With all due respect, I must disagree with your disagreement! Although it is true that Nikhil's anecdote is subjective, he did not rely on it as proof of the usefulness of geometry in everyday life - he merely demonstrated it. Nikhil's real point was that geometry can be used to make everyday decisions - like jaywalking - more efficient and worthwhile. And, while it is fair to question his assumptions, his calculations are sound: if he assumed that the crosswalks were perfect squares and the diagonal was the hypotenuse, then the Pythagorean theorem absolutely applies.
To further emphasize why Nikhil's conclusion is accurate, consider this: even if his assumptions were off or he didn't know the exact size of the crosswalks, his estimation still resulted in a nearly 30% increase in efficiency. If anything, this illustrates how geometry can be applied to real-world situations and prove useful even with imperfect measurements. In other words, not only was Nikhil's experience proof of the usefulness of geometry, but it was a testament to the power of estimation!
At the very least, we can all agree that Nikhil was a baller for making the most of his jaywalking experience by calculating his efficiency and basking in the glory of a near-30% increase in jaywalking power. UrRong if you don't see that!