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Metro Man: Peachtree Walk
By Jerry Attkisson
For most of us, somewhere along life’s journey there came a time when the admonition we resisted as a child, “walk – don’t run,” became something to be embraced to the point we no longer run and walk only when necessary.
As a result of our sedentary lifestyles, more than 60 percent of Americans are overweight or obese. An even larger percent are physically out of shape. Georgia is on the leading edge of the nation’s epidemic of obesity, with 58 percent of adults being overweight or obese.
In addition, metro Atlantans drive more miles per capita than residents of nearly every other city in the United States. Because of overdependence on automobiles, auto emissions have become a major contributor of ozone and particulates, pollutants that threaten human health. Poor air quality not only poses risks to human health, it also threatens our economic prosperity and is detrimental to the environment. And for this we pay nearly $3 per gallon of gasoline.
On the other hand, 55,000 Atlantans in excellent shape run the 10k Peachtree Road Race every year on the Fourth of July. Should there not be an event for those of us who really need to lose weight and get in shape? Every movement starts with a first step.
On a recent trip to Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, I encountered what could be the solution. Every Sunday one lane of the street running along the beach is closed to all but pedestrian traffic. All day long there is a promenade of people walking.
Peachtree Street is a natural place for such an event. From where the Downtown Connector crosses under Peachtree at Brookwood Station south to where it again crosses under Peachtree at the edge of Downtown is an interesting area. The distance is only about three miles, and there are four MARTA stations for those who tire along the way.
Starting at the north end, there are numerous points of interest, some requiring a small detour: On Peachtree there are the Savannah College of Art, the Woodruff Arts Center, the Margaret Mitchell House and the Fox Theatre, along with many new office and residential towers. With a slight detour, there are the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Piedmont Park, Technology Square and Atlantic Station.
The real challenge is not finding a place for such Sunday strolling, but getting people to do it. For this I have an idea I call the “Penny Theory,” which may be worth only what the name implies.
Have you noticed there are more pennies on the Peachtree sidewalks than there used to be? Of course you don’t if you don’t walk this route regularly. Trust me, this is true, as I know from walking a few blocks along that street every day. Maybe these are “Pennies from Heaven.” I don’t know how they get there, but they are there.
My theory is most people do not bend over or stoop down to retrieve a penny for two reasons. One, a penny is not worth what it used to be. Second, we are too out of shape to bend over or stop down. How many of us can comfortably touch our toes?
What if every Sunday someone sewed the sidewalks of Peachtree with pennies? One hundred dollars worth of pennies is 10,000 coins. Would people not come out to get their share of the bounty and would not the prospects of finding many pennies motivate them on? I smile when I think about walkers bending down 10,000 times as they walk to retrieve the coins. This along with the walking would provide a good workout.
Peachtree Walk is really not such a novel idea. Before we became a city built on trains, cars, and planes, Peachtree Street was an Indian trail.
Email jerryattkisson@mindspring.com
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