This was worth waiting for 
Wow! What an epic posting! I'll need more time to take it all in, but I wanted to thank you the exhaustive treatment of my favorite & only form of exercise. I am fortunate to live in DC where it is possible to walk in both urban & pastoral settings without leabving the city; in addition, the region has 1000s of miles of all kinds of sidewalks and trails, from beach to mountains. Great stuff!
thanks, Greg (& Vlad)--yes, this post is pretty monstrous in length, tho' keep in mind another post isn't going to come for a bit. so ration it, maybe.
the structure of this summer's theme series is going to be, basically, big mother post + very small interlude + big mother post, etc., until we're done. For those who care about such things.
Wow! Is all I can say
Great post with lots of interesting bits of history I didn't know - thanks.
The Clague, or Coyne-Clague, was a band featuring the late Kevin Coyne, a sadly underappreciated performer whose later albums are worth seeking out.
this is truly excellent.
for me real knowledge of a city only comes through when I walked up and down it, a few times - sometimes for hours at a time.
I also like walking through suburbia, especially at night when things are all not what they appear to be and loneliness is at it's most intense.
Definitely agree with what you said about being a girl and walking alone - just two days I was stopped by a cop for no reason other than walking alone along a street at night - who wanted to know my reasons for being there alone...
Also, there's the amazing experience of walking next to somebody who walks the same pace as you. For me, such an experience was life changing in it's profound simplicity.
thank you again for the amazing post...
An amazing post!
Another one for the walking bibliography would be Werner Herzog's 'Of Walking on Ice'.
You're the best.
A few years ago I spent a few months walking a good portion of the Appalachian Trail (kind of like Art Garfunkel but without the intermittent plane trips, or LSD), and thought alot about walking. I never seem to be able to draw conclusions or crystallize new thoughts while walking, only think of things, wallow in them, meditate on them. It's all very ephermeral. Writing's much more concrete; reading this let me reccollect and put some words on some things that have been simmering in the back of my mind for awhile. So thanks.
Also, anectdotally, it is a documented historical fact that Thereau's mom did his laundry. He walked it into town for her to wash. So much for self-reliance.
Awesome. I stole it and posted at my site, giving your link, of course. While looking at it I found myself humming this:
http://aolsearch.aol.com/aol/
aud...154851358424570
Ernest Tubb: waling the floor over you
Wonderful, eloquent, well thought posting. Solid.
Walking is one of my favorite moments to relax and leave a busy work day behind. Sometimes great to think, sure, sometimes as good to put a distance between a recent past and a new goal.
Thank you for a great , long, post.
Ravel, Montreal, Quebec.
I walk for a minimum of one hour each day, as much for the opportunity to 'release' as the exercise. Thus, I found your long entry extraordinarily interesting. I spent half a morning reading it when I should have been working.
I liked the comment made by alisa (above) about walking in step with someone. Except I find it kind of freaky when it happens. Also, being a rather tall and large male, I am very conscious of how threatening I must appear to solitary females walking ahead of me. So I make a conscious effort to cross to the other side of the street or to steer a large berth so as not to unduly alarm them. That a woman cannot walk alone in safety is a tragic comment on society right around the world.
Thank you for such an absorbing post. On today's walk I shall have to think of possible songs that fit the theme.
Oh, by the way, I have lately become an Ipod walker, which is another commentary on the times.
Regards,
Jack (Melbourne, Oz)
"I spent half a morning reading it when I should have been working."
Jack, that's the best compliment anyone could ever give me. Glad you liked the post.
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