Author Topic: Most mustachian(kinda) city ever.  (Read 4508 times)

unitsinc

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Most mustachian(kinda) city ever.
« on: April 21, 2013, 03:07:20 PM »
Not across the web, but around the world at least.

So I'm in The Hague for three weeks for training for work and everyone here rides bikes. If I had to estimate I'd say the ratio of cars to bikes is easily in the area of 1:40. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone. Men, women, children, old people. People in hats, people in suits, people in dresses and skirts and shorts and pants. In the wind, in the cold, in the sun. At night, in the mornings. Leaving the bar at 2am or going to work.

Everyone is very healthy looking. Very few fat people, and I've been here a week and seen maybe 3 or 4 people that would be legitimately classified as obese. Not to mention it does wonders for the shape of one's posterior, if you know what I mean.

There are bike lenders(ran by the city I guess) where you just get a bike and drop it off later at a different location.

I traveled to Amsterdam as well and it is also very similar.

I just thought you guys would like to hear about it. It's really quite a sight to see.

marty998

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Re: Most mustachian(kinda) city ever.
« Reply #1 on: April 21, 2013, 03:52:00 PM »
In many European cities built long before the invention of the car, the streets are simply too narrow for today's traffic behemoths.

Lack of obesity is also because Europeans do not have the same fast food culture.

unitsinc

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Re: Most mustachian(kinda) city ever.
« Reply #2 on: April 21, 2013, 03:57:56 PM »
In many European cities built long before the invention of the car, the streets are simply too narrow for today's traffic behemoths.

Lack of obesity is also because Europeans do not have the same fast food culture.

Yeah, their streets here are quite small. I've seen maybe 5 trucks here.

Also, they have quite a lot of fast food here actually. I've been surprised, but at least where I've been, I've seen Burger Kings and McDonalds(more BKs though, surprisingly) every few blocks.
They also have massive portions here, same size or larger than the US in most cases.

Deano

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Re: Most mustachian(kinda) city ever.
« Reply #3 on: April 21, 2013, 06:06:01 PM »
In the 90's I rode for a dutch cycling team. I fondly remember riding along the bike paths and seeing a gym class of primary students out for a ride with their teacher. They would hear us coming and yell out "fietsers!". Riding in a double line, they would spread out and let us go up the middle. It was after the first time I saw this that I realized why the dutch are, in terms of skills, the best bike racers in the world.

Enjoy your time there, I haven't been there for years, but I plan to return fairly soon. It's definitely the most civilized country I've ever been to.

Deano

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Re: Most mustachian(kinda) city ever.
« Reply #4 on: April 21, 2013, 06:30:09 PM »
In many European cities built long before the invention of the car, the streets are simply too narrow for today's traffic behemoths.

Lack of obesity is also because Europeans do not have the same fast food culture.

Yeah, their streets here are quite small. I've seen maybe 5 trucks here.

Also, they have quite a lot of fast food here actually. I've been surprised, but at least where I've been, I've seen Burger Kings and McDonalds(more BKs though, surprisingly) every few blocks.
They also have massive portions here, same size or larger than the US in most cases.

It really depends on where you are. In the US, a town of 10000 has several fast food spots, whereas a small town in the Netherlands might have one, sometimes none at all. I lived in a town of 20000, there were no fast food spots there, though admittedly this is now 15 years ago. Things change I'm sure.

Having said that, I was just in Italy recently...very few US fast food places...a few McD's, the odd KFC, very little though.

Nords

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Re: Most mustachian(kinda) city ever.
« Reply #5 on: April 21, 2013, 08:37:39 PM »
Also, they have quite a lot of fast food here actually. I've been surprised, but at least where I've been, I've seen Burger Kings and McDonalds(more BKs though, surprisingly) every few blocks.
They also have massive portions here, same size or larger than the US in most cases.
Having said that, I was just in Italy recently...very few US fast food places...a few McD's, the odd KFC, very little though.
Sounds like an investment opportunity...

Jamesqf

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Re: Most mustachian(kinda) city ever.
« Reply #6 on: April 21, 2013, 09:38:25 PM »
There are also (at least in the part of Switzerland I lived in) a lot of non-US chain fast food places, like stands that would do gyros, & bakery stalls at every local market. (With pain au chocolat!  Which is addictive.)  The UK has take-out curry, and also lots of good bakeries...

happy

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Re: Most mustachian(kinda) city ever.
« Reply #7 on: April 26, 2013, 06:20:25 AM »
The thing about The Netherlands, is a lot of people in quite a small and pretty flat space. Being sophisticated Europeans, appropriate thought and followthrough has gone into lifestyle design i.e.  how to get a lot of people to move efficiently around in a small and more or less flat land.