So what's Poble Nou all about? For me "New Village'' was a quiet area past the park with the arc and zoo. I never explored it much as it seemed kinda out of the way. Now that I have many years and many visits to Barcelona under my belt, I welcome a new neighborhood. It started with my hotel selection: The Social Hub. https://www.thesocialhub.co/es/barcelona-poblenou This place has a very forward thinking structure for a hotel and I look forward to exploring it. Since this is my hotel base, let's see what's around. To know what to check out, lemme learn what this neighborhood is all about. Here's a quick rundown of what I have learned:

I thought maybe the Romans or Iberians had made use of this previously marshy area but it seems to have gotten its start as grazing land for cattle in the 1200s. It was a largely agricultural area until the 1800s when it got into a huge industrial boom, mostly textile. It brought all kinds of monies into Barcelona and thus supported a wealthy environment that could patronize and nurture some really incredible art and architecture that Barcelona is now famous for. By the 1960s the area had fallen into disuse and was mostly abandoned, which as we all know means it became a haven for artists. What really kicked this area off was the revitalization for the 1992 Olympic games. Railways were stripped that separated the town from the ocean, gems of industrial architecture started to come under preservation. The current project: 22@ has seen to it that this area is now having a tech and innovation boom. I'm looking forward to seeing in my impression that this could be like Brooklyn has indeed come to pass. Now Poble Nou is considered one of the best neighborhoods to live in, a huge center for the international creative community, and a mad pop-up glory of a place.

That being said, what to visit? What are the main sites? I'm going to be biased of course and suggest the places that stand out to me. If there is something the world reviews as super awesome and you want to go, don't let me deter you; adventure away! These are the things I might meander to, by and visit inside:

The Torre Glories is an iconic building with 4,500 LED luminous devices. Not only does the glass reflect light beautifully throughout the day but the light shows are just a pleasure. I will stare at it from a distance a bunch and be glad I did. It isn't currently open to visitors but maybe one day it will again.

I'm a fan of old cemeteries but not everyone is. I go for the beauty of the memento mori of the place, to enjoy the sculpture and architecture placed in the resting places of people from long ago. Some facts stolen from Wikipedia, my favorite place to learn a thing: https://www.wikipedia.org/  "The first cemetery at this location was built in 1775, located outside the city's perimeter wall, as the state of churchyard graves inside the old city was considered unsanitary. After the first cemetery was destroyed by Napoleon's troops in 1813, the Italian architect Antonio Ginesi was commissioned to rebuild it, and the new site was reconsecrated by Bishop Pau de Sitjar i Ruata on 15 April 1819. It was formally opened in 1898 by the Bishop of Barcelona Josep Climent i Avinent." The late 1800s was a great time for art so if I have time for it, I will squeeze in a visit here.

If I can fit in any cultural fun, I will go here: Disseny Hub, https://www.dissenyhub.barcelona/en, the iconic design museum of the city. Frankly, if you are into design or an artist yourself, (like I am), I'm going to go ahead and this might be a must for you. If you want to go here, hunt down some design stores and see what local artists are creating.

This llacuna (Llacuna is Catalan for lagoon) has come a long way and I'm really excited to explore it. I've created a google map of all the things I've found that are of interest. You can use this as a jumping off point of your own exploration of the neighborhood. https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1Wooiik9S7crHZJ3ggNJYtW5O2rUH0gc&usp=sharing

Enjoy! Leave comments below about your own favs of the area. Now for the final part, part four: pleasure.