Urban Assumptions

It's amusing and revealing to take a look at suburbanites' casual observations regarding city life. I was chatting with a friend last week about the July 4th fireworks. I asked him if he was planning on coming into the city for the fireworks over the river. He said he wanted to, but parking downtown was really a hassle.

Parking downtown a hassle? Well, good point! Parking downtown for July 4th is indeed difficult. But isn't it interesting to think about the assumption that the automobile is the default method of transportation?

For that matter, why do we always assume that to get from point A to point B we need an automobile?