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First of all, I never said that American people don't leave their house, it just that every time they do so they get in the car - no matter where they're going. In Europe, however, most people who live in urban areas walk or ride their bike while running errands, meeting up with friends, shopping and so on. Hence the liveliness of EU-cities.
No why is that? First of all because everything in America is far away and there are almost no bike/pedestrian roads. (Yes I'm positive that you can dig up a few pictures of an American bike road, but in Europe they are everywhere.)
Reason number two is all the idiotic restrictions that applies in America. E.g. you can not have a few beers on a blanket in the park with your friends without getting harassed by the police. Not to mention puffing on a joint with your mates, god forbid! Just look at all the rules on the sign at the end of the movie I posted. Ridiculous! Are you allowed to have a soda in the park??
Reason number three for America being deserted is the climate, it's simply not comfortable being outside in the summertime in the US - it's to hot and humid. This is why instead of strolling downtown on a nice day, meeting up with friends on a cozy street cafe or a blanket in the park, Americans take the SUV to the nearest mall and sits in some franchised restaurant with AC instead. Charming!
I've been to Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Houston and loads more US-cities, and none can be compared with the vibrant street life of Berlin, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Paris, Stockholm, etc...
The reason NYC don't count is that it's the last lively outpost of America, and does not represent the rest of the country at all. But London still beats NYC hands down people-wise.
It's interesting that some people get very offended and think that I hate America. Not at all. I just think it's a tad deserted, which is sad. I'm surprised by the stir it creates in here though, especially since it's such an obvious fact I'm stating.
EDIT: Sorry about the grammar in the subject line. It might come as chock to some of you, but not everyone in the world have English as first language.
Your analysis of America is very biased. You don't take in account that people prefer the American lifestyle, just cause you see more ppl walking the crowded streets in Europe doesn't mean it's better. Parks in America are mainly used for recreation (in the suburbs), people go to have a big area to play football or soccer, or use the baseball fields, tennis courts, basket ball courts and for the kids to use the play ground, etc. You don't see random people sitting on a blanket hanging out that much in American suburban parks because most people have their own back yards, were they can invite people over, sit out on the deck, swim in the pool, have a BBQ, and drink as much alcohol as they want.
America literally has all kinds of climates so that has nothing to do with it.
Even though I live in Orlando (a very spread out metro), most of our roads have bike lanes, and all have side walks, and their are multiple biking/ jogging trails throughout the metro. People in the US may not walk to work but many still walk/jog daily. You go out in the evening/morning you will see many people taking walks/jogs around the neighborhood before or after work. And we have just as much out door malls/town centers here than indoor. You will see these outdoor places crowded with people every day. There's nothing wrong with being spread out and having room to breath. People still have friends and hangout with them like they do in Europe. I prefer this lifestyle over the crowded lifestyle in Europe any day.
And yes NYC does count. It doesn't matter if other US cities aren't the same. NY is an AMERICAN city, it's Americas premier city, it counts. It just shows that you can have a true urban lifestyle in America too if you want. Most major cities in the US have decent urban cores anyways, with urban parks that are crowded like in Europe because of the lack of private yards in the city.
Just an observation: When I studied for 4 months in Florence Italy, I walked through Piazza dell'Indipendenza every day. And, I never saw large crowds in that park.
Just an observation: When I studied for 4 months in Florence Italy, I walked through Piazza dell'Indipendenza every day. And, I never saw large crowds in that park.
Parks need to built where people live and work. I've never seen a deserted park in the northeast. Boston Common/Public Gardens/Franklin Park/ the Esplanade are always teaming with people, all day, all weather. I mean Central Park, c'mon. Even in my native Springfield, MA, Forest Park [the largest park in New England] is well utilized by the region's residents.
Given that the rest of the country was built the car, people don't live in tight urabn areas anymore, and as a consequence own property and a yard-they don't need parks like we do in the north east. But even in Northeastern suburbs, people still use parks all the time to congragate. I mean I live in a subrub, but we have a gorgeous park a 10 min walk away, and I go there once a month to walk the wooded trails, bike ride, and there are always people there utilizing the open space. Plus the town programs a lot of events there throughout the summer.
Well no, that's not right. Maybe you should visit Lincoln Park in Chicago, Forest Park in St Lou, the Minneapolis Grand Rounds, Lake Park in Milwaukee, Balboa Park in San Diego, Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, City Park in Denver, to name a few...
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