Walking in stripes

Image above: 1. Walkable City by Jeff Speck / 2. Wedge with striped heel / 3. Gold striped iPhone 5 case /
4. Peplum top / 5. Elephant stripes umbrella

I came from a city (Macau) where people walk everywhere. All through high school, I have been walking to school 20 minutes each way (15 minute if speed-walking to avoid the school gate closing on me). Since I go home for lunch, every day I would walk at least an hour total, not counting those days of wandering around after school for some drooling window shopping. One of the things I miss the most while being in Texas is the walking experience in my daily commute: the fragrance of magnolia from the street flower stalls, food aroma steaming from the street hawker's cart in the winter, convenience of picking up a few snacks without a driving detour, and did I mention lots of window shopping!

This book Walkable City's cleverly-designed cover caught my eye, it reminds me of those walking days. I can almost imagine skipping workout if I were walking instead of driving an hour daily! With the size of America, it takes more than a day to make every city a walkable downtown. Till then, I am going to remind myself to take frequent walk breaks at work and break a sweat more often. 

If you had to pick, would you rather walk, or drive?