Austin360 blogs > Out & About > Archives > 2009 > July > 04 > Entry
A Flâneur’s Guide
The flâneur’s method is indirection.
Take that alleyway never before noticed. Stop in a shop that previously looked alien. Snack on street food, then lounge for an hour over drinks at a sidewalk cafe.
Google your general route in advance. Use the “Directions” mode and alter the lines for variations. Choose the “Walking” option for approximate trip durations. The “Terrain” button helps determine the ascent difficulty.
I hope to regain my traditional 10-mile radius by winter. That puts me in the range of most Austin green spaces, although not Emma Long or Walnut Creek metropolitan parks. It’s also the Austin I discovered when I arrived in 1984 (recorded on this 1985 map).
Comfortable, sturdy walking shoes, weather-appropriate clothing and a big-brimmed hat are also musts.
I carry a pedestrian satchel, purchased at Mellow Johnny’s, which is different from the wider, thinner bicyclist’s satchel. It’s best worn crossed over one shoulder and the opposite hip.
Inside the satchel: Wallet, iPhone, light canteen filled with water, field glasses. In a first-aid pouch, sunscreen and medications. For Nora, I carry a plastic watering bowl.
Why Nora and not Nick? Some readers may remember that our other Lab collapsed at the very most remote point of the Turkey Creek Canyon trail in the spring, forcing Alex Dotte and I to carry his 100-pound majesty all the way back to the car. No more long hikes for Old Yeller.
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