WALK LIKE AN...........EUROPEAN

My son was cursing St. Louis' lack of mass transit again today. He's minus an auto, so he has to rely on others (me) for rides. He gave up his car when he moved to Washington, DC and got used to living without one, walking to and from work, using the Metro (subway) system there. All his errands were on foot - or 'by walk' as they say in India.

This same son had backpacked around Europe a couple years ago, before moving to DC. He walked, took trains, ferries, and bikes to navigate his way across the Continent. He fell in love with that lifestyle which he finds to be much more relaxed and natural than our national reliance on and addiction to oil. He's also spent significant amounts of time in India with his grandparents, walking around town on their errands and visits.

In a city like St. Louis, there is very little occasion for daily walking if it's not a 'recreational' walk. Oh yeah, you might walk a block or two from your parking garage to your office, from parking lot to classroom building, and, if you're fortunate enough to live or work with walking distance of our very limited Metro system, you'd walk for that.

Mind you, in our humidity, I'd need to take a shower AFTER I got to work. I've considered riding a bike to work, but I'd have to ride along a 4-6 lane highway, on the shoulder, to get there via any sort of reasonable route. People in St. Louis seem to be IN LOVE with their automobiles. Many people drive 60-90 minutes each way to work! If I could walk the 1/2 mile from my house to the main road and hop on a bus or subway to get to work, I'd gladly part with our second car or maybe even both our cars.

It's a good thing I like to walk. At least this way, I'm able to explore my neighborhood, run a few errands, and get to know local folks at no additional expense. Just found another 'new' trail that I'll share about soon.


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Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.