Despite the development of our ever-interconnected world, social isolation remains unmistakable and all-pervasive. As the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, relearning how to engage with the world around us can be challenging. However, building spaces for community can help. Recently, there has been an uptick in discussion about “third places,” as defined by Ray Oldenburg: hubs of social life where people of all different backgrounds can converge and connect.

While these places are conventionally associated with large cities like San Francisco or New York, they are just as vital to suburbs like Dublin as they foster social connection among residents. As such, the Shield recently asked Dublin High: what’s your favorite third place?

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“A ‘third place’ I really enjoy in Dublin is Emerald Glen Park. It’s about as lively as Dublin gets, and I see people of all ages and demographics there. I love to have picnics or go for walks, and it’s an ideal spot for meeting dogs. It’s one of the few consistently calm and serene places nearby, and I find it increasingly nostalgic.” – Surya Uniyal

“Dublin doesn’t have particular places I like spending time outside of school and home. My favorite third place would probably be in a car, whether taking a late night drive with my family or just sitting and eating food with my friend in a parking lot. It feels very coming-of-age teenager [core], but also like other responsibilities just don’t exist in that space. I guess my third place is more [found in] my people than [in] a place.” – Tweesha Chugh

“Oftentimes I’m found at the track. Whether it’s connecting with some of my best friends on the [track] team, competing, or just running for practice, I find myself at peace and at home there. It’s where I’ve spent the past three springs, choosing to come back each year to my family.” – Jada Chow 

“One place I absolutely love in Dublin is the newly built Don Biddle park. This is a place my friends [and I] frequent and we’ve spent so much time creating many memories there, from playing tag to laying on the grass, playing poker, and even eating lunch there. It stands as a staple for my friends and I as our favorite place to go.” – Sai Pradyumn Choudarypally

“My favorite third place in Dublin is probably Tous les Jours. It’s a Korean bakery—when working there, you see so many different people from different backgrounds meeting. I like it because if you’re with family, it’s a great place to chat over a cup of coffee, and if you’re with friends, it’s a great place just to study or to hang out. You expand who you meet; you’re all learning different things at different stages of life.” – Anthony Li

“Fallon Sports Park. There’s a lot of people there—there’s a lot of friends that I usually don’t get to see at school because we don’t have classes together, but at FSP, everyone is there. It’s diverse. It feels like home.” – Miles Cruz