Urban Parks: Water Street Garage Pocket Park

[thelakelander]

How long had Google Earth had the 3D images now?  Looks great!

Its been at least a few months.

[Bewler]

There is a group of young skaters that hang out around the southbank on weekends and warm evenings. Interesting to see in such a sterile non-neighborhood. Also interesting is that it is a very racially mixed crowd and it that  it appears to be largely devoid of skating talent.

HA! Oh well, there's always Kona.

Actually is that place still open? It would make an interesting front page article for metrojax, if it hasn't already been covered.

[Doctor_K]

Jaxtrader - I've also seen moderately-sized skate groups on weekends in and around Friendship Fountain and other Southbank locales.  But wouldn't they come from the San marco neighborhood/area, typically?  This random 'pocket park' isn't anywhere near a neighborhood (since LaVilla exists in memory only, practically), nor any residential building or area. 

My comment was more to the fact that no one lives in that immediate area, so no one's going to use the space.

[BridgeTroll]

http://www.konaskatepark.com/kona/index.html

[jandar]

Still the oldest continuously run skatepark in the world. (started 1977)
Its still a big hit in the skating world. There's really no modern park like it.

[stjr]

This park looks like uuuuh.....a landscaped entrance to a parking garage? I would think that's the most that can be said about it.  This is a big stretch.  No wonder it's not recognized.  Why not call a park every landscaped lawn and median in an office park?  Is MJ running out of ideas to dwell on this?  How about some features on our state and federal parks and monuments in or about Jacksonville?  Few new residents probably know about these real treasures.

I have to laugh at a lot of what the city calls parks.  Many are just drainage, utility, or traffic easements.  The real keeper was when years ago park signs went up on school playgrounds.  Now that's a great way to double count our assets.  Let's put Bernie Madoff in charge of park acreage accounting.

As to Kona skate park, it's internationally famous in the skate board world and is featured in the best selling video game from world skater icon, Tony Hawk.  See this article on it's 30th anniversary:  http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/070607/lif_182014443.shtml

[thelakelander]

Is MJ running out of ideas to dwell on this?  How about some features on our state and federal parks and monuments in or about Jacksonville?  Few new residents probably know about these real treasures.

As we've done in the past, we'll hit those too.  Feel free to explore the links at the top of the page to view many of our older articles.  There are three years worth of daily content to explore.  Excluding historic buildings and Friendship Fountain, this site, most parks, and what the city has to offer will not be going anywhere.  What is not shown, will eventually be covered.  So just stay tuned and enjoy the ride.

[DONTBELIEVETHEHYPE]

This park looks like uuuuh.....a landscaped entrance to a parking garage? I would think that's the most that can be said about it.  This is a big stretch.  No wonder it's not recognized.  Why not call a park every landscaped lawn and median in an office park?  Is MJ running out of ideas to dwell on this?  How about some features on our state and federal parks and monuments in or about Jacksonville?  Few new residents probably know about these real treasures.

I have to laugh at a lot of what the city calls parks.  Many are just drainage, utility, or traffic easements.  The real keeper was when years ago park signs went up on school playgrounds.  Now that's a great way to double count our assets.  Let's put Bernie Madoff in charge of park acreage accounting.

As to Kona skate park, it's internationally famous in the skate board world and is featured in the best selling video game from world skater icon, Tony Hawk.  See this article on it's 30th anniversary:  http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/070607/lif_182014443.shtml

Agreed - this is a "nothing" public space set in a "nothing" context

[thelakelander]

Its basically what every other "pocket park" in downtown is.  A landscaped left over piece of public property that was not properly designed to integrate with its surroundings.

[deathstar]

 I never knew that existed, wow.

[dejumoshi]

my friends and i used to meet up and skate this park back in high school - it was just as lifeless then so we knew no one would kick us out

[Techo]

Hey guy's  sorry I haven't been on in a while  hope the meetings are going well' I just wanted to put my input on this subject , Well I think the spot has great Potential     It Could  use some flowers, and maybe convert the middle into a fountain with flowers around it and off to the side  put  a Hot Dog cart  or something in that nature to bring the people down there and make it a great spot

[Ocklawaha]

DUMB ASS
Hey man, looks like the kind of hot dog cart that would get my business... One sells SOCO the other REBEL YELL!

FAT ASS
Don't sweat the nicknames folks, it's a private joke...

[Techo]

remember I'm sasquatch/dumbass