Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Suburban Life: Parking Lots

Just a quick post to note how interesting parking lots are to me now. I do spend a lot of time on foot in the suburbs these days, and it's interesting how parking lots really impact the walkability of a place. The parking lot is such a vast expanse of space that the pedestrian has to cross in order to reach the store. Also, the entrances to stores here tend to not be right on the road. They're set back, due to the presence of the parking lot. It really adds a lot of distance for me to cross when I'm trying to go somewhere.

But wow, parking lots. You know that these parking lots are FREE, right? Also, there is always a parking spot readily available. You know how in New York City you have to spend hours looking for a spot? Or pay $15/hour to park in a cramped parking garage? Shit like that doesn't happen out here. You get in your car, you drive, you park. That's it. None of that crazy monkey business.

Of course, driving is a whole different issue. Have I mentioned that up until last week I hadn't driven since Christmas?
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3 comments:

  1. UnknownJune 17, 2009 at 12:57 PM

    Sometimes when I see big suburban stores with big parking lots I rearrange them in my imagination....bring the building up to the curb, make it multi-story instead of warehousey, hide the parking lot behind it....
    ....yup, am nerd....

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  2. CaseyJune 17, 2009 at 1:00 PM

    Ha ha, I should've known you would be the one to comment on this post! Yes, I would be in total favor of that rearrangement in your head. I love my free and easily-available parking but it really would improve the landscape of the suburbs to hide the parking lot behind or under a less-sprawling store.

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  3. UnknownJune 18, 2009 at 6:53 PM

    Emily, I do the exact same thing.

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