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A new report from FitFlop has ranked 30 U.S. cities by how easy—and enjoyable—they are to explore on foot, and the Big Apple landed in sixth place. The surprise winner? Seattle.
FitFlop’s first-ever Walkability Index considered five metrics—distance, walking time, elevation, step count and Walk Score—between each city’s top five attractions. Despite its hills and drizzle, Seattle came out on top with short, scenic routes linking icons like the Space Needle, Pike Place Market and Chihuly Garden and Glass, all within a compact 1.4-mile loop.
Right behind Seattle is Jersey City, which might raise some eyebrows, but don’t underestimate it. With sweeping Hudson River views, a sky-high Walk Score (86.6), and a low-effort, high-reward circuit through Liberty State Park, the Liberty Science Center and buzzy downtown blocks, it beat out cities like Boston, D.C. and, yes, New York.
Boston ranked third, thanks to its historic compactness and the red-brick Freedom Trail that connects the city’s major sites. Washington, D.C., and Newark took fourth and fifth, respectively, offering flat terrain and dense clusters of attractions that are surprisingly walkable, even if they’re not top of mind for most step-counters.
Meanwhile, New York’s sixth-place finish came down to logistics. While the city earned the second-highest Walk Score (88), its attractions are simply too spread out. It takes 129 minutes and nearly 14,000 steps to walk between icons like the Empire State Building, Central Park and the 9/11 Memorial. That’s a long trek, even for New Yorkers who consider walking a sport.
The rankings drop just as America’s appetite for step-friendly sightseeing surges. Searches for “walking vacation” are up 29% over the last quarter, and “walkable cities US” rose 21%. Even searches for “women’s walking sandals” spiked 49%, suggesting that comfort is now just as important as a good view.
Moral of the story? If your idea of vacation involves wandering between museums, parks and cafes without ever hailing a cab, it might be time to look beyond Manhattan. Or at least consider crossing the Hudson.