Walking in Town

The last two weeks have been difficult for us walkers. Last week the subway strike and now tourists.

With the exception of the 8 or so years that I unfortunately worked in the Wall Street area, I have walked to work from Penn Station virtually every day for the remaining 17 years of my professional career. I walk in hot weather and in cold. I walk in the rain. It has to be either raining torrentially or the temperature has to be hovering around zero before I agree to take the subway.

I walk for a number of reasons. First, because I prefer walking to taking the crowded subway (that is not hard to understand). Second, it gives me an extra 32 minutes of exercise every day since I walk very fast. Third, when I walk, I am in control. I know exactly how long it will take me to get to my office or to the railroad; no subway delays to mess me up.

Last week, although there were fewer people in the city, whoever was around was walking because of the strike. The streets were so much more crowded than normal and it messed up my timing. Lots of ziging and zaging.

This week there are zillions of tourists in town. In a way, this is even worse than the subway strike. The tourists have no clue. They don't cross red lights thereby blocking intersections. They walk four abreast. Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue, the two main avaenues that I need to negotiate, are impossible during my evening walk to Penn Station.

I'm glad the tourists are here. It's good for the economy. I'll be happy when they leave.