There will never be green space in a dense city. If someone wants green space, they gotta move out of town for it. There's plenty out there for everyone.
You gotta get yourself up to the Pacific Northwest sometime. I think it's only partly a physical space availability issue. There's also the issue of regional density and cultural values.
Discovery Park:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Discovery+Park,+Seattle,+WA&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=31.564064,79.013672&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=14Seward Park:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Seward+Park,+Seattle,+WA&sll=47.66441,-122.4212&sspn=0.026185,0.077162&ie=UTF8&ll=47.555851,-122.248263&spn=0.01312,0.038581&t=h&z=15The Arboretum, along with Interlaken and Boren Parks:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Arboretum,&sll=47.634743,-122.292252&sspn=0.012377,0.038581&ie=UTF8&radius=0.9&rq=1&ev=zo&ll=47.634887,-122.296629&spn=0.012377,0.038581&t=h&z=15All of these are in the city proper. These are some of the biggest spaces; there are hundreds of smaller ones, both public and private. Additionally, within the Seattle Metropolitan Area we have things like this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Issaquah_AlpsOur official city nickname is The Emerald City!
We have a pothead in the house. Unfortunately, he's licensed. He smokes every single fucking day and the smell is so bad that I can't even breathe in the living room. Luckily, my poorly-ventilated bedroom, with shut window and blocked heater vent, is safe (hardly).
Weed has to be one of the most disgusting and retarded things ever discovered. And of course, he has to light up right when I'm trying to do homework.
Ugh, I am with you on that. What turns me off about marijuana is that it smells disgusting, takes away your self-control, and has this culture of hypocritical dedication and admiration surrounding it that borders on religious zeal. ("Hypocritical" because many of the people who use it can be very judgmental in other areas, but bristle at the slightest criticism of their addiction or hobby or whatever.) The worst part is the smell when someone else in the building decides to partake, and I've got my windows open to alleviate the warm weather. It's on the short list of things in this world that I'm willing to pass judgment on without having participated in firsthand. I'm proud to say that, other than alcohol, I've never used a recreational drug of any kind, except for secondhand smoke exposure at a few company parties. (And as for alcohol, I'm proud to say that I've never been drunk, although I once got pretty close by getting way more than I bargained for from a jello shot on an empty stomach at an Irish pub on Saint Patrick's Day.) The only good thing I can say about weed is that Carl Sagan used it.
I don't know what it is about me that inspires the thought, but many people tend to assume that I'm a fan of that stuff. I am definitely not. I used to be in favor of the present prohibition on light drugs, and have only recently shifted to a neutral stance--solely because of the socioeconomic problems caused by the illegality of this widely used substance. The drug war didn't work, so I am reluctantly forced to conclude that legal regulation is the best way ahead.
Anyhow, I am
totally with you on this. It's hard to find people who share my viewpoint who do so for my reasons rather than out of religious prudery or conservative hypocrisy. ("Hypocrisy" because they light up as much as anyone else.)
I was in a car accident a couple hours ago. Driving the hotel (yes I work in a hotel) shuttle van from the airport to the hotel, a tiny car pulled right through a stop sign without stopping on my right. I slammed on the brakes and tried to turn to miss her but I couldn't even slow it down.
Everybody was ok, my neck is just a little tight. What a day!
Very lame. At least you all lived through it, but, because of that, I'm afraid the worst is yet to come, in the form of insurance actions, potential lawsuits, and your own job security. Very lame indeed.
