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Comment by yawz | Hacker News Reader

I live in Boulder, CO and they definitely get it right. It really depends on where you are. The same goes for Europe.

We are all very critical of our own country. Visiting a country is not the same as living in that country. You don't necessary see it the same way and the grass is always greener on the other side (especially in Ireland :) ). So I have the impression that the author is overreacting a little.

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I do not think they are overreacting. There is just nothing in the U.S. which is akin to Parisian "side-walk cafes." I have been longing for these here, and I would drive a good 15 minutes if I had to. Well at least there aren't any I know of in Orange County, Phoenix, Atlanta, or Hawaii which are about the only places where I lived here.

Lots of european cities have pedestrian zones, usually in the historical center of the city, there also aren't as many malls. The traditional medieval european city layout has market, town and church squares at their core and those are still places of public gathering today.

You are correct about Boulder, however, Europe gets it right more often.. I can name many more cities in Europe that get it right. Rennes, Paris, Marseilles, Aix-en-Provence, Barcelona, Den Hague, Amsterdam, Prague, Rome, Florence... just off the top of my head.

I feel the same way. It definitely varies from neighborhood to neighborhood, and even street to street. I think he was trying to hit a resonating sentiment but experiences are so varied I think he failed.

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