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Americans don't like the outdoors as much? Perhaps you heard of our National Park System? Do Yellowstone, Yosemite, Everglades, Grand Canyon ring a bell? State Parks too, my state is roughly the size of England but has a state park larger than Wales.
As for the suburbs, they are for people who want a nice yard and surroundings instead of living in a squalid overcrowded flat. And perhaps it is saying something about some of the European housing conditions that they spend so much time away from their home.
Americans don't like the outdoors as much? Perhaps you heard of our National Park System? Do Yellowstone, Yosemite, Everglades, Grand Canyon ring a bell? State Parks too, my state is roughly the size of England but has a state park larger than Wales.
As for the suburbs, they are for people who want a nice yard and surroundings instead of living in a squalid overcrowded flat. And perhaps it is saying something about some of the European housing conditions that they spend so much time away from their home.
That's the reason why parks were made in the first place, it allowed for safe sanitary conditions away from the confines of home.
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.
Last edited by Spider666; 07-02-2010 at 09:31 AM..
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.
Well, you can come up with all your reasons, but in simplest terms this is the reason why.
Quote:
Originally Posted by john_starks
why? because the suburbs own america
people love their space
Also, you are either blind or lying if you went to cities like Chicago, Boston, Philly, and Washington DC and did not find street life or active parks. I live near downtown Chicago, don't use a car, and I'm surrounded by active streets and parks. They may not be up to European standards, but they are far from dead either. Not everything is as black and white as you make it sound.
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.
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