VoidBurger (AKA Jess) @voidburger.com · Jun 19 One of the ways moving to Finland has been *bizarre* is that it has 3rd places galore. I didn't realize how I haven't seen old people or kids (sans parents) hanging out in groups for ages. This is a street intersection with free hammocks man. wtf what have we done. we used to be a society lol
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People just parking off on the banks of a canal for the day or hanging out on benches chatting with people was such a culture shock, but it rules
One thing I noticed since moving to Germany, within a 10 minute walk from my house there's about 12 different playgrounds. When we visited my parents last, just getting to the *only* playground within 10 minutes involved having to walk in the street because a cactus had overgrown the sidewalk.
Moi! I found my time in Finland eye-opening. As for third spaces, it was my first experience living for a time in the model where housing was small spaces, and public spaces were de facto living rooms.
Meanwhile in my German hometown, the cozy little riverside "beach" has been closed for weeks so they can show footie games once in a while, because commercial actors selling overpriced cocktails for two hours a day is more important than relaxing by the waterside in the summer heat.
Another factor of American life that contributes to this liminal space/nostalgia/no 3rd spaces thing: even if we had 3rd spaces we don't have TIME to enjoy them. We have work. Americans are in a real abusive relationship with work that we cannot get out of
It's to be 105F today in the Old Pueblo. Make sure that there's water available to all. Heat kills and it kills fast.
Mostly just Helsinki though. There's far fewer in any other city during the winter. Parks are still real nice during summer everywhere.
See also, New Englanders delighted by the Music, Singing and community of the Tartan Army. Putting VLC Hats (Traffic Cones) on all the statuary has also gone down well.
The Hammock District? That’s on Third, too.
those wooden hammocks also look amazing
There is nothing more American than deliberately supporting political causes that actively and loudly work to destroy you - and for those constituents to cheer the efforts because that may somehow hurt non-white people.