Junior Isabella Alcanter first went to Memorial Park after seeing it on an Instagram post. Now, she goes at least once every two weeks.

“I normally go alone with my dog because I really appreciate the quietness and how calming it can be,” Alcanter said. “But I love going with friends too – even for walks to catch up or for runs together.”

Alcanter finds walking trails to be therapeutic, often turning to long walks as a way to reset and reflect.

“I really like going on long walks to clear my head and observe my surroundings,” Alcanter said. “It helps me stay grounded during times of stress or chaotic seasons of life.”

In the midst of an increasingly academic and digitally dominated world, third spaces – places where students can relax, engage socially, or just vibe outside of home, work, and school – are disappearing.

For junior Megan Wang, Barnes & Noble has become one of the few reliable third spaces she has left.
“My friends and I go to Barnes & Noble because there are tables to study and a Starbucks where we can order coffee and sweet treats,” Wang said. “I feel like I’ve been going to these places more to study and also socialize with my friends. But I’ve recently had more dance classes, so I haven’t been able to go to some times.”

Wang and her friends started going to Barnes & Nobles six months ago after a Testmasters tutoring session left them looking for a quiet, convenient study spot.

Some students feel pressured to fill their schedules with extracurriculars – like dance in Wang’s case – and fail to carve out much needed time to de-stress and unwind from school.

While she enjoys the time spent there, she admits that juggling responsibilities makes it difficult to maintain a consistent social life.

“I definitely do feel like I have to choose between my commitment to dance, social activities and academics,” Wang said.

With more dance classes on her schedule, she sometimes has to skip out on study sessions, limiting her access to one of the few third spaces she has.

Senior Sarah Lack finds the Houstonian Club serves as a personal retreat.

“I go there because I’m a member, and they have really nice amenities like offices to work in, a spa, a gym, a store and food,” Lack said. “My parents found this place five years ago, but I started going more frequently this year.”

Her parents introduced her to the club five years ago, but she only started frequenting it this year. Third spaces aren’t just important to help students socialize, but can act as an escape for students who go alone.
In a notoriously un-walkable city like Houston, access to third spaces (which are already far and few) is hard to come by.

“Traffic really affects how much I go [to the Houstonian],” Lack said. “It’s about a 20-minute drive, and I would go more often if it were convenient.”

When the effort to get there outweighs the benefits, Lack finds herself retreating to her room instead.

“I’m just so tired after school that I want to be in my dark and cozy room, not out in public,” Lack said.

A lack of third spaces limits opportunities for casual socialization – something that can’t always be replaced by scheduled club meetings or study sessions. While places like Barnes & Noble and the Houstonian Club provide some refuge, they aren’t universally accessible to all students, especially those who lack transportation or financial means to visit such places regularly.

“If Houston had more trails that were maintained and in safer parts of the city, I feel like I would be more inclined [to] really visit all of Houston’s trails,” Alcanter said.

Traditional third spaces, such as libraries, coffee shops or even just open seating areas in public, are becoming harder to find due to rising costs, policy changes and shifting social habits. Without these spaces, students are left balancing school, extracurriculars and friendships without a neutral ground to decompress.

“I thoroughly enjoy places like campsites or state parks because you really are put into an environment where all you can do is appreciate what’s around you and what you have,” Alcanter said.

Third spaces are the cornerstones of our communities.They increase mental health, foster engagement, and provide students with opportunities to grow that aren’t academic. Without them, we lose something that brings people together. Without them, we lose ourselves.