Walkable, pedestrian-friendly parts of NOVA? (Arlington, Alexandria: house, buy, movies)

[michgc]

I agree. I do not like walking through parking lots - especially with three children! Parking lots are dangerous with cars backing out, and you have to keep very alert at all times. Plus I have no interest in looking at other people's cars. I much prefer sidewalks or a walking trail. And I like passing others who are walking by on the sidewalk.

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

"Personally, I kind of like walking through parking lots. I deliberately park at the far end when I go to stores because I like walking through the lot, checking out the cars. "

Thats interesting. I think you are in the minority though. I don't like walking through parking lots. I find looking at parked cars boring. I find the appearance unattractive - even if individual cars are attractive, the clutter of mismatched colors and styles is not. They are exposed to wind, sun and temp extremes (and usually lack tree cover to avoid having tree stuff fall on precious cars). I prefer looking in shop windows. I also find the human gatherings on sidewalks just as interesting as those in parking lots.

Of course if you live somewhere where the parking lot is the only place people gather, thats different.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

"Don't kids always want to see the other side of tracks at some point? Growing up in the suburbs, I always envied city kids who had the whole city at their disposal!"

I grew up in brooklyn (no surprise, I guess). As a teen I loved having the whole city at my disposal. I did want to leave NY - to see Boston, California, Paris. Not to see the suburbs (which I could get enough of by doing an excursion on the LIRR anyway)

I still feel that way to some extent today - but when I get a craving for a "walkable" environment, I go downtown or to NYC or a foreign city. You want really walkable - visit London, Montreal or Barcelona! I don't think I'd really feel differently if I were living a block or two from Maple Avenue, Mt. Vernon Avenue, or Wilson Boulevard. Maybe King Street or some of the towns that Alicia Bradley mentioned (places like Evanston, IL), but even then I'm not sure.

That probably sounds condescending, but I really like many of the suburbs in this area as well and recognize that they may or may not appeal to others. I just have my own understanding of what they are, and what they aren't, and how they've developed over time.

[normie]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

I find the appearance unattractive - even if individual cars are attractive, the clutter of mismatched colors and styles is not. They are exposed to wind, sun and temp extremes (and usually lack tree cover to avoid having tree stuff fall on precious cars). I prefer looking in shop windows.

To each his own, I guess. I like looking at cars. I like looking at shop windows, too (especially if the strip mall has a dog grooming shop and you can see the animals in the window). I also like walking in wooded areas and looking at trees, and walking by yards and looking at landscaping. I like seeing a variety of things, I guess.

Maybe this is more of an issue with parking lots in older communities? It could be those older lots are more treacherous than the newer lots. These days, shopping plazas have wide sidewalks with landscaping that go through the lots, (as well as sidewalks along the shops so you can look in the windows) so it's not so dangerous.

I was intrigued by the argument about "the clutter of mismatched colors and styles" when it comes to cars in a parking lot. LOL, is it really so different from looking at mismatched colors and styles that you're bound to see looking in the windows of 10 different stores? Plus, I thought variety was good--that's why we're supposed to hate the cookie cutter look, right? Or is cookie cutter suddenly good when it comes to parking lots? Not trying to be difficult, just giving some food for thought.

Anyway, the important thing is to each his own. This becomes a matter of taste, and the point of the thread is whether or not an area is walkable... not which areas appeal to you. IMO, a neighborhood is just as walkable if you're walking along the sidewalk that leads to a strip mall as it is if you're walking along a sidewalk that leads to any other kind of stores.

[brooklynborndad]

"I like looking at shop windows, too (especially if the strip mall has a dog grooming shop and you can see the animals in the window)."

If you are proceeding directly on your way down a street, you do not see in the shop windows in the strip mall, you have to veer off the main sidewalk path to do that. The main sidewalk path is between the parking lot and the street.

"LOL, is it really so different from looking at mismatched colors and styles that you're bound to see looking in the windows of 10 different stores?"

If you walking along you look in one store at a time, and unless its some hippy dippy vintage store, usually the look inside is not cluttered. For cars, I am referrring to looking at the parking lot overall - which yes, is unattrative, in part due to the clutter of vehicles. I am not thinking of walking along, stopping and looking at each vehicle in turn. If THAT is what you like to do, why I suppose there is no better place than a parking lot. But of course a neo urban shopping center (see Shirlington) will STILL let you do that - you just have to go to the parking lot BEHIND the shops. Or go into a parking garage (if you dont like the fumes, go to the roof deck) and enjoy looking at cars there.

[brooklynborndad]

"This becomes a matter of taste, and the point of the thread is whether or not an area is walkable... not which areas appeal to you. "

Except part of what makes an area walkable for almost everyone, is enough other pedestrians to make the area feel safe from a crime perspective. And if its unappealing, there won't be those others. A walkable area is a place that gets people to walk. If no one WANTS to walk, because of aesthetic considerations, its not AS walkable. And again, its not a binary. Its HOW walkable it is.

[normie]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

A walkable area is a place that gets people to walk. If no one WANTS to walk, because of aesthetic considerations, its not AS walkable. And again, its not a binary. Its HOW walkable it is.

The original question was what neighborhoods are walkable. And clearly, gauging by the different responses on this thread, different people have different ideas of what is aesthetic. Which leads us back to the definition that a walkable area can be determined if you see lots of people walking there. I see plenty of people walking to the strip mall where I live, so I guess they must consider it attractive enough to walk there--even though they have to look at a parking lot.

[normie]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

"I like looking at shop windows, too (especially if the strip mall has a dog grooming shop and you can see the animals in the window)."

If you are proceeding directly on your way down a street, you do not see in the shop windows in the strip mall, you have to veer off the main sidewalk path to do that. The main sidewalk path is between the parking lot and the street.

You're taking a walk for exercise, right? So, if you like looking in windows, you aren't required to walk along the road. Why not veer of the main sidewalk, walk an extra 100 feet and look in the store windows? The have nice sidewalks you can walk along in front of the stores.

[brooklynborndad]

"You're taking a walk for exercise, right? "

Not necessarily. I am often walking to get somewhere. Though I still want the walk to be pleasant.

[brooklynborndad]

"I see plenty of people walking to the strip mall where I live, so I guess they must consider it attractive enough to walk there--even though they have to look at a parking lot."

maybe. Or maybe there is no more attractive alternative available in the area.

[normie]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

If you walking along you look in one store at a time, and unless its some hippy dippy vintage store, usually the look inside is not cluttered.

OK, gotcha. "Attractive" to you means "neatly arranged." Makes sense. That's not my particular sense of attractiveness, but then again I'm the type of person who enjoys walking through woods (unarranged) just as much as I enjoy walking through gardens (arranged). To each his own.

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

Or go into a parking garage (if you dont like the fumes, go to the roof deck) and enjoy looking at cars there.

LOL, sometimes I do that! Extra bonus for walking up to the parking garage roof: You get a killer view from the top. The drawback, of course, is sometimes the stairs in a parking garage are dangerous--so I just go to a few I know well. My favorite is the Fountain Parking Garage at Reston Town Center, where you can see a great view, particularly on July 4th when you can see the fireworks from there. Then, when you walk back down, you've burned off enough calories to walk over to the frozen yogurt stand for a treat.