it's the only excercise I get! I love walking, often put in 5-6 miles on a Saturday or Sunday. don't own car, so part necessity but nice to skip mass transit if you have the time. I get the part about wanting to experience the outdoors, feel safe, etc. but I too pretty much always listen to music on earphones when walking alone. I don't play a ton of music at home, so walking is really the time when I do get to focus on music. can also put the volume higher than I ever could in our apartment. I'm sure my ears are the worse for where.
I find I know the city much better than my friends by constantly walking it, I'm always telling them about places that have opened or closed, different neighborhoods, etc. I find lots of great photo ops just walking the streets.
I love to daydream, so walking and listening to music is the perfect formula.