A walk for weather & climate science

Walking 250 miles from NYC to DC

From May 23 to June 3, I walked up to 52 miles per day, interviewing scientists from 10 research institutions between NYC and DC. Follow along my journey by scrolling below!

By Syl Foisy · June 12, 2026 Syl Foisy

The journey

Last spring, I set out from Central Park and walked to Washington, D.C. On foot, the whole way: 270.4 miles, to carry one simple message to the people who set its budget. Weather and climate science is worth funding.

Along the route I stopped to meet climate and weather scientists, sitting down with each of them to talk about the work they do and why it matters. Scroll through the stops below, and the map will trace the path with you.

Stop 1: Central Park

The starting line.

Setting out from Central Park was a deliberate choice, standing at the heart of the city before taking the first steps of a 270-mile journey. The energy during the send-off was incredible.

You can add a quick caption or transition text here if you want to introduce the video recap below.

Write your concluding thoughts for this stop here. Talk about what stuck with you, the conversations you had right before hitting the pavement, or a teaser for heading toward Stop 02.

Stop 2: City Hall Park

Met Allegra LeGrande and Hikaru Hayakawa.

Add a few sentences about this stop: the conversation, what you saw, what stuck with you as you met up with Allegra and Hikaru.

You can include a brief caption or extra context about filming in the rain here before the video layout.

Write any concluding thoughts for City Hall Park here before the narrative moves on to the next leg of the trek.

Stop 3: Sayreville, NJ

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Stop 4: Monmouth Battle Monument

Met Alan Robock.

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Stop 5: North Brunswick Township, NJ

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Stop 6: South Brunswick Township, NJ

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Stop 7: NOAA GFDL

Met Nadir Jeevanjee, Mitch Bushuk, Timothy Merlis, and Bernadette Woods Placky.

[Add a few sentences about this stop: the conversation, what you saw, what stuck with you.]

Stop 8: Lawrence Township, NJ

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Stop 9: Trenton, NJ

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Stop 10: Bensalem, PA

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Stop 11: Temple University

Met Rebecca Beadling.

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Stop 12: Chester, PA

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Stop 13: Rowan University

Met Charles Schutte.

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Stop 14: Radnor Green Park

Met Andra J. Garner and Lauren Kipp.

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Stop 15: Wilmington Fire Station

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Stop 16: University of Delaware

Met Kelsey Malloy.

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Stop 17: North East, MD

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Stop 18: Aberdeen, MD

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Stop 19: White Marsh, MD

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Stop 20: Baltimore, MD

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Stop 21: Grist Mill Walking Bridge

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Stop 22: University of Maryland

Met Ross Salawitch and Rob Levy.

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Stop 23: U.S. Capitol

Press conference on the steps, with seven members of Congress.

[The arrival. After 270 miles on foot, the press conference and the speeches. Write the ending here.]

What comes next

[Reflection and forward look: what the walk changed, what you hope it sparked, and where the fight for science funding goes from here.]

Image from MODIS aboard NASA's Terra satellite (6/2/26)
Staten Island Ferry
0.0 mi
walked
MASSACHUSETTSCONNECTICUTNEW YORKPENNSYLVANIANEW JERSEYWEST VIRGINIADELAWAREMARYLANDVIRGINIA
Source: MODIS onboard Terra
Manhattan, NY
Image from MODIS aboard NASA's Terra satellite, taken on June 2nd. I'm somewhere near the star marking DC, lol!Image from MODIS aboard NASA's Terra satellite (6/2/26)