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From Pittnurse70
'There are many suburbs I would not want to live in. If I mention any of their names, I'll get shellacked, so I'll leave it at that. There are many city neighborhoods I would not want to live in, either. Ditto.
My DD used to date a guy who believe the "sterile suburbs" myth. On Labor Day Weekend last yr, DD had an epiphany. The annual "Fall Festival" was going on in our little suburban (gasp!) city. It was Saturday morning, and the kids were lining up for the pet parade. Kids had their dogs on leashes, their cats in covered coaster wagons, their birds in their cages, ready to walk down Main Street and be announced as they passed the reviewing stand. DD looked at the scene and said "who says the suburbs are sterile?"
The bf is from Seattle, so I"ll ask you pwright1, does the city government do such an activity there?
Yes indeed it does. Well maybe not exactly what you just described but many kids activities throughout the city. Many of the communities inside Seattle have there own activities like Mount Baker Kids in the Park, Central Area Day, Madrona Days, the Greek Festival and many others. The Swashbuckling Pirates storm Alki Beach for Seafair. Tons of kids dress as pirates for the event. Welcome to Seafair - Seattle's Summer Celebration. The Woodland Park Zoo Kids Activities, Seattle Children's Museum, the Pacific Science Center, the Christmas Ships around the Sound, the downtown Christmas Parade and Macy's tree lighting. Also Seattle spent millions of dollars refurbishing and building new libraries throughout the city. There are also little league sports from soccer to football around the city, Mt. Baker Rowing & Sailing classes for kids. The list goes on and on.
OK, thank you for your response. I really was looking for activities that kids can participate in, and you gave quite a list. I'm not so much interested in stuff where you go and observe, like tree lighting, parades to watch, etc, nor the sports teams. (I know, I didn't say that.) It always was a thrill for my kids to hear the announcer say, "Katie the kitten with her owners S. and G.", etc. You don't get to do that stuff in every large city.
I am amazed that people actually think city life is more fast-paced than suburban life. It's almost Orwellian -- having LESS time in your day (because of commuting and driving long distances in general) means your life is SLOWER paced?
I'm a lifelong resident of a city that is technically a suburb but is laid out like a city -- street grid, old homes with big front porches, apartments above stores, copious bus and transit lines, 10-minute commute to downtown. No one will ever convince me that 90% of the "advantages" suburbanites prattle on about aren't complete bunk and simply rationalizations of their fears of the city.
I am amazed that people actually think city life is more fast-paced than suburban life. It's almost Orwellian -- having LESS time in your day (because of commuting and driving long distances in general) means your life is SLOWER paced?
I'm a lifelong resident of a city that is technically a suburb but is laid out like a city -- street grid, old homes with big front porches, apartments above stores, copious bus and transit lines, 10-minute commute to downtown. No one will ever convince me that 90% of the "advantages" suburbanites prattle on about aren't complete bunk and simply rationalizations of their fears of the city.
I haven't read this whole thread, but I really take exception to the last sentence. Can't someone just like a different lifestyle? Does there have to be something psychologically wrong with us? And I think it's interesting for someone to live in a "city that is technically a suburb, blah, blah". So do I. So do a lot of suburbanites. I also don't care for the bit about "prattling". It is no more "prattle" than city folks waxing rahpsodic over living in high density, 50+ yr old buildings.
I thought I had a suburban mindset, until I lived in one. It's either a loft (preferably old and historic) downtown, or a cabin in the wilderness (where I can live off the land), for me. My life will NOT be wasted away any more than it has to be in a car.
Not everyone in a suburb lives in their car. I drive 4 1/2 miles to work. Takes 12 minutes. My DH drives 6 miles, 15 min. This is not my definition of "living in a car".
Not everyone in a suburb lives in their car. I drive 4 1/2 miles to work. Takes 12 minutes. My DH drives 6 miles, 15 min. This is not my definition of "living in a car".
I really am glad it works for you. Unfortunately, a lot, maybe even most people who live in suburbs drive 25-30 or more minutes to work. It gets worse as inner suburbs give way to outer suburbs, causing the inner 'burbs to become barren wastelands. The people who keep moving further and further out, just continue to add to their life in a car.
As for me, I live in a suburb, and drive 4 minutes to work, sometimes 4 min, 37 seconds, if I hit the stoplight wrong. Even still, I find myself dreading to go anywhere else besides work, because of the drive on the freeways. I hate freeways. All the fun stuff is either downtown or midtown. I guess I should have just moved to one of those areas, but then I'd be further from work .
I do not agree with "maybe most" driving 25-30 minutes to work. That is not common among the people I know. I do know a few who drive much farther than that, because that is where they found a job after a layoff. I also know city people who drive just as far to work, either in another part of the city, or to a suburb. The things I like to do in the city I do on an infrequent basis, e.g. attend a play at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, attend a Broncos game or a Rockies game,etc. I don't need to live in Denver to do that a few times a year. I have lived in Denver in the past, I am NOT afraid of the city, we just decided we wanted a little more green space around us. We like to grow some of our own food, and enjoy swimming in our pool.
I really am glad it works for you. Unfortunately, a lot, maybe even most people who live in suburbs drive 25-30 or more minutes to work. It gets worse as inner suburbs give way to outer suburbs, causing the inner 'burbs to become barren wastelands. The people who keep moving further and further out, just continue to add to their life in a car.
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The flip side of that issue is when the employer moves to the burbs. We live in the city and both used to work there until my wife's employer moved her office from a city neighborhood out to a suburban office park. Her commute went from 5 miles one way to 12 miles one way. There is bus service to her new office but it is so poor she must take 2 buses and it takes 45 minutes, so she drives.
I do not agree with "maybe most" driving 25-30 minutes to work.
If you look at the statistics portion of this site, you'll see that the "average" commute time for many cities, especially their suburbs, is usually around 20-30 minutes. Often it is more, and of course less, for some of us. We are fortunate enough not to have to drive so far.
I'm not trying to be argumentative, it really doesn't bother me that you like living in the suburbs. I'm just venting my personal frustration of suburban life.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ben Around
The flip side of that issue is when the employer moves to the burbs. We live in the city and both used to work there until my wife's employer moved her office from a city neighborhood out to a suburban office park. Her commute went from 5 miles one way to 12 miles one way. There is bus service to her new office but it is so poor she must take 2 buses and it takes 45 minutes, so she drives.
This is another one of the things that frustrates me about living in metropolitan areas in general.
Ahh, back to that cabin in the woods, living off the land, away from all the whatever...............................
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