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Urban Oasis
Trade in your cell phone for a shamisen -- just for a bit | |
(Clearing throat) I once read an article in Nat'l Geo about a small village in Japan where absolutely everything is still done traditionally. The clothes people wear, the preparation of food, everything. Lately, I've been thinking of a small-scale version, originally called a 'Luddite Park.' It's kind
of a hybrid of the village and the no-telephone cars found on some European trains. I'm all for technology -- I love computers, minidisc recorders, etc., but wouldn't it be nice if you could spend your 1-hour lunch break in a place of peace? A place that's accessible and free of charge? You sprint out of the office building elevator to the changing room on the border of the nearby park, where you trade in your suit for a kimono (or toga, depends on the theme; should be consistent). There are curved bridges over babbling brooks, women walking by in traditional Japanese garb and holding parasols, a musician or two playing an acoustic instrument, and NOT MUCH ELSE.
This is not a tourist attraction or a theme park (well, kind of). It's an escape. No entrance fee, but there is a fine if you bring in a bleepy cell phone -- yup, even if you're Jamie Kennedy -- or a McDonald's bag, a wristwatch, a personal digital assistant, or a necktie. Why not just go to a regular park? Hey, why not just go to a library or a movie theater -- you *could*. But this is different. This is bliss. If popular, you might find several different special parks in a single metropolis: Roman, Japanese, pseudo ancient Middle East. Who's going to pay for all the kimonos? Haven't worked it out yet. How do you know when it's time to go if you don't have a watch? (Aww, do I even need to say it?) There's an ever-so-gentle bell every hour, and the musician gives a signal every half hour. The songs help the musician keep time. Variation: a larger version on the outskirts of town to better escape the noise of the city. Close, but not too close, to a metro stop.
(I spent some serious time lurking and searching to make sure I'm not ripping someone else off. Time that could have been spent, well, working, so let me down gently if this has already been posted).
lpicador's link as a link
http://www.wireless...erl/story/8116.html
[calum, Jul 25 2002]
blacksect's link as a link
http://www.ps1.org/cut/current.html
[calum, Jul 25 2002]
[link]
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I'm blushing, [blissmiss]. |
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I think this is very bakeable. Traditional food vendors would remove the temptation to bring in a macdonalds bag. |
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....another duplicate account? |
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Lovely idea, and not even slightly baked, as there seems to be a profit motive behind every similar enterprise. I do think there are a few. |
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For example, Kabuki Springs, here in San Francisco's Japantown. It's kind of a clothing-optional urban oasis, if you like. For $16, you go in, disrobe, and spend however long you like among the other naked women. (Same-sex nudity only; there is a Couples' Night, but swimsuits are mandatory). There is a giant hot tub, a cold plunge, showers, a steam room and sauna, cucumber water to drink, free body lotions, gentle music, and a general atmosphere of serenity. |
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If you can emerge from this place with your pre-Kabuki stress intact, congratulations: you're a certified Type A. You'll also be dead by the age of 40. |
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Nothing is free. Who pays for this? |
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Who decides what an appropriate level of technology is?
Who polices the grounds?
Is there anything to do other than lay around and act like a hippy?
How is intruding noise pollution dealt with (if at all)?
Does this remind anyone else of the Niven short story "Cloak of Anarchy"? |
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1%: re Kabuki Springs -- I lived in SF for two months and never heard about it. Of course, I was stuck in the Tenderloin. Well, as a straight guy, I probably wouldn't be all that excited about the rules. |
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chud -- I like your self-effacement. Keep your chin up, though. |
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po -- please explain the duplicate acct question. Me? chud? Us? |
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phoenix -- I like nixing fees, you know. //Who's going to pay for all the kimonos? Haven't worked it out yet.
// I will police the grounds. Intruding noise is dealt with by one of those machines that plays a mirror "image" wavelength of that created by the noise. Poorly written, but the device exists. Heard of it? Re hippy comment - conversation mostly. The kids can play tag. |
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I like the idea, especially if it has an enforced ban on cellphones and beepers. <Preferably enforced by decapitation for a first offense.> |
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Wishing the expenses away won't work, but I like the rest of it. The sound cancelling thing won't work at a distance, though, I believe. |
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If you get rid of the musician, kids playing tag, and the requirement to wear funny clothes (public changing rooms aren't my idea of fun), and you were allowed to bring your own lunch, it would be OK, but really it doesn't seem how I'd choose to relax. I prefer just to find a nice coffee shop or park and sit reading a book. By the time you'd got there, disposed of your technology (in lockers?), changed, changed back and gone back to work, how much of your lunch break would you have left? |
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Just do what (some) little kids do-- when it all gets to be too much, just stick your fingers in your ears and sing "LA-LA-LA- LAA-LAAA" at the top of your lungs. |
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[blissmiss] The Voice of Reason voted for, but dislikes untidy endings. |
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I just go and eat my sandwiches in the Churchyard on sunny days. It's wonderfully peaceful amongst all those traditionally-dressed dead people and noise pollution doesn't really seem to be a problem despite being close to the main road. Perhaps it's just a state of mind thing. Croissant anyway. |
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Sandwich at my desk. Again. |
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You could also do an Amish one. And Colonial Williamsburg comes close to a colonial America version, though their focus on the purity is not as stringent (they let visitors, but not staff, wear wristwatches, etc., and the shops accept credit cards). |
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Baked. Anglsea. A sort of 1950's theme park. Old people go there to practice for being dead. |
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Seems like a technology free zone could be created
where cell phones and wireless devices would not work.
Using massive electromagnetic pulses, the zone could
cause computers, digital watches and newer cars to fail
also. |
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<feeling it> Civilized trash kept separate from sandwich trash.</feeling it> |
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I forgot to mention that this idea was also influenced by Julian Barnes' novel, 'England, England' although it barely resembles Urban Oasis. People say it's his worst, but anyway, I enjoyed it. |
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This sounds wonderful. As for the cold world of reality, we already have botanical gardens smack dab in the middle of cities where you need only pay a small fee to a non-profit organization to get in. Many cities also have free or small-charge recreation parks inside them, at least in the places that this yokel has been. And some have Japanese gardens in them that you can visit. Point is, if you like this idea, check out existing parks in your area. |
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ravenswood, i like the concentric ring thing. It could be like the opposite of Dante, with the best part in the center. hunter-gatherers only. |
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Hunter-gatherers... now we're talking. |
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"You know it's so tranquil here in this little haven of nature, taking a break from all the hustle and bustle of the modern age. No mobile phones, no walkmans, no-" <*thunk* - big pointy stick suddenly protrudes from marketing manager's kimono-clad chest> |
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"ULLUUUULLUUULLLUUULLLUUU!" <Admin assistant leaps from bushes wearing nothing but a penis sheath and wode... Lord of the Files, one could say> |
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Phoenix is right about the money, of course -- bouncers have to be paid. Something like this is baked, of course, in the form of the nightclub, or the country club, or the "gentlemen's club" (not a strip joint, but an actual health club with dining etc.) |
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There doesn't seem to be enough of a market for this environment to support the bouncers and the groundskeepers and the real estate taxes. Perhaps you could re-position the idea as an incremental change to existing public parks: banning cell phones in the Japanese garden in Golden Gate Park or one of the meadows in Central Park, for instance. Speaking of which, cell-phone jammers do exist, and I'd love to see them in movie theaters et al. This is an issue people are talking about: http://www.wirelessnewsfactor.com/perl/story/8116.html |
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One more thought: I'm not dazzled by the prospect of navigating gaggles of homeless men with booze in paper bags wearing "togas". I'm just saying. |
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baked: http://www.ps1.org/cut/current.html |
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PS1(now MOMAQNS) in NY already has this. It's called the
Playa Urbana/Urban Beach and features wading pools,
sand, water nozzles, reflecting pools and of course
minimalist architecture and IDM Djs.
It's the closest pale art nerds in black rimmed glasses will
ever get to a beach. |
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You can bring a cell phone if you want but it will probably
not function very long unless it happens to be
waterproof. |
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Of course the problem with these places is that people
love them, and now the line stretches all the way around
the block and it feels more like some kind of hipster six
flags than an actual urban oasis. |
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This is somewhat baked at the Chinese gardens in Sydney.
This consists of a lovely walled garden complete with lake
and waterfall, willows and pagodas located in the center
of the city. There are numerous nooks with stone
benches which are ideal for quiet contemplation, there is
also a coffee shop overlooking the lake and it is possible
to hire traditional Chinese dress (mainly for photographic
purposes alas). Originally entry to the gardens was free,
now it costs a small amount (for upkeep). |
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housekeeping note: lpicador and blacksect, please add
links using the [link] function under the main idea. |
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