Public Spaces

Chiang Mai

by David Alpert   •   January 24, 2008 11:27 am

I was surprised by Chiang Mai. It's an old city, dating back to 1296, and consists of an "old city" surrounded by a moat and a wall, with newer areas outside. Therefore, I expected the old city to have pretty, old buildings and dramatic public squares. But that's not the way it is.

Instead, old city Chiang Mai is packed with guest houses (hostels), travel agencies selling excursions around the region, and restaurants catering to tourists. Most of the activity happens around large markets, like the night market, where stalls fill every available square inch of sidewalk space and vendors jump out from storefronts to try to convince you to buy custom tailored suits. In other words, a lot like the Yaangcome Village. It's a complex of buildings all in a classic Asian style. The staff wear silk robes and are extremely friendly and helpful. The rooms are super cute, including painted murals, and every day they leave free water and a bowl of fruit. There's free Internet access in the lobby and a good cafe. Next door is another hotel, Chiang Mai Plaza, which was the original place chosen by our travel agents. I can't speak for its quality, but it's shaped like a single large concrete box, and when we saw it on the Web, we asked the travel agents to switch it. It's the best request we made.

David Alpert is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Greater Greater Washington. He has had a lifelong interest in great cities and great communities. He worked as a Product Manager for Google for six years and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He loves the area which is, in many ways, greater than those others, and wants to see it become even greater.