• Trouble logging in? Send us a message with your username and/or email address for help.
New posts

newyorker

Beach Lover
Jul 18, 2005
147
15
Los Angeles, CA
What is reallly sad is that even Seaside's parking lots--built for regular cars--could not handle the SUVs last summer. Each of these monsters took up 1.5 parking spaces, exacerbating the already bad problem. My favorite were the Hummers--who in god's name needs a Hummer to go to Seaside????
 

Smiling JOe

SoWal Expert
Nov 18, 2004
31,648
1,773
I know this thread is on Seaside, but Seaside is not alone. Almost every tight-knit Beach community down here is in the same boat.
 

Rudyjohn

SoWal Insider
Feb 10, 2005
7,744
233
Chicago Area
newyorker said:
What is reallly sad is that even Seaside's parking lots--built for regular cars--could not handle the SUVs last summer. Each of these monsters took up 1.5 parking spaces, exacerbating the already bad problem. My favorite were the Hummers--who in god's name needs a Hummer to go to Seaside????
Who in God's name needs a Hummer?
 

Jdarg

SoWal Expert
Feb 15, 2005
18,068
1,973
Johnrudy said:
Who in God's name needs a Hummer?


Some find them necessary to navigate grocery parking lots and school carpool lines. :rotfl:

There is an orthodontist here that will pick up your child at school in the big Hummer, take the kid back to the ortho office for the appointment, then return him to school- so it is very convenient for parents, and kids like to be "seen" getting out of the Hummer. :roll:
 

Rudyjohn

SoWal Insider
Feb 10, 2005
7,744
233
Chicago Area
jdarg said:
Some find them necessary to navigate grocery parking lots and school carpool lines. :rotfl:

There is an orthodontist here that will pick up your child at school in the big Hummer, take the kid back to the ortho office for the appointment, then return him to school- so it is very convenient for parents, and kids like to be "seen" getting out of the Hummer. :roll:
That's pretty creative marketing for him!
 

newyorker

Beach Lover
Jul 18, 2005
147
15
Los Angeles, CA
probably explains the prices that orthodonist charges!

Back to the initial issue raised here: too many cars in an area designed for people and walking. Saratoga Springs is about 30 miles north of me--charming place--home of the NYC horsey set especially in the summer (think of Seabiscuit). Downtown revitalized in the 1970s into the same sort of pedestrian-friendly/trendy shops/great restaurant place as Seaside, and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center hosts the Philadelphia symphony and the NYC ballet in the summer). But the traffic is threatening to kill Saratoga too--the Victorian buildings that are so quaint can't be sold for the mega-bucks condos that are second homes for many city folks, and everyone wants to come and shop and eat and park right next to where they're going. Just like Seaside, Saratoga is in danger of being loved to death.

There's nothing wrong with being very proactive about the values these places established in the first place--that's why we love them. Civic leadership means determining what the primary values are that bring people to your community, and making policy that keeps these values paramount. I've not seen Alys Beach, but I hope they can really articulate these values and not capitulate to the Hummer crowd's drive-up mentality.
 

Smiling JOe

SoWal Expert
Nov 18, 2004
31,648
1,773
I thought the drive-up mentality is what made people want to buy and rent homes at the beach. T2M mentioned that people should have to park away from their house. People don't like walking to the beach, much less walking to their cars. I think all of you are just :bang::bang::bang:. Why do that to yourselves?
 

Santiago

Beach Fanatic
May 29, 2005
635
91
seagrove beach
Smiling JOe said:
I know this thread is on Seaside, but Seaside is not alone. Almost every tight-knit Beach community down here is in the same boat.
You are right, Seaside is not alone. Seaside was designed 25 or so years ago without the knowlege that the world would be filled with Hummers and Suburbans. There are many neighborhoods that are composed entirely of single family, detached structures, that are legally considered condos. They are designed with narrower streets than are normally deemed acceptable for the sole purpose of increasing density. This is done today with the knowlege that the visitors will be arriving in Hummers. If I'm not mistaken, Camp Creek Cottages is one of these. This, not Seaside, is a true definition of poor planning. If you own there or somewhere like there and wonder why you don't own the land under your house, its so the developer could pack more homes into the neighborhood.
 

Smiling JOe

SoWal Expert
Nov 18, 2004
31,648
1,773
There is a project on the west end of PCB where the 3bd/2ba condo units will have one parking space each. There is no additional public parking within a half mile. I told the developer to go back to the drawing board if he wanted me to sell a unit. The people I know who vacation at the beach typically arrive in at least two cars and often invite others over to visit.
 

Travel2Much

Beach Lover
Jun 13, 2005
159
0
Smiling JOe said:
I thought the drive-up mentality is what made people want to buy and rent homes at the beach. T2M mentioned that people should have to park away from their house. People don't like walking to the beach, much less walking to their cars. I think all of you are just :bang::bang::bang:. Why do that to yourselves?

No, quite to the contrary I said that Seaside's design, in order to be honest to its vision, would require that given its original master plan. Since it doesn't, I quit renting there. Nor would I buy there, for that specific reason. I own in a place that architecturally has managed the problem somewhat well, and I have restrictive covenants to protect me from people who do not respect that.

People also do not like to pick up their trash from the beach, but that does not prevent anyone from suggesting they do so or from suggesting that their remains are unsightly.

I don't :bang: , BTW. Not a particularly good use of my time.
 
New posts


Sign Up for SoWal Newsletter