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Wicker Park, Gold Coast, Lakeview, Lincoln Park, there are several other neighborhoods with people out and about and winter. Remember, unlike LA a lot of people have to get around by train and bus here regardless of weather, which means they walk to and from their house and many times (including myself) will stop at Walgreens, a bar, restaurant etc.
All those people that work in the Loop and pack the sidewalks, most take public transportation home and they have to get off somewhere, and do several other people along with them.
In my week in LA it was sunny and upper 70's everyday, and there weren't that many people out and about, with the exception of Beach areas and Hollywood. I see more people out an about in general in the winter in Chicago than I would in during that week in LA.
LA has such great weather and you still don't see as many people walking out and about as you should due to the great weather. I understand it's an autocentric city/.
You think all those people that commute by train and bus in the summer, spring and fall just stop in the winter? No, just like me and most people I know, we don't have cars so in winter I still take the bus and train. ALmost everyone I know does as well.
26% of the population in Chicago uses the CTA on a daily basis. In LA 11%
That 26% of the population still does it in winter and you will see them out and about in winter getting to and from work.
My question to you all have you been to Chicago in the winter?
That is 702K people out and about using public transportation on a daily basis throughout the city in the winter. That is the size of San Francisco. They just don't magically appear in the train stations or bus stops. They have to walk to them. This use of public transportation by Chicagoans, whether or not they WANT to be outside in winter, forces there to be plenty of streetlife in the winter.
Yes in the winter, not as many people out as in the summer, but it's even or more than what I saw in LA.
No, but I have been in the summer quite a few times and the pedestrian activity in Chicago did not blow me away or seem like anything that was more impressive than what I see every day in Los Angeles. Same thing with Boston, the last city I lived in. Los Angeles seems to have just as much pedestrian activity throughout the city, and often more than these other cities along the fringes because these areas are still very dense and relatively walkable.
This isn't a zero-sum game - just because Los Angeles has much more pedestrian activity than you realize does not mean I don't think Chicago has a lot of pedestrian activity - both cities have a lot (Los Angeles just has a lot more than most people notice).
20 percent of all trips in Los Angeles County are on foot. That number is surely much higher when you focus on just the city-proper, and even higher when you focus on the more "urban" parts of the city. The majority of households in Los Angeles have between 0-1 car (according to City-Data it is 724k households vs. 557k households). 724K x 2.8 people per household leaves a lot of people with limited or no access to a car. Over a million people use transit in Los Angeles on any given day as well. These sort of things give LA a much stronger pedestrian vibrancy than the cliche suggests.
In my week in LA it was sunny and upper 70's everyday, and there weren't that many people out and about, with the exception of Beach areas and Hollywood. I see more people out an about in general in the winter in Chicago than I would in during that week in LA.
LA has such great weather and you still don't see as many people walking out and about as you should due to the great weather. I understand it's an autocentric city/.
Yes in the winter, not as many people out as in the summer, but it's even or more than what I saw in LA.
If there are not many people out and about, for me, that's good! I don't like crowds.
No, but I have been in the summer quite a few times and the pedestrian activity in Chicago did not blow me away or seem like anything that was more impressive than what I see every day in Los Angeles. Same thing with Boston, the last city I lived in. Los Angeles seems to have just as much pedestrian activity throughout the city, and often more than these other cities along the fringes because these areas are still very dense and relatively walkable.
This isn't a zero-sum game - just because Los Angeles has much more pedestrian activity than you realize does not mean I don't think Chicago has a lot of pedestrian activity - both cities have a lot (Los Angeles just has a lot more than most people notice).
20 percent of all trips in Los Angeles County are on foot. That number is surely much higher when you focus on just the city-proper, and even higher when you focus on the more "urban" parts of the city. The majority of households in Los Angeles have between 0-1 car (according to City-Data it is 724k households vs. 557k households). 724K x 2.8 people per household leaves a lot of people with limited or no access to a car. Over a million people use transit in Los Angeles on any given day as well. These sort of things give LA a much stronger pedestrian vibrancy than the cliche suggests.
Never said that CHicago pedestrian life would blow you away. But it is more than what you see in LA. It's just for LA's climate you would thnk there would be more.
People in the streets simply commuting to work and people enjoying the city whether at the beach, shopping, at the park, walking their dog or whatever I see many more in LA.
People in the streets simply commuting to work and people enjoying the city whether at the beach, shopping, at the park, walking their dog or whatever I see many more in LA.
So now pedestrian life can only count as people who are enjoying themselves? If that is the case then LA must beat NYC as well. In NYC most of the people on the street are going from point A to point B, not out and about to enjoy themselves.
Funny how you turn it around to make it work conveniently for you.
Pedestrian life is pedestrian life. Whether it's someone commuting to work, walking to a store, walking a dog, or a bum taking a s*** on the street, it's all part of pedestrian life. No ifs, ands, or buts.
But go ahead, if you want to make it work in for you in your convenience please feel free too. Not gonna argue with you.
So now pedestrian life can only count as people who are enjoying themselves? If that is the case then LA must beat NYC as well. In NYC most of the people on the street are going from point A to point B, not out and about to enjoy themselves.
Funny how you turn it around to make it work conveniently for you.
Pedestrian life is pedestrian life. Whether it's someone commuting to work, walking to a store, walking a dog, or a bum taking a s*** on the street, it's all part of pedestrian life. No ifs, ands, or buts.
But go ahead, if you want to make it work in for you in your convenience please feel free too. Not gonna argue with you.
I do not think that is what Pwright was saying. I think that entire statement was in reference to Los Angeles.
Face it - Los Angeles has a lot of pedestrian activity and Chicago is really not much of a step up in that regard. The only place (and I've repeated this ad nauseum at this point) this is correct is the Loop and environs which are much more active than DTLA and environs. Outside of that, there is not a huge difference in pedestrian activity.
Also, you should remember what you said was that Chicago had way more pedestrian activity at 30 degrees than Los Angeles has at 70 degrees - which is laughably incorrect. Even people that drive from neighborhood to neighborhood become pedestrians at some point - unlike some cities driving from driveway-to-driveway is not really an option in much of Los Angeles. Unless of course you are Fleet and would rather live quite suburban neighborhood like Northridge.
Last edited by munchitup; 08-14-2013 at 03:03 PM..
Los Angeles is mixed with quiet neighborhoods then as you go, you come right into a pedestrian heavy area.
Hollywood
Venice
Wilshire
Downtown
Koreatown
Brand Blvd(I know it's not L.A. but it blurs into it).
Santa Monica
Problem is that for most, you gotta take a car and park it and walk around. It doesn't happen naturally.
Chicago did not blow me away or seem like anything that was more impressive than what I see every day in Los Angeles.
This isn't a zero-sum game - just because Los Angeles has much more pedestrian activity than you realize does not mean I don't think Chicago has a lot of pedestrian activity - both cities have a lot (Los Angeles just has a lot more than most people notice).
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What??? How come nobody sees these people when they visit, are they ghosts? When I've gone to LA it seemed like a pedestrian twilight zone on most sidewalks and areas in comparison to Chicago.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pwright1
People in the streets simply commuting to work and people enjoying the city whether at the beach, shopping, at the park, walking their dog or whatever I see many more in LA.
People at the beach or at the park don't count as pedestrian activity, no wonder you guys think this. I don't care if more people in LA do outdoor hiking and stuff, I'm sure they do. We are talking about people walking sidewalks to go about their days, particularly choice "walkers" if you want to call them this.
Last edited by grapico; 08-14-2013 at 04:27 PM..
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