She Walked So You Could Also Walk
BY JILLY MacDOWELL | Yes, Philly Girls Who Walk is "ladycentric," as per founder Bianca Solari, but everyone is welcome on this new weekly walk, including dogs, kids and especially solo walkers. Hop-on-hop-off is permitted, too, but at around three miles (about an hour), you owe it to yourself to cross the finish line.
Solari, 29, was inspired to start the group by NYC's @citygirlswhowalk, and by the creeping solitude and inertia of working from home in Fairmount. She needed to get moving and figured others felt the same. “I'm a mental health advocate,” she says, “and I'm passionate about creating a safe and positive community that's open to all."
Since launching May 12, the group continues to grow. The age range is 18-65, with a millennial majority. Strollers and non-girls have been spotted.
This week's walk began at the impeccable Penn Treaty Park, and was a simple down-and-back from there to Race Street Pier. Raindrops waited to fall until the end of the hour, when a good chunk of the group (around 70 mostly women & some pups) headed to the "after-party" at Frankford Hall.
The next walk date is Tuesday, June 7, meeting on the Art Museum steps. Dates & locations are announced weekly on social media; the route is not disclosed publicly. Join PGWW GroupMe to find walkers from your neighborhood, arrange carpools and participate in polls about future routes. Find FAQs and follow their IG for the latest news including weather-related postponements and pre- or post-walk events.
