Hello, and happy nearly summer—how did that happen? As you know, if you’ve been following my admittedly low-key adventures, I returned from Porto two weeks ago—a few weeks earlier than planned. What is it they say about plans? Anyway… And you might (or might not) know that I live in the lovely little city of Setúbal, about 30 miles/49 kilometers southwest of Lisbon.
Access to mobility is one of my very favorite things about the Netherlands. You see six-year-old children and 80-year-old men and women cycling everywhere. Wheelchair-bike contraptions and people with crutches cycling wherever they need to go.
Public transit in cities is good, and public transit between cities is amazing (although a bit expensive). And it’s normal for a city of 150,000 people to have 10,000 bike parking spots at the train station.
If you travel over a certain distance to work by public transit, your company is legally required to reimburse you up to a certain amount (which will cover your expense unless you travel far).
On average in a large city like Amsterdam, every residence is within 1 km of a grocery store and other basic needs.
Getting ‘local’ produce here means it was likely grown within 30 min driving of your home.
I’m with you that this all makes for a great standard of living that isn’t related to your paycheck.
That young girl in the school uniform, that’s what did it for me🥲. Thanks for the trail info, I will search for more information in English, as I plan to be in Portugal in October for about three weeks visiting hiking spots around the country.
I love the idea of a 15 minute city! I think my area of Brooklyn would qualify. No car needed, access to parks, markets, shopping, entertainment - all within 15 (maybe 20) minutes. This is my dream, especially as I'm looking towards retirement in 5-ish years and remaining active. Thank you for talking about this.
The Right-Sized City
Great article on the great things about Setúbal! Agreed. You got upstaged a little by that Thai ad though, trying to write this through teary eyes! ❤️
It must be so nice to have the beaches and the nature reserve nearby.
Access to mobility is one of my very favorite things about the Netherlands. You see six-year-old children and 80-year-old men and women cycling everywhere. Wheelchair-bike contraptions and people with crutches cycling wherever they need to go.
Public transit in cities is good, and public transit between cities is amazing (although a bit expensive). And it’s normal for a city of 150,000 people to have 10,000 bike parking spots at the train station.
If you travel over a certain distance to work by public transit, your company is legally required to reimburse you up to a certain amount (which will cover your expense unless you travel far).
On average in a large city like Amsterdam, every residence is within 1 km of a grocery store and other basic needs.
Getting ‘local’ produce here means it was likely grown within 30 min driving of your home.
I’m with you that this all makes for a great standard of living that isn’t related to your paycheck.
That young girl in the school uniform, that’s what did it for me🥲. Thanks for the trail info, I will search for more information in English, as I plan to be in Portugal in October for about three weeks visiting hiking spots around the country.
I love the idea of a 15 minute city! I think my area of Brooklyn would qualify. No car needed, access to parks, markets, shopping, entertainment - all within 15 (maybe 20) minutes. This is my dream, especially as I'm looking towards retirement in 5-ish years and remaining active. Thank you for talking about this.