That's a shame: perhaps the bench was removed because of complaints about its use (e.g. drug dealing, drinking alcohol, intimidation, noise disturbance)? Maybe it was fine when you walked up there but had problems in the evening, for locals.
If so, then removing the bench would only cause ne'er-do-wells to relocate, perhaps not far. Or they might all bring walking stick/seats and gather round on them in the same spot!
Excellent of you to take up a routine of walking: I should do the same...
I still run through Baldur's Gate (1998) from time to time (I should try a game as a Chaotic/Evil group but I like being a good-two-shoes too much). I love the graphics, story and game play.
I mean to dust off my copy of Rome Total War (2004) at some point, mostly for the mods, but I'm still playing through all the factions of Warhammer Total War 2 to get my money's worth out of it! It's a tough life.
I played the remaster of Command & Conquer (1995/2010) a little while ago: I was overjoyed to finish the GDI campaign for the first time, having given up on ever doing so when I was young. The NOD campaign still proved too much, but the nostalgia and music might persuade me to try again!
I missed out on the original Monkey Island, so I'm grateful for Let's Plays on Youtube! An excellent game. :)