Let's Talk about Third Spaces that are also Blue Spaces, as I show you Little Island, Chelsea Pier, New York

Love the architecture

Good evening Beautiful people,

Have you ever heard about the Blue Mind Effect?

It is a phrase coined by Marine Biologist Wallace J.Nichols to describe the calming, restorative state our brains enter when we are near water bodies. On his website, Nichols lists a couple of research papers (find them here) that explore the positive mental, emotional, and even physical impacts of being in “blue spaces” (oceans, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, etc.) and honestly, the way these rivers and water bodies have been calling me, I know what he means.

On a related post, I talked about doing a morning walk in the Susquehanna River, and later doing an afternoon walk by Schuylkill River in Philly. When I lived in Seattle, I was always at Lake Washington.

Lake Kirkland, Seattle - Summer 2020

Today I want us to go to New York, and explore Little Island.

Third Spaces, Blue Spaces, Green Spaces
But before we get there, lets talk about the idea of “third spaces.” Home is the first space, work/school is the second, and third spaces are the places in between where people simply exist, gather, rest, and connect. This could be coffee shops, parks, libraries, community centers, walking trails, barbershops, churches, beaches, and malls etc. For people with anxiety or depression or simply having the one of those days, third spaces with an extra add-on, can be very helpful.

Little Island Entrance, Chelsea Piers New York

This is where blue mind effect fits in, and related to it are blue spaces and green spaces. While green spaces are parks, gardens, trees, hiking trails, and places rooted in nature and greenery, blue spaces are spaces connected to water. Sometimes they coexist, and both have been linked to lower stress levels and improved mental health.

Little Island, Chelsea - New York
Little Island is on the Chelsea side of the New York, and as the name suggests, it is a little island (man-made) by the Chelsea Piers. It combines walking trails, optical illusions, sound instruments, picnic and meditation spaces, little game areas, and an amphitheater overlooking the water.

Chelsea Piers, New York

When you walk down the pier, you will see the numbers representing spots where ships used to dock in the early 1900s.

Most of the spots are not used for sporting and entertainment events, and the Island is built on the remains of the old Pier 54...it is said that it is also the spot that the Titanic survivors arrived in 1912.

The weather was not the best when I visited Little Island, but I hope this mini-slide show does it justice.

The Homa Bay Waterfront Amphitheatre

One place I really want to visit someday is the Homebay Waterfront Amphitheatre. I saw it on social media when it was used as one of the viewing spots for the African Nations football Championships. It is an amphitheatre overlooking Lake Victoria, and it looks so divine. I just wish they could add some trees, but the fact that there is a third space like that, in a blue spaces, is a WIN!!!

Now I want someone to do a longitudinal study on the mental health of people in the area since its inception (the researcher and advocate in me is always looking for ways to collect and package data that will eventually help to promote mental health among people in Africa.

Additional Photos - Little Island, Chelsea Pier, New York