Take a Walk

It’s been a pretty heavy travel year in the FI for the People household—and for me in particular. In the last four months or so, I’ve had occasion to visit places in Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Utah, and Wyoming. Later this year, I’ll be in Illinois.

I began writing this blog post at the tail end of my recent visit to New Jersey and New York. As I explained in my last post, I love New York City. But I admit to only having seen a sliver of it. That sliver isn’t tiny. I mean, it comprises much of Manhattan, from the southern tip to north of Harlem, and a healthy chunk of Brooklyn. But sadly, it didn’t include Queens. 

The Queens city

I admit to having known shamefully little about Queens before my last trip to the city, in 2016. In researching that trip, which was pretty intense (and my all-time best travel hack), I started learning about the borough.

I found much to like.

Especially its extreme diversity and all the things that come with that. Like restaurants, groceries, and shops representing just about the whole of humankind. To me, it’s this—as much as anything else—that makes cities great. I’m fortunate to be able to say that I’ve lived in cities and neighborhoods like that, and I’m a far better and happier person for it.  

Tho I tried pretty hard to make Queens a part of our 2016 trip, ultimately it wasn’t in the cards. But now, having reason to go to New York City, and flying into LaGuardia Airport in Queens, I was delighted to be able to have the borough be the central focus of my one free day on the trip. 

And so it was.

I’ve got to amble on

Before visiting, I researched restaurants that I might want to go to for lunch upon my 1:00 p.m. arrival. I settled on Tito Rad’s, a small, family-owned Filipino place. As I later discovered, no less than The New York Times (which I think knows that Queens exists) didn’t just visit it, but heaped some praise on it. 

The restaurant is located in north-central Queens, a few miles from LaGuardia. Faced with a choice as to how to get there and what to do after lunch, I decided to take public transportation and then walk around after leaving the restaurant. 

But, instead of taking a bus to the train that’d get me there, I decided to just take the bus portion and walk the remaining 1.5 miles. I figured I’d get to see more of Queens by walking. Which kiiinda was my goal to begin with.

That turned out to be an absolutely fantastic decision. The bus let me off in what one might not be too off the mark in describing as a real-time meeting of the United Nations. Not the People in Suits, but rather The People. Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos, people from nations throughout Central and South America, Irish, Italian, And more. For old-timers Gen-Xrs who might be reading this, when Belinda Carlisle sang, “Heaven Is a Place on Earth,” surely she had this place in mind. Well, maybe not. But she should have. Because I sure thought it was. 

My walk down Roosevelt Avenue to the restaurant was slow, rife with amazing people-watching, and altogether fun. I popped into fantastic groceries and shops. And soaked up the sounds of people speaking a multitude of languages I couldn’t understand. And enjoyed the smorgasbord of visual delights—from the street grid seemingly designed by a city planner with a dark sense of humor, a penchant for the absurd, or a school transcript littered with Fs, to the people dressed in Old Country traditional garb. And more. So much more. 

After a tasty meal at Tito Rad’s, I decided to walk to Manhattan, about four or five miles away. Another great decision. Not just because I got to see more of Queens, but also because I got to add more to the perspective I gained about that borough and could use to better inform my impression of it and of the city as a whole. 

My walk down Queens Boulevard wasn’t quite as excellent as the trip down Roosevelt Avenue. But it was still pretty fun. As I walked toward Manhattan, the neighborhoods changed from predominantly small mom-and-pop and cheek-to-jowl to more industrial and open. Some parts seemed on the cusp of being downright wannabe-hipster.

After a few false starts in trying to find the way across the East River (Hey, New York, if you’re reading this, how about making it easier and clearer how pedestrians can cross the East River between Queens and Manhattan?!), I ultimately reached Manhattan. There, I took in the three-ring-circus of things going on in Central Park, bristled at the cluelessness of tourists (not me, of course) in Midtown, and thrust myself into the utter sea of humanity that is Penn Station. 

All told, about 10 miles of walking. 

Happy days are here again

As far as my idea of perfect days goes, this was pretty close to it. (I recognize that this may be the first time someone has said that about spending much of a day walking through Queens). Having come to that conclusion well before its final end, a curious thought popped into my head. Namely that I’ve concluded the same on days where I was walking in nature, with hardly a single human soul to be encountered the whole day. Heck, I had that experience as recently as a few weeks ago, on my visit to Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.

How could that be, I wondered? How can I square this seemingly strange circle? 

I’m not sure that I can. At least not now, so close to the events. Maybe it’s that I appreciate the beauty of humanity as deeply as the beauty of nature. Whatever the reason, the walking seems to be a sine qua non of each experience. 

As much as I profess to dislike walking (at home, I far prefer biking and, when that’s not practical, public transportation), I do a lot of it. And one would think I was an amnesiac, because I seem to consistently forget that each time I take a walk—purposeful or aimlessly—I discover new and interesting things at a pace that enables me not just to see, but to observe and learn.

And that observing and learning I find often has personal finance-related benefits. Allow me to list a few.

Observe and report

I just about always see things on my walks/hikes that make me learn new ways to make or save money. Sometimes it’s seeing the uselessness or silliness of this or that thing that I might have considered acquiring and concluding once and for all that it’s not for me. Other times, it’s seeing people doing things in a way I’d not considered, giving me knowledge to save or make money in a new (to me) way.

Off the beaten track

Next, I’m often reminded of the benefits of taking the road less travelled when I take a walk/hike. When I’ve literally taken the road less travelled, I’ve more often than not discovered fantastic (or at least interesting) things I’d never have had the chance to observe otherwise. Maybe a herd of deer. Or a bizarre little shop that just begs me to go inside. Sure, the well-trod road has its benefits. But if I’ve already seen and experienced it, then the thrill may be long gone.

As for the metaphorical well-travelled road, it’s often a lousy place to be. I mean, the average American who’s taken the well-travelled road is indebted and/or one surprise large bill away from disaster. Far too often, a potentially ruinous one. And will work until traditional retirement age (or far later) or until he or she dies. In a job that the person doesn’t enjoy, and maybe never did. No thank you. I’ll take the road less travelled, and hope that’ll make all the difference. 

Vantage pointed

When I take a walk/hike, I also better appreciate the benefit of more perspective. Speeding by a forest or interesting neighborhood is all fine and good if your sole goal is getting from point A to point B, and/or time is of the essence. But having ample time to observe and process what one sees, as can often be done on a walk, can frequently lead to a greater and more accurate understanding not only of whatever specifically was observed, but more as well.

The benefits of more perspective in the area of personal finance can’t be understated, if you ask me. We’re all subject to confirmation bias. Having knowledge of other perspectives and being able to process them against what you believe to be true is a fantastic way to learn and can provide just what’s needed to prompt a smart change of course. Or maybe those additional perspectives lead you to conclude that you’ve been right all along. Great! Yay you!

Beauty’s in the eye

Walking/hiking also humbles and grounds me. It’s the most basic form of transportation (for those physically able to do so, of course), and its simplicity leaves me with an appreciation for just that. I often also see beauty on my walks/hikes where one might not normally think there’s beauty to be seen. A well-tended garden in the middle of an industrial or highly dense and urban neighborhood, for example. Or a caterpillar inching its way across a mass of mud.

This reminds me that what I really appreciate in life are the simple things. Why bother with the hedonic treadmill when it takes so little to be wholly satisfied?

And in the end . . . 

As you can probably tell, I’ve had some good walks/hikes. Some I’ve liked more than others. Most have been taken for one good reason or other. Some, however, have just been plain silly.