What makes porches so alluring?

I've always been enamoured with the craftsman bungalow - but didn't even realize it at first. 

I remember spending time in the Pasadena California area house hunting for a possible job move decades ago and just being hypnotically drawn to the older bungalows that abound there.  I didn't know then, but it was a truly American architectural style that was also common all over San Francisco where I'd lived most of my life. 

​Looking back, the feature that always caught my eye first and drew me in, was the front porch.

Craftsman bungalow front porch

​And now, owning and living in a 1924 craftsman bungalow in northern Arizona, I find myself excited beyond words to be opening up the front porch which had been enclosed somewhere in the 70's.  It's still a construction disaster but already it feels glorious to be in that space without the constraint of the walls and windows.  Friends and neighbors come into the space and just marvel at how delicious it is.  We try to imagine why anyone would have chosen to enclose this fabulous space.

I find myself wondering - what is that makes front porches so alluring?
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