Left Foot, Right Foot: Walking Tours

Make Time to Walk

Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time. ~Steven Wright

I was born a walker. Growing up in a one car family that my father needed to get to work while living in the outskirts of town meant that if you wanted to do anything or go anywhere you relied on your feet. This was so ingrained that I did not bother get a drivers license until I was 25. When I moved to the city in my early adulthood, I relied on buses to transport me to work until a strike taught me that the hour and a half walk to and from was reasonable and pleasant, at least on the good weather days. For seven years, while living in the car-obsessed and sidewalk-phobic suburban USA, I slowly lost the habit, but I've been gaining it back, going on almost daily adventures of urban exploration.

It never ceases to amaze me how little many of my friends know of their own backyards, even when they have lived in the area all their lives. We have traded an adventurers' soul for the mundane, stress inducing car commute, even driving to the store a few blocks away. Reassessing my own life and stress, I came to the realization that I was a lot happier as a walker, in the fresh air, in nature, interacting with people, seeing the small little things that make city life or country living so pleasurable, and which often get missed in the car.

I'll share my favourite walks and memories in and around my current home of Toronto, as well as Halifax, Chicago and Paris. Take a stroll with me.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Walking Tours

The rain is falling, the temperature is rising, the flowers are growing and Walking Tour season is upon us!

Besides the more tourist oriented tours to be had around the city, there are a number of organizations in Toronto which offer guided walks highlighting history, culture and infrastructure. Best of all they are free! Sadly, I never get to go as they are usually held on the weekends and I have an odd work week that forces me to work on weekends (I really work seven days a week doing various things, but four of them are as a cubicle jockey and I'm pretty much tied down when all the really fun stuff happens). This year I think I can sneak in a couple of walks and am going to try my best to do so. But I thought I would at least pass them along for your walking pleasure.

Coming up in two weeks time, on May 7th & 8th are Jane's Walks. These walks are inspired by and remember Jane Jacobs, who was an urban activist and a huge proponent of walkable cities. She passed away in 2006. There are a number of different guided tours, led by volunteers, which explore different communities and topics. The first weekend was held in 2007 and since then the concept has gone global with Jane's Walks being held in cities around the world. This year there are large number of walks on a variety of themes including pedestrian issues, labyrinths, immigration and history. You don't need to register; just note the walks of interest to you and the times, show up and enjoy.

Jane's Walks

Heritage Toronto offers walks throughout the seasonable months of the year, mostly on weekends. These walks focus on history, architecture and nature, are free and do not require reservations. I like that these are offered over the spring, summer and early fall. Of further interest, there a several downloadable self-guided walking tours available from their website, so even if you can't make an actual guided walk, you can still benefit from what they have to offer.

Heritage Toronto Walks

Happy Trails!