Parkable cities
Parkable cities
They probably assumed this is like a theme park or something and not an actual city that people actually live in year round. Cities having nice, people friendly places away from cars? Who’s ever heard of that?
Who would want to go there by car anyways? Going to a german Christmas market and not drinking tons of Glühwein seems like a waste
Who said anything about not drinking?
these people have not walked anywhere in their life have they?
Where would we walk? Most places are not set up for that.
Some people go on walks around their neighborhood for the sake of walking. But unless you live in the right area of the right city you can't just walk half a mile to get a muffin. The store is a 10 minute drive away.
I don’t want to sound flippant, but there are places to live in the US where you can walk to things. People choose to live outside cities and old town areas because it’s cheaper and bigger.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that this isn’t some nebulous countrywide “It’s everyone else’s fault” thing. People can and do choose to live close to things. We choose what we want.
our racist grandparents fled the cities and abolished sidewalks
Fun fact from Germany! These giant Christmas markets actually double as parking lots outside of holiday seasons! Everything is temporarily built on top of a giant parking lot!
Furthermore these tend to be close to both major hubs (Think like a central train station!) and some other event areas that DO need the parking (like a football stadium!). That way, while the holiday markets (plural, several a year) are off, the space can also be used as parking space for sports events hosted in the adjacent stadium!
Just some amazing German efficiency for you. Oh also they frequently get used as skateparks.
I'm reading that less as "amazing German efficiency" and more as "WTF, they waste the space on a parking lot the rest of the year?"
It's called an event space and it can't be occupied all year. There's stuff going on pretty frequently but when it ain't, it's gonna have to be a skatepark + parking lot.
It ain't just Christmas. There's holiday markets for every season and even off holiday there is frequent flea markets. It's even where popular bands will hold their concerts. Without a dedicated space like that, it's impossible to set up these kind of markets and fairs. It's inevitable that some days it'll sit empty.
You try setting up a ferris wheel and rollercoaster in the cramped areas of the city. It won't work.
Also to add (having just spent a good portion of the season going to various Christmas Markets all over Central Europe), a lot of times these central square event spaces are essentially the roofs over underground parking garages. LOTS of multi-level underground parking garages in all these cities.
Well, they've probably been markets for some hundreds of years before they dug a parking cave underneath. Old cities especially get increasingly cramped with time.
I dont think OP realizes how disgustingly car-centric German culture is. They probably do, in fact, have parking garages
Am German, can confirm. Parking garages do indeed exist here. Germany is very car centric, but fortunately not as bad as the US. Our cities do also have mostly working public infrastructure that makes it possible for lots of people to get to the Christmas market and drink several mugs of mulled wine without the need for overly huge parking garages.
There is a parking garage right under that market. There is a large street right beside it as well. In a radius of 500m there are at least 3 other large parking garages.
Underground parking garages are very common over here. Most of the times these city squares are exactly that, a huge multi-level underground parking garage because these squares are always event spaces, and they are usually city-center so even when there isnt events, people have somewhere to park when just visiting the city. Yes, there will even be long lines of traffic waiting/hoping for a spot during event periods.
With that said, they do fill up, usually fast. So most events suggest finding public transportation. This just means people park further away and then take the bus/rail/etc the rest of the way. These Markets arent just for the locals, people travel from all over to come to them. So public transportation for long-distant travel, while totally possible, isnt always as practical (sometimes nor affordable or possible) for everyone. Plus, long distance trains do sell out. We just spent most of the season traveling all over Central Europe going to various markets.
Shh, you are one step away from mentioning P+R and blowing the mind of Americans
Does that stand for park + ride?
Lol…oops… Def didnt use the crap outta that on our trip last week!
I remember in Germany they would have a "Festbuß", festival bus, which were additional public transit routes from surrounding villages to wherever the event is happening. They are usually advertised in advance to give people additional option.
Yup, still a thing! Especially if a lot of surrounding villages are doing things, like christmas markets. Or even within a village with lots of small stops, like a bar-hopping type deal. The buses just loop, sometimes in both directions, through all the stops. They are separate from the normal transit buses, you gotta buy their specific ticket (or it’s free) and they are usually travel bus types rather than city transit buses. The inner-village ones are just passenger vans, though.
There's a Christmas market about half that size in Denver. I've never been puzzled about how people get there.
No one is puzzled. This was a case of someone casually scrolling and commenting without critical thought. Which, let's be honest, we are all guilty of that and the other guy taking the opportunity to dunk with an AmEriCa Am I rIgHt???
Is this supposed to be big? Do American cities not have festivals, concerts, parks, squares, new years parties... Or is this just low hanging circlejerk bait lol? 🤔
Yes, with parking.
This could be the Striezelmarkt in Dresden at the Altmarkt. look here
You could walk there from the Hauptbahnhof but there are a lot of public transit stations close by.There is a parking space right below it though.
It looks like the Christkindelmarkt in Nürnberg, no? If so, yeah completely walkable from the main train station, or from the subway right next to it.
the buildings seem to match to the one in Dresden: street-view
Meanwhile, in China:
"Why can't we have it both ways?"
This is /c/fuckcars not r/americabad.
Chicago has three Christkindlmarkets that look just like the above, all accessible by public transit. It's okay to celebrate what we're doing right.
The problem is that I have to live next to those people for the other 11 months