Walk Every Street is a love letter

What is Walk Every Street?

This is a record in photographs and brief essays of my walking every street in my hometown of Somerville, MA. Somerville is small enough that “every street” is a doable project instead of a daunting one. It would be much harder in some of the other cities in which I’ve lived (and, in many of them, frankly impossible by the rules).

I like walking. Why not walk more?

Why Walk Every Street?

For fun. For exploration. For discovery. To share my town. To see it through new eyes. To connect more deeply with this place.

Can I Walk Every Street too?

Of course you can! Get out there and walk! And then tell me about it. I like adventure stories. 

What are the “rules”? 

They’re more guidelines than actual rules. More seriously, rules set boundaries, boundaries create structure, and structure is integral to meaning. 

I have traveled all over the world and loved learning from people what is interesting, historical, and unique about their homes. Places matter because of what they mean to the people who live there. While walking every street in Somerville is, on the one hand, a lark, it also matters to me. I want to share why.

Is this an exercise thing?

It could be for someone else, but I’m not thinking about it that way. I already walk several miles a day. Walking every street is a project separate and distinct from my fitness, though walking 250 miles will undoubtedly have an impact on it.

Just how big is Somerville? What is the scope of this project?

Somerville is a little more than 4 square miles in area, with about 250 miles of sidewalk across 657 streets. It’s longest street, Broadway, is a bit more than 3 miles in length. Compare that to Boston, which is more than 48 square miles, with about 1200 streets, several of which are considerably longer than 3 miles. Don’t mistake me: someone could walk every street in Boston! It’s a bigger project than Somerville.

Can I Run Every Street?

A thousand times “Yes!”

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These organizations are making Somerville an even better place to walk!

Groundwork Somerville

Groundwork prepares youth for lives of professional fulfillment and community leadership through work projects focused on urban agriculture, environmental justice, and civic engagement.

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Somerville Community Growing Center

The Center provides a hands-on learning environment for local youth to learn about the natural world, science, community service and cultural issues.


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Friends of the Community Path

Advocating to extend this well-loved Somerville path!






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Somerville Arts Council

Cultivating and celebrating the creative expressions of the Somerville community. Through innovative collaborations and quality programming, the SAC work to make the arts an integral part of life reflective of our diverse city.

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