Factoids

• There are at least 8 ways to approach this space, including from underground in the T.
• There are 7 places to get coffee within 50 yards of the T stop.
• There are 8 possible heights for a crowd to gather at, from sitting on the ground to standing.
• There are many levels, slopes and steps but never more than 3 or 4 steps in one place.

The Feel of It

It is a space where everyone seems to feel safe. Families, couples, people by themselves, students, tourists, punks, people of all ages.

The place commonly referred to as the pit is sunken area with steps that form a mini-ampitheatre. It's an obvious performance space and various acts can be found there through much of the day and evening, sometimes more than one. One Saturday night I hung around for a couple of sets of a band. There was a feeling on inclusion such that different people from the audience would come up and join the band for a song on harmonica or vocals. A group of girls gathered in the middle of the cirlce to dance to the band. A girl with downs syndrome and a drunk joined them. Some people stayed from set to set or came back several hours later. As the night grew on the crowd shifted from tourists to couples.

Questions

• Why does this space appeal to so many different users?
• What is it about the space that so many groups can use it simultaneously?