sutterbomb

Also a Southend resident and I have to agree - my habits are pretty similar. I'll always walk for drinks or dinner, but am driving to run most errands out of necessity. The other factor to consider is that not everyone who hangs out in Southend actually lives in Southend. Going back to the WOB thread - it's hard to convince friends from Southpark area to come over to WOB when parking is always a pain. It'd be a different situation for something that feels like more of a destination, but a mediocre chain that has similar competitors in other areas of the city is not a very compelling offer.

Agreed - it'll take decades to get there, if it ever does. I just moved from the Ballston neighborhood, which has 20+ story office/residential/retail buildings for a few blocks on either side of the metro, with new construction on the rise. The 5-10 story new construction we're seeing in Southend would be small in that neighborhood, and it's not as tightly packed to begin with. That said, I do see a lot of similarities between the two areas and really look forward to seeing how South End grows.