My (Neglected) Third Space(s)

It is a wonderful proposition to have people in Amman name the places they love, the places that inspire them, and, more importantly, the place where they feel more comfortable and enjoy spending more of there time. What saddens me, however, are the place that seem to be always left out. There is more to Jordan than Amman, and there is more to Amman than its Western parts. If we were to sum up geographic mentions in the country, Amman wins with close numbers for those usual touristic places, such as جرش , البتراء, and وادي رمّ. We seldom hear/read of the magnificently beautiful nature of عين الباشا and the surrounding hills, the drive from Amman through جرش and into عجلون, the mountains of دبين، and the beauty of واحة الازرق. Also, I don't think I've ever read about the tiny pathways of جبل الجوفة and the bustling سوق السكّر and the historic طلوع المصدار.

I do believe that جبل اللويبده is a beautiful, historically valuable area in the making of Amman. But, other areas are just as worth the attention. They mean to their residents as much as دير غبار means to those living in it. But, do you have to be born and raised in a place to appreciate it, to tell the world about it, and to express your admiration to its ins and outs, to what makes it special, and what causes you to enjoy it? I don't think so and it should not be so.
I admit that I don't have a third space in mind, although I grew up hanging around دوار الحاووز، مطعم ابو محجوب، و قهوة ابو عيسى. I have been away far too long for these places to be considered as a favorite third space. I frequented دارة الفنون for its many art exhibits, عبد الحميد شومان for their movie nights (and to play on their صخر computers!), and مركز هيا الثقافي, of which I was a member for many years in the early 1990's. But, now I wish I had been a little more adventurous to have taken advantage of being in Jordan. To just get out and go somewhere else in the city or even the country. To where life is still simple and a دُكانة is still a دُكانة.