Comments on: Connecting the dots in today’s paper

By: Nicolas Morin

Nicolas Morin — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 14:43:56 +0000

And during that, say, 5 mn drive, she has just enough time to eat… 1 Mars & 2 Bountys

By: Dorothea Salo

Dorothea Salo — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 00:34:16 +0000

There’s a woman in my cul-de-sac condo complex who is usually on my bus home from work. She lives in the building next to mine.

As best I can tell, she drives her car to one of the open spaces near the entrance to the complex in the morning, because in the evening she gets into the car, drives it to her parking space, which is a door further down the complex than my door, and (presumably) goes home.

All this, to avoid a three-minute (four in super-hot weather) walk! Blows my mind.

By: Mark Beatty

Mark Beatty — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 17:53:26 +0000

If not a dangerous route, perhaps just a nice new suburban neighborhood, … where there are no longer any sidewalks or paths. Thus no “safe” way to walk, all planning devoted to car traffic only. If you design neighborhoods without sidewalks you get isolated neighbors and fat kids, go figure. .

By: walt

walt — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 16:19:02 +0000

A substantial culture, absolutely (a culture that exists in most states, I’d guess; NYC may be an exception). Maybe…probably…even the majority culture.

But with the world’s fifth largest economy, it’s like the “nobody’s a California native” meme: Probably wrong for as many people as live in most smaller states. (Hmm. My wife and I are both natives of California north of the Tehachapis… There may be a connection.)

[Almost any generalization about Californians is likely to be wrong for a few million of us...]

By: Seth Finkelstein

Seth Finkelstein — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 16:09:12 +0000

Sure, not everyone follows the drive-everywhere creed. But my impression is that California has had, for decades, a substantial culture of people who regard walking as what you do only in order to get to and from your car. The idea that you can walk to a specific destination is considered primitive, something like using candles for lighting, or washing clothes by hand.

By: walt

walt — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 15:54:51 +0000

Southern California, maybe. We’re certainly not the only ones out walking around here…

By: Seth Finkelstein

Seth Finkelstein — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 15:51:06 +0000

“drive everywhere, no matter how short?”

Isn’t this the state motto of California?
(and has been for a long time, not new)