People are spending more time outside not just because the weather is heating up but it’s also a good precaution as the pandemic recedes.

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If there are any silver linings in the pandemic, it’s that folks now seem more open to using outdoor spaces for the public rather than say, parking. The city turned some public spaces in and around downtown for use by customers patronizing local restaurants and bars and later constructed heated outdoor pavilions for the cold weather.

With that in mind, the monthly reader poll for June, sponsored by the Rahway Arts and Business Partnership (RABP),  asks:

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If there’s anyone I’m forgetting, let me know, or vote for Other and explain the comments.

Our last poll related to the outdoors, way back in 2009, asked strictly about your favorite parks. This one is a bit of a different take since there are so many new outdoor spaces that have been created in the past few years but especially in response to the pandemic.

Even before the pandemic, Rahway had a parklet that would move around to different spaces downtown and streeteries became popular all over the country during the past year.

“The idea behind parklets is to create a spot that allows people to stop, sit, and rest while purposing former car-parking spaces for a community gathering place,” according to the National Association of Realtors. “Ten years ago, using street space for a parklet was very, very difficult and illegal in most cities. However, these types of spaces have been popping up almost everywhere lately after COVID-19 forced cafes, bars, restaurants, and other businesses to close their indoor spaces.”.

Local businesses have also invested in creating more space outdoors. Last summer, the Planning Board approved an outdoor patio area for Butch Kowal’s Tavern on St. Georges Avenue. Sabor Peruano on Irving Street opened its back patio in May. Wet Ticket Brewing on Main Street created a beer garden that’s become a de facto performance venue.

Years ago, there weren’t very many options when it came to outdoor dining and such. The old Waiting Room location,  on the corner of Lewis and Irving streets, had a deck, as did The Back Porch, which today is Hugo’s after some turnover over the years. Flynn’s also had a quaint courtyard of sorts. When the Irving Inn came to Irving Street, (first as Restaurant David Drake, later becoming the Rail House) the outdoor bar and fire pit was darn near a revelation.

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