I'm American and I take walks all the time. I rather enjoy walking quite a bit. My favorite was when I used to live in Chicago. The never ending expanse of sidewalk and streets meant I could leave my apartment, and just walk ... for hours. I used to walk home from work at the Field Museum, just because I enjoyed it. Although I guess that doesn't fit his definition of "just taking a walk", as about 3 hours later I'd arrive at a destination, my apartment.
One of the biggest things I missed when I loved form NYC to the Phoenix area was the option to walk places.
In New York I would take the A train from Washington Heights to Columbus Circle, and either walk up to the Metropolitan Museum, or down to the Village. It was endlessly entertaining, with sights and sounds to fill the mind.
