When we saw this little cartoon, we just burst out laughing.
This is SO the way we obsess over our walking. D. spends time glaring at the city map because he’s pretty sure that cutting through Kelvingrove Park is supposed to be quicker, but there’s that hill, and the fact that it doesn’t work out after dark (NOBODY should go there after dark, we’re told, because it’s all Bad Guys after dark… despite the fact that this is something ‘everybody’ knows, we see people swanning off through the trees at dusk every night…) is also another negative —
Problem is, the path through the park is really shorter, in terms of distance, but not in terms of elevation. So, going through the park actually involves expending more energy. Going down Argyle street involves more stoplights, and can be faster … and usually is, but it involves more stop & starts. So, while it takes a shorter time, it’s the in-between path in terms of calories. Now, going down Elderslie to Sauchiehall Street means that D doesn’t hit very many lights at all – about 1 real light – but it’s 1/2 a mile more in terms of distance. So, it’s consistent, but it’s a consistent 15 minutes, instead of the 10 minutes D spends going on Argyle.
Of course, that’s cycling – walking, it’s always faster to walk down Argyle. Taking what we call The Stairs of Doom is a shortcut to campus, but one arrives sweating like a pig, flushed, disheveled and generally cranky, which is why we only do it on Thursdays…
Life without cars: more mathematical than you ever thought possible.
– D & T
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As a pedestrian, I am always looking for the quickest route. I found a “shortcut” that shaved off 1.25 minutes of my walking time to the bus stop.
I REFUSE to do math for my walking commute!
My bestfriend would love you for this 🙂
This cracked me up. I didn’t know other people did this too, so what a relief!
Probably the closest I’ve ever come to an understanding of geometry is during my attempts to figure out the quickest way from one point to another. I am always determined to find the fastest, most straightforward way, and it usually means that I end up wandering through back alleys, running into people’s clotheslines — and spending far more time than I might otherwise have done. But boy, do I have adventures.
I could so relate. Walking downtown here is a puzzle I’m still working on. It’s an urban labyrinth with elevated pedestrian crossings which become very important when trying to avoid steep hills with a stroller full of farmer’s market produce and a child.