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A walker's revolution.

April 18, 2005 By pia

I used to spend every Sunday walking every block in Manhattan below 96th Street (East and West).

I thought of it as a hobby, an easy way to stay in shape, and a fun thing to do.

I never thought of it as a book in itself. Guess that’s why I don’t have one.

I did love passing the changing neighborhoods, and over the years, watching the neighborhoods change.

Now it’s too crowded, and too homogenized.

I lived for the day that The Hudson River Walkway would open. It finally did.

Despite its name The Walkway is really for bike riders. Even in places where it clearly says “yield to ped,” bikers rule. If I’m alone I have to cover my front and back. Instead of being fun, it’s a constant challenge.

I can’t develop a rhythm, walk really fast and get lost in thought. I’m too busy looking for bikers.

I’ve discovered that most women over 40 will yield to me as will most men of any age whether alone or with other men. When with young women, the young women will curse me–even if I’m in the right place, and they’re not.

I don’t get it. Walking is one of the first things we can, usually, do as a toddler, and we should be able to walk well into old, old age.

Walking is great exercise, costs nothing in equipment, and should be encouraged.

(Okay people like me tend to buy sneakers that might cost as much as some bikes, but I hope I’m an exception.)

I really don’t understand why men tend to be so much nicer than women. Why do women–especially when riding in packs with men–have to curse and tell me that I’m in their way?

Especially when I’m on the cobblestones and they have a nice smoothly paved, no pothole surface to ride on?

I’m constantly befuddled by this, and tend to hate Manhattan on weekends.

I used to love bike riding but back in the 1970’s and early ’80’s Manhattan wasn’t bike friendly and my tires were constantly being blown out by cut glass and other debris. I lived just off Fifth in the 60’s, and every weekend there would be a parade.

People, not my neighbors, would gather on my building’s stoop. I didn’t have a very loud voice, and when I would ask people to let my bike and I through, usually nobody would move. I was scared to ride on the gutters; I don’t even drive. It was difficult walking my bike across Fifth Avenue to the park.

I still dislike all Manhattan parades on general principle. Parades other places tend to be more fun, less frequent, and not cumbersome.

My building didn’t have a bike room or other place for bikes, and it cluttered my large studio. So I began to concentrate on long distance walking.

It was the best way to learn about each block, and I still remember where stores and restaurants used to be. I watched, say, Madison Avenue in the 20’s, go from being a “nice” neighborhood to homeless hotel heaven to a good ethnic East Indian enclave.

I remember when South Street Seaport was a dismal rotting pier people would sun bath on. I liked it much better then. South Street Seaport could be in any river city.

Though Manhattan is still a great place to visit, and somehow the streets might empty for tourists.

My heart still belongs to Manhattan, but my feet belong elsewhere. It’s easy for me to understand why Manhattan is no longer considered to be the place for walking in the country.

Walkers aren’t organized; walkers have few rights. Oh heck, I’m planning a few other revolutions; might as well plan a walker’s revolution. Anybody joining/

Filed Under: New York Stories Tagged With: New York Stories

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Comments

  1. mrsmogul says

    April 18, 2005 at 2:14 am

    At least NY women will tell you you’re in their way. With the English, they shove against you and don’t even say sorry! PS – No way am I sounding British! I write Zs not Ss 🙂

  2. tomharper says

    April 18, 2005 at 9:28 am

    A Walkers’ Revolution — why not? A Critical Mass for walkers; that might be what it takes.

    I don’t know if they have Critical Mass on the East Coast or not. It’s big in San Francisco and Portland. Thousands of cyclists ride through downtown, usually on a Friday night, and totally paralyze everything. I’m not saying it’s right, but it might be the only way to bring attention to the issue.

  3. NicoletteRivers says

    April 18, 2005 at 10:25 am

    I’d joing your revolution, but I’m in Michigan. We have a nature park here – Stony Creek – where conditions are much the same. You can try a walk in a place other than the narrowest, roughest path, but your apt to be run over by a biker or a roller blader.

    Walk on, My Sister, Walk on!

  4. Oscar Lagunas says

    April 18, 2005 at 2:34 pm

    I too love to walk and I will most certainly join you in a Walking Revolution any day. I often daydream about walking across the continent like a nomad, I’ve discussed it with the wife but she’s not too keen.

    One of the most rewarding walks I’ve taken was down the Grand Canyon; this was especially satisfying knowing that bikes or cars can’t go down there.

    It’s a shame to hear that walkers are treated so poorly in Manhattan, especially when there are markers indicating areas for bike and areas for walkers. Here in Southern California along many beaches there are clearly marked bike paths, on occasions police officers will cite bikers for riding out of bounds or get this: for speeding!

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About Me

I live in the South, not South Florida, a few blocks from the ocean, and two blocks from the main street. It's called Main Street. Amazes me too.

I'm from New York. I mostly lived in the Mid-Upper East Side, and the heart of the Upper West Side. It amazes me when people talk about how scared they were of Times Square in the 1970's and 1980's.

As my mother said: "know the streets, look out and you'll be fine."

What was scary was the invasion of the crack dens into "good buildings in good 'hoods." And the greedy landlords who did everything they could to get good tenants out of buildings.

I'm a Long Island girl, and proud of it now.
Then I hated everything about the suburbs. Yet somehow I lived in a few great Long Island Sound towns after high school.

Go to archives "August 2004" if you want to begin with the first posts.

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