Sharon on a recent trip walking around Hanoi.

Lakeview resident Sharon understands that walking is transportation, and regularly makes her six mile commute between home and the Loop on foot. Sharon works as the head of an IT department for a large foundation. Her commute is a great example for the rest of us, and a reminder that we live in a great city where six miles can actually be an enjoyable walk. Many of us are lucky enough to have the option of walking home at the end of the day -- let's take advantage of it more often.

So you walk to work every day from Lakeview to the Loop? How long does it take you?

I try to get 5 or more walking trips in each week. Sometimes I walk to work, sometimes I walk home, sometimes (but rarely) I do both.

It takes me 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Yeah, that's a long walk, so it makes sense you'd usually just do it one-way. What route do you take for the walk?

In the beginning I walked from Lincoln to Clark, over to Dearborn and into the Loop. I asked a friend to walk with me one time and she would only walk with me if we took the lakefront, which added almost two miles to the trip. I've never taken Clark street again. The fresh air on the lakefront compared to the fumes from the 22 and 36 bus is well worth the extra miles. In the end the trip is only marginally longer in time, because once I get to the lakefront it is like an expressway, zero traffic, zero stop lights and just nonstop walking. The view is fantastic, the fresh air completely amazing.

And do you take the CTA then for the non-walking leg?

Yes, when not walking I'm an avid fan of the CTA. I started walking a year ago when the CTA renovation was predicted to "double" commute times. With the slowdown on the red line, the trip was already 45 minutes. With thoughts that it would be more than an hour, I thought, why not walk. As it turns out the renovations to the red line have not doubled the commute time, but the walk is still my commute time, mental therapy time and exercise all rolled into one event.

I do own a car, in fact a gas guzzling 7+ year old Chevy Blazer, but other than two trips to visit my parents in the Detroit area, it has been parked for almost two months.

So you're a great example then of the fact that you don't necessarily have to give up your car completely to make lifestyle choices like walking to work or taking transit.

Don't get me wrong. I have an I-GO rental car in my future. I HATE the maintenance, gas, insurance, city stickers, license fees and drama associated with owning a car. The car is just left over from being a single parent of two teens involved in tons of sports and after school events. Eventually, the Chevy Blazer will be history, and I'll have one less stress in my life. Being from Detroit, you'd expect I'd have more of an attachment to my car, but maybe it is because my dad was a GM engineer, and we always had a new car, so it was never a big deal.

People often cite the weather in Chicago though as a reason for not walking or biking. Have you done the walk on a really hot day or in the bitter, snowy cold? How do you prepare for the weather and still get to work dressed for the office?

I started my walking for transportation last August when I realized I'd be an "empty nester" for the first time and that if I didn't plan for something specific to do after work, I'd just go out to dinner and drinks every night. I remembered my favorite vacation to Peru, where all we did was walk all day. Trekking in the mountains is beautiful, but really what I enjoyed was just the walking all day.

So, I thought ... why not walk home from work? It worked out great. During August it was hot, but as it became cool the walk was more enjoyable. As the weather got frigid in November and December, I wore what I refer to as my "walking sleeping bag," one of those hugely hideous down coats that every woman in Chicago owns ... or should own if you plan to walk the lakefront in January. What I found was that with an extra headband under my hood, a down coat that went down to my mid-shin and Dansko clogs, I was able to weather the whole winter.

There is always a path down by the lakefront, always someone more crazy than me blazing a trail. I did have one scary moment by the LSD "S" curve at Oak Street Beach. I ignored all the warning signs and thought I could take the lakefront path. I got to a patch of ice and began sliding towards the icy lake, and just before I collapsed to the ground to stop my slide, my shoes found traction and I continued on my way. I skipped the path for the rest the week.

I didn't start walking in the morning until this past summer when both of my kids were home from college. I wanted to have more time to spend with them, so I started getting up at 6, on the path by 6:15, and to work by 8:00, or some variation of that schedule. I am fortunate that we have a small, single shower in our office. It is located in the back of one of the copier rooms, a bit difficult to locate, but a shower none the less. As the temperature increased in the summer months, I worked time into the morning routine to take a shower when I got to work. It works great. Generally, I would take a few suits and blouses to work on days when was taking the El to work, and wear shorts for the walk. I did end up with a mish-mash of clothes at the office, and some things at home, but in the end it worked because we had the shower at work. I don't mind the heat as long as it wasn't heat-stroke weather, and as long as there is a shower at the end of the trip.

What's your favorite thing about walking to work?

My favorite thing about walking for transportation is that when I arrive I'm relaxed and mentally calm, ready to face just about any crisis.