this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2023
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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 (π€·ββοΈ )--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
This is amazing, youβre amazing, keep up the great work. That map is beautiful.
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. π
(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 !streetphotography@lemmy.world 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! π
Cities in the US look so tidy with the way streets are laid down. Here's where I stopped mapping out my routes:
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.