Hi.

WELCOME to Curious Feet St. Louis.

My name is Claire. I’ve been blogging about the city for several years, but I decided it was time for a new venue.

I am 23 years old, and I’m just now learning to drive. I’ve spent my whole life on foot, on my bike, on public transit, and in cabs (and yes, as a passenger in others’ cars—thanks for the rides everyone!), and I like how that experience has shaped my view of what a city is and how a city works (or fails to work). A walking city is one seen from a cornerstorefront’seyeview. A walking city is a sustainable one, and a place where people have space to interact with their neighbors. A walking city at its best can be a place where we have a chance to support businesses that support our neighborhood in return. A walking city has sidewalk cafes and neighborhood taverns and Victorian parks.

Expressway-based cities, um, not so much.

My goal is to get a driver’s license within the next three months. As I become a driver and change the way I relate to the place where I live, I want to reaffirm my commitment to experiencing the landscape of the place where I live at the level of intimacy and interaction that only slow, measured steps can provide. So, here I am.

I’ve been told that NiNi Harris, the accomplished architectural historian and author, claims to have walked every block on the South Side in the course of her life. That’s amazing and wonderful. As a North Sider, and as someone who’d like to see St. Louisans lose their irrational fear of Delmar, I want to walk every block within the entire city limits.

At least, I’m going to try.

I’m not sure if I’ll make it, and I’m not about to set a six-month timeline for this project! Like walking, this is more about the journey and what I’ll see along the way than it is about my ultimate destination. We’ll see what happens.

Will there be descriptions of long walks? Yes. Is that all? Of course not. While I plan to document specific walks and my progress covering the city at large, much of the blog will also be spent focusing on broader topics. Potential subjects include (but are not limited to): Architecture and historic preservation, the Near North Side, city life, pedestrianism, local events and culture, friends’ projects, and all things StL-icious. A friend who’s a professor likes to start his classes with the question, “Did anybody have any urban moments over the weekend?” This blog is all about the urban moment.

So, again: Welcome. Come in, sit down, make yourself comfortable. Please consider bookmarking Curious Feet, and please consider adding it to your blogroll if you have one. I can’t promise you’ll always agree with what you read here or how I say it, but I do hope that you get something out of what I’ve got to tell you.

Grab your comfy shoes, and let’s start exploring.