I grew up in one of the richest suburbs in the US — big houses, two or three brand new cars in each driveway, big backyards with elaborate patios, excellent schools — that was rated several times...
I grew up in one of the richest suburbs in the US — big houses, two or three brand new cars in each driveway, big backyards with elaborate patios, excellent schools — that was rated several times as the best place to live and raise a family in the United States. It’s the best suburb the US has to offer. I now live in Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Quality of life here is way better. There seems to be actually less car traffic in Amsterdam thanks to all the people cycling. The city feels alive and vibrant yet peaceful. And Dutch kids seem far happier, being autonomous and exploring the city with their friends on bicycles. As for green space, there are lots of beautiful parks and sport parks around the city.
I remember my home suburb being devoid of outdoor life. The kids were unhappy and discontent. There wasn’t much to do outside of school and home.
This sounds very similar to where I grew up-- at the time, it was the wealthiest county in the US based on per-capita income, and fuck me is it a soulless place with a nice veneer over it. In two...
This sounds very similar to where I grew up-- at the time, it was the wealthiest county in the US based on per-capita income, and fuck me is it a soulless place with a nice veneer over it.
In two weeks, I'll be moving to about as close to downtown here as you can get without being in it directly (Cap Hill in Denver to be specific), and even in my walks around the area, despite its problems (yes, there is a homeless encampment three blocks from my new building, but there's also one in the park next to my apartment complex in the suburbs right now-- it was hilarious seeing the property manager trying to awkwardly dance around that when he saw I was moving from the suburbs until I mentioned that to him), and despite the pandemic, it just feels more alive and human-focused than my current one. For example, despite being carless for five years now, I didn't realize how nice it is to be in a neighborhood designed to be walkable.
Even my favorite past place here, which was in the city proper but on its outskirts, was still a hassle because the train station by me was commuter-focused-- it's an island platform in the middle of an interstate right at the intersection of it and a different major state highway, and walking across it resulted in more than one near miss, that's for sure.
Going back down to my hometown to see my family? Sure, it's got that idyllic stereotypical suburb feel at first, but scratch the surface and it's obvious that it's just a veneer. It's like a real estate equivalent of gaining the world, but losing one's soul. It just has a very fake feel to it that, like you mentioned, when you notice that there's barely any outdoor life, that people stare if you use a bike just to go to the store or something, where domestic violence is off the charts but swept under the rug because it's "the land of the beautiful people".
I'm definitely envious of you getting the Amsterdam experience now.
Note that he doesn't oppose the idea of a single family house. He just doesn't like the idea that it should be large swathes of US cities and he certainly doesn't advocate for the suburb to stop...
Note that he doesn't oppose the idea of a single family house. He just doesn't like the idea that it should be large swathes of US cities and he certainly doesn't advocate for the suburb to stop existing entirely. He also uses a stand-in of himself to argue against which is admittedly a bit silly.
I grew up in one of the richest suburbs in the US — big houses, two or three brand new cars in each driveway, big backyards with elaborate patios, excellent schools — that was rated several times as the best place to live and raise a family in the United States. It’s the best suburb the US has to offer. I now live in Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Quality of life here is way better. There seems to be actually less car traffic in Amsterdam thanks to all the people cycling. The city feels alive and vibrant yet peaceful. And Dutch kids seem far happier, being autonomous and exploring the city with their friends on bicycles. As for green space, there are lots of beautiful parks and sport parks around the city.
I remember my home suburb being devoid of outdoor life. The kids were unhappy and discontent. There wasn’t much to do outside of school and home.
This sounds very similar to where I grew up-- at the time, it was the wealthiest county in the US based on per-capita income, and fuck me is it a soulless place with a nice veneer over it.
In two weeks, I'll be moving to about as close to downtown here as you can get without being in it directly (Cap Hill in Denver to be specific), and even in my walks around the area, despite its problems (yes, there is a homeless encampment three blocks from my new building, but there's also one in the park next to my apartment complex in the suburbs right now-- it was hilarious seeing the property manager trying to awkwardly dance around that when he saw I was moving from the suburbs until I mentioned that to him), and despite the pandemic, it just feels more alive and human-focused than my current one. For example, despite being carless for five years now, I didn't realize how nice it is to be in a neighborhood designed to be walkable.
Even my favorite past place here, which was in the city proper but on its outskirts, was still a hassle because the train station by me was commuter-focused-- it's an island platform in the middle of an interstate right at the intersection of it and a different major state highway, and walking across it resulted in more than one near miss, that's for sure.
Going back down to my hometown to see my family? Sure, it's got that idyllic stereotypical suburb feel at first, but scratch the surface and it's obvious that it's just a veneer. It's like a real estate equivalent of gaining the world, but losing one's soul. It just has a very fake feel to it that, like you mentioned, when you notice that there's barely any outdoor life, that people stare if you use a bike just to go to the store or something, where domestic violence is off the charts but swept under the rug because it's "the land of the beautiful people".
I'm definitely envious of you getting the Amsterdam experience now.
Note that he doesn't oppose the idea of a single family house. He just doesn't like the idea that it should be large swathes of US cities and he certainly doesn't advocate for the suburb to stop existing entirely. He also uses a stand-in of himself to argue against which is admittedly a bit silly.