One of my favorite parts of being in Copenhagen was visiting the public squares that were easy to find all over the city. Literally every block brought you to a new open area that had benches, restaurants and fountains. It was really quite cool to just move from square to square looking at new sights, eating in new restaurants and visiting with people.
Which is what I noticed tons and tons of Danish people doing! Everywhere you turned, squares were full of residents who just plain seemed to be enjoying their time with one another. Maybe it's just a summer kind of thing, but it sure looked like Danes are a sociable group who look for chances to visit with one another.
Another thing that I noticed was that Copenhagen's main square---known as Radhuspladsen, or Town Hall Square---looked a lot like a smaller version of Times Square in New York City. The buildings were covered with digital signs and advertising that lit up the night and added energy to an already energetic corner of the town. There were news tickers, flashing lights, digital thermometers, and scrolling advertisements.
Check it out here:
One of the things that I got to wondering about is why companies would bother paying for advertising in public squares. I mean, it can't be cheap to have a huge, lighted and animated sign installed on the side of a building----and then pay for it to be powered up all day, every day! What is it that makes companies invest in this kind of advertising? Do you think it's a good idea or a bad idea? Why?
Here's another good question: Do you think that advertising on buildings in public squares makes them more beautiful and interesting places, or do you think that these kinds of signs are a form of "digital graffiti" that ruins beautiful sites and makes eyesores out of interesting places?
Neat thoughts, huh?
I can't wait to hear your responses!
"Signed,"
Bam Bam Bigelow
Image retrieved from http://www.puzzlehouse.com/images/webpage/timessquare2000educa.jpg on July 7, 2007
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