Why do people sit in their garage and watch traffic? (Oshkosh: homes, neighborhoods)

[ram2]

This is common all over metro Detroit.

[aliasfinn]

I don't like having my garage door open, too many thieves around here.
It would be like window shopping for them.

[ccjarider]

It is close to the beer fridge in the garage

[Mandalorian]

I get watching TV or something in the garage, but what I am referring to is people just watching cars go by.

[CowsAndBeer]

This is common everywhere, not just in Wisconsin, and I don't understand it at all (outside of the getting away from the wife deal).

In my neighborhood, it's a different phenomenon. All my neighbors congregate in our back yards and have bars/tables set up along the fences. If you're sighted, you're screwed, because you have to blow at least an hour drinking with everyone, if you leave before then you're considered rude. The lady and I like going out to drink in a nice bar or a place with a DJ/band or out to eat or walk around town or go to the beach or hang out in one of the parks and don't quite understand never leaving your tiny postage stamp Milwaukee back yard where you drink all night and talk solely to the same people you see on a regular basis. They spend entire weekends drinking with each other while their dogs run around barking instead of going out to the woods or whatever (everyone has a cabin, which generally seem to be rarely visited). The plus side is one of them is a fairly well-known chef in town and unlike a lot of other supposed chefs/cooks I've known over the years, this guy is an amazing cook and likes to share. He works 60-70 hours and spends the rest of the time drinking Pabst (I know!) in the yard and bbq'n stuff.

[The Old Scowl]

I would presume that it is present all over the U.S. I live in a suburb of Minneapolis, MN, and the older folks in the neighborhood sit out in their driveways (with or without the garage door or doors open) and watch people go by. Most of the homes that the neighborhood residents live in are modern and do not have front porches or patios, so a chair in the driveway or garage suffices. I think of it as a sort of neighborhood watch (it has helped cut down on breaking and entering in the neighborhood in the past few years compared to the rest of the city), and a variation on porch sitting, which was a way to relax and socialize before air conditioning and the boob tube.
FWIW, there is an amusing piece on "porch etiquette" mentioned as a footnote in Garrison Keillor's book "Lake Wobegon Days":

A guide to Mississippi porch etiquette - Everything2.com


The porch is a place to stay cool. Porch society is dying off as home air conditioning units become ubiquitous in American homes throughout the South. People can now stay indoors and still be cool, and need not interact with their neighbours. This is progress, but it is a sad thing. But porch society still exists, and it should be carried out properly.
THE PUBLIC AND THE PORCH

It is customary for the (potential) host to greet those that he or she knows if they are passing by. The (potential) guest should not take a greeting as an invitation to enter. The (potential) host may say “Why don‘t you join us?”. This is a pleasantry, and should be politely refused by the (potential) guest. If the (potential) host genuinely wishes to invite a guest, he or she will repeat the invitation.

BOUNDARIES OF THE PORCH

The guest should be aware that an invitation to the porch is not an invitation to any other room of the house, save, possibly, the bathroom. The host should remember that the porch is a social area. If you require privacy, the backyard is the place.

REFRESHMENTS

The guest should not expect refreshments to be provided. He or she should certainly never ask for refreshments. If the host has refreshments on hand, he or she should offer them to the guest.

LEAVING THE PORCH

The host has three good ways to indicate that it is time for the guest to leave. 1) Say "Well-". The guest should thank the host, and leave. 2) Stand up, and stretch. The guest should stand, and leave. Keeping the host talking while standing is frowned upon. 3) Ask "You don't have to run, do you?". The guest should declare that they do have to leave, and go.

[CowsAndBeer]

Another thought - I did some garage-sitting (and drinking) in a small northern WI town this weekend. It was warm and a bit humid and there wasn't much of a breeze, but in the garage in the shade on the cold concrete slab it was considerably cooler inside the garage. And the beer fridge was right there.

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by CowsAndBeer

Another thought - I did some garage-sitting (and drinking) in a small northern WI town this weekend. It was warm and a bit humid and there wasn't much of a breeze, but in the garage in the shade on the cold concrete slab it was considerably cooler inside the garage. And the beer fridge was right there.

Amen, brother. My garage is wired for speakers to listen to music or the big game. I have an extra freezer in there. I also have a hose spicket and drain in my garage so I can wash my car inside in the winter. The garage is basement-level under a house built into a hill so it doesn't freeze in the winter. It's considerably cooler in the summer too. I love WI garages!

[canadian citizen]

This is also done in Ontario.

Shady in the garage, close to the beer fridge, and a quick trip into the house, to use the toilet ( you don't buy beer, you only rent it ) grin.

Some of my friends can't do that, as their garages are filled with oval track race cars, and assorted parts and sets of rear end gears, tires and tools. I used to be like that, until my wife put her foot down. Now I just go to the races, instead of being in them. The smell of alcohol fuel on a Saturday night, a real men's cologne, if there ever was one. grin.

Jim B

Toronto.

[ranger17]

actually one of our neighbors down here, in a nice large home, turned over half his garage into his little man cave (few basements in the south, which i miss dearly). They have a nice TV, full bar, and seating. I've seen groups of guys in there watching a game, i can only assume since fall here can be hot, that the beer they are consuming helps cool them off lol