U-PASS Profiles
Walking: Profile
(originally published in the Spring 2003 U-Commute News)
Antoinette Wills, Associate Director of Development for Special Projects College of Arts and Sciences
"I live just upwind of Dick's Drive-In," says Antoinette Wills, when asked how far she walks to campus each day from her Wallingford home. Antoinette, who is Associate Director of Development for Special Projects in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been walking the one and one-half miles to campus on average four out of five days a week since 1981. Formerly a bus commuter, Antoinette says walking makes her feel healthier, both physically and emotionally.
"I walk because I hate to exercise," she explains, "at least I hate the kind of exercise you have to drive somewhere to do, which then requires you to do something boring and repetitive." Why drive to a gym to exercise when a walking commute offers an easy and natural way to build exercise into your routine? Why work out on a stair climber when you can tackle real stairs? Antoinette sees stairs "not as an obstacle, but as an opportunity to be fit and healthy."
Equipped with comfortable, waterproof walking shoes, a small radio, and one of her predominately red umbrellas from a vast collection, Antoinette sets out for her walk to campus in fair weather and foul. She varies her route, often crossing the freeway at Northeast 45th or Northeast 50th streets. On clear days she stops at the freeway overpass to enjoy the spectacular view of the mountains, Lake Union, and the campus. "I feel like I live in a postcard," she says.
On other occasions, Antoinette winds her way south through the quiet residential streets of lower Wallingford, relishing the view of the Seattle skyline and the luxuriant garden foliage, and walks under the freeway at Northeast 40th Street. Over the years, she's enjoyed a walker's eye view of neighborhood changes brought about by construction and remodeling projects. She's also become an expert on blackberry lore for the area between Wallingford and campus. She knows where the best blackberry patches are, and by trial and error has learned how to recognize when berries are ripest and sweetest.
According to Antoinette, comfortable walking shoes are the most important requirement for a pleasant walking commute. "Good shoes are expensive, but worth the investment," she says. Beyond that, she suggests traveling light - equipped either with waterproof clothing or a regular coat and umbrella. She travels with a lightweight black bag that holds her purse and other essentials, and she regularly replenishes her supply of umbrellas with bargains on sale from the HUB Lost and Found.
Antoinette sees other walking commuters on her route, and she believes that many people could enjoy a walking commute if they give it a try. "I think they would discover how good it makes you feel, and how pleasant it is to be independent of the stresses and delays of rush hour traffic."
The importance of a walking commute was brought home to Antoinette several years ago when she tore a ligament in her foot and couldn't walk to campus for four months. When calories consumed no longer matched her energy expenditure -with predictable results -she learned a great deal about how exercise and good diet choices work together to brighten your mood and keep unwanted pounds off.
A walking commute is made easier for Antoinette because the U-PASS program provides a flexible array of back-up transportation options. When she needs her car for work, Antoinette drives in and parks with discounted U-PASS Individual Commuter Tickets ($2.36/each). She uses her U-PASS during the workday for bus trips downtown for appointments with colleagues or potential College of Arts and Sciences donors.
Spring has come again to our moist corner of the Pacific Northwest, and with it the glory of azaleas, rhododendrons, and flowering plum and cherry trees. Why not step out into the spring sunshine and - like Antoinette - give walking a try?
Antoinette's Walking Tips
- Wear comfortable shoes with padded soles. Be nice to your feet.
- Wear comfortable clothes that keep you warm and dry. Umbrellas are optional. If you prefer, you can wear a jacket with a hood or a hat to keep you dry.
- Choose a path you enjoy, physically not too strenuous, and visually interesting.
