Talk the Walk

When I was seven, I used to walk with my parents on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx to get ice cream at Crumbs, a local ice cream store. It was there that I had nuts on a sundae for the first time. Most of my youth was spent walking to school, to my friends’ homes and to pick up Chinese food. As a teenager, much like Walt Whitman, I might walk to ponder. 

From 17 to 32, I lived in Manhattan and walked everywhere. New Yorkers invented walking 10,000 steps a day. And let’s not forget the Jews’ 40-year walk when they left Egypt!  Rarely would you find me taking the subway, bus or a cab. It wasn’t beyond me to leave an hour early and walk to my destination. I have always loved walking over bridges and through tunnels. Even when it rains, I don’t mind getting drenched. If I meditate about things I might miss after I’m gone, walking in the rain is high on the list. When I see a mountain, I wonder if I’m in good enough shape to climb it.

I wore out shoes faster than Las Vegas wears out decks of cards. When I got injured playing ball, I would often hear, “Walk it off.” Even people on death row take a final stroll to the electric chair. Pallbearers walk while carrying the deceased from the hearse to the grave. Walking to the synagogue in Jerusalem is a profoundly spiritual experience. Both my dog and I thoroughly enjoy our walks. 

The owner of my office building told me that I didn’t have a parking space. That meant more walking, which was perfectly fine with me. If I have a 7 a.m. flight, I arrive at the airport at 5:30 and take a 45-minute walk through the terminal. I hardly ever use the moving stairway.

When a couple argues, it’s not a bad idea to take a walk and cool off. Taking a walk before a show helps clear the mind. Walking not only benefits the heart and lungs; it also provides time for reflection. It’s good for the soul.

My wife and I have taken hundreds of walks. On more than a few occasions, we’ve walked two or more miles to go see a movie. That way, we feel we earned our popcorn. When a couple argues, it’s not a bad idea to take a walk and cool off. Taking a walk before a show helps clear the mind. Walking not only benefits the heart and lungs; it also provides time for reflection. It’s good for the soul. Neil Simon used to take a walk every day during his lunch break to gather his thoughts for writing. In 1997, Art Garfunkel walked across America, and in 1998, he began walking across Europe, starting in Ireland.

My son Noah and his wife Chloe live in New York, and my wife and I live in Los Angeles. It’s rare for me to have the opportunity to take a walk with = my son. On Sunday, July 9th, 2023, I was in New York for only one day. Noah and I took a glorious hour-and-a-half walk from his apartment on 63rd Street and 2nd Avenue to Yonah Schimmel Knish Bakery at 137 East Houston Street. Unlike bagels, knishes are still relatively unknown to most non-Jews.

When Noah asked me what I wanted to do, I said, “Let’s go get knishes.” He replied, “Great, let’s walk there.” Walking with your son is an amazing experience. We yakked the entire way. Even though he’s 27, I reminded him to look both ways when crossing the street. No matter how old your child is, parenting never seems to end, especially if they ever fall ill. We discussed his job, marriage, his mom, his brothers, his niece and nephew, a dog I recently found and returned, the in-laws, his brother’s girlfriend, my job, his mom’s job, the possibility of rain, where we wanted to have lunch, how I don’t run into people I know anymore, and where they might move to in the future. I don’t have these types of conversations in a car, bus, train or plane; they only happen when I’m walking. Noah said he felt that I have a bad habit of pointing at things like dogs with three legs, people with eccentric clothes, large-size individuals, and the insane. He warned me that if I don’t stop doing this, I might get shot one day. I said, “Don’t worry about it. Just keep walking.”

Mark Schiff is a comedian, actor and writer, and host of the ‘You Don’t Know Schiff’ podcast. His new book is “Why Not? Lessons on Comedy, Courage and Chutzpah.”