[anonymuse]

One of my favorite parts of living in this (at-points) expensive, overcrowded, noisy, competitive, shallow, and brutal metropolis is the extensive walking culture that we share. My walk/bike commute to work could meander along the same main and side streets, with every one of the ~251 trips taken being uniquely constructed.

Furthermore, that ignores the wiggling route I enevitably travel, pushed left by a honking cab and similarly colored stoplight, or nudged right by the inevitable crowded side street filled with movie sets or construction vehicles.

Putting aside the health benefits of human-powered-travel, it's both a refreshing and invigorating way to spool up my mind on the way into the office, and also a way to decompress and release the day's aspirational steam that's best not blown out all at once, just inside your apartment.

[colinbartlett]

The walkability of New York -- or rather the non-walkability of every other city in America -- is what keeps me here. So many other cities with nicer weather, more beautiful landscapes, but all of them depend on vehicles to varying degrees.

[jasonjei]

SF is only 7x7 miles. Completely walkable if you have good, strong hips for those 42 or so hills ;) And when you've decided to stop walking, make your way to House of Prime Rib for a hearty meal and 2000 calories...

[sk5t]

Philadelphia and Boston, to pick only two examples, are equally or more walkable than NYC. However, NYC has more comprehensive public transit.

[vijayr]

Even during brutal weather, the subway was active - it has never let me down. Sure it is crowded, you'll have to deal with rudeness etc. But the public transit here is comprehensive and reliable. Can't say the same about other big cities in the U.S. It is also awesome to walk, especially during summer (only prob is too many tourists taking pictures all over the place blocking your way)

[jasonjei]

Sometimes when I'm stuck on a bug, I just go on a ride on my motorcycle. I'd be too afraid to ride a motorcycle in New York (lane splitting actually saves lives, and this is prohibited in NYS), but I do this around SF, Marin, and around the bay. Being on two wheels or on your feet allows you to enjoy the scene. For whatever reason, there's something about 4-wheels that doesn't allow you to do so.

[mertd]

I could recommend another two wheeled vehicle which you can safely ride in both cities and has cardiovascular benefits, too!

[jasonjei]

I already do the other! ;) Those hills are rough.

But drivers in both cities still suck. The image of a cyclist being thrown into the air 10 feet on Folsom and 15th still sticks in my memory. I later learned he died. Never ever take the road for granted, even wearing Kevlar gear and a full-faced helmet; still no match for any steel framed vehicle. I'm always dumbstruck every time I peer into someone's window and I see the driver's head down, looking at a phone...