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When you first visited a city that was the exact opposite of your own....either highly walkable or total sprawl....was it a big culture shock? Did you immediately love/hate this type of city entirely different from your own?
I remember going from Boston to Atlanta and LA when I was young and it was defintely a surprise to see just how different major cities can be when it comes to layout.
When I went to NYC earlier this year I was blown away by how different it was from Houston. It was great to walk out the front entrance of the hotel and hop on the subway and get to wherever I was going so easily.
I came from suburban Iowa to Chicago visiting when I was 17 visiting and almost wanted to cry. It was the best thing ever for me to just walk down the street and have tons of restuarants, a Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond, hotels, Pier 1, Barnes N Noble, shoe stores, food stores, Walgreens, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, etc. etc. etc. etc. all easily within walking distance of Diversey and Clark. Not to mention the people watching.
I quietly waited my 5 years finishing school, and moved right to that area in 2002. I'm still here and couldn't imagine myself anywhere else.
No, it was enjoyable. I grew up in a walkable neighborhood in Miami, and lived around walkable areas of metropolitan New York. When I moved to Phoenix, I enjoyed the change in being forced to drive everywhere. I was glad that I was in an area where I knew no matter where I went there was going to be a drive-thru or ample parking. I do, however, enjoy the neighborhood-style outdoor malls that are around the Phoenix area. You get a nice pedestrian experience without having to deal with crowded streets, dirt and grime, and smelly people.
I absolutely could not live in an area that is not walkable. Being able to walk to parks and to safely be able to jog and bicycle without the fear of getting run over is extremely important to me. Whether it's city,suburb or small town.
Have lived/worked in central urban settings (incl Manhattan) during my career....have always driven everywhere...from garage at my home to garage at office; to dinner a few blks away....and drive to suburbs on wkends if need to run errands
Prefer safety, convenience, comfort and pleasure of driving own car vs any other mode of transport in any urban region....IMO, walkability is an absurd concept in a world of imperfect weather and risk of violent street crime
Have lived/worked in central urban settings (incl Manhattan) during my career....have always driven everywhere...from garage at my home to garage at office; to dinner a few blks away....and drive to suburbs on wkends if need to run errands
Prefer safety, convenience, comfort and pleasure of driving own car vs any other mode of transport in any urban region....IMO, walkability is an absurd concept in a world of imperfect weather and risk of violent street crime
You drove five blocks through Manhattan to get to dinner? Driving has conveniences in certain situations, but that is outright ridicolous.
Thing is, though, is that those really aren't your reasons for driving everywhere. If it is winter, that is one thing. If you live in Detroit, that is one thing. If you drive for every trip you take, though, you aren't the person who is going to be walking on a beautiful spring day on a vibrant, safe street. Don't kid yourself.
When I went to NYC earlier this year I was blown away by how different it was from Houston. It was great to walk out the front entrance of the hotel and hop on the subway and get to wherever I was going so easily.
I am glad that my fellow Houstonian got a glimpse of NYC too like I.
I grew up in a small town in southeast Michigan, so I didn't exactly grow up in a "burb" so to speak. But now that I've been around a bit, I can say that I prefer the walkability of an urban areas but only if I can utilize my car if needed as well.
I grew up in a non-walkable town. When I was 12 I visited relatives in a walkable city and it WAS a culture shock. I wasn't trapped inside one small neighborhood with no stores or anything to do. The whole downtown was open to me. And the walk to get there was along roads with sidewalks, lawns, and trees in the neighborhood part, and parks and stores in the commercial part. A far cry from my childhood hometown where a walk to a store involved walking a mile and a half along a high speed highway with no walking path even though I lived IN town, NOT the country
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