4 ms·

Partly that's climate - going out shopping when it's cooler during the hot season makes sense - plus it's hard to do a viable year-round outdoor night market so

Partly that's climate - going out shopping when it's cooler during the hot season makes sense - plus it's hard to do a viable year-round outdoor night market somewhere where they publish the wind chill numbers through part of the year. In the west we do have movie theaters, cafes, but yeah, lots of bars

tempsy 7y ago
I don’t think it’s a weather thing...it’s cultural. Same in places warm year round like LA. Cafes aren’t typically open late at all. And sure movie theaters are open but not really what I’m thinking about when I think of nightlife...
- lakis 7y ago
  The reason is cultural is because the weather forces you to do things at afternoon/night when it has cooled down. I definitely believe that the culture has been influenced by the weather so ultimate it's the weather.
- clairity 7y ago
  huh? cafes stay open late in LA. even most starbucks are open to 10 or 11pm. a number independent cafes stay open to 11pm or midnight, with some doing things like poetry/art/music/other events in the evenings. there are a bunch of independent theaters, resstaurants, and (outdoor) shopping areas that stay open late. even museums (e.g., the getty) have nightlife events going on.
  - tempsy 7y ago
    it’s less “there are things that happen to be open late” vs things that are intentionally meant to be open late. nightlife is still very much optimized for single adults who like to drink here, and just pointing out in Asia you have districts that only come alive at night and have a lot of things to do that don’t involve drinking at a bar. Reading at a bar is like a “happy path” in some ways...people want other alternatives than just standing around a loud crowded bar on a weekend.
- garmaine 7y ago
  It definitely started as a weather thing--there's a reason they're called "night markets" in Taipei: after the sun sets is the only time its sensible to go outside in the summer. A lot of times the markets are actually closed during the middle of the day.. which is not that dissimilar to the situation in southern Spain, for example. But you're right that it's mostly cultural, and I wish we in the west had a culture of keeping family activities open outside of normal business hours.
throw5tr3255 7y ago
I see this in Northern Chinese cities as well, which has snow for part of the year. I think it’s just how dense the cities are and how safe everything feels. You can wander the steets alone at 3am and still feel completely safe. It’s an extremely strange feeling when you’ve lived in more dangerous cities.

tempsy 7y ago

I don’t think it’s a weather thing...it’s cultural. Same in places warm year round like LA. Cafes aren’t typically open late at all. And sure movie theaters are open but not really what I’m thinking about when I think of nightlife...

lakis 7y ago
The reason is cultural is because the weather forces you to do things at afternoon/night when it has cooled down. I definitely believe that the culture has been influenced by the weather so ultimate it's the weather.
clairity 7y ago
huh? cafes stay open late in LA. even most starbucks are open to 10 or 11pm. a number independent cafes stay open to 11pm or midnight, with some doing things like poetry/art/music/other events in the evenings. there are a bunch of independent theaters, resstaurants, and (outdoor) shopping areas that stay open late. even museums (e.g., the getty) have nightlife events going on.
- tempsy 7y ago
  it’s less “there are things that happen to be open late” vs things that are intentionally meant to be open late. nightlife is still very much optimized for single adults who like to drink here, and just pointing out in Asia you have districts that only come alive at night and have a lot of things to do that don’t involve drinking at a bar. Reading at a bar is like a “happy path” in some ways...people want other alternatives than just standing around a loud crowded bar on a weekend.
garmaine 7y ago
It definitely started as a weather thing--there's a reason they're called "night markets" in Taipei: after the sun sets is the only time its sensible to go outside in the summer. A lot of times the markets are actually closed during the middle of the day.. which is not that dissimilar to the situation in southern Spain, for example. But you're right that it's mostly cultural, and I wish we in the west had a culture of keeping family activities open outside of normal business hours.

throw5tr3255 7y ago

I see this in Northern Chinese cities as well, which has snow for part of the year. I think it’s just how dense the cities are and how safe everything feels. You can wander the steets alone at 3am and still feel completely safe. It’s an extremely strange feeling when you’ve lived in more dangerous cities.