Greenville, South Carolina - the best small city you probably haven't been to

Recently I headed down to Greenville, SC for a school alumni event. I worked in Greenville when I was in grad school and it was great to be back! Greenville has an awesome downtown - Main Street has lots of great restaurants and shops, there's a minor league baseball team that feeds in the Red Sox and a professional hockey team.

The Reedy River runs through downtown Greenville, which the city has turned into a beautiful landmark and amenity, Falls Park. The one thing I always notice about Greenville is how they use many different materials in the streetscaping and landscaping. This may seem like a little thing, but it really enriches the built environment. It would be much cheaper to just build using plain old concrete.

First up: Falls Park at the Reedy River

the falls

The Liberty Bridge

The next couple of pictures are looking down from the bridge onto the park land next to the falls:

Our lunch spot, one of my favorites:

The pocket park in the background in the above picture is beautiful.  Taking a closer look...

The ledge of the fountain above is the perfect height and width for sitting - that may seem like such a simple thing, but it's a simple thing many cities overlook or discourage, so that people can't loiter. But isn't loitering the point of a park?

 

 The use of stone makes all of the difference in this park - it wouldn't be the same without it. Can you imagine if it was just plain concrete step and paving? It would be so boring. The landscaping is also lush and gorgeous.