Charts & Graphs

Town Meetings

Where to see and be seen.

When/Where Hotbed For Expect to Encounter Attire
c. 600 bc
Temple Mount, Jerusalem
Worship, prophecy, prayer The Holy of Holies, Ark of the Covenant, sacrifices Saturday best
c. 450 bc
Agora, Athens
Commerce, democracy, philosophy, ostracism Colonnades, Temple of Ares, statues, fresh food, Socrates, fire eaters, sophists, jugglers, no women Toga
c. 1350
Bourse, Bruges
Business, trade,
capitalism
Stock exchange, fistfights, residence of namesake Van der Burse, with its coat of arms featuring three purses Livery or long gowns
c. 1650
Coffeehouses, Vienna
Reading, drinking, arguing Loose women, portrait of father of Viennese coffee Jerzy Kulczycki, disdain for government Wigs and petticoat breeches
c. 1700
Sentō, Edo
Bathing, relaxation Steam baths, tea, the upper class, sexual services None
c. 1960
Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco
Counterculture, music, escape from middle-class values “Beautiful People,” LSD, Jefferson Airplane, handmade leaflets, gonorrhea Tie-dye shirts, bell-bottoms, flowers in hair
c. 1985
Mall of America, Minneapolis
Commerce, eating, general consumption Food courts, Abercrombie & Fitch, public restrooms, Tiffany concerts Matching jeans and denim jacket