It seems that so many of the "big cities" in North America are shockingly pedestrian-unfriendly. This point-A-to-point-B culture is bizarre.
Vegas as an example:
- Absolutely mind blowing that one would have to wait 5 minutes to cross the road legally.
- Streets devoid of pedestrians: everyone hides in a coffee shop in the day, and in a bar at night. Restaurants and gambling in between. In short, all about spending money: there's minimal pleasure to be had from a simple long walk.
San Francisco is somewhat better, but still completely unwalkable. Same with Toronto and much of Montreal.
NYC is the only city I've been to that hasn't unsettled me in this way — it is possible to go for a nice walk in an environment that doesn't feel like some dystopian post-humanity world without relying on vehicles — but even then one might argue that only applies to certain parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn.