4 ms·

Wow someone really ought to let the rest of the world outside of America know. Outdoor dining sucks in most North American cities because you get to eat right

by wpm 4y ago

Wow someone really ought to let the rest of the world outside of America know. Outdoor dining sucks in most North American cities because you get to eat right next to a bunch of loud, polluting car traffic zooming by a few feet away. Last time I ate outside in Chicago I could reach out and touch an idling minivan. No thank you. New York City keeps their garbage, most of the time, again, within touching or at the very least smelling distance of outdoor eateries. The city is loud because it's overrun with automobile traffic. Who the hell would want to eat in that environment? Perhaps we could work on making the rest of our cities look and feel like the parks that are usually popular places to bring lunch, since, you know, they're quiet and feel safe.

JohnFen 4y ago
Doesn't matter how nice you make it, I'm not eating outside during the cold months. It's freaking cold, and those outdoor propane heaters are not only marginally effective, they're a clear and obvious environmental insult.
- Swizec 4y ago
  In Slovenia coffee shops give out blankets during the cold months. They’re bery popular with smokers.
  - Nursie 4y ago
    This happened in the UK during lockdown as well, when you were allowed to meet for dinner outside but not inside, a lot of restaurants suddenly sprouted outdoor heating lamps and a lot of blankets.
  - eyelidlessness 4y ago
    I’m sitting outside my home right now wishing I had a blanket for smoking in the cold.
  - foobiekr 4y ago
    gotta say, as someone made weak by the bay area climate and now intolerant of cold, this sounds awesome. except the smokers.
- vostok 4y ago
  It depends on the food. I probably wouldn't want to do it for sushi or a salad, but I love eating ramen outside in the snow when it's around 32F / 0C. The same could go for poutine or hot chocolate or many other dishes. If there's some sort of covered space or a heater then even colder temperatures might be nice.
TacticalCoder 4y ago
> Wow someone really ought to let the rest of the world outside of America know. It's exactly the same as you describe in many European cities. When you pack houses next to each other and stack apartments on top one of another, which is the definition of a city, you get concrete. Lots of concrete. Sure some European cities may have historical city center totally car free but most restaurants have outdoor terrace on regular streets, complete with cars, lots of people passing by, noise (not just from cars) and dog poo. I agree with you one point: it's not a relaxing environment to eat.
- Waterluvian 4y ago
  My first time outside North America was Madrid. I loved eating outside at all these restaurants that were on cobblestone roads that saw almost no traffic. But I also didn’t enjoy how loud it was at 11pm with there being many patios near my apartment, given I hadn’t yet adopted their culture of a later evening.
- piva00 4y ago
  In many but definitely not a general trend that you can't find a nice spot to eat outdoors. Even in very crowded cities like Paris you have tons of options to eat by the street and enjoy a pleasant experience. Barcelona, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Paris, Madrid, Lisbon, Porto, Copenhagen, so on and so forth are all cities I thoroughly enjoy to eat outdoors during summers, in almost any part of the cities, and not only in their "historical centres". It's definitely not even close to the same issue as in North American cities.
  - Macha 4y ago
    Dublin (and really Irish cities in general are a bit more mixed). Because of restrictions on smoking indoors in the 2000s, many restaurants and bars have had time to build outdoor areas pre-covid. In some of those, where the outdoor area was nice enough (e.g not on the roadside, not a little cubbyhole which used to be just a yard for bins that was converted, and sufficiently spaced that smoke from the smokers is unlikely to reach you), you'd have non-smokers also choose to use the outdoor area. I think those places that were already set up for this before the pandemic, along with those who have managed to create such an experience, will continue with a slight uptick in outdoor dining. Those who just put some tables and chairs on the pavement in front of the store will not, especially amongst increasing calls to reclaim that space for pedestrians and cycle lanes.
jsz0 4y ago
I doubt there would be many restaurants left if you get rid of the trucks delivering the food / picking up the trash and the Ubers dropping patrons off.
kenhwang 4y ago
> Wow someone really ought to let the rest of the world outside of America know. Or even Southern California. Turns out when you have good weather and properly planned spaces for dining, it's quite popular. This article reeks of New Yorkers being obsessed with the smell of their own farts assuming if they have a problem, everyone else must too. Which is funny because they also had plenty of established popular outdoor dining well before the pandemic, it was just on the rooftops.
johnea 4y ago
Seriously! This is one reason I've never liked the plague era designs. I constantly feel like I'm about to be run over...

by wpm 4y ago

JohnFen 4y ago

Doesn't matter how nice you make it, I'm not eating outside during the cold months. It's freaking cold, and those outdoor propane heaters are not only marginally effective, they're a clear and obvious environmental insult.

Swizec 4y ago
In Slovenia coffee shops give out blankets during the cold months. They’re bery popular with smokers.
- Nursie 4y ago
  This happened in the UK during lockdown as well, when you were allowed to meet for dinner outside but not inside, a lot of restaurants suddenly sprouted outdoor heating lamps and a lot of blankets.
- eyelidlessness 4y ago
  I’m sitting outside my home right now wishing I had a blanket for smoking in the cold.
- foobiekr 4y ago
  gotta say, as someone made weak by the bay area climate and now intolerant of cold, this sounds awesome. except the smokers.
vostok 4y ago
It depends on the food. I probably wouldn't want to do it for sushi or a salad, but I love eating ramen outside in the snow when it's around 32F / 0C. The same could go for poutine or hot chocolate or many other dishes. If there's some sort of covered space or a heater then even colder temperatures might be nice.

TacticalCoder 4y ago

> Wow someone really ought to let the rest of the world outside of America know. It's exactly the same as you describe in many European cities. When you pack houses next to each other and stack apartments on top one of another, which is the definition of a city, you get concrete. Lots of concrete. Sure some European cities may have historical city center totally car free but most restaurants have outdoor terrace on regular streets, complete with cars, lots of people passing by, noise (not just from cars) and dog poo. I agree with you one point: it's not a relaxing environment to eat.

Waterluvian 4y ago
My first time outside North America was Madrid. I loved eating outside at all these restaurants that were on cobblestone roads that saw almost no traffic. But I also didn’t enjoy how loud it was at 11pm with there being many patios near my apartment, given I hadn’t yet adopted their culture of a later evening.
piva00 4y ago
In many but definitely not a general trend that you can't find a nice spot to eat outdoors. Even in very crowded cities like Paris you have tons of options to eat by the street and enjoy a pleasant experience. Barcelona, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Paris, Madrid, Lisbon, Porto, Copenhagen, so on and so forth are all cities I thoroughly enjoy to eat outdoors during summers, in almost any part of the cities, and not only in their "historical centres". It's definitely not even close to the same issue as in North American cities.
- Macha 4y ago
  Dublin (and really Irish cities in general are a bit more mixed). Because of restrictions on smoking indoors in the 2000s, many restaurants and bars have had time to build outdoor areas pre-covid. In some of those, where the outdoor area was nice enough (e.g not on the roadside, not a little cubbyhole which used to be just a yard for bins that was converted, and sufficiently spaced that smoke from the smokers is unlikely to reach you), you'd have non-smokers also choose to use the outdoor area. I think those places that were already set up for this before the pandemic, along with those who have managed to create such an experience, will continue with a slight uptick in outdoor dining. Those who just put some tables and chairs on the pavement in front of the store will not, especially amongst increasing calls to reclaim that space for pedestrians and cycle lanes.

jsz0 4y ago

I doubt there would be many restaurants left if you get rid of the trucks delivering the food / picking up the trash and the Ubers dropping patrons off.

kenhwang 4y ago

> Wow someone really ought to let the rest of the world outside of America know. Or even Southern California. Turns out when you have good weather and properly planned spaces for dining, it's quite popular. This article reeks of New Yorkers being obsessed with the smell of their own farts assuming if they have a problem, everyone else must too. Which is funny because they also had plenty of established popular outdoor dining well before the pandemic, it was just on the rooftops.

johnea 4y ago

Seriously! This is one reason I've never liked the plague era designs. I constantly feel like I'm about to be run over...