When living in New York City there is something that we all will always come across even though it is always mutually resented. That being, traffic. This is something that can easily be seen on my commute from to and from the college. Be it many various cars blocking the bus route, or the amount of people that are trying to get to and from work or school in this area, it can sometimes be a nightmare. There are several different things that can be done to avoid this traffic. One being that you can come off the bus a stop or two prior to your destination point and then walking the rest of the way there. It is even said that walking is good for your health especially when most Americans are overweight or obese. This alternate can really help in the transition to a healthier lifestyle.
For my commute to City Tech, I usually take the bus from the first stop, at Myrtle-Gates, all the way to the last stop, Myrtle-Jay Street, and while the commute is mostly smooth, when coming to the ending portion, it can be a tedious wait as we wait for the cars or people to get out of the way. An alternate suggestion would be to get out a couple stops prior at Navy or Prince Street and walking through the Myrtle promenade. Thereby adding some natural beauty into the commute as there are many trees and a lot of greenery there during the spring, summer and autumn months. This can also serve as an entry point to the various stores and restaurants that are along the strip.
In the article “Give Your Ideas Some Legs: The Positive Effect of Walking on Creative Thinking” by Marilyn Oppezzo, there was research done on the effects of walking when compared to creativity. There were four experiments done which linked more walking to an increased amount of creativity in the person. This can be very useful if your school or job demands a creative sense of work ethic but can also help your mind when going through the mundane activities of each day.
Another really good reason for adding the walk would be for the added value of seeing the greenery of the various parks that litter the city. It can be a change of pace when all you see are the tall grey buildings of our metropolis. You can see other animals like squirrels and various birds instead of the rats and pigeons that are always over the city streets. If you are a morning person, the chirps of the morning birds can be a pleasant background noise instead of the usual hum and revving of the almost industrial sounding vehicles that everyone is using to get to work in the mornings.
On the other hand, throughout the walk there are many types of people that can also be observed in the district. From the often loud and obnoxious sounding screeching and hollering of the middle and high school kids to the somewhat calmer and collected college students in the area. A vast difference can be observed. While it is understandable, or some might even say excusable for middle school children to behave in such a way, you can really see the difference in attitudes as they are usually in packs of all the same gender and retching at the other. As you morph into the high school kids you see they are more mixed while some of them remain in the loud middle school mentality. Going further up in line when observing the people of college age, they can be more mature than the others that share the streets with them, however, unfortunately, you can see that some never outgrow the immaturity that has been with them all their lives. It can be hard sometimes to differentiate the three groups as there are middle schoolers who look and dress well beyond their years and there are some college aged people who you would never guess are their age. The ones who you can never confuse though, are the business types that are always in suits along with the ones that are going to court. Although they may not wear suits, if you pay close enough attention, you can sometimes see that they wear their worries on their faces. They can appear timid and meek due to their circumstances or they can appear annoyed or irate. It can be interesting to see the various types of emotions people display when in the same situation as it can reassure that, yes we are all uniquely fashioned. The business types can be headed into the courtroom that is next door to the college or could be headed into any of the various buildings in the adjacent areas, but they all have one thing in common. Most are very uptight and snotty. They believe they are better than others. They can be seen pushing others out of their way. Some may say “They’re in a rush.” A simple excuse me would do. When anyone tries to approach them they have such disdainful looks upon their faces. A person should go and make their own inferences though as it can help you learn more about others
All in all, adding a walk into your daily routine can be a great experience as it will add some clarity and creativity into your day. It can keep you calm and collected and will be an overall great experience for your life.
Give Your Ideas Some Legs: The Positive Effect of Walking
on Creative Thinking (Research Article)
Marily Oppezzo and Daniel L. Schwartz
