esplanade

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St Clair Beach and esplanade, Dunedin, New Zealand

The Corniche, Beirut, Lebanon

Promenade at Rizal Boulevard in Dumaguete City, Philippines.

Sliema promenade

The Galle Face Green esplanade, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

An esplanade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. This allows people to promenade along the sea front, usually for recreational purposes, whatever the state of the tide, without having to walk on the beach. Esplanades became popular in Victorian times when it was fashionable to visit seaside resorts.

The original meaning of esplanade was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide clear fields of fire for the fortress against incoming infantry or artillery. Esplanade and promenade are sometimes used interchangeably, but that is a mistake. A promenade can be anywhere, and it is exclusively for walking, while an esplanade is for walking but also can include large boulevards or avenues with cars. A Promenade, often abbreviated to '(The) Prom', was an area where people - couples and families especially - would go to walk for a while in order to 'be seen' and be considered part of 'society'.

A similar term with the same meaning in the eastern coastal region of Spain is rambla, but more widely referred to as paseo marítimo (esplanade), paseo (promenade) or explanada (esplanade) in the Hispanic world.

Examples of esplanades

Coastal

• Gold Coast Oceanway, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
• Eastern Beach, Victoria, Australia
• Calçadão de Copacabana and Calçadão de Ipanema (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
• The Promenade, Brighton, England
• The Esplanade, in Weymouth, England
• La Promenade des Anglais, in Nice, France
• Tsim Sha Tsui East, Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong
• Marine Drive, Kochi in Kochi, India
• Marine Drive in Mumbai, India
• The Promenade, Cobh, County Cork, Ireland
• Tel Aviv Promenade, in Tel Aviv, Israel
• Gulf Street in Kuwait City, Kuwait
• Corniche Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
• Gurney Drive in Tanjung Tokong, Penang, Malaysia
• Esplanade in George Town, Penang, Malaysia
• Sliema Promenade, Sliema, Malta
• The Malecón, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
• St. Clair Esplanade in Dunedin, New Zealand
• Marine Parade, in Napier, New Zealand
• Promenade at Rizal Boulevard, Dumaguete City, Philippines
• Baywalk, Manila, Philippines
• Mall of Asia Esplanade, Pasay City, Philippines
• The Esplanade, Kirkcaldy, Scotland
• The Esplanade, Singapore
• The Golden Mile, Durban, South Africa
• Sea Point, Cape Town, South Africa
• Paseo de San Lorenzo, Gijon, Spain
• Kordon Yolu, İzmir, Turkey
• Breakwater Corniche or Al-Kasr in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
• The Esplanade, Redondo Beach, California
• The Esplanade, Rio Del Mar, California, United States
• Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California, United States
• Brooklyn Promenade, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, New York, United States
• Rambla de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay

Inland

• The Esplanade of the Ministries, in Brasilia, Brazil, which is surrounded by the Brazilian Ministries, the National Cathedral, Library, Museum and Theater, and the Brazilian Congress.
• The Esplanade, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Thames Embankment, in London, England
• The Esplanade Rishton, England
• Pohjois- and Etelä-Esplanadi in Helsinki, Finland
• Esplanade de La Défense is a subway station, situated below the esplanade of La Défense, Paris, France.
• The Danube Promenade in Budapest, Hungary.
• Esplanade, in Calcutta, India
• Esplanade, Chennai (previously known as Madras), in Chennai(Madras), India
• Sibu Esplanade, Rajang River, Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia
• Edinburgh Castle Esplanade, Edinburgh, Scotland
• The Esplanade, Disneyland Resort, California, United States
• Esplanade Avenue, New Orleans
• L'Enfant Promenade in Washington, D.C., United States
• Charles River esplanade, in Boston, Massachusetts, United States
• The Eastbank Esplanade, in Portland, Oregon, United States
• The Promenade a high class shopping area in Saucon Valley, Pennsylvania, United States.
• The Esplanade is often the centermost street in Black Rock City, the temporary home of the Burning Man Festival, United States

See also riverwalk.

Fictional

• Promenade on space station Deep Space 9 (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
• The Promenade area in Canal City, Planet Notak, in Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando
• Riverfront Esplanade, a fictional New Jersey development, on The Sopranos TV show.
• The Promenade in Glen Oak, California on 7th Heaven TV show.
• Waukeen's Promenade, in the city of Athkatla, in the video game Baldur's Gate II.
• Chapter One of Camara Laye's The Radiance of the King.
• VMK Esplanade in Main Street land of VMK

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

See also

• Promenade of Tel-AvivIsrael 60. Tel-Aviv 100. Photo by Lev Borodulin
• Boardwalk
• Foreshoreway
• Oceanway
• Processional walkway
• Riverwalk

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Esplanades