My world was very different three years ago, as I was finishing up my fifth year using a Fitbit. I had just added 45 new 10,000 step days, my third best year to date, and, with upcoming trips to Boston and California already on the docket, things were looking good to add a good number more and add some new tales to this list of my Top 25 step days. Then, the corona virus happened, the world basically shut down for the next year or so, and I stopped needing to leave the house. I’ve worked from home since March of 2020, which theoretically gives me plenty of free time to go out for walks, but, in practice, leaves me homebound more often than not. All told, I managed only thirteen 10,000 step days for the just completed eighth year of Fitbit usage, which, granted, is better than the prior two years combined, and gives me a total of 283 since I started keeping track back in 2011. With that in mind, here’s the list of my Top 25 step days, which has now stayed static for three years.
1: 4/14/2018 – 27,470 steps
My best single day total is from my April 2017 trip to New York to see Angelina. The day’s excursions included trips to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the Museum of the City of New York, Central Park, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Empire State Building.
2: 7/21/2018 – 27,278 steps
My July 2017 trip to Virginia, to hike up Catawba Mountain to McAfee Knob with Jeff and Val, fell just short of the top spot.
3: 6/6/2013 – 24,988 steps
2013’s trip to Disney World, which spent 5 years as my single day best, included excursions to both Epcot Center and the Magic Kingdom, and yes, falling 12 steps short of 25,000 still irks me.
4: 6/3/2019 – 24,665 steps
The first full day of 2019’s summer trip to Washington DC spent most of the day at the Smithsonian Zoo.
5: 8/8/2019 – 23,866 steps
Late in the summer of 2019, I spent two weeks in San Francisco for a work trip. On my last full day, I went out after work, walking to Pier 39 and then back the other direction to Oracle Park to see the Giants take on the Phillies. My totals would have been even higher, but I was dead tired and took an Uber back to the hotel after the game.
6: 3/18/2018 – 23,780 steps
My first day in Las Vegas for the 2017 IBM Think conference, the day’s totals include gallivanting around town, including a late night trip up to Caesar’s Palace from the MGM Grand to see Absinthe.
7: 10/24/2018 – 23,362 steps
My October 2018 trip to Boston to see Angelina for our birthday gives us our next entry. While she was in class, I took tours of Fenway Park and Harvard, before meeting up with her for a late lunch and then heading to the airport for the trip home.
8: 3/22/2016 – 22,493 steps
My one-time second highest day took place during the ill-fated trip to Disney World in March of 2016. The day’s excursion started at Hollywood Studios before heading over to Epcot Center with Jeff and Val.
9: 7/27/2013 – 20,592 steps
Still my highest total at home in the state of Illinois, the next entry comes thanks to the 2013 BTN 5K and a, for lack of a better word, misunderstanding about where I should be picked up after the race.
10: 12/29/2018 – 20,374 steps
We wrap up the top 10 with 2018’s trip to California and the trip to Disneyland to see Danny perform with the Lincoln-Way Marching Band.
11: 8/5/2017 – 20,218 steps
The next entry came in August of 2017 on the first day of my trip to Boston with Danny and Michael. After landing in town, we traipsed to the Science Museum, a breakfast joint, our hotel, and, finally, Fenway Park.
12: 7/14/2017 – 20,208 steps
Down to #12 is my 2017 trip to Disney World, a one day journey with Angelina to celebrate her high school graduation.
13: 9/19/2017 – 20,028 steps
My final 20,000 step day had a myriad of activities. First was the latest edition of the Sprint and Stride, followed by a trip to Best Buy with Val to buy a new TV, then off to her apartment to install the new TV, and, finally, Season Ticket Holder Family Night at Wrigley Field.
14: 11/11/2017 – 19,590 steps
Our next entry came thanks to 2017’s fall trip to California to see Angelina skate. This day was spent in Anaheim at Disneyland.
15: 10/23/2018 – 19,312 steps
Another entry from 2018’s trip to Boston to see Angelina for our birthday, which included a Garbage concert for good measure.
16: 6/2/2016 – 18,725 steps
Day #16 comes from June 2016’s trip to Universal Studios. Our first full day at the park, we split the day between Universal and Islands of Adventure, taking in all of the different Harry Potter options.
17: 6/4/2016 – 18,617 steps
Our next entry is also from the June 2016 trip to Universal Studios. The day included another trip to Islands of Adventure, and would have ended up even higher but for an afternoon trip to the hotel pool.
18: 6/21/2017 – 18,290 steps
My 3rd highest day in the state of Illinois was a normal day of work followed by a walk to and from the local neighborhood Starbucks.
19: 9/6/2015 – 18,259 steps
My now-nineteenth highest total comes courtesy of my trip to Toronto in September 2015. This Sunday consisted of traversing around Toronto, with trips to Royal Ontario Museum and, at night, the Molson Canadian Ampitheatre for the Oddball Comedy Fest.
20: 9/9/2018 – 18,043 steps
My trip to Belfast in September 2018 provided my next entry. Aside from travelling through the airport, the day also included a trip to Castle Ward to see some Game of Thrones sights.
21: 9/11/2015 – 17,889 steps
The next best total occurred during my trip to Toronto. My last day in the city was spent at the Eaton Centre mall, the Hockey Hall of Fame, and a few other stops.
22: 6/8/2013 – 17,852 steps
2013’s trip to Disney World is our next entry, this time for a day split between Animal Kingdom in the morning and Hollywood Studios in the afternoon.
23: 6/1/2016 – 17,243 steps
Our next entry comes courtesy of 2016’s trip to Universal. This first day of the trip started in Chicago at O’Hare and took us to the Hard Rock Hotel for check-in and a round of mini-golf at City Walk before taking a quick trip in the afternoon to Islands of Adventure to reacquaint ourselves with the original Harry Potter attractions.
24: 12/28/2018 – 17,213 steps
The 2018 New Year’s trip to California provides our next entry. This, our first day, consisted of a walk down Hollywood Blvd. to take in the Walk of Fame.
25: 2/7/2019 – 17,102 steps
We wrap things up my 2019 trip to Hawaii, on the day I visited Pearl Harbor.