walk this way

I must admit as I sat in my hotel last week awaiting my "Grand Tour of LA" (um, on a bus), a little piece of me missed DC. Uh, but lest we all go nuts here, let me clarify that when I say "little" I mean like .00000000001-.0000000001 percent (give or take .000000000001 percent or so). I mean, clearly I didn't miss all the tools and douches, the way said tools and douches generally clothe themselves, the schizophrenic bus schedule, Georgetown, certain places in Adams Morgan and various other goings-on. But I did miss the fact that I can pretty much walk anywhere I want to go in DC.

It's true. DC, in my opinion (UPDATE: and apparently expert opinion), is one of America's most walk-friendly cities. The sidewalks are generally wide, even and ubiquitous and the distances are either short, kind of short or, at most, a little long. But if you're like me, who hasn't had a car since college (May my '87 Buick LeSabre rest in peace.) and isn’t fat (Oh, girrrrl, no she di-uhnt! Oh snap, yes I did!), 30-45 minute walks don't freak you out and 60+ minute walks, while "a little long," still seem not only doable but kind of awesome if the weather's right and traffic doesn't commandere the sidewalk (Damn you, Moscow, damn you!).

But ridiculously constructed Tolstoyian sentences aside, let me simply declare: DC is righteously walkable. (Sidebar: And before you get out your hideous footwear, DC, let me add here that this city is so damn walkable that you can trod around in fine footwear and, thus, avoid looking like an asshole. End sidebar.)

LA, on the other hand, is not walk-friendly, which is why I toured the city on a bus, a type of tour I generally avoid like a pair of L.L. Bean fleece-lined, relaxed fit jeans. But what can you do when you only have 5 hours? Well, son, I’ll tell you what you do! You get on that bus and you ride dirty!

They see me rollin'!

They hatin'!

Patrolling they tryin to catch me ridin' dirty!

Tryin' to catch me ridin' dirty!

Tryin' to catch me ridin' dirty!