I’m a staunch advocate of nightstands. In a city where people live on the streets, bar terraces provide identity, the enjoyment of public space, and economy. They are a natural extension of our personality and are often where we can coexist with our environment. … privileged. It’s fun to have a beer or coffee in a museum or in a square like San Lorenzo. Areas such as San Andres, Pozo Santo, San Juan de la Palma, Zurbaran, San Antonio, Alfalfa, and Los Venerabes are trying to maintain balance by regulating so that they don’t end up in a situation like the Congress of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, where you literally can’t walk. Despite the criticism of some sad people who prefer to drink tea at home at five o’clock and go out when there is no one on the street. Bars are the essence of the capital and the city is alive and well. And not only is there not enough, it’s missing in some places.
This happens in Plaza Nueva. If you’re tired of candle stands, remember that in the early 20th century there was a picnic area with a wrought-iron pergola and awning, chairs and tables, where Sevillans would spend their time next to the bandstand. Fortunately, City Hall is trying to restore its historicist design. Another example is Plaza Cristo in Burgos, which is literally occupied by homeless people. Between the smell of garbage, beggars sleeping on benches, and the branches of trees that hang precariously over the cliffs, it’s hard to imagine enjoying the city.
I would like to talk about another similar item, Concordia. It is coaxial with Gavidia. And despite the playground, life is in the latter. The reason for this, beyond being kidnapped by people who relieve themselves outside, drink and sleep, is that there are bars on one side and no bars on the other. Moreover, they do not impede the movement of passers-by at all. Morviedro is an outstanding dead square example. No one lives there. And no one stops. Beautiful setting, but lifeless. Something similar happens in Santa Isabel, an idyllic corner behind San Marcos. This is a stopover and I rarely stay here. Quiet decoration.
The nightstand is not an enemy of pedestrians or heritage, but an ally of a city that has found its way in the world. It’s not the table that destroys the square, it’s the void. But they have to be regulated because there are saturated areas full of terraces that turn certain roads into traps.
Last Friday, when the museum’s special Stabat Mater finished passing through Cuesta del Bacalao, it caused a huge traffic jam between people passing through the narrow area of Álvarez Quintero. There was no space as a large table in the restaurant occupied half of it. The same thing happens in Albareda, where the pedestrian space is only 1.80 meters. Or El Salvador, which is already occupied by unregulated bars. That is why, in Seville, a scale must be drawn between the submerged square and the not-breathing square.
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