Seattle tops U.S. walkability for sightseers

What they did: British shoe company FitFlop chose five popular destinations in each of 30 U.S. cities, comparing distance, elevation, steps and Walk Score to find the winners, Travel + Leisure reported last week.

• In Seattle, those destinations included Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, Chihuly Garden and Glass, the Museum of Pop Culture and the Colman Dock ferry terminal, which can all be walked in a 1.4-mile loop.
• "In just 32 minutes, you can see all five top attractions and get about 3,360 steps in while you're at it," wrote Travel + Leisure.

What we're saying: That's cute, but now try going somewhere uphill on wet cobblestone with a coffee in one hand and a stroller in the other.

Reality check: It would be more accurate, some Reddit critics say, to call Seattle a highly walkable city for tourists who want to hit a few urban core highlights in one day.

• Seattle scores an average 74 out of 100 on Walk Score, placing it behind San Francisco, New York, Boston and Chicago.

• Only 44% of Emerald City residents live within walking distance of basic services, so many Seattle neighborhoods are still car-dependent and fall short of the "15-minute city" ideal, per Walk Score, a Redfin company that promotes walkable neighborhoods.
• That ideal calls for groceries, schools, parks and other essentials to be reachable within a 15-minute walk or bike ride from home.

What's next: Seattle is looking to boost walkability beyond downtown with a proposed citywide growth plan that would create neighborhood hubs, allow taller apartments near transit and shops, and cluster daily amenities within easy walking distance.