A big reason for our move to the East Side of Providence is that we want to live in a “walkable” neighborhood.  Jeff and I have talked about how great (and healthy!) it will be to walk to a Wayland Square coffee shop or bakery in the morning, walk to Brown University to hear a lecture, walk to RISD to see an art installation, walk to Hope Street to dine in a trendy restaurant, walk to the Hope Street Farmer’s Market in Lippitt Park on Saturdays and – of course – walk the length of Blackstone Boulevard regularly for exercise.  We are “talking the talk” right now.  Will we really “walk the walk” and hoof it to all of these places?  Or will we actually hop in the car and drive most of the time?

Old habits are hard to break, and our life in the suburbs has accustomed us to driving most places.  Our move is still about one month away, but we traveled to Providence this weekend to help celebrate Jeff’s mother’s 85th birthday.  The weather was balmy, and on Friday evening we walked to Apsara Palace for Pan-Asian cuisine.  On Saturday morning I walked with Sophie to her plot in the Mount Hope community garden (photo above).  I really enjoyed the walk to and from both places, and I gained a new resolve for walking to places AND for finding places to walk to.

To help me achieve my goal of finding good destinations and walking to them, I will have a regular feature on this blog called “I Walked Here”.  It’s easy to find a coffee shop or boutique to walk to; they’re all over the East Side.  But what about a doctor or dentist? a grocery store?  a hairdresser?  Stay tuned as I discover how many products and services I can find within walking distance of my new home.