We were asked in class this week to name our favourite place. For most people, the place they chose was strongly influenced by the people they associate with that place. For myself however, my favourite place (Central Park in New York) is a place that I visited mostly alone, occasionally with a friend.

I wondered if I was the outlier, if everyone else’s connection to places because of people was normal, and I was abnormal. I had thought that my love of Central Park stemmed from it’s peacefulness, the lack of humanity in a city of 8 million people. But then I realised that my favourite places within the park were the ones where I could people watch. The Bethesda Fountain, the Wollman Rink, the paths at the southern end that are buzzing with tourists. These were the places where I spent the most time, sitting and watching as other people did whatever it was that they were doing. So while my connection to Central Park was not tied to any people I know, it is tied to people.

And while Central Park may top my list of favourite places, those coming in second, third, tenth, are all places where I have spent time with family or friends. So now I wonder, do place and people always have to be tied together, or is it possible to separate the two? Maybe I’ll find out this semester.