#20

A quick head's up to those of you who are reading this and are really confused. We started the 25 Countdown to showcase all of our favorite places/things/etc. about Western NC. There are 25 of them because at the beginning that was the approximate number of weeks until we set sail for Liberia. Each Friday I update with this week's Top 25 (in no particular order) feature. Today we present #20...

#20: Pritchard Park

Free entertainment or public nuisance...ok, the verdict is still out...However, in what other city can you find a park (by park I mean brick, triangular amphitheater-like structure) that is surrounded by Urban Outfitters (recent addition), Tupelo Honey (a future Top 25 award recipient), a comedy club, art galleries and more eclectic loitering than almost anywhere in the U.S.? People watchin' your thing? Well, wait till you get a load of this...Pritchard Park, right in the heart of downtown Ashevegas is a mecca of eclecticism, homelessness : ( and general tourism...not to mention the greatest drum circle just about anywhere...

Now, I know that there are some Ashevillians that are going to whole-heartedly disagree with me about the placement of Pritchard Park anywhere near the other 24 items on the list. However, I would encourage you to look at this list not as a list of the usual about Asheville but as a list of the UN-usual...and sometimes downright bizarre...so for that reason we pay homage to the park that is Pritchard...the haven of the homeless...a true opus for the onlooker...a loiter's paradise...Don't believe me? Just look at this photo...typical...