Third places are considered to be locations outside of both work and home, where people are able to socialize and further connect with the community. Lake Zurich has plenty of community spaces to socialize and be productive.
Ray Oldenburg coined the term “Third Place” in his book The Great Good Place (1989). He claims that, in the grand scheme of things, third places are essential to society, civic engagement, and democracy. Because communities are built upon those very values, third places are incredibly relevant to neighborhood design and zoning. Common examples include parks, downtown areas, libraries, churches, malls, and coffee shops.
High school students especially need third places, whether it be studying for a difficult class or catching up with friends. Downtown Lake Zurich is a convenient place to meet up, as it is walking distance from the high school and the nearby Ela Area Public Library, which has a variety of resources such as computers, textbooks, and novels. Ace Galarza, sophomore, utilizes the Ela Library, among many other third places, to get out of the house and explore his hobbies.
“I would say I am not a very social person, mostly because I enjoy spending my time alone,” Galarza said. “Some days, I’m just not feeling ready for human contact and then other days I don’t want to be cooped up in the house.”
In a life dominated by school and home, third places may provide a cozy escape from anything stressful that might be going on at school and home. In Galarza’s case, there is more to a weekday than homework.
“Well, these locations have affected me, for example, art [classes]. I [attend them] once a week on Fridays, and I’m allowed to use their materials and create whatever I want without limit,” Galarza said.
While some third places, such as Ela Library, are popular for their resources, some students use small businesses like My Flavor-It place and family-owned businesses like Gianni’s Cafe as a meet-up spot. A Starbucks or McDonalds can stand as a place to meet, too, but they often lack the small-town charm and direct community impact that locally owned businesses have. Those locally owned businesses rely on revenue from Lake Zurich residents to continue providing a community gathering place, among many other operations.
“I believe that funding is very important. If we don’t put [enough resources] into these [third places], they won’t be able to hold themselves up or withstand and they will most likely be gone in a year or two,” Galarza said.
However, students are not the only Lake Zurich residents that need a third place; LZHS staff have their own lives outside of teaching. They have their own friends to spend time with and family to take care of.
Jacky Kowalik, science teacher at LZHS, moved to Lake Zurich just before the school year started and has been looking around the town to get herself settled in and find her third place.
“I’m very introverted, but I spend all week [at school] around a lot of people. So on the weekends, I tend to want to get a little break from all the people, but I do like to take [my son] places. We still need to explore more places in Lake Zurich, but over the summer, we spent a lot of time at the zoo or the beach, or to different forest preserves and parks,” Kowalik said.
Finding good third places can be difficult sometimes because, with a town like Lake Zurich, with almost 20,000 people and over 225 square acres, it is difficult to know where to start. Luckily, friends, or in Kowalik’s case, students, can help decide where to spend a day at.
“Two of my students recently recommended this Polish restaurant that opened up called Polka Dot, and [I’m] Polish and [love] Polish food,” Kowalik said. “I get my recommendations from students and some of the teachers and staff members.”
There is always something to do and somewhere to be in Lake Zurich: regardless of if it is a local park, a library, a restaurant, or something else. In these places specifically, getting out of the house is very important to feel closer to the community.
“[So far,] I’ve visited all the general chain stores that I would do my grocery shopping at, but other than that, I haven’t been able to hit any of the coffee shops that are downtown. That is on my list of places to go check out,” Kowalik said. “My favorite place has quickly become My Flavor-It [place]. Between me and my son, we both very much enjoy the shaved ice.”
