A few folks have asked about the “donate to charities” section on this blog. I’ll start with WalkBoston. As a card carrying pedestrian living in a part of the U.S. that is fairly well networked with buses, trains, etc, I thought I knew all I needed to know about transportation. But after becoming involved with this Massachusetts nonprofit I have come to learn a great deal more about the benefits of pedestrian access for individuals of all physical abilities, and of the necessity to understand and advocate for certain transportation infrastructures.
As someone with no sense of direction (my mother used to say I could get lost in a paper bag), I have also come to rely upon the organization’s lovely timed walking maps that are freely accessible online: timed walking maps. With map in hand, I’ve gotten into conversations with strangers on the streets of Boston, and its helped me (a shy person, honest) say to someone, let’s go for a walk and investigate these sights. These images are the sights I “investigated” in Boston’s Back Bay this past Friday.
The older I get, for reasons as varied as terrorism to back pain, I recognize that walking beneath the quiet of tree branches in a city or on a mountain top is a gift. I hope I never take walking in Boston, or in any other area, for granted again.
If you’re in the Massachusetts area and you’d like to learn more about WalkBoston, you can visit the website here. Meanwhile, enjoy the day. 😉
