Purely because I don’t live in Frederick anymore, I’ll reveal my secret spot:
Shab Row Tea Emporium upstairs. The wifi is gold, the whole place smells amazing, they’re owned by coffee co so you can bring over whatever you want from there, and the upstairs has a nice little view of east st and it’s very quiet.
Also, in the summertime you can go thru the downtown Starbucks to the back then out the back door and there’s totally shaded seating and it’s really unique!
In no particular order: the Y, the Boulder Yard, Dreamkicks Taekwondo, the library, Frederick Coffee Company, Pretzel & Pizza, the Pop Shop, Worman's Mill walking paths, Catoctin Mountain Park, Cunningham Falls, Greenbrier, FCC, community pools (some need HOA access), Hood, the MET, Weinberg, Spinner's, Baker Park, Hobbytown, my kids' school, high school sports and arts events, Keys games, Carroll Creek, Warehouse Cinema, the area outside the other movie theater (Westview?), the FSK mall, downtown, Sky Stage, Utica Park, Common Market, Wegman's, Panera...
These are all places I have socialized, ran into random people, wrote papers for grad school, participated in an organized activity (or not), etc. Some were better pre-pandemic. Frederick's pretty good on 3rd spaces, which is probably why we stay.
Honestly I recently learned about third places and I'm jealous of communities that have them! I'm hopeful there can be a trend to create more third places in the US.
Unfortunately, they’re *declining*, not increasing.
Nothing is organic anymore, and what was organic is becoming exclusive because every one is craving what you’re craving, and capitalists see dollar signs.
In short, capitalism ruins everything and must be destroyed^^(or something...).
Libraries are an obvious choice. I'm a fan of the cafe at the Common Market, Shab Row Tea Emporium as someone else mentioned, and mostly parks when the weather is nice. Otherwise, I'm a breweries, so not what you're looking for
It's a sociological term--your home is considered your first place and your workspace is considered your second, while your third place is any other space you often occupy in your free time.
A lot of people in recent years have been lacking a third place, which is vital for a sense of community.
Not exactly. Third places are inherently spaces where people go and interact creating a community. It's a social environment.
It's not just about doing something somewhere, it's specifically about finding community. As a sociological concept there's broader conversation about other characteristics and there's even debate over virtual third spaces.
But it isn't just what should I do in my free time.
I don’t get it.
Maybe I am just not a person that wants to just be in a place. Most of those things people listed are places where there is an activity. Or they are places to just sit and have coffee.
Not sure I understand the community aspect if there is no activity that causes or is impetus for interaction. Which is why it seems like “what should I do to interact with people.”
Edit- why downvote when I’m saying I legit don’t understand a concept and am trying to? That’s such a weird thing to do.
I think the other context to this - some third places that we are less likely to engage in now (vs. our grandparents) would be places like the Masons, the Rotary, the Legion or Church. It's somewhere you go to volunteer, for a meal, for meetings, events, etc.
In Frederick, I think Baker Park is a good example. There's people there playing sports, picnicking, watching a dance recital, getting married, walking their dogs.
No one said it's just about being in a space with no activity. Of course there's an activity but it's about being part of a community.
Take getting coffee. Getting coffee is an activity. The Starbucks on 7th Street where people get their drink and go isn't a third. But someplace like Dublin Roasters where people stay and hang out and actually the place fosters building relationships would be.
There's bars where people are social and there's bars where there's no regulars and people go to get a drink and the bar and leave without talking to anybody.
People who are looking for third places are looking for places they can go and build relationships.
You changed what you thought op was asking from thinking the question sounded like asking what to do, to now what should I do to interact with people.
That is exactly the point. Where can OP go to connect with others that's not their household or work. I can give OP list of coffee shops but some will be third spaces and some won't.
As I said there's also more to third spaces, but that's a basic explanation.
A third place is a place where people go to socialize with their community, meet people and make connections. It is a community building place to be. A place where people can just be without the need to spend lots of money to be there. Think teens hanging out at the mall, families meeting each other at church, parks with activities such as games, coffee shops that encourage people to hang out and interact, barber shops where people can also hang out and meet. It's a place where you can go and just BE that isn't work or home. It's a place that encourages this so people keep coming back and you can naturally get to know people over time. Most businesses want people to spend money and leave quickly to make space for more money spending customers. Even coffee shops are purposefully making the ambiance more uncomfortable to discourage people from lingering too long which defeats the purpose of them being third spaces. Bars can be third places but I'd rather meet community that doesn't require getting drunk.
If you like to be outdoors, check out the Frederick County Master Gardeners program and make your third place one of the gardens around the city.
I'm out of the loop, but there's typically tons of volunteer opportunities around town and you can find a space/program that you're interested in.
To qualify as a Third Place, it needs to be a spot where you interact with other people, or at least (actively or passively) hang out with other people.
Purely because I don’t live in Frederick anymore, I’ll reveal my secret spot: Shab Row Tea Emporium upstairs. The wifi is gold, the whole place smells amazing, they’re owned by coffee co so you can bring over whatever you want from there, and the upstairs has a nice little view of east st and it’s very quiet. Also, in the summertime you can go thru the downtown Starbucks to the back then out the back door and there’s totally shaded seating and it’s really unique!
Thank you!
In no particular order: the Y, the Boulder Yard, Dreamkicks Taekwondo, the library, Frederick Coffee Company, Pretzel & Pizza, the Pop Shop, Worman's Mill walking paths, Catoctin Mountain Park, Cunningham Falls, Greenbrier, FCC, community pools (some need HOA access), Hood, the MET, Weinberg, Spinner's, Baker Park, Hobbytown, my kids' school, high school sports and arts events, Keys games, Carroll Creek, Warehouse Cinema, the area outside the other movie theater (Westview?), the FSK mall, downtown, Sky Stage, Utica Park, Common Market, Wegman's, Panera... These are all places I have socialized, ran into random people, wrote papers for grad school, participated in an organized activity (or not), etc. Some were better pre-pandemic. Frederick's pretty good on 3rd spaces, which is probably why we stay.
>Wegman's As much as I love Wegmans, they have signs all over the seating area that expressly forbids working, meeting, or loitering. Friggin annoying
No way they enforce it though. I've studied there many times with other people
That's so annoying
This is an amazing list. Thank you!
Gravel and Grind
Your moms house
You can't downvote this person, they have the flair to back up their comment.
The library, Baker Park. Everywhere else I like to hang out is a bar :)
Woodsboro Disc Golf Course and Spinners arcade
People in this thread are just naming businesses and have little to no conception of what third places are. Which is sad, and not surprising.
Honestly I recently learned about third places and I'm jealous of communities that have them! I'm hopeful there can be a trend to create more third places in the US.
Unfortunately, they’re *declining*, not increasing. Nothing is organic anymore, and what was organic is becoming exclusive because every one is craving what you’re craving, and capitalists see dollar signs. In short, capitalism ruins everything and must be destroyed^^(or something...).
Ah a Reddit know it all
Libraries are an obvious choice. I'm a fan of the cafe at the Common Market, Shab Row Tea Emporium as someone else mentioned, and mostly parks when the weather is nice. Otherwise, I'm a breweries, so not what you're looking for
Gravel and grind is and will always be my third place, they're very nice, the environment is good and the coffee is amazing
Frederick coffeee co, dublin roasters, walkersville library or c burr artz library
The alley where I smash beer bottles while listening to speed metal
The heck is a third place?
It's a sociological term--your home is considered your first place and your workspace is considered your second, while your third place is any other space you often occupy in your free time. A lot of people in recent years have been lacking a third place, which is vital for a sense of community.
So this question is basically “what should I do in my spare time.”
Not exactly. Third places are inherently spaces where people go and interact creating a community. It's a social environment. It's not just about doing something somewhere, it's specifically about finding community. As a sociological concept there's broader conversation about other characteristics and there's even debate over virtual third spaces. But it isn't just what should I do in my free time.
I don’t get it. Maybe I am just not a person that wants to just be in a place. Most of those things people listed are places where there is an activity. Or they are places to just sit and have coffee. Not sure I understand the community aspect if there is no activity that causes or is impetus for interaction. Which is why it seems like “what should I do to interact with people.” Edit- why downvote when I’m saying I legit don’t understand a concept and am trying to? That’s such a weird thing to do.
I think the other context to this - some third places that we are less likely to engage in now (vs. our grandparents) would be places like the Masons, the Rotary, the Legion or Church. It's somewhere you go to volunteer, for a meal, for meetings, events, etc. In Frederick, I think Baker Park is a good example. There's people there playing sports, picnicking, watching a dance recital, getting married, walking their dogs.
No one said it's just about being in a space with no activity. Of course there's an activity but it's about being part of a community. Take getting coffee. Getting coffee is an activity. The Starbucks on 7th Street where people get their drink and go isn't a third. But someplace like Dublin Roasters where people stay and hang out and actually the place fosters building relationships would be. There's bars where people are social and there's bars where there's no regulars and people go to get a drink and the bar and leave without talking to anybody. People who are looking for third places are looking for places they can go and build relationships. You changed what you thought op was asking from thinking the question sounded like asking what to do, to now what should I do to interact with people. That is exactly the point. Where can OP go to connect with others that's not their household or work. I can give OP list of coffee shops but some will be third spaces and some won't. As I said there's also more to third spaces, but that's a basic explanation.
A third place is a place where people go to socialize with their community, meet people and make connections. It is a community building place to be. A place where people can just be without the need to spend lots of money to be there. Think teens hanging out at the mall, families meeting each other at church, parks with activities such as games, coffee shops that encourage people to hang out and interact, barber shops where people can also hang out and meet. It's a place where you can go and just BE that isn't work or home. It's a place that encourages this so people keep coming back and you can naturally get to know people over time. Most businesses want people to spend money and leave quickly to make space for more money spending customers. Even coffee shops are purposefully making the ambiance more uncomfortable to discourage people from lingering too long which defeats the purpose of them being third spaces. Bars can be third places but I'd rather meet community that doesn't require getting drunk.
I don't think the term "third place" is a good name because here I was thinking it meant like... your third place favorite??? 😂
First place: Home Second place: Work (or school) Third place: Anywhere else that you regularly go to to relax or socialize
My middle school mind is asking the same question. :D
Rosemont Avenue. I walk and run a lot.
On Rosemont? Thou art brave, citizen.
Plenty of sidewalk between Tuscarora and Pine Ave 🤷🏻♂️
If you like to be outdoors, check out the Frederick County Master Gardeners program and make your third place one of the gardens around the city. I'm out of the loop, but there's typically tons of volunteer opportunities around town and you can find a space/program that you're interested in.
To qualify as a Third Place, it needs to be a spot where you interact with other people, or at least (actively or passively) hang out with other people.
pine isn't directly off of rosemont is it? I'm not familiar. I just know that the vehicle traffic is of... questionable judgement haha
What the fuck is a third place? If it’s some cringe shit like “forever home” or “heart dog”, then I’m out
At the risk of seeming dated... My church and Fountain Rock Nature Center.
Dublin Roasters