Top all-time · #1919
Chris Arnade
Personal blog · walkingtheworld.substack.comculturepolitics
Chris Arnade's personal blog at walkingtheworld.substack.com covers culture and politics. Since 2022, 39 different Hacker News readers have linked it 69 times, most often “Walking Phoenix: A quick retreat from an expansive hell on Earth”. It is still writing: the last post was on 2026-10-29, and you can follow it by feed.
Too few sampled comments (10) to say how often HN recommends it.?
Why HN links it
HN readers link Chris Arnade's Walking the World Substack, including its Istanbul series and walking pieces on America and the Faroe Islands. Commenters call it worth reading, and one pays for it.
Summarised by Claude from a sample of 10 HN comments that link here. Each comment is marked recommending, critical or neutral (citing without judging); how this works.
Dispatches and photos from walks around the world.
Most-linked posts?
- Walking Phoenix: A quick retreat from an expansive hell on Earth3 people · 4 mentions · first linked 2024-03-05
- Why the US can't have nice things3 people · 3 mentions · first linked 2023-12-23
- Walking the World: Seoul (part 2)3 people · 3 mentions · first linked 2022-06-14
- Thanksgiving thoughts: On America's homelessness and loneliness2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2022-11-25
- Engineering as Humanity's Highest Achievement2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2026-01-21
- America and Public Disorder2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2026-03-09
- I Walk2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2022-04-19
- McDonald's Around the World2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2025-06-26
- Walking the World: Hanoi2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2022-07-12
- How to Walk (12 miles a day)2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2022-05-03
What Hacker News says?
I had discovered the author through his series on Istanbul, which I thought was interesting and insightful: https://walkingtheworld.substack.com/p/walking-istanbul-part...
Comment linking /p/walking-istanbul-part-1
on “On the cheap, like a local, and without a lot of luggage”Submitted On the cheap, like a local, and without a lot of luggage as a story · 433 points
HN discussionThe author in fact did spend some time in Indianapolis[0]. I'm not really sure what your point is, besides that Indianapolis is a hinterland town with no public transit (the author was mainly on foot, anyway) and its height of cuisine being chain restaurants? Have you been to Indianapolis? [0]: https://walkingtheworld.substack.com/p/walking-america-part-...
Comment linking /p/walking-america-part-3-indianapolis
on “On the cheap, like a local, and without a lot of luggage”Submitted How to Walk (12 miles a day) as a story · 417 points
HN discussionChris Arnade has done this around the US and now around the world. https://walkingtheworld.substack.com/ He worked as a quant for years after getting a PhD in Physics. He is worth reading. His book on the US is also worth a go. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/38796298-dignity
Comment linking /
on “Flânerie: The Art of Aimless Strolling”Submitted Walking the World: Seoul as a story · 105 points
HN discussionFWIW, Chris Arnade of "Walking the World" fame has a few things to say about planning in the Netherlands: There is almost a complete lack of anything that feels commercial mixing with anything that feels residential, beyond especially designated spaces, usually the very center of town. These suburbs are not conventionally pretty, certainly not in the way downtown Amsterdam, Haarlem, or Leiden are. They are both mono…
Comment linking /p/walking-the-netherlands-from-amsterdam
on “Parking reform legalized most of the new homes in Buffalo and Seattle (2023)”Submitted Walking Michigan City (Indiana) as a story · 57 points
HN discussionI'm a desk jockey in my late 50's, and have fallen in with other 40- and 50-somethings who will do multi-day 8-12 mile hikes on the Appalachian Trail. I am, by far, the slowest of the group and depend heavily on their experience and support. I'd say working your way up, a little at a time, is essential. Have a look at this recent article by another walker of cities, Chris Arnade: https://walkingtheworld.substack.com…
Comment linking /p/how-to-walk-12-miles-a-day
on “Ask HN: Are you hiking? How old are you and how many kilometers can you Hike?”Submitted Why US can't have nice things as a story · 34 points
HN discussionDon't be fooled by the headline - that's neither the authors words, nor his opinion, but an editor trying to bait viewers. The article itself is good, and worth a read. You can read the full article on the author's own substance here. https://walkingtheworld.substack.com/p/is-it-euro-poor-or-am...
Comment linking /p/is-it-euro-poor-or-ameri-poor
on “What Makes Europe Better Than America?”Submitted Why Are Americans Unhappy? as a story · 18 points
HN discussionapologies, missed the original link https://walkingtheworld.substack.com/p/democracy-in-america
Comment linking /p/democracy-in-america
on “Democracy in America”Submitted Why the US can't have nice things as a story · 5 points
HN discussionMarginal Revolution is nominally about economics, and it's not entirely not about AI, but AI is a fairly small part of what they cover: https://marginalrevolution.com/ I follow a fair number of people who would, back in the day, have been classic bloggers, but are now doing Substack, and rarely even mention AI. Here's one I like enough that I actually pay for it: https://walkingtheworld.substack.com/
Comment linking /
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite blogs not about AI?”Submitted What Makes Australia Australia? as a story · 4 points
HN discussionCuriously, I came across this today, about the same project in LA: https://walkingtheworld.substack.com/p/why-the-us-cant-have-...
Comment linking /p/why-the-us-cant-have-nice-things
on “Nonprofits are sapping the progressive project”Submitted Europe is Healthier than US (2024) as a story · 4 points
HN discussion>Walking Faroe Islands (part two) https://walkingtheworld.substack.com/p/walking-faroe-islands...
Comment linking /p/walking-faroe-islands-part-two?ref=thebrowser.com
on “Walking Faroe Islands (part one)”Submitted A Stalled American Dream as a story · 4 points
HN discussionSubmitted Why the US can't have nice things, part 2 as a story · 4 points
HN discussionSubmitted Thanksgiving thoughts: On America's homelessness and loneliness as a story · 4 points
HN discussionSubmitted Integrated Circuits, AI, and Wallabies as a story · 3 points
HN discussionSubmitted Thoughts from Buses Across America as a story · 3 points
HN discussionSubmitted Is it Euro-poor, or Ameri-poor? as a story · 3 points
HN discussionSubmitted Walking Phnom Penh as a story · 3 points
HN discussionSubmitted Walking Faroe Islands as a story · 3 points
HN discussionSubmitted America and Public Disorder as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted America and Public Disorder as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted Walking Duluth as a story · 2 points
HN discussion
