A shot of Campus Martius Park from this year's Winter Blast festival
Campus Martius Park "between seasons"
A friend of mine that frequently calls over to Spain and Italy as part of her job is always telling me how great it would be to live over there because many European companies give their workers daily siestas, breaks in the work day when employees can go home and nap for an hour or so, then return to work for the remainder of the day. I've looked into this phenomenon a bit, and it seems that companies that adhere to the siesta policy do so because they believe it keeps productivity high throughout the day; although they are allowing workers an extra hour for themselves, the trade-off is greater because workers aren't tired by the time 3 o'clock rolls around.
Although I don't think that the private sector in the United States is moving towards anything like daily siestas, I have observed the overflowing parking lots and picnic areas of local parks around lunchtime, and have come to the conclusion that many American workers have begun seeking out mid-day distractions to block out, if only for a short while, the world of cubicles and board rooms.
If you're someone looking for a lunchtime diversion of sorts, and you work near Compuware downtown, you needn't go any further than the finely-manicured grass of Campus Martius Park. About a week and a half ago, CMP started its Summer in the Park music series, a daily work-week event featuring local musicians. The series, which runs from 11:30 am - 1 pm, is free and open to the public. Musical genres incluse jazz, harp, violin, and many more. Check out Campus Martius Park's website for more information on specific daily performances.
Hey, it might not be a daytime nap, but it beats reading a book at your desk.
A side note on Campus Martius Park: the park will begin hosting evening and weekend events starting on June 14. A list of performances was set to be issued yesterday, but I have not been able to locate one as of yet. I'll keep you posted.
