No. 12, Author Neil King on Why You Should Walk Out Your Front Door

Think of your morning commute, or a trip you take all the time by car or bus. Have you ever thought about what it would be like to walk it? What it would it be like to slow down to the speed of human legs and notice all of the people, plants, and things you pass each morning? What would you learn about the characters who live near you, about the layers of history all around you, about the plants and birds that make your place home, too?

This is what Neil King did. Leaving his front door in Washington, DC, he set out to walk all the way to New York. It was 2021 and the former Wall Street Journal editor had seen a Pandemic, a capital insurrection at his backdoor, a battle with throat cancer, and the loss of his brother. His project, to detach from daily life and simply take the time to notice everything he could, to pay attention patiently to the people, history, and nature he saw along the way. He hoped that this act of slowly paying attention would help him get a sense of where he was at in life and where we were at, as a country.

The result is the very rewarding book, American Ramble. Written in the great tradition of American road stores, from Henry David Thoreau and Walt Whitman to Bill Bryson.

Prior to writing this book, Neil King was the Global Economics Editor for the Wall Street Journal, and spent years reporting in America and Europe on politics, terrorism, security, and more. I really enjoyed this conversation, full of the insights and stories gleaned from Neil's walk, and I think you will too.