this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2023
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Asklemmy
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I'm walking every street in my (very large) suburb (think Southern California) and picking up litter while doing so. I track my progress with an app and map it to a website (citystrides.com) that fills in each neighborhood as I go.
It started as something to do during Covid--although I took a year off in there, somewhere. I listen to podcasts while I go. So I'm out of the house (I'm retired now--that helps), get some "fresh" air (๐คทโโ๏ธ )--all while listening to and from and about interesting people. As a bonus, the space I've passed thru that day is a little "better" for me having been there.
I apparently have a dose of "completeism"--a compulsion to 'complete' something thoroughly. There's something psychologically very satisfying about watching that map get filled in.
https://i.imgur.com/GoNzZgP.png
That's very thorough. You should also take photos along your walks, you're definitely stumbling upon interesting things and people.
The de-littering aspect takes up a surprising amount of mental cpu cycles. You're constantly scanning the environment for detritus. I DO photograph interesting or quirky things as I encounter them--when I notice the--but that doesn't seem to be the primary focus of each walk. Plus, the Valley isn't known for it's stunning architecture. ๐
(The wealthier parts of the Valley--in the hills south of Ventura Blvd, for example--there are a lot of really interesting (and gaudy and ridiculous-looking) homes. There is also a LOT less trash, so it can be a more aesthetic experience. I like doing those neighborhoods early on Sunday mornings when everything is quiet and there is almost no traffic.)
I've encountered a gentlemen online that is walking different areas of the greater L.A. area and taking many interesting photos--but it's hard to de-trash AND photograph and get thru the planned route in a timely manner.
Yeah, I totally understand! It just really resonates with the idea of street photography, which is a lot of walking, a lot of looking, and a lot of appreciation of the little things, the little moments or visual accents that happen in daily life. You're welcome to join in [email protected] to check out what I'm talking about.
What software do you use to track your walks and map them out so thoroughly?
There are several apps that I can use--but I most often it's the "Walk" app on a Garmin Vivoactive 4 smartwatch -- which then syncs with the CityStrides website.
And I totally get street photography--which is really rewarding too. I call it being in "Photographer Mind"--where I literally interact with the world differently: a much more visual orientation--which can be very meditative and relaxing. I love it!
Thanks for the information and the discussion! I'll definitely check the website out. I used to just manually map Google's My Maps, but it got tedious.
That's how I started!! I still manually map each walk (which IS kind of a chore) on gmap-pedometer and My Maps (Google). I'm kinda afraid to stop--just incase something goes sideways with CityStrides! ๐
Old World vs New World? Fascinating. I refer to mine as "grid walks"--which I guess wouldn't apply to your variation!
Yeah, grid walking would be frustrating to attempt here, haha.