With Americans Anxious To Go Out, Walking Tours Pick Up Pace

By Danny Castillon 10/10/2020546 views

In this Sept. 20, 2020, photo, tour guide John Erardi, right, talks with a tour group on the sidewalk outside the Cincinnati Reds Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. The walking tour was one of the few groups of people on the street as the Reds and White Sox were inside just an hour before the game without fans because of the pandemic. (AP Photo/Dan Sewell)

(AP) — For so many Americans, this is a time of being cooped up. There’s less interaction with fellow humans and, in many cases, with the landscape itself. COVID-19 and its impact of more than 200,000 Americans dead have kept many away from air travel, cruise ships and crowded beaches. Enter a decidedly unplugged alternative, a very concrete antidote to a suddenly more virtual life: the walking tour. Maybe it’s not the most exciting outlet, but it’s far better than being surrounded by the same four walls. According to one walking-tour entrepreneur, it’s important when we’re feeling alienated to “walk our streets.”