I am back in the car world. In Stockholm, I can walk just about everywhere I need to go: the grocery, the gym, the dry cleaner, the pharmacy, the pub. Everything is easily accessible by foot. Here in Cincinnati, everything is accessible but it’s only by car. Public transportation is not an easy option. I don’t think that buses even come to this part of suburbia where my parents live or at least I’ve never seen one. While I can walk around the neighborhood, there’s not really anywhere that I can get to without a car. As soon as I leave the subdivision, there are no sidewalks, no paths. There is just a ditch alongside the narrow and busy road.
I am loving the driving. But I am missing the walking.
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Fast walking here we come!!! Driving& eating my entire time here in Chicago!!!
Can’t wait to see you!!!
I haven’t owned a car in some time, as it is not necessary in NYC, at least from my perspective. When I return to Ohio to see my parents, I walk at least once a day or I get antsy! Often I drag my father along, walking to the library to get movies or to a local pub or restaurant, all of which are only a few blocks away from my parents’ home. My dad jokingly gripes the entire time, but I know he secretly loves it. What is funny is that my parents, who are in good health, typically drive to these places. I thought that their moving closer to a small town, historical Main Street area would invite more walking; but it seems that once people are adapted to the car lifestyle they have a tendency to drive out of habit. Although, I am happy to report that my dad has admitted to walking to the library and pub more, after our walks!
On another note, I have found that city walking can lead to weight loss. You can call it losing the suburban 10 or the driving dependence 10 (in place of the freshman 10). It is a phenomenon that can occur when one relocates to a large city and begins walking daily, after living a car lifestyle somewhere else. It happened to me when I first moved here, and I have seen it occur with a few other people I know.
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