Subscribe to Chris Arnade's Substack - https://walkingtheworld.substack.com/
Who is Chris Arnade!
He started as a physicist, earning a PHD from Johns Hopkins and then took to Wall St spending two decades on an elite trading desk at CitiGroup before disillusioning his well dressed allies to engage in the photography, walking and writing of the great and forgotten cities of this world.
He is a best selling author, but as well… a best subscribed substacker!
'Chris Arnade Walks The World' is the publications name…
And in it, Chris lives up to the title.
Japan, Europe, China, Australia, The Faroe Islands, Canada, the expansive US of A, Turkey, Korea, Indonesia even Uzbekistan (which gets a special mention in this podcast). Cities within all of these great nations and many more, Chris has trod and documented.
His format is slow and empathetic. Chris will embark on several 20-30km journeys at his location, take photos and then report on his walk.
I can’t remember how long I’ve been subscribed, although it feels like years, but the other day I woke up to an email which detailed Chris’s initial impressions of Sydney! I replied to the email right away, and just a few hours later was guiding him along the Malabar to Bondi trail. Steve and I - guiding Chris from the area I grew up to the most iconic beach in Australia.
That was a special serendipity which came out of no-where and furthermore, led to this podcast today...
- 00:00 Introduction to Chris Arnade — physicist, Wall Street trader, turned global walker/writer.
- 02:00 First impressions of Sydney — “child of LA and London,” with beaches, pubs, suburbs, and good living.
Sydney Observations
- 03:40 Sydney’s trains: efficient, sprawling, but designed to avoid beaches.
- 06:00 Sydney friendliness vs. UK cynicism — “Australians are like puppy dogs, eager to please.”
- 09:30 Suburbs as “democratized manors,” good life for the average person, housing affordability issues.
- 13:00 Housing supply constraints, coastline beauty, and why Sydney isn’t as bad as people think.
Walking & Method
- 16:30 From physics & Wall Street to walking: walks as stress relief, learning, meditation.
- 20:30 Spreadsheet brain → toy models → refining worldview through walking.
- 22:30 Cities that defied expectations: Tashkent & Jakarta.
Global Perspectives
- 25:30 Africa’s challenges: Nigeria & Dakar as examples of dysfunction despite resources.
- 29:00 Australia’s weak ties with Indonesia, lack of Indonesians in Sydney, food culture, overlapping economic models.
- 33:30 Chinese-Indonesian business dominance — parallels to Jews, Lebanese, minorities elsewhere.
- 36:00 High-trust vs. low-trust societies: Japan as the archetype.
Culture & Writing
- 41:30 Why he avoids fame, prefers anonymity, but respects subscribers deeply.
- 44:00 Pressure to deliver as a Substack writer — treating it like a job.
- 47:00 Writing inspiration, uninspired cities (Bangkok), and the challenges of always producing.
- 53:00 Strong opinions drive traffic
Dignity & Underclass
- 55:00 “Dignity” project in the US — underclass and addiction.
Personal Life
- 56:20 Family and frugality
- 58:50 Why he doesn’t read other travel writers
Philosophy & Serendipity
- 01:04:50 Serendipity? “I don’t believe in coincidence.”
- 01:07:00 Country he’s most bullish on
- 01:09:00 Next destinations