'What do you wish you could do within walking distance of your home?

[NW-Bound]

I’d like to walk out my back door into a natural area where are few if any other humans

Alaska for you?

No, on second thought, there are plenty of places in the lower states where the above condition is true, mostly west of the Mississippi River.

My high-country boondocks home is in an unincorporated town surrounded by a national forest.

My urban home is within a 5-minute walk to a 16,000-acre city park, which is mostly natural except for some trails. You will run into plenty of hikers though.

 

[jollystomper]

- A park with various facilities (walking/biking trails at a minimum).
- A small shopping center with things like a medium size neighborhood grocery store, fast casual dining, and restaurant with senior discount.
- A fishing spot
- access to public transportation

We are less than 2 miles from 2 shopping centers that have many of the retail things we desire. I would be fine (giving our current good health) to walk there; unfortunately there are no sidewalks, and narrow and hilly roads to get there.

If we ever decide to (or have to) move, we would look at these attributes. The big tradeoff, of course, is finding these things within walking distance and still having enough space between your neighbors so that you are still isolated from each others daily hobbies and activities.

 

[Ronstar]

Alaska for you?

No, on second thought, there are plenty of places in the lower states where the above condition is true, mostly west of the Mississippi River.

My high-country boondocks home is in an unincorporated town surrounded by a national forest.

My urban home is within a 5-minute walk to a 16,000-acre city park, which is mostly natural except for some trails. You will run into plenty of hikers though.

Yep Alaska would work. Right now I’m looking again at the high country of Az. And Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and the dakotas.

But until I can convince DW, I’ll just survive in northern Illinois with a couple of desolate prairie nature areas within a 20 minute drive.

 

[street]

Yep Alaska would work. Right now I’m looking again at the high country of Az. And Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and the dakotas.

But until I can convince DW, I’ll just survive in northern Illinois with a couple of desolate prairie nature areas within a 20 minute drive.

An idea if you bought a small acreage somewhere in the west undeveloped land. You could put up a small three season shelter up, under code size requirements to come and stay a month at a time ect. There would be no upkeep or maintenance on shack or land. You leave and come back whenever you want and not have to worry about destruction of shack and no need for any care of property. Just native land to come too to sleep and explore, hike, fish and photo taken. The land you will always be able to sell.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

I would like to either shoot or fish in my backyard.

Alas, I can't. Have to drive 10 miles to do do that. A pity.

I have a bench rest on my porch. I can shoot as far as I care to carry a target.

I also like having my big garden less than 100' away. I have to drive 3 miles to fish.

I live on my farm now, I lived in town for about 30 years and never got used to it.

If I do live in town again I would want to be within walking distance of a nice grocery store with a deli and liquor store.

 

[Ronstar]

An idea if you bought a small acreage somewhere in the west undeveloped land. You could put up a small three season shelter up, under code size requirements to come and stay a month at a time ect. There would be no upkeep or maintenance on shack or land. You leave and come back whenever you want and not have to worry about destruction of shack and no need for any care of property. Just native land to come too to sleep and explore, hike, fish and photo taken. The land you will always be able to sell.

That would work nicely! I’ll check into it. Thanks for the idea!

 

[RunningBum]

ski
I only live 50 miles away, but that's an hour by car. I might have to rethink this though....
This year we are standing on over 545 inches of snow so far to date with another 4 to 5 feet expected over the next several days. By the time they dig out to open, another storm hits!


But today I got in some nice runs...
Looking back uphill:


And looking downhill (Lake Tahoe off in the distance)

Great pics! Which Tahoe resort is that at? We are thinking we might ski Northstar or Heavenly next year. A blizzard could really wreck a week of skiing though, and a week of Sierra cement wouldn't be great either. Colorado is a lot more consistent.

Anyway, I live 2 miles from a small ski hill. Ski in/ ski out would be great, but snow making guns are loud and overspray can cover windows, cars, driveways, etc. Less of an issue out west where there is less snow making and it isn't used as much.

 

[ocean view]

I had a coworker who would always say “Everything is within walking distance if you’re willing to put in the effort” [emoji6]

 

[scrabbler1]

I lived in Manhattan for the better part of 5 years when I was at college at NYU, then stayed in the area for another year when I began working full-time in lower Manhattan. I liked being walking distance from everything, from supermarkets to dry cleaners to the post office to the subway to having branches of my local bank near where I lived and my office.

When I eventually wanted more mobility by being able to own a car, I moved out of Manhattan back to Long Island (where I grew up) but west enough to keep my commute short enough to be tolerable (until it grew on me too much after 15 years). I lived in the downtown area of 2 different villages so I could walk to the LIRR, most importantly (to eliminate station parking), and to continue enjoying what I liked about living in Manhattan. I still lived near a post office, dry cleaners, laundromat, library, and small grocery store (in the first village). Some places were walkable, some were either a little too far.

In my current place, I have my bank, post office, library, a mini-mart, several pizza joints, barbershop. and, very importantly, my car mechanic so I can drop off the car and walk back home. I do have to drive to a supermarket and pharmacy (which are next to each other), so I sometimes wish I could walk to them. I still have my LIRR station although I have ridden the LIRR only 3 times since I retired 14 years ago (YAY, right, MarieIG?).

 

[MC Rider]

Originally Posted by skipro33
ski
I only live 50 miles away, but that's an hour by car. I might have to rethink this though....
This year we are standing on over 545 inches of snow so far to date with another 4 to 5 feet expected over the next several days. By the time they dig out to open, another storm hits!

For sure not there! 45 feet of snow?! LMAO, no grazi. You can have it we will take the water when it melts.



We have an open hillside close by with a little used dirt road or 2 that I need to explore on foot. If Ma Nature fills the lake this spring I could probably walk to that easy enough. I am content to have the neighbors not as close as they used to be, and lots of nature nearby if not quite walking distance.

 

[Major Tom]

This person posted the exact same question on the City Data retirement forum on 3/5/23. At least I assume it's the same person, although they used a different user name. It is also their one and only post on that forum.

I imagine they are writing a clickbait article of some type.

What do you wish you could do within walking distance of your home? - Retirement -Social Security, age, moving, relocation, finance, savings, early, hobbies, nursing homes - City-Data Forum

Very possibly. It doesn't seem to matter though, as so many of us here are suckers for any excuse to have a natter. 3 days, and he/she hasn't returned to the thread, or made any other posts in this forum.

 

[MC Rider]

One and done posters are not just in this forum, they are everywhere.

 

[street]

I had a coworker who would always say “Everything is within walking distance if you’re willing to put in the effort” [emoji6]

True!! And walking isn't crowded!!

 

[RunningBum]

Very possibly. It doesn't seem to matter though, as so many of us here are suckers for any excuse to have a natter. 3 days, and he/she hasn't returned to the thread, or made any other posts in this forum.

They did login late afternoon the next day, 3/5, after posting on 3/4. For whatever that's worth.

 

[MRG]

Sometimes, I would like to be closer to restaurants or something. Otherwise, I'm pretty happy here.

 

[Calico]

Very possibly. It doesn't seem to matter though, as so many of us here are suckers for any excuse to have a natter. 3 days, and he/she hasn't returned to the thread, or made any other posts in this forum.

I agree; no harm done. They did start an interesting thread.

 

[skyking1]

It is a mile to a mediocre convenience store/gas station. Reel groceries or restaurants are ~5 miles away.
It is one of the reasons for the new digs, they are <2 miles from most everything in town.
I'm going to get a cargo bike for Costco runs.

 

[kgtest]

I am truly spoiled. Within walking distance is my backyard which backs up to a preserved wetland and then adjacent to a formidable 18 hole members only golf course. Another Golf course at the Yacht Club where I could take sailing lessons, swim at their pool, or rub elbows with the elites of the town in the club house (for a small fee of $40,000/yr).

Three beaches within a 10 minute walk from home (one of them is private membership which we are members, the other 2 are public). If I keep going another couple minutes we are in "downtown" which offers shopping, CVS, gas station, quite a few restaurants (I think 16 or so within walking distance) with Thai, Chinese, Mexican, American, Japanese, Seafood, Italian and a few lakeside dining options as well as a couple fast food joints, a few ice cream shops, a weekly summer outdoor festival we call "Manitou Days" that offers family fun, local artistry, kiddy rides, car shows and an annual boat AND car parade as well as a spectacular 4th of July fireworks show over the lake. In walking distance is a theater production company, as well as a children's theater, a hotel with fine dining that offers a Christmastime breakfast buffet with guest appearance by Santa, Post Office, UPS, an old railroad museum, Yoga venue, the Church, Grocery store (albeit very overpriced), Dry Clean and Taylor, Hair Salon, quite a few parks, massage parlor, and a bunch of other local businesses. I admit, I should walk to these places more...or even ride my bicycle. I could walk to 2 of my wife's uncles homes on the lake, the VFW, a few realtors offices, insurance and financial advisors, etc etc etc.

I could probably shave off at least 50 to 100 trips of less than 5 miles each way a year if I tried harder. It's so convenient to also just hop in the car and dart over to where I need to be. I might try and ride my bike at least to get my haircut this summer. Would be fun to walk to Church. We have 3 little kids so usually if I do head into downtown on the bike, its with the bike carriage attached. The kids are slowly able to ride longer distances so this summer we will take a few rides to get ice cream.

I had to laugh that my home had like a 5/100 walking score my realtor pointed out before we put in our offer. We also have a little inter neighborhood trail system that connects a few of our streets. I snow show onto the golf course in the winter. And I walk my son to a few of his baseball games where I walk 4 houses down to the cul de sac and up a small hill through that inter neighborhood trail (the township put mulch down for us) to get to his baseball diamond.

Edit to add, I forgot the local grass field airport. I can almost touch the ultra lights from my deck. Sometimes they startle me they come in so quiet and drop into that area by the nature preserve.

Country living in the city. All sorts of wildlife including deer, black bear, coyote, fox, turkeys, raccoons, squirrels, snakes, rabbits, mice, owls, plenty of birds BluJay, robins, goldfinch, bald eagles, and a few I am missing. We had a few baby deer born in our backyard last year. We have an eagle that likes to hangout in a tree in my yard. Also an Owl who likes to fly around with the mice he catches.

 

[NW-Bound]

I had a coworker who would always say “Everything is within walking distance if you’re willing to put in the effort” [emoji6]

True.

However, I think the OP was thinking about being able to walk out to do whatever a guy desires, whether that's to dine in a Michelin-rated restaurant or attending a symphony or to shooting a buffalo, then to go back to sleep in his own bed the same night.

 

[Music Lover]

I think I would enjoy a public library within walking distance.

I read most books electronically. It's very convenient, especially when you are on vacation.

 

[Pellice]

I’d like to walk out my back door into a natural area where are few if any other humans

I wonder how many on this thread are going to echo Ronstar! I actually do have a natural area - a pipeline lane and an old small dam - but it's a small area, at most a 5 minute walk, and shows too much human influence (trash, over-mowing, over-trimming), and sometimes makes me depressed in walking it, when I think of what it should be. At least my HOA got rid of the ATVs, which are the worst destroyers of habitat.

Yes, I'd LOVE to have a pristine woodland/wetland area. Think I'll open the blinds right now and watch the sun rising over the pipeline field.

 

[Rianne]

Define walking distance. From our front door, a 10-minute walk to 2 great parks with tennis and pickleball courts, and cute ponds with too many geese. A 15-minute walk to a couple of good restaurants (not fast food), grocery stores, and Starbucks. 20-25 minute walk to Jarlings' custard cup and Oberweis. 30-35 minute walk to Memorial Stadium for Illini football games and the State Farm Assembly Hall for basketball games.

The question is do we walk to all these places? The parks for sure.

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

ski
I only live 50 miles away, but that's an hour by car. I might have to rethink this though....
This year we are standing on over 545 inches of snow so far to date with another 4 to 5 feet expected over the next several days. By the time they dig out to open, another storm hits!

But today I got in some nice runs...
Looking back uphill:

SkiPro, is that @ Heavenly?

 

[old medic]

I would like to either shoot or fish in my backyard.

I am on the neighboring orchards deprivation permit and can shoot Deer using a spotlight. One night the orchard manager came over and we put 3 in the freezer while sitting on the deck chatting over a beer.
But closest fishing is about 2 miles away.

 

[meleana]

We used to live in a big house on 10 1/2 wooded acres in a rural area and it was great as a retreat when we were younger and working, but when we retired we decided we needed a complete change. Trust me looking at the woods and wildlife is wonderful but 24/7 it gets lonely and not to mention the work of a big house and property. Not good for aging.

So when we retired we moved to a home community that has full and part timers- mostly our age but no age restrictions. In a vacation area. Mountain View’s. Can walk to the lake beach plus numerous other lake beaches are in the area. Stores only a few miles away. Can walk to a Cumbies and a real nice chocolate and ice cream place and also a craft brew place and a couple of restaurants and a bar. Can walk to docks for fishing and taking boats out. Have a nice clubhouse and pool we can walk to. Some people have golf carts.

Hospital and the main small city just 15 minutes.
Pros and cons to it but almost perfect for this stage of life.