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I always bring my running shoes with me when I fly for business. And while they don’t always get used, at least I have the option to squeeze in a run if I can break away for an hour. I’ve had some great runs at 10pm along the lake shore in Chicago and at 7am in Central Park, and I always find going for a run is one of the best ways to experience the "vibe" of a city. Autumn is a great time of year to run in America’s cities…some of the best urban marathons in the US are this time of year (Chicago – October; New York – November).
Based on my travels (and on where I’ve lived in the past), here is my unofficial "top 5 list" for best urban runs in the U.S.
5. Minneapolis – "Chain of Lakes" run
You can do a 3 to 10 miler (depending on your ambition!) around these beautiful urban lakes in Minneapolis: Lake Calhoun, Lake of the Isles, and Lake Harriet. Start at the boat house on Lake Calhoun in the heart of Uptown, and your options are open. All three lakes are about 3 miles around, so link them together for a 10 miler. Lake of the Isles offers views of Victorian and 1920s vintage mansions, including the Mary Tyler Moore house. Lake Calhoun sends you past marinas, public beaches, windsurfers, and lots of geese, offering great views of the Minneapolis skyline.
Run map:
http://www.run.com/showroute.
Airfares: This market is getting more competitive (and prices are getting better) with Alaska and Southwest recently announcing new service into this NWA hub. Yapta has alerted travelers to round-trip rates as low as $193 from Minneapolis-Atlanta, for example.
4. Boston – Charles River / Boston Common run
A 3.5 miler that takes you across the Charles River on the Harvard Bridge, this is a great way to get a view of the skyline and the famed Citgo sign near Fenway Park. For kicks, start at the finish line of the Boston Marathon (Boylston & Dartmouth), and head north on Dartmouth until you hit the Charles River. You head west along theh Charles River path, cross the Harvard bridge over to Cambridge, and then come back east along Memorial Drive near MIT campus, cross the Longfellow Bridge, and take Charles St. all the way to Boston Common.
Run map:
http://www.run.com/showroute.
Fares to Boston: Yapta has alerted travelers to fares below $193 for non-stop, round-trip flights from Atlanta to Boston; and below $400 for a non-stop, round-trip flight from LA to Boston.
3. San Francisco – Crissy Field / Presidio / Lyon Street Steps (3-7miles)
There are countless variations of this amazing scenic run along the Bay near Golden Gate Bridge. Cutting through the Predisio and running up the famed Lyon Street steps adds some adrenaline to the run. You can simply park at Crissy Field and do a mellow 3 mile loop out to Fort Point at the base of Golden Gate Bridge, and back to the Marina. Or if you wnat the "ideal" run, start at Hotel Drisco in Pacific Heights, head down the hill through the incredible grove of Eucalyptus trees in the Presidio through Presidio Gate (right off of Pacific Ave.), and then at the bottom of the hill, bolt right to Crissy Field and run along the sandy path to the Golden Gate bridge. Keep going across the bridge if you’re feeling good, or come back through the Presidio and eventually to Lyon Street and up the 200+ steps of the Lyon Street steps.
Run map:
http://www.stepwhere.com/maps/
Fares to San Francisco: Lots of new competition from Virgin America in SF are making fares to SFO even more affordable. Yapta is alerting travelers to $145 round-trip, non-stops from Seattle to SFO, for example. (The three major airports in the Bay Area include SFO, OAK, and SJC.)
2. New York – Central Park & Reservoir Loop (6-8 miles)
No red-eye flight from Seattle to NYC is complete without the "wake up call" of a morning run in Central Park. Take a cab from JFK to your hotel, throw the bag down, put on your running showes. A Central Park run is the ONLY way to immediately get on schedule and on stride with the pace of life in the Big Apple. A good 6 miler, shower, breakfast, and you’ve beaten the jet lag and are ready for a day of meetings. The loop around Central Park is about 6 miles and you can add another 1.5 miles by running the reservoir loop near Bellvedere Castle. You’ll sleep really well that night too!
Run map:
http://www.soundkeepers.com/
Fares to New York: Yapta has recently alerted travelers to flights from San Francisco to JFK for as low as $271 round-trip, non-stop; and Chicago to LGA for $219. (Three major airports to check out: EWR, JFK and LGA.)
1. Chicago – Lake Shore / Grant Park Loop
The best "urban run" in my book – highlighting some great skyscraper architecture, city landmarks, and an awesome shoreline – is in downtown Chicago. It’s a short but scenic 4-mile "pure" urban jaunt, that take you past the Field Museum, Shedd Acquarium, Adler Planetarium, Lake Michigan Shoreline and near Solidier Field (home of da’ Bears). Easily accessible from mulitple major hotels near Grant Park (or the Chicago River).
Run map:
http://www.run.com/showroute.
Fares to Chicago: Yapta has alerted travelers to $270 round-trip, non-stops from LAX to Chicago O’Hare. (Two major airports to check out: ORD, MDW)
So where is Seattle on this list? (After all, Seattle is Yapta’s home city.) Well, I really do like the Alaska Way / Myrtle Edwards Park run along Elliott Bay, buy I wanted to be really unbiased in my picks, and slalom-running through the tourists near the aquarium and the cruise ships can get tough.
I’m sure there are many more great runs that I’ve never done (or didn’t list), and I admit to a "Northern bias" in this list, so I’d like to hear some other great urban runs from other Yapta users. So keep pakcing your running shoes in your carry-on, and be sure to track fares to your favorite cities using Yapta.
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