Walk Score

95 - Walkers Paradise!  This is the score/accolade that our little abode was awarded.  And I'm not gonna lie... this little tidbit of information tickled my inner over-achiever pink. What's a "walk score" you ask??  Simply put, it's a way to measure how easily it is to live in an area with no car. It's a complex algorithm {wanna know the secret? Click here!} that compiles tons of data and awards each home a score based on it's walkability.  Yes, "walkability" is a word now.

Here's how the scores a broken down:

Walk Score	Description
90–100	Walker's Paradise — Daily errands do not require a car.
70–89	Very Walkable — Most errands can be accomplished on foot.
50–69	Somewhat Walkable — Some amenities within walking distance.
25–49	Car-Dependent — A few amenities within walking distance.
0–24	Car-Dependent — Almost all errands require a car.

Why in the world do I {or you}care?  The better question is why don't you care?!  Why would you want to have to jump in the car every time you have to run to the grocery store?  These days we strap P into her stroller and literally run the 6 blocks to Safeway.  We load the stroller down with our little necessities and can make our way home in about the time it would take to pile that giant car seat into the car, drive down the road, find a parking place, and proceed to unload the car seat.  Ew.  I'm annoyed just thinking about it.

And it's not just that.  Walking your neighborhood is a warm-fuzzy way to feel connected to your neighborhood and the businesses that keep it beautiful and popular.  Just last weekend we were on our regular morning walk when we passed one of the fab restaurants {Zeppos} a few blocks from our house. Out of the crowd of outdoor seating I heard "Is that Renee's granddaughter?".  We stopped and chatted with a neighbor of my mom's {yes, my mom lives nearby and, yes, I was wearing P in the ergo}and I left feeling like a definite part of our community. And in a city of 38,000 it felt pretty good to not be just another number on a census.

Of course, running into your mom's neighbor is not always going to happen.  But, when it did it was a pretty good feeling.  That day, on our walk back, I stopped and picked up a series of littered yogurt containers near a bus stop.  I carried them until I found a trashcan.  As I tossed the plastic into the can I realized that I'm proud to be part of a neighborhood that takes pride in it's walkability and my strange trash picking was my tiny way to give back.

Yes, I still drive a gas guzzling SUV.  No, I don't take public transportation.  But, when we can, I want to model a walkable lifestyle for P.  I want her to know that going to get frozen yogurt requires her to put on her tennies and take a stroll!   Getting to the river to feed the ducks takes 20 minutes because we walk there.  Dinner out means maybe forgoing my fancy shoes because halfway down the block they are going to hurt like hell.

So, YAY for our near perfect walk score.  What's your walk score?