I remain baffled by the ongoing quest some people in Hoboken have for more ‘open space.’ It is consistently an issue in the local paper.
I spent most of my first 36 years in suburbia. In fact, before moving to Hoboken 10 years ago, I lived in an apartment next to a huge cornfield. Deer grazed in the yard because there were woods behind it.
Now call me crazy, but I moved to an urban area to get away from open space. Hoboken is one square mile. How much open space do you think we can eke out of that? It has an amazing waterfront promenade with parks and places to stroll from which you can see one of the greatest views in the world, something I write about here ad nauseum.
It doesn’t seem all that complicated to me. If you want to raise your kids in an area with open space, there are tons of options in America. Pick one and watch them run around to your heart’s content. This town is for people who want an urban lifestyle.
No brainer.
Thank you.
Must we continue to expand on parks (or open space)? Hoboken children/tweens/teens need more activites– not the space in which to participate in them. And the circular pier that’s practically in the middle of the Hudson river (the one under construction) was unnecessary to our town, only adding to an already long and elaborate bill of ribbon cuttings.
I think that we should focus more on repairing our town. See also: the crumbling area of Sinatra drive, between sixth and seventh streets.
I am a huge fan of your blog, but I don’t agree with you about open spaces in Hoboken. I think we need much more open space in this highly congested city–more playground/green space for kids, more community gardens, more trees, more places for seniors to sit and hang out. Yes, we do have the waterfront parks, but I believe we need much much more.
For a different perspective on nature in the city, please check out my blog post today: My city backyard aka certified wildlife habitat (http://underseaencounters.wordpress.com/). Yes, I did choose to live here and not in the country, but I don’t believe that means I have to live surrounded by solid concrete.
Mary Jo
Hi Mary Jo —
I LOVED your blog post. It is such a completely different experience from mine in our town. What struck me about it is what you made of your world, right here.
However, I’m not sure how you mean to relate it to my open space post. Are you hoping for more space to create that kind of environment or for others to do so? I’m just not clear on how to make open space a priority here since it seems we’re already bursting at the seams, but you have given me some insight as to the “why” (aside from the usual “I can’t play catch with my kid” argument).
I appreciate the perspective!
Nancy
With all due respect to the two of you, I’d prefer to create a garden… somewhere in the upper west edges of Hoboken. This will teach kids how to grow their own food, create/cook and eat healthily.
Working on seeing if something like this could happen in the not-too-distant future.