Josh Richards is on a quest to cover every inch of New York City — with nothing more than a cup of coffee and his trusty Hokas.
The Bushwick resident has walked and ran across nearly 2,000 miles of the concrete jungle in just two years — getting an up-close-and-personal view of the Big Apple’s neighborhoods that even the most devoted New Yorkers will never get a chance to see.
“Every neighborhood has its own distinct charm,” Richards, 46, said. “For most people, they’re getting little snapshots of different places. I’m very fortunate to be getting this wide-ranging view of this place.”
Richards is following in the footsteps — literally and figuratively — of William Helmreich and Matt Green, both of whom had famously chronicled their schleps across the roughly 6,000 miles of Big Apple streets in the last decade.
But Richards, a Midtown vegan restaurant general manager, is stepping up the pace: he can more often be seen running, and clocks in as much as a whopping 80 miles per weekend.
“I walk at a pace of about 4-miles per hour. I’m definitely in the 99th percentile of New Yorkers,” he noted.
The fast-footed jogger has already checked off most of Brooklyn, the lower half of Manhattan and the trendy western side of Queens — mostly because every walk starts from his front door in Bushwick.
Katherine Donlevy
“When I leave the house, I usually have no idea where I’m going. I’ll just start walking or running and once I’m going in a certain direction and I know an area I haven’t covered yet I’ll make my way out there,” said Richards.
“I’ve gotten to the point where if I leave the house it’s about 4 miles until I hit anything new.”
That’s not to say he doesn’t have a methodology: Richards typically sets out down a straightaway avenue for several miles before turning around and weaving his way through the side streets.
For coastal areas, like the College Point peninsula and the entirety of Staten Island, the vegan runner prefers to start on the outside perimeter and work his way inside.
Some paths include more detailed planning — Richards intends to participate in the upcoming marathon because it’s the only time of year the Verrazano Bridge is open to foot traffic.
Richards’ approach also involves plenty of jaywalking — which has led to several altercations with horn-honking drivers throughout his two-year journey.
“I’ve had a knife pulled on me, I’ve been spat in the face,” Richards claimed, adding that honking is one of his biggest pet peeves.
“It’s so insanely inconsiderate of anyone else around you. It doesn’t do anything! If you’re sitting at a red light and just honking your horn, the cars in front of you can’t move!”
But arguments and horn honkers are barely a blip on Richards’ radar — he said he prefers to concentrate on the people he’s met, the hugs he’s offered to strangers and, of course, the exhilaration of exploring a new neighborhood.
He especially appreciates the serenity of Brooklyn Heights and the history of Greenwood Cemetery — but Richards’ favorite part of his brisk-paced walks is stopping to appreciate the architecture of churches and religious institutions.
“I’ve been in love with New York since I arrived — since the first day I ever spent here. I was just bowled over: the energy of this place, the beauty of it,” Richards said, who moved to Brooklyn in 2012.
Originally from Ohio, Richards has lived across the globe, clocking time in Florida, Arizona, Colorado and California — notably living in cities that were unwalkable.
The accessibility of New York City was a major draw for the transplant, who had already explored hundreds of city streets in the last decade via bicycle before starting the mission on foot.
Despite conquering roughly one-quarter of the Big Apple in just two years, Richards has significantly slowed down in recent weeks — in part thanks to the hustle of a new job. But his mission has given him a new appreciation of even streets he routinely passes.
“When I’m in my own neighborhood, I’ll notice something I’ve nothing noticed before. You can never truly absorb it all,” Richards said.
“For me, it’s just fun. If I were to get hit by a bus next week and I don’t get to complete it, that’s too bad, but it’s alright in the grand scheme of things,” he continued.