Walkability, house size, etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in Europe and walking was important to me, I didn't know about walk score but just looked ours up - it's 96.

I live in a 3 bedroom condo downtown, but I probably don't need/want as much stuff as most Americans seem to. You guys seem to always want more stuff.

We rarely drive and walk everywhere. Which is probably why we aren't as fat as most of you.

I want you to take your smug ass outta here and STFU. Is that too mich "stuff" to want?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in Europe and walking was important to me, I didn't know about walk score but just looked ours up - it's 96.

I live in a 3 bedroom condo downtown, but I probably don't need/want as much stuff as most Americans seem to. You guys seem to always want more stuff.

We rarely drive and walk everywhere. Which is probably why we aren't as fat as most of you.

Europe gave us communism, fascism, two World Wars, the Holocaust, many pandemics, and numerous exercises in misguided colonialism. Europeans smoke like chimneys and smell like banshees.

Accordingly, your views on American driving and purchasing habits are of precious little interest. Go back to your native habitat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:my DH ridicules me for wanting walkability, but it's the most important thing to me. I like to breathe fresh air, i like to move my body, I hate to sit. I like that if baby falls asleep in the stroller, I can continue on my day (not get stuck sitting in the car). I like saying hi to neighbors.

I get that he likes driving and walk in closets and back porches.

Just preferences. Not right or wrong.

Ironically the suburbs have fresher air than the city.

Sure, but if you are inside or in your car all the time, you aren't breathing it.
Ideally I'd move to a little village in New England and have it all. Walking and clean air. A girl can dream.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FYI if your home is smaller than 3000 SQRFT and old you are going to make sacrifices to live in the space

Obviously, you've never lived in Japan or NYC.

You have to much crap, PP, if you are making "sacrifices."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Common theme in this forum is for people to discuss walkability. If you don't want it, you are somehow not 'normal'. Additionally, there's house size as in "you don't NEED more than X square feet".

Who determines what someone else needs? Who determines walkability? Why are these things considered desirable? Isn't desirable what works for you? And isn't it possible that what works for you isn't what works for someone else?

why post this? Do you feel bad about your choices? I don't recall anyone saying people not interested in walkability are not normal, although I do think that if you are interested in living in DC or close in you are probably interested in walkability, or else you could probably get more for your money elsewhere.

I love my choices, except for I'd leave this area altogether yesterday, were the kids not tied into their schooling, etc. Summers I'm outta here. Lots of nasty things said here without consideration that everyone's needs are different, especially by the downtowners and crunchy people. Judgy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Common theme in this forum is for people to discuss walkability. If you don't want it, you are somehow not 'normal'. Additionally, there's house size as in "you don't NEED more than X square feet".

Who determines what someone else needs? Who determines walkability? Why are these things considered desirable? Isn't desirable what works for you? And isn't it possible that what works for you isn't what works for someone else?

Why is "walkability" considered desirable? Why indeed, when you can just waddle out of your mcmansion into your H2 and drive past the cookie-cutter Mcmansions to Appleby's drive through for their gallon of mochachoochoo latte grande with fries? Drive to your mega-church on sundays to pray together with your vacuous neighbors? Then retreat to your basement theater to watch 4 hours of RHNY while scoffing down nachos drenched in kraft cheese?

Who is to say that is wrong?

H3. Hate Applebees. Jewish. Basement theatre rocks. Hate nachos - too fattening. I need to stay in shape for my husband.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCUM isn't a very representative forum. It primarily attracts residents of DC and close-in suburbs, who engage in a tremendous amount of group-think about what "people," or at least The People Who Matter, supposedly want.

It also attracts a smaller number of folks who live further out. These folks get annoyed that the DCUM hive-mind says living in a small, old, house in a walkable neighborhood is the epitome of good living, but can't stop reading. They make up for their smaller numbers with the sheer volume of their posts about places like Pimmit Hills, Chantilly and Leesburg.

These two groups battle daily for the hearts and minds of both area residents and potential newcomers. Each day is a new opportunity to explain that Capitol Hill is really extremely safe and very family-friendly; that the best dining to be found outside the Beltway is at Applebee's; that Arne Duncan sends his kids to school in Arlington; and/or that every house built before WW II with less than 3,000 SF is not a Shake Shack, but a Shit Shack.

Not taking any of this very seriously is one key to a happy life.

I'm OP. I feel if they love their live, that's great. Sincerely. What I find so damn bug-under-a-microscope interesting is their pre-occupation with other people's lives to the point where they tell them how they should live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People really think "walkability" is not desirable?

I'm OP. To me it's of no never-mind. I have no problems jumping in the car and driving, but then, I drive 10 hours to go to my beach place routinely and love every moment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People really think "walkability" is not desirable?

It is just not a factor. I live .25 miles from my kids school, .7 miles to the metro, .8 miles to the pool club, and 1 mile to the grocery and assorted ethnic restaurants. I rarely walk to any of these places. I have a car that I like to drive. It is faster and more convenient to drive. For many of us, whether one could walk just isn't on the radar. If traffic really sucked and most places had no parking, then I would consider that a negative.

Wow -- I hope this is a troll.

Why? I agree with that poster.

Me too! PERFECT example of what I mean.

[Anonymous]

Lets not fight.I need to walk to get milk or I'll be big like Americans.Yikes!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:my DH ridicules me for wanting walkability, but it's the most important thing to me. I like to breathe fresh air, i like to move my body, I hate to sit. I like that if baby falls asleep in the stroller, I can continue on my day (not get stuck sitting in the car). I like saying hi to neighbors.

I get that he likes driving and walk in closets and back porches.

Just preferences. Not right or wrong.

Ironically the suburbs have fresher air than the city.

Sure, but if you are inside or in your car all the time, you aren't breathing it.
Ideally I'd move to a little village in New England and have it all. Walking and clean air. A girl can dream.

I lived in New England, grew up there. There isn't too much walkability in the snow and wind. Trust me!

[Anonymous]

In europe they ran out of land so people live like cockroaches and scurry from and to nearby buildings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lets not fight.I need to walk to get milk or I'll be big like Americans.Yikes!

Yeh, you Europeans like to walk. If the only car I could afford after paying 70% of my salary in taxes was a smart car, I would walk too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in Europe and walking was important to me, I didn't know about walk score but just looked ours up - it's 96.

I live in a 3 bedroom condo downtown, but I probably don't need/want as much stuff as most Americans seem to. You guys seem to always want more stuff.

We rarely drive and walk everywhere. Which is probably why we aren't as fat as most of you.

I want you to take your smug ass outta here and STFU. Is that too mich "stuff" to want?

Hit a little too close to home for you, PP? Our European friend has merely pointed out a few facts -- do you disagree that in general Americans have more stuff and are fatter than Europeans? Not need to take it so personally.

[Anonymous]

In europe crushing taxes and high unemployment make people poor so you have to walk.