Place

A Common Complaint

The Sisters share a common complaint.

No!

They object strenously to getting back in the car. The Little Sister thrashes around, throwing her 21 pounds out of the car seat, arching her back as I struggle in vain to strap her down. The Big Sister has grown past that. She uses passive delaying tactics and avoidance: running around the yard, smelling flowers, not listening, jumping in to the way back, climbing over the front seats.

The objection is not to getting in the car, in the first place — though there is some of that — but to getting in the car again. (The same objections apply to strollers, so it's not just an automobile issue.)

We could sedate them, either with video or a trenching tool, or we could optimize our outings. Most families do the latter. This makes malls and other walk-able destinations more attractive than those which require us to re-enter the vehicle. And yet, for some reason, people design and build things without remembering these little problems.

At the intersection of I-84 and Route 312, in Brewster, New York, lies Independence Way. At the bottom of that road is the Southeast station for Metro-North Railroad. At the top is a new retail development containing Home Depot, Kohl's, Linens & Things, Applebee's, a strip of four or five stores, and some office space. You can walk from Home Depot to Kohl's, if you're willing to brave the slopes, or from Applebee's to any of the stores, if you can run fast enough. There are few, if any, benefits to any of the other stores from being in that location. Once we get back in the car, we might as well drive anywhere.

In Danbury, Connecticut, Olive Garden and Red Lobster share a parking lot on Backus Avenue. At dinner time, each has at least an hour wait for a table. Once you get there, and put in your name, there's no way you'll find a more attractive dinner option. Will you fight to get the kids back in the car to go across the street to the Danbury Fair Mall? Will you dodge traffic to browse through the stacks at Barnes & Noble? Certainly not. So you stand around, waiting.

Where is the casual foot traffic that increases retail sales?

3:27:10 PM # Google It!
categories: Place

Simple Observations

It's easier to build on an empty lot than on one filled with parking spaces.

It's easier to buy undeveloped land than developed land.

If I own a spot, and want to build something, then why would I buy another spot?

9:31:15 AM # Google It!
categories: Place