A few days ago, I was walking here in Bogotá through the Usaquén neighborhood, and we passed by Calle del Mensajero. It’s a short stretch of street in the heart of this colonial neighborhood’ that pays tribute to those who, back in the day, were responsible for running errands. At the beginning of the street, there’s a bench with a sculpture of messenger sitting on it, and I remembered that the theme of the month in the Hive Collectors community was, in fact, benches. So here I am with a small collection I dug up from my photo archives.
Let’s start with some benches in Bogotá, where I am right now.
The first, of course, is the bench that inspired me to write this post: the bench on Calle del Mensajero.
Very close to Calle del Mensajero is Usaquén Park, where there are many benches like the one in this photo.
Sitting there on any given afternoon is an invitation to slow down from the city’s frenetic pace.
This other bench is in Parque 106, also known as Parque Los Molinos.
These benches are in a green space near Carrera 15, one of the city’s avenues, which is closed to traffic on Sunday mornings to become a bike path.
I took this photo on one of those sunny Sundays when we went out for a walk along the bike path. It looks like that little bird took the opportunity to rest and soak up some sun on one of the benches, don't you think?
This bench is located in the middle of the garden at the Quinta de Bolívar House Museum. I love the gardens in this colonial house.
Here's a bench outside a shop in the Chapinero Alto neighborhood, next to a colorful mural. I'm sure I took the photo because of the mural and not because of the bench, but it fits perfectly into this collection
And to round out this first set of benches in Bogotá, I couldn't leave out this other bench, also in Chapinero Alto, outside a café where the well-known comic strip character Mafalda sits.
And now we're off to Caracas.
There, Mafalda also has her own bench, where she can chat with her friends Susanita and Manolito. This bench is on Miguel Ángel Street, in the Colinas de Bello Monte neighborhood.
This bench with vintage tiles is located in Calvario Park, in the city center.
I love the square benches in Plaza de Los Palos Grandes. This neighborhood in Caracas was one of the hardest hit during the recent earthquakes, and the plaza served as a refuge for many residents of the area.
Now, the benches for reading. I call them that because they’re located near the mini-library along the walking path in the San Luis neighborhood.
But my favorite reading bench is the one in Vizcaya Park, where I usually go for walks and exercise in the afternoons when I’m at home in Caracas.
My collection of benches wouldn't be complete without these concrete ones located at the lookout points in La Fila Park, the mountain where I usually go hiking in the city. These benches are the perfect spot to take a break and admire the magnificent view of the city and the mountains.
To wrap up the collection, here are a couple of benches I captured in my photos during our last visit to Chicago.
These rectangular benches offer a view of the skyline from Navy Pier on the shores of Lake Michigan.
A bench on the sidewalk near a park we passed by one day when we visited Evanston, north of the city.
That wraps up my collection of benches and my contribution to this month’s theme. Thank you for joining me on this journey and,
Thank you for reading!
All images and writings are my own unless otherwise stated.
