People's Choice

These are the places we remember most vividly, the places where serendipitous things happen, the places we tell stories about.

Browse through over 600 public spaces to see what makes places great--and why each one is unique. While you're here, you can nominate your own favorites or add to the Hall of Shame.

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Recent Comments

Here's what people are saying about...

Imam Square:

(02/09/10 by sara ameri): as other friends mentioned its name is "naghshe jahan square" or "shah squre" because it was built at the supervision and order of shah abbas at sfavieh period.so i suggest you to turn its title to the main and correct one as" naghshe jahan " square"
Imam Square:

(02/03/10 by suffi misaki): Isfahan “We were glad when they said to us, “Let us go to the naghsh e jahan SQ! Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Isfahan! Isfahan, built as a city which is bound firmly together, to which the fascinating go up, the fascinating of the all Iran, as we decreed for Iran, to give thanks to the name of the Iran”. I have found this reasonable comment abour Esfahan Imam Sq at http://www.irtouring.com "
Washington Square, San Francisco:

(01/21/10 by matt frank): It is a great open space, but almost any open space there would work. I think the park could be better utilized since that area of the city has such a high density. Halprin is great but it is due for a redesign."
Esther Short Park:

(01/14/10 by john robinson): thanks for such a nice article..it is really awesome.. ======================================== albert pinto vancouver flowers"
Roads along the Seine:

(01/14/10 by Rachel Stewart): Too true. Yet to be there in summer for Paris Plage is such a treat. It was in part designed to benefit those who don't or can't leave the city during the annual mass vacation madness, and besides, all those cars are also on vacation. So the quai-side is once again given over to the people for 6 or 7 weeks. More than chaises and sand and umbrellas, there are entertainers, musicians, jugglers, mimes. Although getting cars permanently off the quais is an uphill struggle, the sudden popularity of the rental Velos [bikes] is very promising."
West Side Market:

(12/31/09 by Laura Taxel): I am working on a book about the West Side Market. I'd like to connect with people who have memories of shopping or working there; whose families are part of the place's history; and anyone who has photos taken there that they are willing to share. Please email me: laurataxel@ameritech.net"
Camden Town:

(12/04/09 by Nigel Spencer): Great stuff in Camden Lock Market: got CD collection of all Rolling Stones singles at a great price!"
Boulevard Saint Laurent:

(12/03/09 by Shawn Goldwater): Murray's a respected figure in the Montreal film scene but his comment "In Vieux Montreal, narrow cobblestone streets teeming with tourists give way to the low rise storefront architecture of the Plateau with some of the best restaurants and bars in town." may be a little misleading. In fact, the cobblestoned section gives way to pavement a loooong way before the Plateau begins. Let's see: first you've got the no-man's land part over the highway, then Chinatown, then the about to be gentrified Red Light district, then you're Plateau-bound. "
Sainte-Catherine Street:

(12/03/09 by Tristan Ryan): I've always equated Yonge and Sainte-Catherine streets, since they both are long retail streets going right through downtown, and indeed have many aspects in common -- public squares, run-down bits, restaurants, theatres, cinemas, shopping malls, access to the subway and underground passageways, tall office buildings, even prostitutes and xxx cinemas and strip clubs :) However, I'd give a nod to Sainte-Catherine over Yonge for a couple of reasons. The first is that Montreal closes it off for almost any excuse, bringing the street to the people: the Village section is closed down all summer long, and around Place-des-Arts is closed for all the big festivals, too. The second reason has little to do with the street itself but more with Montreal's compact and connected urban fabric: a walk down Sainte-Catherine will bring you closer to more of what Montreal offers than Yonge will in Toronto, where the attractions are much more scattered around the city. And I'd say it's more a main street since Montrealers (and tourists) will spend more time on it than people would on Yonge, which, while a great street, becomes just another street of many."
Sainte-Catherine Street:

(12/02/09 by A Kowalski): So how is this one of the greatest streets in the world? It's characteristics are basically that of any main street, Yonge Street in Toronto included."