Best Town Square Results (Round Two)
It started with 50…it is now down to 10.
Quick update before I head off to do some drinking and barbecuing with friends and family. The results of round two are in and to be honest they kind of shocked me. Heavy favorites last week, Prague’s Old Town Square and Krakow’s Rynek Glowny, both barely hung on this week. So that means Brussels’ Grand Place now sits alone on top of the best town square voting with a number one position to itself.
Some squares that got the boot that I felt could have won it all include the beautiful Placa d’Espanya in Barcelona, City Hall Square in Copenhagen and Saint Mark’s Square in Venice. Also while I love Philly, I honestly can not believe the out pour of support for Rittenhouse Square.
Now to some goodies for you loyal readers of TheBrooklynNomad.com. Lonely Planet, which is without a doubt the most popular travel guidebook company in the world, has been cool enough to offer up a free guidebook as part of the best town square poll. So how do you win one of these great books?
Very simple. Voting for this final round is currently underway and will continue until Saturday May 30. Each weekday from June 1-5 I will reveal two of the top 10 best town squares in order of the most votes that they received. So for example on June 1 #10 and #9, June 2 #8 and #7, and so on. Then on June 5 I will reveal the best town square in the world…according to the people on this site of course.
All you have to do is leave a comment below on what town square you feel will win it all on June 5. Just make sure you fill in the email part when leaving a comment so that I may contact you if you are the winner. I will announce the new owner of an LP guidebook that same day via email. I will then pass along their mailing information and what book they request to the great people at Lonely Planet in Australia. Before you know it there will be a fresh, crisp and delicious guidebook in your mailbox (please refrain from eating the delicious guidebook).
So here are the top 10…vote…leave a comment…win a free Lonely Planet guidebook…and may the best town square (and reader) win. Good luck!
- Brussels, Belgium: Grand Place
- Seville, Spain: Plaza de Espana
- Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Museumplein
- London, England: Piccadilly Circus
- San Francisco, California: Union Square
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Rittenhouse Square
- Prague, Czech Republic: Old Town Square
- Moscow, Russia: Red Square
- Rome, Italy: Piazza del Popolo
- Krakow, Poland: Rynek Glowny
.
Here are the other 40 town squares that have been eliminated:
- Beijing, China: Tien’anmen Square
- Shanghai, China: People’s Square
- Hanoi, Vietnam: Ba Dinh Square
- Pyongyang, North Korea: Kim II-sung Square
- Berlin, Germany: JFK-Platz
- Kharkov, Ukraine: Freedom Square
- Lisbon, Portugal: Praca do Imperio
- Warsaw, Poland: Parade Square
- Vienna, Austria: The Heldenplatz
- Copenhagen, Denmark: The City Hall Square
- Budapest, Hungary: Heroes’ Square
- Vatican City: Saint Peter’s Square
- Venice, Italy: Saint Mark’s Square
- Florence, Italy: Piazza della Repubblica
- Milan, Italy: Piazza del Duomo
- Bologna, Italy: Piazza Maggiore
- Madrid, Spain: Plaza Mayor
- Barcelona, Spain: Placa d’Espanya
- London, England: Lincoln’s Inn Fields
- Galway, Ireland: Eyre Square
- Lyon, France: The Place Bellecour
- Paris, France: Place des Vosges
- Paris, France: Place de laetrile (Star Square)
- Monterrey, Mexico: Macroplaza or La Gran Plaza
- Montreal, Canada: Place Jacques-Cartier
- Toronto, Canada: Yonge-Dundas Square
- Boston, Massachusetts: Copley Square
- New York, New York: Times Square
- New York, New York: Union Square
- New York, New York: Columbus Circle
- Washington, DC: National Mall
- Lima, Peru: Plaza Mayor
- Buenos Aires, Argentina: Plaza de Mayo
- Montevideo, Uruguay: Plaza Independencia
- Marrakech, Morocco: Djemaa el Fna
- Melbourne, Australia: Federation Square
- Christchurch, New Zealand: Cathedral Square
- Belgrade, Serbia: Republic Square
- Havana, Cuba: Plaza de Armas
- Dubrovnik, Croatia: Old Town Square
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Although it looks like Brussels is going to win, I am voting for and hoping for Prague to win it all. Love the site and would also love an LP book for my trip to France in the fall!
I vote for krakow. also would love a poland book.
My vote went to Piazza del Popolo since I wish I was there right now instead of sitting in a humid apartment in New York City.
Prague all the way! But would love a Madrid LP book. Going there in November.
Shame Times Square isn’t there, but…not to be bias or anything, I’m going to have to vote for my home city of London, although Prague is def a close contender.
Kind of rooting for Pragues town square:D
I soon will need the Estonia/Lithuania/Latvia book for my late summer travels
Aw I can not believe Barcelona didnt make the top 10! I am rooting for Rome’s Piazza del Popolo. I am going to need an Italy guidebook for my planned trip of Venice/Florence/Rome in November. ***Crosses fingers***
I voted for Krakow…but think Brussels is going to pull it out since they have kept the lead throughout this poll.
I would love a San Francisco guidebook since I am going to be there on a week long work trip in August.
Hello Nomad from Toronto!
I am voting for London’s Piccadilly Circus. Love it! I would also love a London guidebook.
Thanks
Alberto
Toronto
I am saying Prague… because it’s Prague after all. I would love a guidebook… going to the U.S next semester… excitement!
Vote for Brussels, Belgium. Would love the Estonia/etc Lonely Planet book – heading there this summer (last time was 10 years ago).
Rome, Italy: Piazza del Popolo – I can just picture all the people moving about, the sounds and smells in the air, a nice breeze blowing through! Glorious.
I think Moscow’s Red Square will win it all! I’m a Canadian currently living in Australia.
Look, I haven’t been around the world, but I know in my heart that Philly is the best at everything. Best at baseball, best at pretzels, and oh yeah, best at founding America. So why not best at having a town square?
PS All the NYC choices are lame, places I never want to find myself in. When I lived in Philly, Rittenhouse Square was a nice place to spend a Saturday sipping La Colombe coffee, a great spot to prop up on an engraved ledge and reminisce on a cool night, and the best place for people watching in town. It was a destination, not a nuisance. I miss it, but a notable NYC replacement would be Tompkins Square Park, if that counts.
Best of luck, cities of the world, I hope to see all of your squares someday. (oh yeah, I’ve been to Picadilly Circus, Rittenhouse beats you, sorry)
d’oh, got so wrapped up in brotherly love I forgot to mention the guidebook. Paris Lonely Planet please.
You might as well give it to Brussels. A picture only gives part of the impact…you have to visit it and almost fall over while trying to look up at all the ornate architecture to truly appreciate it. I visited it on a cloudy, rainy afternoon, and it still took my breath away when I walked around the corner.
I have voted once…and am curbing the urge to keep voting for Brussels!
We’re heading to Italy in the fall, so I’d love an Italy LP guidebook. Hope Prague wins the poll! I still remember stumbling on it at night and thinking we’d walked into a fairy tale world.
I vote for Plaza de España,Seville! It is truly astonishing. And it was featured in Star Wars! haha
I’d love the USA travel guide, since I’m moving there soon and plan to travel around the country as much as I can
My vote goes to Seville, Spain: Plaza de Espana. While studying abroad in Spain in college, I did a project on squares throughout the country and love the history surrounding them. Would love a Peru LP book as I hope to go there soon!
Krakow’s central square is probably first among my favorites: one vote for Krakow!