A Stroll With Los Angeles' Own 'People Walker'

A cartoon strip by Andrew Greenstone captures the experience of walking with Chuck, the original People Walker in Los Angeles, who runs a business in Los Angeles as a "walker for hire." 

The idea of a "people walking" business might seem like satire on the surface, but there's a lot to learn and love about this story. Greenstone titles the comic "stop and smell the roses," and there's plenty of neighborhood appreciation and discovery to celebrate in the comic. There are also lessons that might interest planners about why a people walking business might be popular. At one point Chuck tells Andrew about the five main demographics of people who use the people Walker service:

People who work at home and need something to break up their day, and some one to talk to. People that just need motivation to exercise. A lot of doctors prescribe walking and then people don't follow through on it. Scheduling a walk helps them with accountability and motivation. There are people that just want to feel safe. This service definitely helps people feel better about walking at night. The last group are tourists that are new to town. It really helps to have someone who knows which Thai restaurant looks terrible, but it really good, which bars cost to much, stiff like that.

Greenstone is hardly the first journalist to notice the appeal of the People Walker business. In the past, the business has attracted media attention from the likes of The Guardian, Vice, and the New York Post.