Food Deserts and Inequality in Access to Nutrition.

[SamIam]

Originally Posted by glatt

I walk along inner city streets every single day and they are the easiest streets to walk along. You have wide sidewalks and intersections with crosswalks and signals. The traffic is so heavy that the cars never get above about 20 mph. Pedestrians pretty much rule in the city.

It gets a little worse in the suburbs, because you don't have as many signals and you don't have sidewalks on many streets. Traffic goes around 40 mph, so your time to cross the street is shorter before going splat.

It's been a long time since I've visited the Arlington/DC area. I used to get over there a couple of times a year because my ex-husband grew up in Arlington and still had family there. Sounds like things are still about the way I remember them. Back when I made my first visits to the DC area, I was really impressed by the Metro which was only recently completed back then.. I loved to walk down the mile or so from my ex's family home to the nearest metro station and ride under the Potomac and into DC, so we could stroll around and visit the Smithsonian and all the rest.

But isn’t “inner city” DC kind of an exception to the inner city of parts of NYC and other major metro areas? I don’t know because DC is the only inner city area I have experience with other than Denver and there’s no comparison.

I spent far too much of my life in Colorado Springs (metro area pop 500,000), and THAT city is awful. The bus system is bad, speed limits can be as high as 50mph on streets that go through major business areas and many times there are no sidewalks.

As Dana might say, you're spot on about the woes of being a pedestrian in a rural area

Originally Posted by orthodoc

I know all about dragging four small children along on grocery shopping trips. Navigating a huge parking lot with a bunch of preschoolers and a baby was terrifying. I know there are all sorts of situations. It's the general principles I'm talking about.

My point re my m-i-l was that her trips took real effort, they weren't a mere stroll. At 84, navigating the hills on the way to the store wasn't easy, nor was pulling the cart. She lived on far less than poverty level income so the cost of the cart was significant to her, but she made it a priority. She didn't have Pampers to buy but also didn't have WIC or other programs.

Must have been a major pain in the ass, doc, and you had a car. Moms should all be given medals for just not going insane. I’m in complete agreement about the principle.

I guess I was a little snippy about the cart. I had a bit of resentment over those little carts because there was a time in my life when I had to walk a mile or so to the grocery store and could barely afford the rent, never mind any extras. Sometimes I would “borrow” one of those smaller carts the stores now have and wheel home my groceries in it. I’d return it on my next trip. Your MIL was an exceptional lady, but I have to respectfully differ with you as to whether she is a good analogy to an urban Mom with 3 or 4 little kids.

Originally Posted by Rhianne

Are there beer or tobacco deserts I wonder?

Thank dog, those are few and far between! People of all income brackets and ages do love their vices. Those corner stores carry smokes and any town with a population of more than 500 always has a liquor store which also carries cigarettes.

Originally Posted by Rhianne

But what has really surprised me most about this thread is that no-one has asked what Clodfobble does with 20 pounds of zucchini each week

Me too. I assume she juices them?

@ Dana: You’re so sweet. TY!

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by SamIam

Thank dog, those are few and far between! People of all income brackets and ages do love their vices. Those corner stores carry smokes and any town with a population of more than 500 always has a liquor store which also carries cigarettes.

It varies so much state to state. You can't buy cigs at liquor stores in NY, You can't even buy mixers; only wine and liquor. Grocery stores can sell beer. In VT, just across the road, you can buy beer, wine, liquor, cigs, mixers, lottery tickets, candy etc at the state liquor stores, Beer and wine at grocery stores.

[Ibby]

Originally Posted by footfootfoot

In VT, just across the road, you can buy beer, wine, liquor, cigs, mixers, lottery tickets, candy etc at the state liquor stores, Beer and wine at grocery stores.

Technically true, but they have to ring you up twice/give you two receipts: one from the Vermont Liquor Outlet with ONLY your liquors over 20% and one from the private store with everything else. The one in Winooski has two separate checkouts/registers; the one on Pearl st. here in Burlington just does it all on one register, I think, which separates out the tickets.

The liquor store itself, therefore, can only sell liquors, but is, afaik, always attached to a store that sells the rest.

[SamIam]

Originally Posted by footfootfoot

It varies so much state to state. You can't buy cigs at liquor stores in NY, You can't even buy mixers; only wine and liquor. Grocery stores can sell beer. In VT, just across the road, you can buy beer, wine, liquor, cigs, mixers, lottery tickets, candy etc at the state liquor stores, Beer and wine at grocery stores.

Every states does seem to have its own set of laws most of which make no sense. In Colorado the grocery and convenience stores are allowed to sell only 3.2 beer and wine coolers. Liquor stores, in addition to selling every kind of alcoholic product known to man, also sell mixers, FRESH lemons and limes, and smokes. No duplicate receipts required. Cigarettes can be purchased just about anywhere.

Marijuana can be bought legally only at a medical marijuana dispensary and you have to have a special card issued by the state. I'm interested to see what will happen once marijuana for the masses becomes legal after the first of the year.

At least OUR low income people have ready access to fresh sources of vitamin C, so there's no excuse for any outbreaks of scurvy in Colorado.