Walkable Neighborhoods

I feel like this complete photo series has been tainted! Okay, not completely, but I actually had full intentions of selecting Palo Alto as my #2 photo city all along. However, I visited Palo Alto and Stanford a few weeks ago and suspected that they are actually two separate jurisdictions. Tonight, my search confirmed this. In fact, Stanford is not even a city, it’s a census designated place and is part of unincorporated Santa Clara County.

Well, that doesn’t change the fact that this is one of my favorite photos. At full size, it looks much better than this reduced version. What is impressive about this photo to me is the circumstance in which I shot it. I was riding a bike at the time with a group of planners. We paused for a moment at this location and I quickly turned around and snapped the photo. I don’t even think I really aimed. I think it turned out quite nice all considering. Pictured is the absolutely stunning Memorial Church on the campus of Stanford University.

The entire Stanford campus is amazingly beautiful and extremely bike/ped friendly. I’ve had the opportunity to visit Stanford and the adjacent City of Palo Alto several times and they are two of my favorite places in the world.

Palo Alto is definitely a place I’d consider living. Unless you’re Steve Jobs, however, it’s very unlikely you’ll be able to buy a house there. In addition, the diversity of Palo Alto is not the greatest and many of the commercial establishments cater to the wealthy and students with high-income families. That aside, it’s such a gorgeous city (sans El Camino Real!).

I really feel that Palo Alto got slighted, but was I planning to include another photo of Downtown Palo Alto anyway, and I’ve included it after the jump. You can also view my other photos of Palo Alto and Stanford in the photo gallery. >>Continue Reading This Article>>

This photo is of a pocket park in central Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.
Unfortunately, I do not have time to post more today due to some prior obligations. Check back on this article, because there’s more to come tomorrow. Sorry!
This article is a part of the Exploring the Walkability of America in 30 Days photo series.

The countdown to the top ranked photo continues with #5 today: Pier 39 in San Francisco. As I mentioned yesterday, San Francisco is one of my top two favorite cities.

Generally, I’m not a big fan of uber touristy areas, but there’s just something about this photo. I think it’s the ice cream cone man in the corner that I really like. The pedestrian traffic is impressive at Pier 39, and I believe that it is the top tourist attraction in San Francisco. With a city as beautiful as San Francisco is, that’s saying something!

San Francisco is so beautiful, and I’ve taken more photos of it there than any place on earth perhaps, so I’ve decided to include an honorable mention photo. This photo is taken on Columbus Avenue in North Beach, looking back toward the Transamerica Pyramid. You can view it after the jump. >>Continue Reading This Article>>

Today’s journey is 2,776 miles —from the largest city (New York) to the second largest city, Los Angeles, California. Again, Los Angeles is not one of the cities normally associated with walkability, and I think that’s unfair.
This photo is of the Los Angeles Central Library in Downtown. As demonstrated in this photo, it’s quite a [...]

I’m sure that many people around the world recognize the place I shot this photo. For those that don’t, the location is Times Square in New York City. Times Square may be the most recognizable urban neighborhood in the country.
I shot this photo right around New Year’s 2003. While it looks like I shot this [...]

We’re now into my Top 10 photos of this series. Today, I’m taking you to one of the hidden gems of America – Park City, Utah.
Park City is probably best known in recent times as the site of the 2002 Winter Olympics. However, it’s definitely one of my favorite walkable communities in America. Its location [...]

After a few days in Big Ten country, we head back to Beckhamland. Actually, San Jose is in Northern California, quite a bit north of Los Angeles. Although, San Jose has a couple of big things in common with Los Angeles—freeways and wide streets.
Hope is not all lost in San Jose, there are some great [...]

Columbus is my second favorite city in the Midwest, behind the obvious pick of Chicago. Columbus has an incredible energy, and my prediction is that within 10 years, people will be talking about Columbus all over the country. The Short North has a lot to do with the success of Columbus, and that’s where I shot this photo.

The Short North is my favorite arts district in the country. It is right on the edge of Downtown Columbus and the Arena District. Sure, it does not have the big name museums like other large cities, but the indie scene here is quite fun. Several shops are transformed into art galleries and join the many existing galleries for the hugely popular Gallery Hop on the first Saturday of the month (Sacramento has the formidable Second Saturday, but Columbus’s is much better).

The nightlife is great as well. There are several fantastic restaurants, bars, and clubs. This is definitely the must see spot of Columbus, along with the German Village. There are many photos of both places in the Columbus Photo Gallery.

One more great thing about the Short North are the large murals you’ll see walking along High Street. I’ve included a photo of one of my favorites as an “honorable mention.” It’s an interesting twist on Grant Wood’s American Gothic. You can view this photo after the jump. >>Continue Reading This Article>>

If you need a definition for revitalization, take a trip to one of central Ohio’s top walkable attractions — The Arena District in Columbus, Ohio.
Head back into the last century and you’d have found a lot of empty lots and nothing that really made for a reason to exit of I-70 or St. Rte. [...]