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I lived in Mountain View for a while. The walking distance between locations was large, but not too bad. There was a Starbucks and a few restaurants around 15-2
by sheri 14y ago
I lived in Mountain View for a while. The walking distance between locations was large, but not too bad. There was a Starbucks and a few restaurants around 15-20 minutes walk from my place. Despite this, I would not see anyone on the streets. I felt odd, almost like everyone was staring at me, when I would walk from my place to the Starbucks. There are large enough footpaths, but everyone would be in their car.
I also lived in a residential neighborhood in San Francisco for a while, and despite being more walk-friendly (with restaurants/coffee shops nearby), I wouldn't see too many pedestrians. The situation was much better than Mountain View, but still very sparse. Despite the housing being more dense, I just don't see people on the streets.
I agree that the streets are huge compared to the rest of the world. Crossing a major intersection in Mountain View seems like an eternity.
- tjansen 14y agoHere in Germany it's also pretty normal that even in a densely populated residential neighbourhood there are not too many people on the street, unless there's a larger store nearby or something like that. Otherwise, if you do see many people on the street, that would be a sign of high unemployment...
- enjo 14y agoMountain View is a straight up exurb. It's more dense than your average neighborhood in Dallas, but it has all the hallmarks of exurban design..including blasted curved streets. Where were you San Francisco? While I've never lived there, I've done a few month-long stints. It always felt like people were always out on the streets when I've spent time there.