Apparently we’ve qualified as #52 in Prevention magazine’s list of 100 Best Walking Cities. I can only assume this ranking is a result of the pure chance of when they pulled our name out of the hat they put all these names in given that they otherwise seem to bear little resemblance to reality.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
My home town of Miami is on the list at 79? Try 379. Or maybe “Number of cities in the US minus seven.” Maybe Miami Beach could qualify, but Miami is one of the most pedestrian-unfriendly towns in the country. But hey, maybe Prevention is among the 80% of the nation that can’t tell the difference between the two.
Or so I thought till I checked the criteria as listed in the apparent parent article of Top 10 Walking cities.
To qualify, a city must be among the country’s 100 most populous. It must also have a high percentage of people who regularly walk–for fitness and health, or to get to and from work.
So, the list is indeed as pointless as I thought, but for different reasons. It’s not really a listing of the top 100 cities, it’s a ranking of the 100 highest-populated cities. Further screwing up the deal is the fact that is apparently views all reasons for walking as equal. How meaningful is this list if it mixes in people who are walking with exercise with people who are walking because they can afford no other mode of transport?
It’s a shame they didn’t match this with a ranking of how pedestrian-friendly these cities are. That would have been interesting.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
Well I used to say something in my profile about not quite being a “tinker, tailor, soldier, or spy” but Tom stole that for our about us page, so I guess I’ll have to find another way to express that I am a man of many interests.
Hmm, guess I just did.
My tastes run the gamut from sophomoric to Shakespeare and in my “professional” life I’ve sold things, served beer, written software, and carried heavy objects… sometimes at the same place. It’s that range of loves and activities that makes it so easy for me to love DC – we’ve got it all.
