Picture of Quadracci Pavilion and Cudahy Gardens, Milwaukee Art Museum

Quadracci Pavilion and Cudahy Gardens, Milwaukee Art Museum
Milwaukee, WI, USA

People's Choice

These are the places we remember most vividly, the places where serendipitous things happen, the places we tell stories about.

Browse through over 600 public spaces to see what makes places great--and why each one is unique. While you're here, you can nominate your own favorites or add to the Hall of Shame.

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Recent Comments

Here's what people are saying about...

Paley Park:

(06/24/08 by Barbara Green): Maybe I missed it, but nobody has noticed that the waterfall blocks all sound from the busy streets in Manhattan. The park is not only beautiful and restful, but it is amazing in it's ability to create a private and personal space so the visitor is inside the art and part of it. Also, the park is dedicated to William Paley's parents, Samuel and Goldie Paley. There is no need to add the history on a plaque. It's public knowledge and can be found by researching the address."
State Street:

(06/19/08 by Laurel Wedel): I graduated from Madison a few years back and still hold a place for State Street in my heart. Continuing my education at other mid-western universities, I have come across other very walkable college main streets, but I still feel that State Street in Madison contains some of that vintage feel. It still remains a "place" for both students and the community. Yes, at night it does become a bit rowdy, but adding the surrounding destinations to State Street, I believe that it is still a special space. Every time that I am back, despite recent constructions, rain or shine or sleet or snow, there are people out walking or biking on State Street. The restaurants are still unique, even if they are chains, such as Noodles or Cold Stone, they have an atmosphere that is like none other, because it is State Street, and it is Madison. "
Jardin Atlantique:

(06/18/08 by nicholas westman): I have been to the Atlantic Garden at least twice and each time it has proved so difficult to find your way once inside Montparnasse station. It’s getting better because now it’s clearly marked on the station plan, but even so the last time I was there the hostess at the enquiry desk was not clear about how to get to it and obviously had never been there. The problem seems to be that the garden is above M2 (the suburban station) which seems to have nothing to do with M1 (the mainline station) that is underneath it. Once you’re there it seems under-used, I wonder what the Paris Parks Department thinks about that? The planting seemed intriguing in parts, but what is there to attract people like the hostess I spoke to inside the station? There is a museum, but it seemed moribund (compare it to the artist’s studio just a stone’s throw away on the rue Bourdelle) and the tennis court seemed to be aiming for a certain exclusiveness. Nevertheless I suspect this part of Paris is crying out for green space. Surely it needs more of what PPS calls triangulation. With those hundreds of office windows overlooking it (interestingly, you don’t seem to feel too exposed sitting down in the garden) there must be a way of finding a use that could be complimentary to the offices and helped by them. Why not a crèche supported by the offices? Nicholas Westman June 2008 Let’s hope PPS or similar gets the job of rethinking its purpose because it’s such an unusual situation to have a roof garden on a station. "
Downtown Mall / Amphitheater:

(06/17/08 by Beth Meyer): This space is great for many reasons including the fact that the designer, Lawrence Halprin, relied on his innovative Take Park workshops in 1974 to build a "creative consensus" about the direction. Everyone who cares about this wonderful pedestrian street should be aware that a consultant was hired to renovate it, and their schemes look more like redesigns than renovations. There is a public meeting on 30 June 2008 to discuss the project. Please come or write council@charlottesville.org if you support a careful rehabilitation instead of a new design, described by its supporters as a "cosmetic upgrade." "
French Quarter:

(06/13/08 by amy upchurch): Experience historic architecture unlike anywhere else in the U.S. Sights and smells feel exotic and sensuous. Narrow cobblestone streets in various states of ruin and repair and reinvention stimulate your imagination and self-reflection. Streets abound with characters, unique shops, live music, & local food specialities. The heat/humidity is so oppressive that it forces extreme casualwear and laissez-faire. People gather to listen to music, shop in open markets, enjoy parks and historic sites, and eat."
Toronto Waterfront:

(06/05/08 by Michael Binetti): There is no doubt that the Toronto Waterfront suffers from some bad planning. However not all is lost. If you actually take the time to explore and spend time down on the Toronto Waterfront, you will find amazing spaces. The best thing about Toronto's waterfront is that not all of it is developed. You can go east of downtown and be in a wilderness setting in no time. And the downtown portion is a great people place on a hot summer evening. I travel from the suburbs downt to the downtown waterfront many times over the summer, and it is never empty. It is always full, so I don't know what waterfront you guys are going to when you say it is empty. "
Market Square:

(06/03/08 by frank (pancho) shiell): I agree with your intelligent description of a low-intelligence "design"."
St. James's Park:

(06/02/08 by Ian Thompson): As a local resident I'm biased, but St James's Park ranks amongst the greats for me. It is bounded by Buckingham Palace at one end and Downing Street at the other. The care taken of this park reflects the prestige of its neighbours. It is relatively small, mostly formal, but in recent years land around the lake has been allowed to return to the wild with very charming results. In the 21st century it may seem out of place to praise old-fashioned formal flower borders, but where else could they be done so lavishly and so well? Birdkeeper's Cottage is an odd, pretty building (and a genuine one, not a folly) on stilts over the lake facing the Prime Minister's back door and it has what must surely be the only cottage garden in London. At night the park and the lake are floodlit and it is perfectly safe to walk there to enjoy what then becomes a stage set from The Sleeping Beauty."
French National Library:

(05/27/08 by Richard McDonough): This is an abominable space in every way. Beside the end to culturally valuable and visually interesting nearby buildings, removed in the hope of profits in the private sector, this mad space puts nature in cages. Materially, its deterioration was almost instant, both on the public plaza and in the badly planned and signed interior. If one wanted to build a confusing and user unfriendly essential services building this should be everybody's model. "
Teardrop Park:

(05/11/08 by Jeanne Boyd): As a resident of the neighborhood, I'd like to know what's wrong with a "beautiful and serene naturalistic experience"? Teardrop Park is a perfect addition to this quiet residential neighborhood. The city is full of annoying, overcrowded tourist traps. That's the last thing I want, literally, in my own back yard. "