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A couple of weeks ago I posted a thread about favorite urban parks. I'm now wondering what are your favorite urban 'gathering' or 'public' spaces. This being defined as a space that is generally open to all and accessible to people. An area where people go to people watch, sit, drink coffee, catch up with friends, have a bag lunch, etc.
Some more famous examples that come to mind are: the steps of the NY Public Library by the Lion statues, Greenwich Park, Pikes Place Market...
One that I visited recently that blew me away was Campus Martius Park in downtown Detroit. Lots of office workers enjoying lunch and the sun.
I know that Europe often gets praise for their plazas, squares, and other areas that promote leisure and enjoying the passing of time. Interested to see what other examples are out there!
One of my favorites out of many cities is The Elevated Acre in lower Manhattan near the Financial District at 55 Water Street.
It features a garden with paths and benches, a green lawn to spread a picnic lunch on, an amphitheater with live music performances after work and a great beer garden in the summer months.
I love Stone Street in Manhattan and the similar Belden Place in San Francisco. I think it's great that some of these streets have been reclaimed and reused for people. They're incredibly lively and active meeting places. I'm hoping that a silver lining from the pandemic is that cities realize that re purposing some streets for purposes like Stone St. and Belden Place can be great for people and businesses in the area (drastically adds seating capacity).
I've always felt that Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia was one of the best urban gathering spots in the U.S. Any of the small squares in Savannah are excellent too. Washington or Thompkins Squares in the East/West Villages are near perfect for these purposes too.
There's very little that rivals the squares and plazas in Europe though. Specifically, Italy, Spain, France, and a few others really nail it with plazas and squares of all different sizes that seem to naturally create meeting spaces and breaks from the dense urbanity around them.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Pike Place Market in Seattle used to be a favorite, but now having to walk past the homeless, watch drug deals going on, and risking a broken car window from a break-in has spoiled that. I'll still go if I walk there from my office at lunch time
but of course now with the pandemic wouldn't go anywhere near the place. The rooftop deck at Pier 66 is still a great place in nice weather, with fantastic views, and a close look at cruise ships when they are in port.
I don't know that I understand the premise. For example, how is Pike Place and example of an urban gathering place? It's pretty much an old mall with touristy shops, produce, and restaurants. Does it have many places to sit for free?
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