Karen Little has been living large and traveling miles upon miles through Hudson County and beyond with her husband Phil and their many fellow kick scooting enthusiasts. She learned about the alternative means of travel from Bert Cebular, owner of New York City’s www.NYCeWheels.com, several years ago. When they began to discuss the virtues of kick scooting she picked up the habit – nay, obsession – herself.
She became so enthralled by the kick scooter that she began her own website devoted to it.
So what is a kick scooter?
Think small, rather unwieldy child’s Razor scooter on steroids, with modified wheels and foot boards to accommodate the larger feet and lesser mobility of adults. Particularly, Little said, adults over the age of 60.
“Kick scooting extends your walking experience, especially for older people like myself and my husband,” Little told the Reporter from the Hilton Head leg of her North Carolina-Georgia-Florida kick scooting tour. She and Phil have been to countless places with their scooters, from up and down the Jersey side of the Hudson River to Texas and New Orleans to a Canadian cruise.
“I have a very bad back, and I would never be able to go to any of these places without my kick scooters,” she said.
The trend that crossed the Hudson
“Kick scooting is very popular in New York City,” Weehawken resident Little said. “There is a remarkably active community there, which is where I first got the idea.”
She began researching online and speaking to other kick scooter fans. But just as she was about to purchase her own, she broke her arm.
It took her a year to recover. Then she bought her first scooter – and eventually added five more.
Last June she started her website, LetsKickScoot.com. An avid blogger and freelance writer, Little’s site came naturally to her, and she began to document her and her husband’s adventures.
The articles Little has posted on the site detail, photo-journalistic style, all the places they’ve visited; most relevantly, a four-mile section along the Hudson River Walkway.
On the site, she describes the trip that’s “essentially tailor-made for kick scooting” which begins at Boulevard East and Pershing right by Charrito’s Restaurant in Weehawken, and ends at the City Place shopping complex in Edgewater. She recommends taking in the 9-11 Memorial, the Ferry Terminal, and of course, the view of the Hudson with its ship traffic along the way.
“One of the great things about kick scooting is that you can easily get on and off,” Little said. “You can stop, take a picture, or grab a bite.”
The scooters conveniently fold up, she said, and riders don’t even have to worry about finding places to park them as they would with bicycles.
She and Phil regularly kick scoot over to the West New York waterfront from their Boulevard East home for ice cream or dinner. “And the best part is we don’t have to worry about the ice cream, because we work it off afterwards,” she said.
“It’s great for people of all ages, but particularly for those who might feel a little cautious about getting around.” – Karen Little
___________
Kick scooting vs. walking
Because Little has a back condition, the length of time she is able to walk around is limited. “I’d walk for a maximum of 45 minutes and then have to sit down,” she said. This prevented her from visiting places she’d always wanted to see, since committed tourism requires quite a bit of walking.
The way certain adult kick scooters are designed, they stand on their own and do not need to be propped up. People hold the handlebars when they ride them, Little explained, which alleviates back stress and provides support.
She and Phil kick scoot all over Brooklyn with their three grandchildren – ages 5, 6, and 7. While Little finds kick scooters a helpful way for the more mature crowd to get around, she has proof that they are fun and appropriate for any age.
“My grandkids fight us for a turn,” Little said, “and they easily maneuver them, even though they’re larger than children’s scooters.”
Kick scooting has become a central part of her and her husband’s lives, and she urges anyone who may question their ability to go out and see the world to consider it.
“It’s great for people of all ages, but particularly for those who might feel a little cautious about getting around,” Little said. “It inspires people to be active and cover much more ground than if they’d been walking.”
To follow Little on her kick scooting adventures, visit www.letskickscoot.com.
Gennarose Pope may be reached at gpope@hudsonreporter.com.