I ran every street in Manhattan — it took me one year & 750+ miles.
On December 19th, I finished running every single block of every street and avenue in Manhattan. It took me all year and covered roughly 750 miles, not including the times I had to double back.
On this date in 1954, 65-year old Thomas Keane finished walking every street in Manhattan, a feat that the New York Times included coverage of. Fifty years later to the day, Columbia University librarian Caleb Smith repeated Keane’s accomplishment. After running two miles down Madison Avenue, I carried on a tradition that has now lasted for almost 70 years, bringing my pointless but difficult quest to run every street in Manhattan to a close.
To my surprise, my partner Maddie notified the Mayor’s office who issued me a Citation to recognize the accomplishment. Triumphant, I celebrated with friends afterwards and grabbed a drink — what else, but a Manhattan?
As far as I can tell, not many people have taken on this challenge — probably fewer than a dozen. There was Bill Helmreich who did it not once, but twice. More recently, Keith Taillon took on the challenge during the pandemic and documented his journey on Instagram. Matthew Green might be the only person to have traversed all five boroughs of New York City. But these three didn’t continue the tradition of finishing on December 19th.
I can’t seem to find a record of anyone ever running every street in Manhattan, or keeping a log of their physical location data, GPX data, as evidence — although I’m sure someone else is out there who has done it before I did. The world may never know.
I moved to New York City on New Year’s day 2022 and began my quest to run every street about a year later. My morning runs are time to explore — when I visit a new city, I love to go on a long run as a means of acquainting myself. After repeatedly running the same route along the waterfront edge of lower Manhattan, I wanted to acquaint myself better. I took to Soho one morning, followed by West Village. Wouldn’t it be fun to trace every street here? After doing so in the West Village, it only made sense to do the same in the East. So on and so forth.
People often ask about my favorite neighborhood, but honestly, I don’t have a particular one. What’s striking to me are the unexpected details and surprises that each area offers. Discovering the existence of 6 ½ Avenue. Stumbling upon George Washington’s “country” home, the Ghostbusters’ firehouse, or Bailey’s mansion (of P.T. Barnum & Bailey’s). Noticing the Star of David on Chinatown building facades and learning about the neighborhood’s shifting demographics. Seeing Raos, the restaurant, and realizing the sauce must have come from there.
I worry that eagle-eyed critiques will look at my map and notice the very few blocks I haven’t run. Szold Place. Baruch Dr/Lillian Wald Dr. The block of vandal St between Varick & Hudson. The strip of Walker st between Church St & 6th ave.
Some of these were missed because I was less careful to be thorough as I was first starting out. Some were missed because of safety — I didn’t run Tunnel Entrance St because there is no sidewalk, and I didn’t want to get hit by a car. Some were missed because I wasn’t permitted to enter — the last block on the east side of E14th, E15th, and E16th is owned by ComEd, and despite my best efforts, the security guard would not be persuaded to let me in.
I’ve run Roosevelt Island, but not Randall’s Island and not Governor’s island. Would you expect me to run Liberty Island or Ellis Island? I’m aware that Marble Hill is part of Manhattan, but have not run it — not yet. I defined this quest as running every street of Manhattan Island, not the borough of Manhattan.
I think part of the magic of running “every street in Manhattan’’ comes from knowing that someone was careful enough to run every single nook & cranny and trusting that claim to be true. But I also think it’s okay for a production to have reasonable imperfections. Many consider the hands and landscape of the Mona Lisa to be unfinished. I’d speculate that others who have claimed to have walked or run every street in Manhattan, without precise GPX data to back up their claims, likely missed a block or two along the way. Manhattan’s streets can surprise you.
You can find a map here with most of my photos across Manhattan, but a few are featured below.
