CRAVING CONNECTION:

At the height of the pandemic, walks became a daily serotonin boost for many. Walking even got a sexy rebrand from the TikTok crowd, complete with "hot-girl walk" accessories and a Spotify playlist. Now it's become a group activity, as walkers look to expand their social horizons. Instagram and TikTok have helped the "girls who walk" trend reach cities including Washington, D.C., Cincinnati, Houston, Miami, Dallas, Nashville, San Francisco, Phoenix and Philadelphia. Groups meet weekly and some draw hundreds of attendees.

While walking groups might bring to mind women of a certain age power-walking and gossiping with neighbors, these newly formed clubs are drawing younger city dwellers looking to make new connections.

"It can be hard to make friends in a big city, especially during the winter when you're inside for weeks on end," said Micaila Marcinko, a 25-year-old Chicago native who started Chicago Girls Who Walk last March. "This is pretty easy. You just show up and walk."

Ms. Kohn said she was walk-skeptical growing up, always turning down her mom's invitations to stroll while on vacation. But now she's an evangelist. 

Many of the women at her walking group in New York said they attended for the social component.  Darinka Sutic, 29, said she had just moved to Jersey City, N.J., from Kansas for a job promotion and didn't have many friends in the area. She struck up a conversation with Karen Benedetto, a 23-year-old advertiser who was also trying City Girls Who Walk for the first time. 

"I've been staring at this on TikTok for like a year and my roommate is out of town this weekend so that was my excuse to come," said Ms. Benedetto. 

Leanna Peters-Williams, 38, learned about the group on Instagram and has attended roughly 10 walks.  

"It really feels like a community," said Ms. Peters-Williams, who was there with her 10-year-old daughter and her medical aide.  

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