Strip malls that make your blood boil

[SIGSEGV]

I unfortunately live within two blocks of a Jewel/Osco, Trader Joe's, Walgreen'snd several convenience stores (and Target is only slightly farther away), which means when I need toilet paper, I have to decide where to go (actually that one's easy, obviously TJ's) and then spend *shudder* a few minutes walking there. Life is hard in the big city.

[montréaliste]

Originally Posted by Sun Belt

Wait, you're worried that urbanites would be discouraged to walk across a parking lot after a 20 minute drive from the comfort of their car? They have no problem riding a packed subway or bus for 20 minutes and then walking in the city, I don't think they would have a problem driving their own car to a parking lot.

Touché.

[PEORIA]

" DON'T GET ME STARTED!.... Peoria is ' The land of Strip Malls ' . Our, cheapskate, local developers continue oversaturating the region with so many of these, lackluster, anti-pedestrian scourges. After ' the bloom comes off the rose ' , most end up either half or mostly vacant for numerous reasons. Meanwhile, our blighted neighborhoods needing retail and other amenities further deteriorate into near oblivion. "

[montréaliste]

Originally Posted by PEORIA

" DON'T GET ME STARTED!.... Peoria is ' The land of Strip Malls ' . Our, cheapskate, local developers continue oversaturating the region with so many of these, lackluster, anti-pedestrian scourges. After ' the bloom comes off the rose ' , most end up either half or mostly vacant for numerous reasons. Meanwhile, our blighted neighborhoods needing retail and other amenities further deteriorate into near oblivion. "

My little finger tells me you don't like strip malls.

[10023]

Originally Posted by Crawford

There are urban Costcos, with limited or no parking. I can think of at least three multilevel, urban-format Costcos.

And I still don't understand the "older I get" argument, as if the elderly especially appreciate the hazards of speeding traffic and giant highways. The elderly generally aren't raising children and usually have little need for giant warehouse club-size foodstuffs.

My issues with Costco are more about the way people should eat than suburban lifestyles.

As you said, unless you’ve got 4-5 kids in the house, there is no reason to be buying those portions. It actually means inherently that one is eating poorly, because the things that should make up most of one’s diet don’t really last more than a few days in the fridge at peak freshness. The daily (or every other day) trip to the market planned around meals means that one eats much better.

[PEORIA]

Originally Posted by mo2ntréaliste

My little finger tells me you don't like strip malls.

" .... Is that before IT tells You to murder, Norman? "

[mrnyc]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

I think you need to get out of NYC more. What you say is true--that is, the strip malls exist--but the number and arrangement of them isn't in any way unusual for smaller American sunbelt cities. It's pretty much the way things are all over Florida and the newer parts of the Sunbelt.

Did you just go on vacation to Daytona or something? Otherwise, why single out them?

i think you need to get to a bigger city more often, because modern strip mall arrangement in sunbelt cities was kind of the point. i prefer the older strip mall style set closer to the street where the shops are more visible. granted most newer strip malls are like that in many other places, daytona was just an example.

[montréaliste]

Originally Posted by PEORIA

" .... Is that before IT tells You to murder, Norman? "

Yes, yes, that's it! Keep writing in the more inconspicuous blue, and go get us rid of a few developers. lol

[montréaliste]

Originally Posted by 10023

My issues with Costco are more about the way people should eat than suburban lifestyles.

As you said, unless you’ve got 4-5 kids in the house, there is no reason to be buying those portions. It actually means inherently that one is eating poorly, because the things that should make up most of one’s diet don’t really last more than a few days in the fridge at peak freshness. The daily (or every other day) trip to the market planned around meals means that one eats much better.

Yes but again, Costco doesn't sell many items in the fruit and vegetable aisles that are in gigapackaging. The sort of stuff they sell in bulk won't influence your eating habits except from the frozen aisle. They are very astute at marketing multiples or large formats in items that make sense to a lot of consumers. They also have the best price at the pump on a daily basis for years in the Montreal region. With two live-at home sons in their early twenties (massive builds) it is pretty convenient to get 3 heads of lettuce at half the cost of a trippy upermarket or greengrocers. They don't last a week. My wife also cashes in a hefty check at the end of the year of close to 800 bucks annually. We also don't buy everything there.

[PEORIA]

Originally Posted by montréaliste

Yes, yes, that's it! Keep writing in the more inconspicuous blue, and go get us rid of a few developers. lol

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

i think you need to get to a bigger city more often.

FYI for 37 years I've lived in the center of the second densest city in the US. Not a strip mall in sight as I've said.


https://www.google.com/search?client...UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

But for 10 years I lived in Florida and my family still lives near Daytona and there's nothing unique about its strip malls. Tucson has ones just like them, probably a lot more of them (Tucson can seem like one big strip mall).

[homebucket]

These don't exactly make my blood boil, but here are some more SF ones:

Trader Joe's and a diner:
https://goo.gl/maps/EqvHLPrG7s3uEVrz9

Typical combo of big box stores (Target, Best Buy, Ulta):
https://goo.gl/maps/PzjF1zHEH9cJaMiL7

Safeway:
https://goo.gl/maps/Ydhmat57EXtuH8wy9

Big 5, Ross, Petco, etc:
https://goo.gl/maps/1HJ2k8p1dt8dKu368

[edale]

LA is the land of strip malls, and there are way too many to pick which is definitively the worst, but this one has bothered me for quite a while. It's 3 blocks long, blocks the view of the beautiful Hollywood Forever cemetery behind it, and is surrounded by other hideous buildings across the street. This whole stretch of Santa Monica Blvd. is unbelievably ugly, and this strip mall is a huge part of the reason why.

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0907...7i13312!8i6656

[jtown,man]

Originally Posted by dc_denizen

yes its SOO comfortable to get in the car, get on the highway, drive to a big box store, park, get out of the car, walk across the parking lot, to buy a box of condoms/dental floss/roll of toilet paper!

SOO much more comfortable than getting on a bike, or taking a short bus/subway ride, or using my legs.

I think you and many americans misunderstand what convenience means.

Convenience means I can walk/bike/drive to a full service retail establishment and back in under 5 minutes and buy the days groceries/other necessities. I've had this type of retail experience in suburban DC, urban New york, and various small towns across the country.

Convenience does not mean exit ramps, highways and 65 mph speeds, and massive parking lots. eg, like in the houston or atlanta exurbs that you seem to favor, where housing developments are located miles from the nearest retail.

centralized strip mall/big box retail is horribly inconvenient for consumers (but very convenient for shareholders in strip mall/big box retailers).

I think most people, or at least a large minority, think what is convenient changes based on many conditions. Some days I just don't feel like walking or using my bike. Some days its raining or extremely hot or cold. My car seems like a better option. Some days even the idea of having to get in the parking garage(elevator) drive my car down it(5 flights) and then drive across town, park, face huge crowds, and then come back and do it all over again seems like hell on Earth. My idea of convenience changes every day.