Boston Is the Second-Most Walkable City

Imagine that you're stuck on the Green Line, wedged in between two people yammering away on their cell phones, and one of them is stinky. Each stop seems to last for an hour. When you reach your destination, you think to yourself, "I could have walked there in half the time."

You were probably right. The Brookings Institution has declared Boston America's second-most walkable city, second only to DC, and Beacon Hill as one of America's most walkable neighborhoods.

Of course, that survey doesn't take into account wintry conditions, such as people who don’t clear their sidewalks or punishing winds. It also doesn't take into account what happens on Beacon Hill if you don't look right or if you are blind.

The top 10 walkable cities from top to bottom are Washington DC area, Boston, San Francisco, Denver, Portland (OR), Seattle, Chicago, Miami, Pittsburgh, and New York. The Brookings Institution liked DC so much that they called it a "national model of walkable urban growth."

The full release with an explanation of the methodology is available at the Brookings Institution's website.