We have been on a couple of walks lately that were very different one from the other but got me thinking about the same thing. And that is about how differently we perceive distance when travelling by motorized transport from when we are walking. Oddly, I find my perception of distance is counter intuitive. When I walk somewhere I have previously driven I am often surprised that it seems shorter than I expected. From the comments I have received from non walkers when asking how to walk somewhere I believe I am not alone in this perception. Frequently I get told something is "a LONG way" or "too far to walk" when it really isn't very far at all. So here's the two walks that got me thinking about this.
The first was during the New Rochelle Arts Fest just over a week ago. It is an annual event showcasing many of the artists and studios around New Rochelle - there is a cornucopia of them and to help people get around the venues there are a couple of jump on, jump off free trolleys that loop around the venues. These are a much loved feature of the festival and some people hop on and stay on just for the ride. I forgot to take any pictures so the photo below is from a couple of years ago but you get the idea.
The first was during the New Rochelle Arts Fest just over a week ago. It is an annual event showcasing many of the artists and studios around New Rochelle - there is a cornucopia of them and to help people get around the venues there are a couple of jump on, jump off free trolleys that loop around the venues. These are a much loved feature of the festival and some people hop on and stay on just for the ride. I forgot to take any pictures so the photo below is from a couple of years ago but you get the idea.
For the past two years I have volunteered to ride around on the trolleys, calling ahead to let venues know we are coming, giving out information and letting people know which stop is coming up next. It is fun to do and I am always amazed how many people hop on just to ride the trolley rather than using it to get to a venue. I am sure some of these people would never ride a bus but there is something about a painted trolley that makes it seem more fun. Perhaps it is time to dress up city buses to make them more appealing. But the main point here is that when I'm riding around on the trolley it really seems quite a distance from Main Street New Rochelle to the heart of Pelham, the neighboring town. I have found myself agreeing with people that it really is more than most people would be comfortable walking. No more! On Sunday afternoon my husband and I got off the trolley in Pelham and walked back to New Rochelle despite the fact he was getting over a bout of shingles. In deference to his state of health we walked slowly and it still took less than half an hour. I was astonished. And it got me thinking about my birthday walk last month. This year my chosen walk was to take the train into Grand Central Station and walk home to New Rochelle. We figured it was about 18 miles. We were not in any hurry and dawdled along looking at things and stopping for refreshments and to dodge some rain and happily spent the whole day getting ourselves home. A week or so later we were driving along the Interstate 95 and Frank suddenly said "we walked along here" and I sat bolt upright in disbelief and responded "but we've been driving for ages!" Okay, clearly not for hours and hours but the perception of speed and time on distance traveled made it seem like a LONG way from home. So, now when I ask someone for directions and they tell me it is too far to walk I figure they are habitual drivers or users of public transportation, NOT walkers.
Here's a few of the places we walked through on our way home from Grand Central in midtown Manhattan. Note: Google says a lot of its walking directions are in Beta, do you think they'd pay someone like me to walk places to confirm and/or improve their routes? Now that would be a dream job.
Here's a few of the places we walked through on our way home from Grand Central in midtown Manhattan. Note: Google says a lot of its walking directions are in Beta, do you think they'd pay someone like me to walk places to confirm and/or improve their routes? Now that would be a dream job.
Grand Central Station. Quiet on Labor Day morning but I liked the speeding bicycle. He was moving too fast to be anything but a blur.
View of the Queensboro bridge on our way to the East River Walkway. Note the gathering clouds....
Carl Schurz Park looking across to Wards and Randalls Island (two names, one island apparently joined by landfill at some point). The bridge from Manhattan to Wards/Randalls Island in the distance is the pedestrian bridge we walked over.
Squash growing on a grating in Carl Schurz Park. I assume the FDR drive is below the grating. What a great (grate?) way to stop squash from rotting on the ground! No idea what drifts up through the grating but now we don't have lead in gas it should be edible right?
Why?
Hell Gate Pathway was the best find of the walk! On Randalls Island it currently ends at a closed foot and cycle bridge but once that reopens it will be a direct route to The Bronx. The walkway sits under a freight railway that, hopefully, will eventually carry passenger trains from Queens to The Bronx. It is very underutilized and stunningly beautiful (at least on its underside).
Happy Feet! A skater I presume but these stencils always make me think of someone wearing baseball gloves instead of shoes.
Westchester Avenue in The Bronx. Bustling with some amazing buildings. This was a new area for us to walk through and we loved the busy-ness but it wasn't overly pedestrian friendly in places.
The Bronx has some great buildings. And the photo below shows the usual noisy and pedestrian unfriendly elevated subway (now there's an oxymoron) but in this instance enhanced with some splendid artwork!
And those ominous clouds did finally turn into a bit of rain. This awning proved to be better than no shelter....just.
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