It is worth writing a few notes about our "neighborhood experiences" in Munich, which are typical of what one would find in a medium or large sized European city. Our hotel (the Orly) was in a residential neighborhood, a few kilometers away from the central area of Munich. So, I would describe it as "suburban" - and in that respect, not too different from the Wildhorse area of Davis, CA, where I live. But the similarity ends there.
At Munich, from our hotel (marked as pin "B" on the map) - and within say, a 1-square kilometer area (this is approximately what is covered in the map) - we could walk to:
- public transport (U-bahn - pin "A", S-bahn - just South of the map, tram, bus line)
- restaurants, bars, and coffee shops
- parks
- services (e.g., laundry)
- supermarkets and drug stores
- specialty shops (e.g., jeweler)
- commercial offices (e.g., energy companies such as RWE, E.On)
All of these within a 5-10 minute walk. Which is just not possible in American cities and towns because of our sharp zoning laws. But this design enabled us to walk to dinner almost every night - and we enjoyed good food with so much diversity. A "modern european" cuisine the first night, then Indian, then Thai, Greek ... what I notice not noticing were fast food places. Most of these establishments are basically part of the street level premises in a 3-4 story residential building. All in all, a very nice way to live and barely any need for a car.
At Munich, from our hotel (marked as pin "B" on the map) - and within say, a 1-square kilometer area (this is approximately what is covered in the map) - we could walk to:
- public transport (U-bahn - pin "A", S-bahn - just South of the map, tram, bus line)
- restaurants, bars, and coffee shops
- parks
- services (e.g., laundry)
- supermarkets and drug stores
- specialty shops (e.g., jeweler)
- commercial offices (e.g., energy companies such as RWE, E.On)
 | |
| Neighborhood around the Orly Hotel in Munich |
All of these within a 5-10 minute walk. Which is just not possible in American cities and towns because of our sharp zoning laws. But this design enabled us to walk to dinner almost every night - and we enjoyed good food with so much diversity. A "modern european" cuisine the first night, then Indian, then Thai, Greek ... what I notice not noticing were fast food places. Most of these establishments are basically part of the street level premises in a 3-4 story residential building. All in all, a very nice way to live and barely any need for a car.
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