this post was submitted on 16 Jan 2024
665 points (97.4% liked)
196
16442 readers
2183 users here now
Be sure to follow the rule before you head out.
Rule: You must post before you leave.
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Some of those other issues stem from being a suburbanite. No social interactions, no casual exercise by walking more than the length of their driveway, no easy access to either cultural institutions nor quality green spaces, etc.
Wat. I know it's cool to hate on the suburbs but in my view it's the best of both worlds.
No social interactions? I go to trivia night every week at a local suburban bar, it's very social. Or just out and about in my neighborhood you can easily run into folks walking their dog and have a some chitchat.
No casual exercise? My neighborhood is super walkable with hills and winding roads, and most houses have beautiful landscaping. There's no HOA so every yard is different, and most people put a lot of work and pride into it. So walking my dog or going for a jog is easy, safe, and pleasant.
No easy access to cultural institutions? I can easily go to local shows in the suburbs - and not just cover bands, but original music too, by some pretty well-known bands. Just as an example, a few years before covid we saw a double-headline show by The Psychedelic Furs and The Church at a theater 10 minutes from my house. There are also arboretums and preserves that have light shows with music, there are local playhouses, and there are even galleries and museums (though I admit these don't really compare to the art museum downtown, but it's rare I would go to one anyway).
No easy access to green spaces? Like I said, there are several parks, preserves, and arboretums near me. I can get to a small local park on foot - it's right outside my neighborhood. The closest arboretum is an easy 5-minute drive. I can get to a local farm in 5 minutes. There are a ton of streams (in fact my neighborhood has a sizeable stream in easy walking distance), and because of that, my backyard is filled with nature. The other day we had nine deer in our backyard. There's a red-tailed hawk that stalks our yard in the summer. We have chipmunks, garter sneks, raccoons, opossums, rabbits, squirrels, foxes, and all sorts of birds.
And if I need eggs I can walk five minutes to the market right outside my neighborhood, or be there in two via car.
Maybe I'm lame, or maybe I live in an unusually good area, but I love the suburbs.
Good for you. The meme is about those terrible suburban areas where none of that is true. If you can walk five minutes on a winding footpath through your local park to a small local shop, your street probably doesn't look like this:
That is the same thing as Urban Hellscape. They just changed the vertical density to horizontal density.
Only a moron would buy a house like that with no yard, when there are many rural homes available with far more space for less price.