Open Thread: What's Your Third Place? - Senior Planet from AARP

Lets have some love for the third place.This has nothing to do with the Olympics.Instead, its a prescription for avoiding social isolation, which affects one older person in four.According to The Great Good Place, people have a place at home and a place at work.but they need a Third Place, neither home nor work, where they can mingle with others freely.

(For more details, look here.)Missing GerrysGerrys Place was an Irish pub near my apartment.It had big screen TVs good for watching baseball or football, and a great deal on Taco Tuesdays.Maeve and Anthony and Keith were friendly bartenders who always asked what was new, and locals often stopped by to pass the time of day.

Gerry would make the rounds daily, checking in with the regulars and greeting the newcomers.It was the Third Place for my fella and me.Sadly, between crazy high rent and crazy development in my neighborhood, Gerrys closed, and was replaced by a chain that put a bouncer by the door.The old bartenders are gone.

Were on the hunt for a new Third Place there are a few trivia bars that look pretty good and it got me thinking.Maybe Im showing my age, but I gotta have a comfortable seat, and a manageable noise level.Theres a spot near my apartment called Little Darling that has a nice bartender but the folks are a bit too young for us and the noise level sometimes makes my ears hurt.Ill keep looking but in the meantimeYOUR TURNWhats your Third Place and why? Is it virtual or IRL? Is it the Senior Planet walk in center near you? A coffee shop? A nearby park? Let us know in the comments!Virge Randall is Senior Planets Managing Editor.

She is also a freelance culture reporter who seeks out hidden gems and unsung (or undersung) treasures for Straus Newspapers; her blog Dont Get Me Started puts a quirky new spin on Old School New York City.Send Open Thread suggestions to [email protected].