One thing it's done is completely upended the status quo when it comes to just who is walking around downtown Lakewood. Here's a picture taken in Belmar Park, not far from the Belmar Library. On a Tuesday afternoon, the park is usually the preserve of retirees out for a stroll, or the occasional mom jogging with stroller and offspring.
Today, however twenty and thirty somethings were everywhere, walking in groups and pursuing Pokemon. The park felt vibrant and fun, and even though I wasn't playing the game, I couldn't help but smile.
This is what happens when people go walking in urban spaces, this sense of liveliness and spirit. It's also what happens when you get people of every age group together, even if they're all doing their own thing in that space.
So the idea that Pokemon Go has been able to get this missing demographic out of their cars and over to Belmar Park is pretty cool.
