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May 02, 2006
Walkin' (for your love)
Categories: Personal
Today, a fine late spring day, I parked my car at the free downtown parking lot and walked to Winthrop from there. It's a little over a mile and took me maybe 30 minutes. I basically walked straight up Oakland Ave.
It was great. The weather was perfect - not hot enough to really get sweaty, but warm enough so that it felt good in my short sleeves. The route was nice; Oakland Ave is treelined and flanked by old houses that are mostly law offices and churches. I got some needed exercise. Very pleasant.
I miss walking. I walked a lot in Charlottesville. I'd walk to the downtown trolley stop from our home on St. Clair and/or home from that stop almost everyday. When the weather was really nice or I wasn't in any hurry, I'd occassionally walk all the way home from the University (about 3 miles). Sarah and I could walk downtown from our house, which we did farily frequently.
My biggest complaint about our current home is that there is nowhere to walk. I can walk around the neighborhood, or around the adjacent neighborhood that connects to the country club, but I need somewhere to walk to -- I need a destination, even if it is just to the convience store to get a Coke. It's about six miles from our home to my office, which is pretty far (that's a couple of hours) and pretty dangerous along parts of the route (no sidewalks and a busy road).
I don't know what it is, but I love walking. I remember walking from my grandparent's house to a big park nearby with my grnadfather. I couldn't have been more than four, but I remember walking up there and walking back, sometimes along the railroad tracks. There is something about the pace, the speed, the methodical right-left rhythm. You see more, smell more. There's also something romantic about it, something old and timeless and spiritual. Keroac putting back boot to road, Whitman meandering the streets of Manhattan, Jesus, as they say, walked.
Not to draw any sacreligious comparisions. It's a nice May day and I walked a mile. Call me again in January, when it's windy and rainy and cold, and see how I'm doing. Call me when my feet are the only means I have of getting to work or school, when it's uphill both ways. Let's not over romanticize things, or forget that walking is the primary means of transport for most of the worlds population. For me, it's exercise and a bit of a luxury.
Still, I like it. And I am going to do it as much as I can. The downtown parking lot is free, the sidewalks are open, and the weather is nice. Get walking.
Posted by Nakia at May 2, 2006 12:10 PM