Boardwalk VS. Promenade

Yesterday, I was talking to a friend and I was trying to describe a place that I had recently been. The location is along the lake and has beautiful sidewalks that follow along the lakefront. I had a hard time finding the right word for these "sidewalks." I wanted to call them boardwalks but I was afraid it was the wrong word. This confusion sparked a conversation that went from discussing boardwalks to discussing Bruce Springstein to discussing famous people being political to discussing Oprah to discussing...

It's so wonderful to have a friend that I'm comfortable enough with to just let conversation wander.

Anyways, ever since that conversation, I've been wondering if a boardwalk actually has to be made of boards or if it could be concrete. I've wondered if it has to be along a body of water. And, I've wondered if I've ever been on a boardwalk since I really wasn't sure what one was.

Well, I looked it up. Thanks to dictionary.com...

board·walk
[bawrd-wawk, bohrd-]
–noun
1. a promenade made of wooden boards, usually along a beach or shore.
2. any walk made of boards or planks.

That definition made me wonder what a promenade was...

prom·e·nade
(prŏm'ə-nād', -näd')
-noun

1. A leisurely walk, especially one taken in a public place as a social activity.
2. A public place for such walking.
3. A formal dance; a ball.
4. A march of all the guests at the opening of a ball.
5. A formal dance; a ball.
6. A march of all the guests at the opening of a ball.
7. A square-dance figure in which couples march counterclockwise in a circle.

So, Deanna, the place I was describing is not a boardwalk, it's a promenade. See, our wandering conversations can lead to some learning! I highly recommend going for a walk on the promenade. While you're there, you've gotta stop by the greatest coffeeshop in the area. And, while your at it, you might as well ride the streetcar too...it'll only cost you a quarter. Just don't tell anyone you went walking on the promenade...in these parts, they might think you're a little snobby for using such scholarly language!

One last thing, if your wondering why the conversation led to Bruce Springsteen, click here and here.