It was a beautiful weekend in Portland, so when I parked my car after work on Friday, I decided to leave it there and walk for the next few days.  My weekend was a busy one, but walk I did.  Here’s a list of all the places I visited on foot within 1/2 mile of my house:

  • Farmers Market
  • Movie
  • Thrift Store
  • Antique Mall
  • Restaurants (twice)
  • Grocery Store
  • Pet Store
  • Book Store
  • Pharmacy
  • Post Office
  • Bank (thanks to my other destinations)

Sure, walkability is an environmentally responsible strategy, but I was doing it for the social benefits of being in my community and the pure fun of exploring the world on my feet.  The same way I like to explore other cities. Isn’t that what we want for our meeting attendees too when they visit the conference city?  A walkable conference community.

Note:  I took this photo of my street because I loved the carpet of blossoms on the sidewalk.  You can tell it’s Portland, the line of recycling bins of to the right of the pink carpet give it away.