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How to Take a Walk

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Re: How to Take a Walk

#91

Post by bricestacey »

smutticus wrote: post #74
timknauf wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Woah, we've had some 'pack 'em in' zoning here in New Zealand but I've never seen anything where they left out footpaths entirely. Has anyone got a representative Google street view link for SW Portland or something similar? (And is this really quite common across the US?)

This is the American suburbia I know best. Falls Church VA. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&#38... Portland is not a good example of American urban planning gone awry. As it's probably one of the most sensible cities in the US. And yes, unfortunately neighborhoods without sidewalks are all too common in American suburbs.

I have you beat. The American neighborhood I know best has no sidewalk or even a curb. :)

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&#38...

Re: How to Take a Walk

#93

Post by mirkules »

sili wrote: post #81
jonsen wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Observe things. ... , look around. Also look up. In city streets there are things to see above the horizontal plane we strongly tend to confine our view to.

In older cities it's amazing how much great architecture goes unnoticed. New York city has buildings from turn of the century with most intricate decorations and reliefs and only recently I started noticing it (in a "they don't make 'em like they used to" way).

In cities like Prague, it's really hard NOT to look up. Every street has a tower or something really fascinating that just stands out

Re: How to Take a Walk

#94

Post by ritonlajoie »

mirkules wrote: post #93
sili wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In older cities it's amazing how much great architecture goes unnoticed. New York city has buildings from turn of the century with most intricate decorations and reliefs and only recently I started noticing it (in a "they don't make 'em like they used to" way).

In cities like Prague, it's really hard NOT to look up. Every street has a tower or something really fascinating that just stands out

I also have great memories of Prague and it's cathedral. Good old time...

Re: How to Take a Walk

#95

Post by rdtsc »

jonsen wrote: post #61
rdtsc wrote: post #13

This is very important for programmers. You need to take a walk to recharge your batteries. To clear you mind. Well, it works for me anyway. Do it during lunch, after work, after dinner. On the weekend , for a longer walk. Parks and trails work best. Less crowded streets in the city work as well. Don't rush, just walk slowly. Observe things. If you end up thinking about the problem your are working on, that's fine, i…

Observe things. ... , look around. Also look up. In city streets there are things to see above the horizontal plane we strongly tend to confine our view to.

Good idea. It will force you to slow down a bit too, which is a good thing. It is hard to look up while walking fast.

Re: How to Take a Walk

#96

Post by philwelch »

brianpan wrote: post #59
johnfn wrote: post #9

I liked the article; it expressed something that had been lingering on the edges of my subconscious, but that I had never brought to light - like most good articles do. What I don't see is why it had to have an anti-American bias. It doesn't help make your point, and all it does is antagonize your American readers. I am an American, I also take walks.

I disliked the part where he assumes he can tell where someone is born by looking at them. :( I wonder if he thinks he looks like a native-born or an immigrant?

Can't you? People throw off subtle cues all the time, and whether they're native born or not is something that isn't hard to pick up from that.

Conversely, take a native born person of Japanese or Indian descent, and send them to Japan or India. The natives there will be able to tell he isn't native born.

Re: How to Take a Walk

#97

Post by CapitalistCartr »

simonw wrote: post #51
neilk wrote: post #31

Tangent, on "having a life". I met a woman from New York who was visiting SF. We both had been to Burning Man. She expressed her distaste at how much time San Franciscans spend on their art projects. According to her, New Yorkers "have a life". So, that bar conversation ended pretty quickly. But later on I got to thinking about it. There might be positive senses of "having a life", but I think she meant it in the mor…

I get really infuriated by the phrase "too much time on their hands", when used to dismiss acts of creativity (like building a model of the Eiffel tower out of match sticks). At least they weren't watching TV.

This is where the advantage to a place like Silicon Valley helps a startup; being surrounded by your fellow enthusiasts. It doesn't matter so much what they're enthusiastic about, so much as they are that type. Being surrounded by people who make less of your and yo work is demoralizing.

Re: How to Take a Walk

#98

Post by Isamu »

simonw wrote: post #51
neilk wrote: post #31

Tangent, on "having a life". I met a woman from New York who was visiting SF. We both had been to Burning Man. She expressed her distaste at how much time San Franciscans spend on their art projects. According to her, New Yorkers "have a life". So, that bar conversation ended pretty quickly. But later on I got to thinking about it. There might be positive senses of "having a life", but I think she meant it in the mor…

I get really infuriated by the phrase "too much time on their hands", when used to dismiss acts of creativity (like building a model of the Eiffel tower out of match sticks). At least they weren't watching TV.

Compound their consternation by having fun with math. Just yesterday I got several expressions of horror from passers-by when I explained I was working out a problem for fun.

Well, at least nobody beat me with a stick.

Re: How to Take a Walk

#99

Post by alextgordon »

LiteralPolice wrote: post #86
ews wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did the opposite. Moved from Spain to California few years ago. I was so shocked for the complete lack of sidewalks on San Francisco's South Bay that I ended up taking a complete collection of pictures about it. It's somewhat common in some areas in the US, and literally unthinkable in Europe. I am lucky that I live in San Francisco now, where most of the city (besides some areas I found between the Sunset and Glen…

Incorrect usage of the word "literally." Please remove it.

Please. This isn't reddit. Novelty accounts (and pedantry for that matter) don't really belong.

Re: How to Take a Walk

#100

Post by balding_n_tired »

"In my 13 years of taking walks in the United States, I could remember only ever seeing one native-born American taking a walk."

Where in the world does this man take walks? Down the median of I-5?

I have a hard time coming up with a reason that "taking a walk" must exclude walking the dog; taking with a friend; even chatting on the phone, though that's not my habit. Nor can I see why one may not pass anybody--in a walking part of the world does one end up with large queues of walkers with the tail end going slower and slower?

I write this having just walked in to work, a bit less than an hour, right around half an hour slower than riding the bus. Yes it is purposeful, but it is not the most time-efficient way of accomplishing the purpose.

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