Exploring the World with Pokémon Go: Friendship Park
I took a night stroll to Friendship Park. Its the one spot of the Southbank Riverwalk I had not documented yet. After traveling the trail at sunset, I knew the best way to explore this park was at night.
Friendship Park normally would have a lot more to show. But as you can see in a couple of the pictures above, the fountain is under construction. Friendship is named for the Friendship Fountain. It is one of the main attractions that people visit this place for. In fact, years ago, I wrote a blog post for an organization about this park.
But just because the fountain was closed didn’t mean there was nothing to see. Jacksonville’s skyline is eye candy at all times of the day. But at night is when the skyline really comes to life. The light reflects off the slow flowing water of the Saint Johns River for an amazing spectacle.
Its a shame that the light pollution hides the stars in the sky, but the city colors at least partially make up for it. Some of those lights are a result of me experimenting with the flash on and off on my phone camera. In case you forgot I was beginner photographer at best, that is your reminder.
Corrections:
I know I mentioned the John T. Alsop Bridge when exploring the Riverwalk. But here it is at night. It has blue lights around it and its one of my favorite places to drive through when going around downtown Jacksonville. Its also an important bridge as far as major roads are concerned. US Route 1 and US Route 90 both use this bridge to get across the Saint Johns River.
In a prior post I wrongfully said that US Route 17 also used this bridge, but it actually follows Interstate 95 around the west side of downtown before running through the middle of downtown farther north. I’m glad I caught this mistake now instead of later.
More to See:
There isn’t much else I need to say about Friendship Park that wasn’t mentioned earlier. I dodged a lot of people to take my pictures. Covid didn’t keep people away from here at night. It was just as crowded as when I traveled around the Soutbank.
I already mentioned a mistake I made with the bridges and the highways that cross them. When I traveled to Friendship Park, I discovered another prior mistake. In an earlier post, I mentioned that the taxis were likely not running due to Covid 19. Look carefully at one of the above photos. There is a water taxi doing its thing in that picture. Turns out I was completely wrong.
I apologize for the blurry quality in some of these photos. I’m not anywhere near a talented photographer and the light differences probably had a hand in messing up some of these images. Since at least parts of said blurry images were clear, I have chosen to include them.
Though you can only see it in one image and far away at that, you can see one of the other Jacksonville bridges. Its in the top image in the above set and it also has blue lights ringing the walls like another bridge you have seen several times in this post. That one is called the Acosta Bridge and this one only carries one State Highway across it. Florida State Road 13 which is a major local road that follows the Saint Johns River South.
Away from the River:
Friendship Park was not limited to the Saint Johns River. Though a larger chunk of it was closed while the fountain is being renovated, there were still other spaces around the area to check out. Quite a few of those spots were unfortunately, not that well lit. And my camera did not do a good job illuminating those areas.
If you can’t tell what is in some of those darker images, well this is what my blog is for. There are benches and some wide open spaces to sit and relax right at the heart of downtown. There is also an outdoor bar right around the corner. A lot of people I ran into were heading that direction.
Something that you won’t see in this blog post, but that I want to draw attention to is something else right around the corner. There is a museum right here called MOSH. It features many exhibits worth checking out. Especially once the pandemic is over. Since I came at night, the museum was closed. Not sure if its open during the day yet or not.
My last photos from Friendship Park were assorted odds and ends. I traveled to every inch that was open at the park which was still quite a bit despite the closed fountain. I’m also trying to create as many memories of this place as possible before I move back to Orlando. There is nothing in that city quite like the Riverwalk and the parks near it.
Pokémon Go:
Friendship Park is part of the Southbank Riverwalk. As I outlined in that blog post, this might be one of the best areas to play Pokemon Go in all of Jacksonville. Look at my nearby. Spritzee and Durant. The second of those listed is an extremely rare Pokémon. There are plenty of Pokestops, that Gym which is the fountain in real life is a Ex Raid eligible spot too.
With nonstop spawns and plenty of stops to spin, this place is an absolute paradise for Pokémon Go. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Riverwalk for the maximum experience.
Munna probably wanted to be around dreamers. But I brought it out at night among those wide awake. Maybe it needs to dream too.
Once upon a time Tauros was one of the only Gen 1 Pokémon I lacked in Pokémon Go. That time is long past. I was disappointed that I hatched one at Friendship Park.
I was quite tired at the end of my adventure at Friendship Park. Also I’m digging this light and dark juxtaposition. I need to take more photos like that one.
I’ll be leaving Jacksonville soon. And I have the entire Northbank Riverwalk to explore. Look forward to that soon. I need to complete this task before I leave.