Walk, don't drive

One of the primary things that keeps me in NYC is that I don't have to own a car.

Don't get me wrong -- I love to drive. But I'm convinced that having to drive on a daily basis would slice years off my life. My fuse, when behind the wheel, can be a little short.

Then there's the painful truth that walking is really the only exercise I get.

There's also the whole "saving the environment" aspect, though I can't pretend that it's always foremost in my mind.

But I love the fact that from almost anywhere I go in my daily meanderings, I can walk home. Sure, I'll give in and take the train now and then -- even splurge on a taxi occasionally when it's really late (or I'm really late for work).

But I don't have to worry about parking, about insurance, about the price of gas, about getting my car stolen -- it's really a delight to live in a walkable city.

Today, I learned of an interesting online resource (thanks to the GetTrio.com daily email) called Walk Score. You enter your address and zip code, and Walk Score "calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc."

A perfect score is 100.

My home address registers at an impressive 98, and don't you kid yourself that I'm not pleased about that.

Just for comparison's sake, I entered my parents' address in my hometown of Oklahoma City, a burg that lives and dies by the internal combustion engine.

The score for their address? A rather dismal 31.

Here's the site's breakdown of scores:

• 90 - 100 = Walkers' Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people get by without owning a car.
  
• 70 - 90 = Very Walkable: It's possible to get by without owning a car.
  
• 50 - 70 = Some Walkable Locations: Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips still require a car.
  
• 25 - 50 = Not Walkable: Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving is a must.
  
• 0 - 25 = Driving Only: Virtually no neighborhood destinations within walking range. You can walk from your house to your car!

Even the few sites listed on the site as being within walking distance of my folks' home really aren't that accessible by foot. I've patronized any number of them during my visits home and have never hoofed it to a single one.

The trouble is, I don't know what's to be done at this late date. So many cities across this country were planned -- and have since grown exponentially -- with so very little thought given to mass transit, much less walkability.

But I'm glad there are people and organizations out there raising the issue.

Birdwatching, Manhattan style -- Pt. 57

I passed Steven "Little Stevie/Sylvio" Van Zandt this morning, chatting on a cell phone while walking north on Fifth Avenue just above 13th Street.

He was wearing his typical ensemble of pirate loungewear and looking, though I intend no judgment in stating it, a little doughy.