
Plus trains, light rail, the underground, trolley cars and ferry boats are also delightful way to get around!
Absolutely!! And, as AW noted above, bikes. There’s the fun of the actual transportation added to the possibility of contact with lots of interesting people in, on and around the transport (hopefully, not under it).
Walking is definitely the way to go – I have even slowed my walking down here at home. Now that I have a “real” camera, I have learnt to look at things differently and I have recently noticed things I would never have noticed before in our little village – amazing what there is to see!
🙂 Mandy
Isn’t it amazing what ‘pops out’ when one has a camera in hand or pocket??? Once I got a tiny point-and-shoot with great macro I quickly became obsessed with seeing the usually-unseen–little plants, cracks in buildings, bugs, signs, rusted bolts in the road, and so on, and suddenly through noticing the Tiny, I saw better how enormous even small parts of the world are! As you can see from my note to Madame Saslow, NZ is very high on my list of places I hope to visit one day. Isn’t that where your little village is located, Mandy? So you’ve already gotten to explore parts of one of those spots I’m aiming for . . . eventually . . . 🙂
Sorry to disappoint Kathryn but our little village (Sundays River) is in the Eastern Cape, South Africa so I won’t be able to meet you in NZ for a cuppa and chat! However if you ever decide to venture down our way, I would love to take you on a guided tour. 🙂
Are you kidding? Not *disappointed* in the least–I’ve heard fabulous things from people who’ve visited or lived in SA too! How very lovely. Yet another place that would be oh so delightful to explore . . . 🙂
The thought of driving in most cities gives me nightmares…Boston and Providence are ok, but I’d rather park the car somewhere and wander. I cannot understand for the life of me why anyone in Paris even owns a car. Between the bus and the Metro, you can go anywhere!
We often start the morning’s discussion in Paris with,”Walk out, ride back? Or the other way?” With a map and a Metro pass, I can wander til I’m worn out, and ride back home!
That’s a great way to operate! On our honeymoon trip, during the time we were with our close friends, each morning when the guys had to take off for rehearsals we two wives would take our bus passes in hand, get on a different random bus, and take it to the end of its route to see a new part of the city and decide where to stop and explore on the way back before meeting the guys again for dinner. It only backfired once, when the bus we were on was (unbeknownst to us) *finishing* its route in a weird high-density-housing neighborhood policed by armed guards and we had a bit of an adventure just finding a way back out of the neighborhood and home safely in time for dinner. But then, we *did* have a memorable adventure after all, so it was still a cool strategy! (Thank goodness I was in great company for *that* trek!) 🙂
With inflation, should the bad penny be updated to the bad quarter? (The bad dollar is already taken, thanks to the national debt and deficit.)
Maybe I should opt for the bad krone or some other more stable currency altogether. Or rubber? Just bounce back?
I so agree Kathryn! Footing it through unfamiliar places is without a doubt the best way to travel! These eyes of ours were meant to see, not a blur of water colors as we pass, but details intricate, nuanced, wrinkled and rich! Every one of your followers benefits (is blessed in fact) by the way Kathryn travels and sees the sights! ( I include among your travels your most wonderful imagination!)
Thank you, Antoinette, as long as you’re not afraid of the weird and scary things you might run into in my imagination, you’re more than welcome in there! At least I’ll try to make them ‘safe for human consumption’ as I translate them into print 😉 .
Before when we travel I always rented a car but on our last 2 travel we never did and it was a totally different experience as we see a lot of the the city specially those small alleys
There’s something interesting around *every* corner! 🙂
SF is absolutely the best on foot. I love the feel of a big city as I meander the streets. I don’t mind the honking and bustling and actually feel most at home when surrounded by noise, people and tall buildings. Strange, isn’t it. Besides, how would you hop on a trolley if you were in a car? I love that most about SF. A ride on the trolley is the best way take a break from a long walk in SF. I agree with Caroline. LA doesn’t lend itself to walking unfortunately which is where I am closest to. Too bad.
Though I haven’t gotten to see it yet myself, I hear the Getty is almost a city unto itself and well worth the exercise! But yes, I’d agree that LA doesn’t seem overly pedestrian-friendly!! It’s not quite what I’d call driver *friendly*, either, come to think of it, but that’s somewhat different. 😉
Oh Kathryn you’ve just taken me on a walk. Lovely, lovely, lovely. And I adore cities, so much to take in and ponder, especially new ones, and just the pure feeling of being alive when all you do is wander, and you don’t have a plan or a destination. The sights and smells are remembered aren’t they? Perfect !
Some of my best places and moments in new cities have been those backstreets – cafes in Athens selling fresh grilled octopus, cafes in Havanna serving, well Rum and anything as a mixer, cafes in Bangkok or Mumbai sellinng street snacks and a cold beer, Ausie-Italian cafes serving the perfect Latte. Ahhh I could go on and on. You get the drift 🙂
I know what I meant to add (I must be tired!), was that one of the ways I got to know London was by walking but also the bus, perfect as they never went fast, you get to peer in at the world from the top deck and yes listen in too 🙂
Claire, you’ve traveled to more places and seen and heard a lot more detail than I have, there’s no question! I’m going to want to hear many of your stories, too, I can tell! What a lot of exotic and romantic and daring places you’ve gone. I love that we can share in each other’s travels this way. Of course all of you who share your own favorites with me are stretching my wish list longer and longer . . . 🙂
For me it’s not all about where you have travvelled, it’s the expereince of sittiing down and watching, looking and listening that is the real pleasure and education. And as you so beautifully expressed it – peering down alleyways (that’s how we found the grilled octopus in athens etc). C
Our feet can take us into unexpected places and bring us face to face with people. The only time that happens in a car is when a policeman pulls your over and looks you in the face before asking for your license. I swear this has never happened to me. So, like you, I prefer to explore on foot.
I do know a couple of odd characters who *have* actually received tickets from those nice Mr. Policemen while on foot. *Jaywalking??* *Really*, in this day and age? But then you could rightly say that those persons did meet other interesting persons while on foot! And there’s certainly no better ‘modus transportandi’ for experiencing the world fully.
Yes, I agree with you Kathryn. Most cities are best appreciated when walking around, though sometimes there are places one sees only when driving… and there are some cities that are just made for driving, and Los Angeles is one of them. Here in my home town of Jerusalem, the city has become more and more crowded in recent years, and is no longer friendly to private vehicles. I take public transportation when I have to move around in the city, and prefer to walk. Very nice post!
I certainly do appreciate good public transit in any city, too–a wonderful place to mingle with and observe both local and visiting people!
Yes, I am finally getting to this post to read it! I have been saving yours and Year Stricken’s because they actually require me to think instead of just looking! And I like to think with a clear mind! That said, there is a lot to be said for getting out of the car – you can’t stop to smell the flowers quite as easily when you are stuck in between two cars with one in the lane to the right! A nice stroll lets you see everything the car roof hides as well!
Yes, I was thinking about that inability to ‘look upward’ too. We used to have a so-called sunroof on our car and it was a miserable excuse for a hole in the roof–not big enough to show us anything useful, but big enough to roast us in the slightest bit of sunshine (and no AC working in that car, plus a driver with a shaved scalp). Oh, and every time we opened it for airflow, thanks to the heating trick, *any* water left from rain, car-washing, dew, or bird drool fell immediately from the sunroof rim down our necks. It did *not* impress me as enhancing the in-car experience! 😉
I’m saving your posts up between times for the same reason, so there! 😀
Haha, I totally agree. Parking is quite heinous in San Francisco, but still a lovely place otherwise :). Parking’s worth looking for or paying for if the destination is well worth the wait.