this post was submitted on 29 Dec 2023
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I went to CA for the holidays and was utterly dismayed by how unwalkable it was. It's honestly tragic, I really took for granted being able to walk a few blocks for groceries.
It's awful! I was staying in a hotel one mile from my job's main office in Silicon Valley, so I figured I'd get some exercise and walk to the hotel instead of getting an Uber. And holy crap it was almost impossible. The sidewalk kept disappearing, especially at major roads and freeways, there were no crosswalks, I had to cut through multiple parking lots. I've never seen a place more actively hostile to pedestrians.
Wait till you visit Kathmandu
I tried walking from one house to another in a Texas suburb, near Houston. Similar experience. There were NO accommodations for pedestrians at all. Long stretches had no sidewalks, no crosswalks, and drivers seem to think anyone walking would be completely insane or dispensable, and aren’t looking for them at all. Truly ridiculous. Plus of course the town was insanely spread out and something that seemed like a reasonable walk, having driven many times, was actually 9-10 miles.
Lol. California is huge and incredibly diverse. I live in San Diego. I can walk to 4 different grocery stores in less than half a mile. Additionally, I have a weekly farmers market down the street I can visit. Not to mention the Ethiopian market and Mexican market that are an additional couple blocks away. Wherever you were in California only represents that specific area, and not the state in total by any means. I'm sure the area you visited has plenty to be desired as far as walkabaility, but I'm sure it's an issue divided along rural vs urban lines, not a state by state thing. Please don't contribute to misinformation. Making a sweeping generalization about a huge and incredibly populous state only adds fuel to the misinformation fire.