Originally, when I was born and raised in the Gotham (Brooklyn)/ Metropolis (Manhattan) I walked everywhere, the sidewalks where great and the sites and sounds where always welcome. All that changed when I moved to the more rural and less sidewalky Richmond, VA. It was like the whole city was pedestrian unfriendly except the downtown area, in design and in general attitude. I found I had to fold and finally get my driver's license after living for 31 years without one in NYC. Now I'm in my 40s and I've noticed the waistline has expanded and I've fallen in that non-walking trap.
By the way I do take Greyhound and Amtrak quite a bit rarely fly, unless it's uber cheap (which a lot of the times it's cheaper than Amtrak), used to love long distance driving and exploring (until gas prices shot that down this year), and I'm an avid fan of Mass transit, but I'm spoiled by NYC's Mass transit system.