…and continuing with our education for the week, we’re introduced to Walk Score from another reader. Really, we haven’t been living under a rock, honest to God, but keep sending us information and we’ll keep getting edumucated.
What is Walk Score? “Walk Score’s patent-pending technology calculates a Walk Score for any property and shows a map of what’s nearby with reviews to help you find a great neighborhood.” Brilliant!
–WalkScore.com [Check it out, if you haven’t already.]
My inner parkside house get’s a 92. Bite-me Sunset bashers!
My central richmond flat, 82 out of 100! Not bad!
This tool is useless. It does not take into account the personal preferences of the user. I don’t care about nail salon shops since I never paint mine, and I don’t want to walk over to that scary loser bar for a drink either.
The other problem is it lacks any deep insights into the nature of the shops. A hotdog joint with no tables and chairs in my neighborhood is categorized as a “RESTAURANT”, a personal trainer working out of his apartment is categorized as a “Fitness” shop. You see the problem.
That’s why a score of 100 means nothing.
Something like this helps the uninformed buyer to understand where the commercial places are in the neighborhood of interest. Like, “Cr*p. There is a starbucks around the corner but no Petes,” or “There are a lot of chain stores,” or “there is nothing within 5 minute walking distance. It’s all suburbia.” But you can get that information from other sites like Yelp.
So – a) It doesn’t offer any new information that nobody else has, b) the information it offers is shallow at best and not personalized, so most often is ‘noise’ rather than real ‘signal’ to the end user.
Honesty, “Walk Score” ????
Let’s get on the Internet in order to find out where to WALK? I’m sorry. NERD FREAKIN CITY.
Isn’t half the fun of going on a walk seeing stuff you might not have noticed in a car? Or stuff you never knew about?
Sometimes it’s all a bit too much.
I think the site is trying to promote ‘green’ living by encouraging people to walk to their neighborhood places, instead of driving over. It got the ‘green’ theme going as that’s the band wagon everybody is jumping on (and probably will be a good bet no matter who the next president will be).
On weekends I often walk from Inner sunset to the Embarcadero, along Irving then Parnassus, and Cole and Haight all the way down to Filmore. Then turn from there onto Market all the way down to the Ferry building. It takes about 2 1/2 to 3 hours (depends if I stop by Orbit Room for a beer or not).
After a few trips like that, the city starts to grow on me in a different way. It made me realize it’s a great city in the US to own real estate — can’t really explain it in new insightful words except the ‘tired’ words like diversity, clean air, interesting architecture, mellow population, etc.. but these words still ring true. I mean, I makes me want to live here. And I am pretty typical, so I guess it makes everybody want to live here. :)
speaking of ‘tired’, I am tired from just listening to your walk
useless.
– the shop list is of very poor quality (accurary cf above – categories are quite “on pot” too)
– the map doesnt take the hills into account. just have fun with an address like 1100 vallejo, or coit tower, or if you can find them, those few telegraph hill “stairs only” addresses.
– it doesnt have public transportation – like a block away from glenpark bart is not the same league as a block off cortland. even if shopping is somewhat similar. and yes, public transportation makes it more walkable (an option to walk further because you can always come back by bus)
– it’s missing the ONLY mandatory address you MUST go to: your local post office to pick up parcels (which might not even be your local PO depending on the routes)
– it doesnt take into account the actual existence of pedestrian way. eg no curbside or stairs along the street. and I’m guessing it doesnt take into account pedestrian shortcuts either.
F for Failed.