Places to Cop a Squat and Read

Posted by Jamie Canaves

Remember that scene in Pretty Woman where Vivian says “We’ll cop a squat under a tree somewhere” to Edward? Unlike Edward, who wasn’t sure what that meant, we totally get it. We’ve got a stack of books we’re dying to read and we’ve found some amazing, totally awesome places we want to cop a squat and read. We've got your back, Vivian.

 

Stefano Rellandini/Reuters

The Floating Piers by Christo

Artist Christo created a two-mile floating bridge in Lake Iseo, Lombardy that connects two islands in northern Italy. While everyone seems excited over the idea of “walking on water,” we are beside ourselves with the reading possibilities! We're aching to grab a beach chair and Life Without a Recipe by Diana Abu-Jaber so we can sit in the middle of that orange gorgeousness to read ALL dang day. We may do a little people-watching, too. And if someone were to kindly bring us gelato, that would be molto appreciated because this book is filled with food talk. And we’re gonna be hungry. 

 

Liquid Shard by Patrick Shearn

This floating sculpture in Pershing Square, L.A. seems like a perfect spot to sit under with an epic fantasy novel and a giant Slurpee (fingers crossed there’s bathrooms). At first we might get a bit distracted and oooh and ahh over how beautifully the sculpture moves, but then we’ll get sucked into our book.We'll love the shadow movement it creates over the page as we read Sabaa Tahir’s A Torch Against the Night

 

The Enchanted Forest BC Canada

While we recommend a nice collection of fairy tales for kids, we’re planning on sneaking back into this three story treehouse after midnight with a flashlight and a horror novel. Okay, so we’re too chicken to bring a horror novel. Instead, we're bringing The Hike by Drew Magary, which is bananas weird and set in the woods. Anyone stocked with s’mores ingredients is welcome to join us!

 

Atlanta Botanical Garden: Chihuly in the Garden

We’re grabbing Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax and Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to read while surrounded by Chihuly’s glass sculptures. We’ll probably be bouncing around like Seuss characters more than copping a squat, but we’ll be there and we’ll be reading! Of course our pockets will be filled with Willy Wonka candy as we pretend to be in the chocolate river. 

 

The Titan designed by Mehmet Doruk Erdem

This is just a design at the moment, but we’re demanding it be made so we can park it and reread Jon Moriss’ The League of Regrettable Superheroes. Maybe one of the regrettable superheroes would have been less regrettable with this motorcycle. Also, we need to test drive—and read in—it first because you just know once Batman gets his hands on it, he won’t share.