4 ms·

Not that I disagree with your general idea, just posting as an FYI to folks in the area: I live in Gilroy (small town south of San Jose), and our local library

Not that I disagree with your general idea, just posting as an FYI to folks in the area: I live in Gilroy (small town south of San Jose), and our local library has several meeting rooms that are available for public use. You do have to reserve them, but the fee is a flat $25, not per hour, and they're clean, well lit, have internet, all that good stuff. Many libraries have similar.

luckydata 8y ago
It's cheap but there's still a fee. There's a fee on anything around here. I'm a European and I'm really bummed by how lonely and transactional our cities in California are. Want to do something social? 99% is going to be revolving around food because restaurants are the only option. The Mayor of Union city recently denied the license to a bar downtown because "we don't want that type of entertainment around here", "that type" meaning ANY entertainment that's not 30-50 minutes sitting in a restaurant then maybe movies, then go the hell back home because there's nothing to do in the East Bay.
- Baeocystin 8y ago
  Is it free-to-access interior space that you feel is missing? I'm perhaps not the best judge, as I just personally dislike living in large cities, so satellite towns like Gilroy are about as urban as I like to get. So maybe I'm just not familiar with what you're getting at. But even around here, and sticking only to 100% free, there are tons of parks, tennis & basketball courts, softball/baseball fields, bike trails, etc. There's an open-air amphitheatre that anyone can use. The BBQ park benches are covered, so you can stay out of the weather/sun while hanging out. I'm not sure what I would consider missing in terms of public space. Even the library has an open atrium area with couches and the like where you can talk without needing to pay anything, and without disturbing the folks in the stacks.
  - luckydata 8y ago
    It would be so hard to explain... if you ever travel to southern Europe (Italy, Spain) just take a look at how cities are structured. The cities have squares, benches, covered archways for strolling. Here you got strict separation, you're either in a park and you better be wanting to do some kind of sports, or you're in a commercial area. The closest thing you got is a mall (but no place to sit because it impacts revenue...). Just take a look around next time you're over there and you'll see quite a different way of living. People hang out. You go out to meet your neighbors. The closest thing I've seen in this country is New York.
    - Baeocystin 8y ago
      I'll keep what you've said in mind when I next get to travel. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

luckydata 8y ago

It's cheap but there's still a fee. There's a fee on anything around here. I'm a European and I'm really bummed by how lonely and transactional our cities in California are. Want to do something social? 99% is going to be revolving around food because restaurants are the only option. The Mayor of Union city recently denied the license to a bar downtown because "we don't want that type of entertainment around here", "that type" meaning ANY entertainment that's not 30-50 minutes sitting in a restaurant then maybe movies, then go the hell back home because there's nothing to do in the East Bay.

Baeocystin 8y ago
Is it free-to-access interior space that you feel is missing? I'm perhaps not the best judge, as I just personally dislike living in large cities, so satellite towns like Gilroy are about as urban as I like to get. So maybe I'm just not familiar with what you're getting at. But even around here, and sticking only to 100% free, there are tons of parks, tennis & basketball courts, softball/baseball fields, bike trails, etc. There's an open-air amphitheatre that anyone can use. The BBQ park benches are covered, so you can stay out of the weather/sun while hanging out. I'm not sure what I would consider missing in terms of public space. Even the library has an open atrium area with couches and the like where you can talk without needing to pay anything, and without disturbing the folks in the stacks.
- luckydata 8y ago
  It would be so hard to explain... if you ever travel to southern Europe (Italy, Spain) just take a look at how cities are structured. The cities have squares, benches, covered archways for strolling. Here you got strict separation, you're either in a park and you better be wanting to do some kind of sports, or you're in a commercial area. The closest thing you got is a mall (but no place to sit because it impacts revenue...). Just take a look around next time you're over there and you'll see quite a different way of living. People hang out. You go out to meet your neighbors. The closest thing I've seen in this country is New York.
  - Baeocystin 8y ago
    I'll keep what you've said in mind when I next get to travel. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!