TravelMusings

2 Posts tagged with the parks tag
Jill K. Robinson
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Some of the things I remember most about my journeys are the open, public spaces in many places in the world. I’ve always been a big fan of parks (thanks to growing up near San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park), and I generally search them out when on vacation. But parks aren’t the only cool public places.

 

The Project for Public Spaces, a nonprofit organization that works with people to “create and sustain public places that build communities,” has published a list of 60 of the world’s greatest public spaces. Among them are:

 

 

According to the Project’s Web site, these public spaces are “the places we remember most vividly, the places where serendipitous things happen, the places we tell stories about. They are decidedly local, but can also absorb a fair amount of tourism without losing the qualities that make them great.”

 

Leave a comment and tell us what your favorite public space is, whether or not it’s included on the Project’s list.

0 Comments Permalink Tags: culture, parks, public_spaces
Jill K. Robinson
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A downtown parking lot in Houston, Texas, has been reborn as a 12-acre eco-centric park—Discovery Green. The parking lot hasn’t completely disappeared, but has been moved underground, so that Houston’s now only major downtown park can take center stage.

 

Features of the $122 million park include a lake, restaurants, dog runs, open lawns, an amphitheater, a children’s playground and public art works. Solar panels power the park offices; Houstonians bring their recycling on Recycling Saturdays; and groundwater saved from the garage is recycled for irrigation.

 

Discovery Green has become extremely popular—it’s estimated that almost 250,000 people visited the park from its opening day last April through the end of June.

 

Most events in the park are free, and include green markets, concerts, athletic activities (such as yoga and tai chi), as well as workshops and story time for kids.

 

So add Discovery Park to your list the next time you’re in Houston and let us know what you think!

0 Comments Permalink Tags: ecotourism, parks, houston

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