On our trip back in March we took (as usual) our sit-n-stand stroller for our DDs (5 & 10). Since we have been lucky enough to go regularly, we take our time at the parks, but we also normally stay til closing. So the stroller very much comes in handy, if either DD gets tired, we do not have to stop to rest, they just hop in and we continue on. If we need to get somewhere at a quicker pace, I make sure the youngest is in the stroller and off we go. We love the storage use of it(I dislike a backpack) and in no way do we find it as an inconvenience on buses etc. All I can tell you is that when we are waiting for the bus or are on it, that our DDs are not the ones having a melt down from being too tired. Plus; I would go nuts walking at our youngest DDs pace
I am going to show my age here, but for those old enough to have seen the Carol Burnett show(my parents favorite), Tim Conway would play this old man, where he would just shuffle his feet and move at a snail pace. Well, I think he may actually beat my DD in a race
We do what is best for our family and do not really care about what others may think.