Cars

[Libertarian666]

I live in a college town, and am quite content here.  It's a good mix of people/space/nature for us.

This forum seems to breed extremism, or attract people who are already extreme, or a combination of the two.

Where are you exactly?  I'll add it to my list.  I have a few places on it so far, mostly where its actually possible to live on the average SS check alone and nothing else.  Yes, thats actually possible...  I'm surprised.

If that's all one has to live on, emigration to a lower-cost country is the best bet.

[MachineGhost]

Zzzzzz.

[WiseOne]

Let's elucidate on why NYC is not an appropriate substitute for the European cities you've listed.  What does NYC do wrong?

There are quite a few things that I can think of, based on my experience (in no particular order):
- Extremely large, wide streets with no buffer from the sidewalks; you feel too close to traffic all the time, and there seems to be a constant cold-war fight between motorists and pedestrians that is mentally exhausting
- Ruled by haughty elitist liberals with no effective political competition; one-party domination means lots of corruption and people can and do get fleeced
- Mentally disturbed homeless people all over the place
- Criminal underclass in the area or nearby, depending on where you are
- Lack of cohesive shared culture; feels at times like a loose collection of ethnic/tribal enclaves (because it kind of is; check out the NYC metro area in http://demographics.coopercenter.org/DotMap/index.html)
- Subway system, though effective, is depressing and inspires shame, not pride; Brutalist, Soviet-style architecture and design and ancient technology
- Not enough small parks
- Many building facades have nothing interesting at street level; seems barren and forbidding
- Extreme zoning means too much separation between residential and commercial areas; you can't easily walk to enough corner stores, grocery shops, etc
- Terrible public schools; side-effect of political corruption, the criminal underclass, and tribal segregation interacting poorly with the "local schools" culture of the USA

Interesting list.  The political structure is definitely the biggest issue - there is just no excuse for the absurd level of taxation and the "affordable" housing which serve to create mini-ghettos that are the focus of crime hotspots.  And the subway is absolutely getting worse. The other items, though, are neighborhood specific - my neighborhood for example isn't like that at all.

I am totally jealous of how European cities, and even suburbs, are set up.  I often stay with a friend/colleague in the UK.  He's got a suburban house from which he can walk to the train, little shopping district including grocery, and work.  And I was in Freiburg, Germany not too long ago for a conference, with its walkable old city core and extensive tram system, and trails into the Black Forest leaving right from the edge of town.  NYC, for all its issues, is almost the only place in the US where you can have that European lifestyle, and to me its worth it.  Although, my list has just one major complaint on it:  almost nobody is allowed to have a washer dryer in their home!

I have managed to find micro-European areas outside of NYC, though it does take a bit of legwork to find these little gems.  For example, I lived in Los Angeles for a time, and can you believe I found a perfectly walkable neighborhood, on a bus line to work and also to the airport??  It was in the Ocean Park section of Santa Monica.  And it was low rent because the "cool" section of Santa Monica is on the north end of town.

In general, though, U.S suburbs are the most god-awful modern invention ever.  They're depressing just to contemplate let alone live in.

[Reub]

I couldn't agree more, Tyler. I think it's such a shame that the people who gravitate to these existing areas tend to be elitist NIMBYist liberal assholes who turn off everyone else from their preferred style of urban design. It pushes the conservative wing of the USA to embrace suburbia, even those who don't really like it all that much.

Like this?

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politic ... -1.2636643

[Pointedstick]

Bicycles suck too! Not as much as cars do, but they also have lots of problems associated with them. Probably the biggest one is that there's no good place for them to travel. The street contains cars going faster, so they irritate motorists and get injured. The sidewalk has people walking much too slowly, so they pose a danger to pedestrians. And they're still vehicles that you need to buy, learn to use, know the rules for, maintain, store, etc. In most parts of the USA, you own a bike in addition to your car, so your vehicle burden is increased, not decreased. They aren't as versatile as cars, either: most have no passenger capacity, virtually no cargo capacity, etc, without undertaking extensive modifications.

Just about the only place where bicycles really make sense are suburbs with deserted sidewalks. You can cycle on the sidewalks without risk of hitting people (there's nobody there) and the travel distances are high enough many car-only trips can become bicycle trips (provided you're alone or everyone has a bicycle, and there's very little cargo unless you bring a bicycle trailer or something). They make little sense in a walking city because there are too many people getting in the way, so your average speed drops low enough that you might as well walk. And in a totally 100% car environment, cyclists are exposed to the extreme dangers of fast vehicles driven by motorists unused to sharing the road with slower bicycles (and it's also just annoying to them).

I couldn't agree more, Tyler. I think it's such a shame that the people who gravitate to these existing areas tend to be elitist NIMBYist liberal assholes who turn off everyone else from their preferred style of urban design. It pushes the conservative wing of the USA to embrace suburbia, even those who don't really like it all that much.

Like this?

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politic ... -1.2636643

Yeah! Like that's gonna change anything. All it does is piss people off for little real gain. You can re-use plastic bags, too. I use mine as garbage bags and dog poop bags so I don't have to buy those.

[MachineGhost]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politic ... -1.2636643

Why I am more incensed by that Bison calf that had to be euthanised 'cuz some fucking idiots didn't know any better? 

P.S.  Plastic bags cause global warming?  LOL!  Blasco sounds like a Loony Limosine Liberal.

[Reub]

It was probably a fat bison calf and therefore deserved what it got.

[MachineGhost]

It was probably a fat bison calf and therefore deserved what it got.

Look to the right of your article.  It's skinny!!!

[Reub]

It was probably a fat bison calf and therefore deserved what it got.

Look to the right of your article.  It's skinny!!!

I only see a few pics of De Blasio, who is a pompous ass but not a skinny bison.