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May 5, 2009
Updated: Walk There
Updated: 5/5/09
My correspondent at Metro tells me that the Walk There guide is now available in an updated second edition, but is, unfortunately, no longer free. It is available for $9.95 from the Metro Data Resource Center and at local book stores.
Many of the walks are available as free downloadable PDFs from Metro's web site.
Original Post: 7/14/08
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Taking a walk has taken on a new meaning these days. Metro has just released a book all about it. It's called "Walk There!", and it's a guide to 50 treks in and around Portland and Vancouver.
OK so walking is not new, but when you combine gorgeous summer weather with gas prices going through the roof, you can come up with lots of reasons to hit the streets. It's safe, it's healthy, it's good for the environment, and one of the easiest, most affective activities you can do to save money.
The 50 walks are indexed by city, and cover the entire region. There are five categories:
- Nature in Neighborhoods Walk- features parks, trails and scenic places close to home
- Power Walk- routes with longer distances and elevated terrain
- City Cruise- walks within city centers and commercial districts
- History Walk- learn about the region's rich history firsthand
- Lunchtime Stroll- walks are over level terrain, take about an hour and are suitable for people with mobility assistance devices or strollers
The book, which is free, was produced with funds from Kaiser Permanente. You can pick it up at Metro's Data Resource Center at 600 NE Grand Avenue, or order it online for a $5 shipping fee (www.oregonmetro.gov). It will be also be distributed through Kaiser health education classes, community walking events and other Kaiser programs. Or, hit the web, where you can download all 50 featured walks.
Posted by Rex Burkholder at 8:11 AM
Comments
July 13, 2008 11:50 PM
John Russell Says:
Free is a very good price. It's certainly cheaper than the price of gas.
July 14, 2008 10:49 AM
Peter Says:
> "with gas prices going through the roof"
Rex, I thought gas was only $1.25 / gallon - I mean, isn't that what the CRC folks think?
July 14, 2008 2:03 PM
Matthew Says:
"Rex, I thought gas was only $1.25 / gallon - I mean, isn't that what the CRC folks think?"
No, no, that is what gas prices will be in 2030, the current prices are just a fluke, they'll go back down. And apparently Metro thinks the whole walking thing is also just a temporary fad too, which is why a lot of the walks in the book seem to involve driving somewhere and then going for a walk. Yes, you can take public transit to all of the walks, but some of them seem to involve buses that don't actually run on the weekends, so...
Not that I'm complaining about the book, recreational walks are good for people, it just seems odd to be marketing it based on the price of gas and saving money. Saving money by walking, (at least to me,) means walking to the store/my friends house/etc instead of driving to those destinations, and what I need for those trips is a map that show things like where there are sidewalks and streetlights, not a book of walks that I can take after driving to the other side of town.
