John Singleton Copley paintings

John Singleton Copley paintings
Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida paintings
live in pedestrian-friendly areas, are less prone to obesity and more likely to perform well academically. "It's so important that people understand this is not a foreign activity," he adds. "People have always walked, hiked and discovered." Organized hikes and walking clubs provide motivation and an opportunity to learn new routes and meet people. Five years ago, the Big Apple's health department and Neighborhood Open Space Coalition launched a free series of organized urban adventures called Take a Walk New York! Each weekend, dozens of TAWNYs, as they're nicknamed, converge on a different neighborhood for a three-hour hike, such as leaf peeping in the west Bronx or exploring a saltwater marsh in Queens. For help finding fellow walkers and nearby routes, the Web site of the American Hiking Society offers searchable databases of clubs and trails. But keep in mind that an urban hike is about the journey, not the planning or the destination. "Just explore. That's what I've always done," says City Hikes' Allen. "I'll say, hmmm, I wonder where this goes ... and just follow it."