1. At first glance my neighborhood doesn’t seem to offer anything other than a variety of bars, restaurants, shops and an abundance of apartment buildings, which are “removed from any shared community space – no commercial or communal day care facilities, or laundry facilities” (Hayden, 174). I did not expect to find any social services for the working parent near my house, but I was surprised to do so. Steinway, which is a block from my house, is full of stores and cafés and the street is always crowded, but the quieter streets do offer other services. I found a couple of daycares, one a Montessori school (Little Angels) that is in a small private house, which looks misplaces among the apartment buildings surrounding it. The other daycare I found was 9 blocks away and had the exact working hours as the Little Angels (8am – 6pm), which doesn’t give parents many options if they are working late hours. However, there always are some women (like the Equadorian lady who lives on the first floor in my building) who have small, private, day cares in their homes and offer flexible hours. Yet these substitutes to adequate social services “obscure the failure of American housing policies…and generate bad working conditions for other working women” (Hayden, 176).
I also found several doctor’s offices in quiet, residential areas and most of them closed at 5 or 6 (they had stickers on the door with their hours of operation). The only office I found that stayed open later was a dentist’s office (Dr. S. Shahab) who worked until 9pm on Wednesdays. Other than this there are no other medical facilities, not even 24 - hour pharmacies (Duane Reade closes at 10pm), that stay open after business hours when working parents can go. I also noticed that there are no 24 - hour Laundromats in my neighborhood (although there is a sign that one is coming soon), limiting working parents’ options and forcing them to do laundry on the weekends.
2. There are a couple of places in my neighborhood that seem to be gender specific. Around the corner from my apartment there is a hardware store and I’ve never seen a woman in it. Every morning when I walk to school there are around 20 Hispanic men waiting outside the store hoping to be picked up for work, I suppose. The video store across the street from the hardware store, and the cigar shop across the subway station also seem to have a predominantly male shopper base. In class we talked about how Victoria’s Secret is a women space, but the one on Steinway near my house, has a male security guard who likes to give shoppers suggestions such as “Oh that panty is nice” or “You should get that, mhmm” that makes it really uncomfortable shopping there. Another typical women space – the hair salon in my neighborhood is not fully a women’s space. Although the Aveda Hair Salon and Spa’s patrons and most of the staff are women, all of the hair stylists are male, which proves that in modern society there are no places that are strictly gendered and that the idea that “a woman’s place is in the home” that Hayden was fighting against is disappearing.
3. I consider the corner around the hardware store in my neighborhood to be a place claimed by individuals for themselves. Now that it is getting warmer outside, it seems that more men are waiting there every morning. Not only do they block the side walk and force the pedestrians to walk around (sometimes having to go into the street), for a girl to walk through their group is really intimidating especially when they are laughing and speaking to themselves in Spanish, so sometimes I go out of my way and cross the street just to avoid them. As for such places in the city in general, I think some people like to take over entire benches in the park or subway seats and poles in order to avoid being too close to strangers in public spaces. Sometimes I happen to be on the subway when school lets out and my train car seems to be attacked by incredibly loud teenagers who like to sing and dance, and perform for their friends on public transportation, thus claiming the car for themselves.
4. When I searched “gay up of New York” on the internet I got a list of numerous gay bars, clubs, hotels, cruizes and saunas. Nighttours.com has a list of events such as group ballroom dances, NY AIDS walk, and NYC gay pride parade. These are all regular places that any person can go to, but they are specifically sexualized to make patrons comfortable to be among people who share their views and ideologies, thus proving Chaunsey's of why gay men like to create their "gay city" in the middle of the larger community.
5. I always see teenagers smoking or making out around the subway stop late at night, I don’t know why they choose such a public and random place to perform such private activities, but they always seem to be there on the weekends. Personally, I am not a fan of public display of affection but many don’t mind caressing each other in public, and the subway seems to be a hot spot for such activities late at night. Here is a more extreme example of individuals performing private activities in public. Monday night coming home from work (around 11pm) I got off the train at the end of the platform and walking towards the exit I saw a girl sitting on a guy’s lap, passionately kissing. After I saw them, I put my head down, avoiding to make eye contact or letting one of them see me roll my eyes, and walking away I noticed two used condoms a couple of feet away from them on the platform, making it pretty obvious that they were having sex. I found it pretty disgusting and unsanitary, but at least they were being safe.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Nicole McGuire- Activity 6
Nicole McGuire
Activity # 6
3/28/210
“A “good” neighborhood is usually defined in terms of conventional shopping, schools, and perhaps public transit, rather than additional social services for the working parent, such as day care or evening clinics” (Hayden, 145). Throughout my neighborhood there are many resources like day care and evening clinics for working parents. There is this one daycare called “Miss Barbara’s Preschool”. This school is specifically designed for children 2 to 5 years and you have to enroll into the school. Once they enroll into the school, there is a 1 month trial period to see if the child is blending in with the other children and the environment of the school. Then there’s a daycare called “Mommy and Me” which is a program for young children where mommy can be present and the caretaker. There are different classes from the different age groups from 5 months to 3 ½ years old. This is to prepare the youngsters for pre-school and to get used to doing things without their parents. Then there is a Tutor Time located right across the street from the major Long Island Rail Road station. The parents can drop off the children at this Tutor Time and then go off to work. They stay open till about 8 p.m. so the parents have to make sure that they pick up their children before 8 in the evening. “A woman’s place is in the home” has been one of the most important principles of architectural design and urban planning in the United States for the last century” (Hayden). There used to not be a lot of daycare centers because women were the caretakers and took care of all the chores. There are no evening clinics in my neighborhood probably because of these reasons.
There are only a few spaces in my neighborhood that were specifically designated only for men or women. The obvious ones was the local barber shop called “Gentleman’s Barber Shop”. Just by the name you can tell that it is only meant for men and that a woman would not go in there to get their hair cut. When I looked inside there was a whole bunch of men sitting around the barber chairs talking amongst one another. There was even a calendar of young women in bikinis on the side wall. I was uncomfortable to even walk in because there was no women inside this shop or anywhere near this vicinity area. In my area that seemed to be the only major barber shop for men, but for women there was plenty of choices for hair salons. There’s a place called “Axios Salon and Spa” which does everything from getting your hair styled all the way to waxing. Then there’s other places called “Off 7th Hair Salon”, “Ulta 3 Salon”, “Symmetry Hair Design”, and other such places. But then there’s other hair salons that are unisex called “Lemon Tree Unisex Haircutters” which welcomes both men and women. This salon was more engaging because it made the environment comfortable so that both men and women could be able to come together in one spot. They did not make it gendered and kept the colors of the shop mutual. They had magazines for both women and men on the table. And there was also men and women who worked together cutting hair. Other “male” spaces were the cigar shop, and the auto shops around the neighborhood. The other “women” spaces were the nail salons, the all women’s gym called “Curves” which the machines are used for the specific purpose of women’s fitness. These spaces are specifically designated for one sex or the other because of the environment and how the places are designed.
Queer/Gay individuals claim space for themselves all over the city. I do not think there is any specific spot or place. But there are specific clubs that are for only gay men/gay women/bi-sexuals. But there are no clubs that are just specifically for “straight” people. At least I have not encountered that yet, but there might be. But in my neighborhood there are specific meeting spots for the Gay and Lesbian Community called community centers where they could meet and discuss with one another. They probably pick these community centers to get more privacy and to let the younger generation of gay youth feel more comfortable knowing that there are other people who go through the same problems they go through. “As Macfadden’s comment makes clear, gay men had to contend with the threat of vigilante anti-gay violence as well as with the police. In response to this challenge, gay men devised a variety of tactics that allowed them to move freely about the city, to appropriate for themselves spaces that were not marked as gay and to construct a gay city in the midst of, yet invisible to, the dominant city” (Chauncey 180) . It’s more of a “safe place” for young gay youth’s but also to feel like part of the community. As I researched “gay map of new York” it shows where all the gay hotels, bars, clubs, attractions, community centers, etc. are. It shows the different spaces that gays/lesbians can go to for entertainment purposes and to feel more welcomed to the city when outsiders come to visit.
The major space that people are engaging in “private” activities in public spaces is in the park in my neighborhood. The park is called Kelley Park and the teenagers go there during the evening hours to partake in having make-out sessions and sometimes even doing certain types of drugs. They think that because they are near the woods behind the bleachers that no one will notice them. But the major reason they go to the park is because they do not want there parents to know what’s going on in their lives. Going to the park makes they feel like they have their own privacy. Another “private” activity in public spaces is having basement parties 2 blocks down from where I live. Every Friday-Sunday a different house has a basement party where you have to pay a $5 admission fee and cannot be under the age of 16. But I know some teenagers who have actually bought fake IDS just to get into these basement parties. They do these parties in the basement because it seems as if they are cut off from the rest of the block and that no one will complain. I’m not sure if anyone has specifically complained about these parties, but from my understanding this has been going on for about 6 years now and I just found out about it 2 weeks ago.
Activity # 6
3/28/210
“A “good” neighborhood is usually defined in terms of conventional shopping, schools, and perhaps public transit, rather than additional social services for the working parent, such as day care or evening clinics” (Hayden, 145). Throughout my neighborhood there are many resources like day care and evening clinics for working parents. There is this one daycare called “Miss Barbara’s Preschool”. This school is specifically designed for children 2 to 5 years and you have to enroll into the school. Once they enroll into the school, there is a 1 month trial period to see if the child is blending in with the other children and the environment of the school. Then there’s a daycare called “Mommy and Me” which is a program for young children where mommy can be present and the caretaker. There are different classes from the different age groups from 5 months to 3 ½ years old. This is to prepare the youngsters for pre-school and to get used to doing things without their parents. Then there is a Tutor Time located right across the street from the major Long Island Rail Road station. The parents can drop off the children at this Tutor Time and then go off to work. They stay open till about 8 p.m. so the parents have to make sure that they pick up their children before 8 in the evening. “A woman’s place is in the home” has been one of the most important principles of architectural design and urban planning in the United States for the last century” (Hayden). There used to not be a lot of daycare centers because women were the caretakers and took care of all the chores. There are no evening clinics in my neighborhood probably because of these reasons.
There are only a few spaces in my neighborhood that were specifically designated only for men or women. The obvious ones was the local barber shop called “Gentleman’s Barber Shop”. Just by the name you can tell that it is only meant for men and that a woman would not go in there to get their hair cut. When I looked inside there was a whole bunch of men sitting around the barber chairs talking amongst one another. There was even a calendar of young women in bikinis on the side wall. I was uncomfortable to even walk in because there was no women inside this shop or anywhere near this vicinity area. In my area that seemed to be the only major barber shop for men, but for women there was plenty of choices for hair salons. There’s a place called “Axios Salon and Spa” which does everything from getting your hair styled all the way to waxing. Then there’s other places called “Off 7th Hair Salon”, “Ulta 3 Salon”, “Symmetry Hair Design”, and other such places. But then there’s other hair salons that are unisex called “Lemon Tree Unisex Haircutters” which welcomes both men and women. This salon was more engaging because it made the environment comfortable so that both men and women could be able to come together in one spot. They did not make it gendered and kept the colors of the shop mutual. They had magazines for both women and men on the table. And there was also men and women who worked together cutting hair. Other “male” spaces were the cigar shop, and the auto shops around the neighborhood. The other “women” spaces were the nail salons, the all women’s gym called “Curves” which the machines are used for the specific purpose of women’s fitness. These spaces are specifically designated for one sex or the other because of the environment and how the places are designed.
Queer/Gay individuals claim space for themselves all over the city. I do not think there is any specific spot or place. But there are specific clubs that are for only gay men/gay women/bi-sexuals. But there are no clubs that are just specifically for “straight” people. At least I have not encountered that yet, but there might be. But in my neighborhood there are specific meeting spots for the Gay and Lesbian Community called community centers where they could meet and discuss with one another. They probably pick these community centers to get more privacy and to let the younger generation of gay youth feel more comfortable knowing that there are other people who go through the same problems they go through. “As Macfadden’s comment makes clear, gay men had to contend with the threat of vigilante anti-gay violence as well as with the police. In response to this challenge, gay men devised a variety of tactics that allowed them to move freely about the city, to appropriate for themselves spaces that were not marked as gay and to construct a gay city in the midst of, yet invisible to, the dominant city” (Chauncey 180) . It’s more of a “safe place” for young gay youth’s but also to feel like part of the community. As I researched “gay map of new York” it shows where all the gay hotels, bars, clubs, attractions, community centers, etc. are. It shows the different spaces that gays/lesbians can go to for entertainment purposes and to feel more welcomed to the city when outsiders come to visit.
The major space that people are engaging in “private” activities in public spaces is in the park in my neighborhood. The park is called Kelley Park and the teenagers go there during the evening hours to partake in having make-out sessions and sometimes even doing certain types of drugs. They think that because they are near the woods behind the bleachers that no one will notice them. But the major reason they go to the park is because they do not want there parents to know what’s going on in their lives. Going to the park makes they feel like they have their own privacy. Another “private” activity in public spaces is having basement parties 2 blocks down from where I live. Every Friday-Sunday a different house has a basement party where you have to pay a $5 admission fee and cannot be under the age of 16. But I know some teenagers who have actually bought fake IDS just to get into these basement parties. They do these parties in the basement because it seems as if they are cut off from the rest of the block and that no one will complain. I’m not sure if anyone has specifically complained about these parties, but from my understanding this has been going on for about 6 years now and I just found out about it 2 weeks ago.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Activity # 3-Tamon Charles
Public vs. Private
I have chosen the strip of Lexington Avenue and 68th Street to Lexington and 57th Street for this assignment. This area is very active and is filled with many boutiques, shops and restaurants. I have chosen to walk along there on a Friday afternoon and I was very impressed with the availability of goods and services for citizens of the Upper East Side Manhattan.
I have noticed a variety of people who use this area for business purposes based on their attire, some are just out to have a late lunch and can be seen through the windows of intimate restaurants and are having drinks with their colleagues alike. People who are from the area can be seen walking their dogs or even taking an afternoon jog especially since the weather has been warmer.
Many young people who are enjoying their time with friends and shopping are more engrossed around the 59th Street area where stores such as Bloomingdales and Diesel can be found. The showcases are just so eye catching in these stores that one cannot help but venture in and look around. The designs of the mannequins are chic styles with bold fashion statements and a wide range of colors. Pairs of young women are also entering Sabon which is a chic store that specializes in an assortment of bath and body items that can be sensed even after walking away. “The effect of these regulations was to create a socially one-dimensional community. This was rather a new thing in America. Certainly, there had always been “streets of fashion,” better neighborhoods, even whole towns that enjoyed greater prosperity than other towns. But never had the upper class so systematically separated itself from the rest of society” (Kunstler, 52).
There are also nannies that are pushing strollers and may enter the Duane Reade pharmacy or even the Bread Factory or even the candy store to grab a few items in these public spaces. Some may even stop by the nearby puppy place for the kids to have a quick glimpse at the playful puppies while other shoppers gather around for a few snapshots.
For the most part, these particular ten or so blocks can be considered opened for the near by residents. Although there are also have few bus lines along Lexington Avenue that makes it easier to travel but due to heavy traffic, I think it is better to walk to get around.
I found this neighborhood somewhat different on a Sunday afternoon. The sidewalks are clearer of people except that more of them are using the weekends to more shopping or jogging and the atmosphere seems quieter and more people are dining out in the various restaurants in casual wear and also more involvement with kids such as taking a stroll as well. In all, I believe that this area has more private areas as there are many residential buildings, florists, upscale boutiques and cafes alike. The public areas are not well represented in this section of the city but more so can be found at other alternating streets that lead up Central Park and so on where one can take notice more integration of people in an open space. Lexington Avenue along 68th Street and 57th Street are ideally for shopping purposes but it does not attract people from all ages particularly kids and elderly folks for recreational activity that a public space would accommodate.
I have chosen the strip of Lexington Avenue and 68th Street to Lexington and 57th Street for this assignment. This area is very active and is filled with many boutiques, shops and restaurants. I have chosen to walk along there on a Friday afternoon and I was very impressed with the availability of goods and services for citizens of the Upper East Side Manhattan.
I have noticed a variety of people who use this area for business purposes based on their attire, some are just out to have a late lunch and can be seen through the windows of intimate restaurants and are having drinks with their colleagues alike. People who are from the area can be seen walking their dogs or even taking an afternoon jog especially since the weather has been warmer.
Many young people who are enjoying their time with friends and shopping are more engrossed around the 59th Street area where stores such as Bloomingdales and Diesel can be found. The showcases are just so eye catching in these stores that one cannot help but venture in and look around. The designs of the mannequins are chic styles with bold fashion statements and a wide range of colors. Pairs of young women are also entering Sabon which is a chic store that specializes in an assortment of bath and body items that can be sensed even after walking away. “The effect of these regulations was to create a socially one-dimensional community. This was rather a new thing in America. Certainly, there had always been “streets of fashion,” better neighborhoods, even whole towns that enjoyed greater prosperity than other towns. But never had the upper class so systematically separated itself from the rest of society” (Kunstler, 52).
There are also nannies that are pushing strollers and may enter the Duane Reade pharmacy or even the Bread Factory or even the candy store to grab a few items in these public spaces. Some may even stop by the nearby puppy place for the kids to have a quick glimpse at the playful puppies while other shoppers gather around for a few snapshots.
For the most part, these particular ten or so blocks can be considered opened for the near by residents. Although there are also have few bus lines along Lexington Avenue that makes it easier to travel but due to heavy traffic, I think it is better to walk to get around.
I found this neighborhood somewhat different on a Sunday afternoon. The sidewalks are clearer of people except that more of them are using the weekends to more shopping or jogging and the atmosphere seems quieter and more people are dining out in the various restaurants in casual wear and also more involvement with kids such as taking a stroll as well. In all, I believe that this area has more private areas as there are many residential buildings, florists, upscale boutiques and cafes alike. The public areas are not well represented in this section of the city but more so can be found at other alternating streets that lead up Central Park and so on where one can take notice more integration of people in an open space. Lexington Avenue along 68th Street and 57th Street are ideally for shopping purposes but it does not attract people from all ages particularly kids and elderly folks for recreational activity that a public space would accommodate.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Activity # 4- Nicole McGuire
Nicole McGuire
Scavenger Hunt
# 2- Can you find (and photograph) any old streetcar/trolley tracks around new york (any of the boroughs)? (page 87) What is the history of the tracks you found? When were they placed there? When were they removed?
These tracks are located right on 25th avenue on 95th street in Jackson Heights, Queens. This trolley line was being built during the time Jackson Heights was being developed from swamp area to being known as Trains Meadow. It was built in 1893, and the Brooklyn City Railroad used Bowery Way Road all the way to North Beach for these tracks. In the 1920'a streets were opening up due to these tracks and there was service between 94th and 97th St. It went through peoples land and backyards. "At the same time that the cities expanded beyond the old walking limits, downtown business districts boomed from the mass influx of shoppers the trolley now brought from all over town" (Kunstler, 88). It's very obvious that these trolley tracks were used to to expand this town and to let the people of Jackson Heights get around. The tracks are still located and exposed.
# 10- Photograph two different street configurations in manhattan (two different street set-ups ie. Where the bike lane is located, how traffic flows, etc...)
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Scavenger Hunt
# 2- Can you find (and photograph) any old streetcar/trolley tracks around new york (any of the boroughs)? (page 87) What is the history of the tracks you found? When were they placed there? When were they removed?
These tracks are located right on 25th avenue on 95th street in Jackson Heights, Queens. This trolley line was being built during the time Jackson Heights was being developed from swamp area to being known as Trains Meadow. It was built in 1893, and the Brooklyn City Railroad used Bowery Way Road all the way to North Beach for these tracks. In the 1920'a streets were opening up due to these tracks and there was service between 94th and 97th St. It went through peoples land and backyards. "At the same time that the cities expanded beyond the old walking limits, downtown business districts boomed from the mass influx of shoppers the trolley now brought from all over town" (Kunstler, 88). It's very obvious that these trolley tracks were used to to expand this town and to let the people of Jackson Heights get around. The tracks are still located and exposed.
# 10- Photograph two different street configurations in manhattan (two different street set-ups ie. Where the bike lane is located, how traffic flows, etc...)
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Thursday, March 11, 2010
Activity #2- Johanna Kelly
Johanna Kelly
Activity #2: Visiting a new Place
I was recommended to go visit Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Since I live in Manhattan, I must admit that I hardly ever leave the borough (unless it is completely necessary). I am so comfortable with everything that I have here in my neighborhood, which is the East Village in Lower East Side Manhattan that I even find it difficult to move around other parts of the borough. So I was advised to go to Brooklyn and visit a location called Greenpoint. The reason why I was advised to see this is place is because I love to eat Polish food and Greenpoint contains delectable food from Poland and other sorts of imported items. Since I am Polish, I found it very pleasant and comforting to traveling to Greenpoint.
As I arrived on Greenpoint Avenue, I felt as if I had stepped into a mini Poland. I spotted stores with Polish names. As I wandered on the streets, I overheard Polish words being spoken by the people. It immediately felt very homely for me because it reminded me of Poland. I was reminiscing as I walked down the streets observing my surroundings. It was very pleasant to see how people on the streets were interacting with each other in Polish. From the perspective of Jane Jacobs, she would point out that having people on the sidewalks is an important element of the city. She explains, “The point of both the testimonial banquet and the social life of city sidewalks is precisely that they are public. They bring together people who do not know each other in an intimate, private social fashion and in most cases do not care to know each other in that fashion” (Jacobs, 55). Thus, Jacobs would endorse the idea that the people standing on the sidewalk are a positive thing. Even though I did not know any of the people, I did feel as if it did bring me together to them. In addition, because I understood the language that they were speaking, I felt even more at home with them. Social contact on the sidewalks is something what creates some parts of neighborhoods in New York City.
As I walked through Greenpoint Avenue as an observant, I noticed how safe I felt in the neighborhood. This is another element of the city that Jane Jacobs touches upon. She explains how safety is a key element to a successful city. “The bedrock attribute of a successful city district is that a person must feel personally safe and secure on the street among all these strangers. He must not feel automatically menaced by them” (30). Thus, Jane Jacobs wants people to understand how having strangers standing on the sidewalk is not a harmful thing however, it is a positive feature of a city. A city is meant to contain different people on the street that are obviously strangers, however, do make the sidewalk feel homely and safe. As I was walking amongst the street, I felt the least amount of distress on a street.
As I walked on the street, I encountered a few Polish meat markets, grocery stores, and restaurants. It was very pleasant to see a bit of diversity. I remembered how much I appreciate New York City and its cultural diversity. I observed construction workers walking probably heading home from work. I could hear them in the background speaking in Polish throwing in a few curse words. In addition, I perceived women walking home with their hands full of grocery bags. So I presumed that they must have been walking home from work in a rush in order to cook dinner for their family. This made me also ponder about immigration and how New York City is made up of immigrants. This is why we are so diverse as a city. One of the fascinating things about urban life is that there is a mixture of people from all over the world. Jane Jacobs endorses this idea because she quotes in her book, “The benefits that cities offer to smallness are just as marked in retail trade, cultural facilities and entertainment” (146). Greenpoint contained all of these things. I spotted Polish restaurants, stores, supermarkets, bookstores, and also nightclubs such as “Exit” and “Europa.” It was so interesting to see how this own developed neighborhood was like a city of its own. Since I live in the East Village in Manhattan, it was very pleasant to see a change in neighborhoods. This activity also allowed me to revisit my roots of my Polish heritage.
Activity #2: Visiting a new Place
I was recommended to go visit Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Since I live in Manhattan, I must admit that I hardly ever leave the borough (unless it is completely necessary). I am so comfortable with everything that I have here in my neighborhood, which is the East Village in Lower East Side Manhattan that I even find it difficult to move around other parts of the borough. So I was advised to go to Brooklyn and visit a location called Greenpoint. The reason why I was advised to see this is place is because I love to eat Polish food and Greenpoint contains delectable food from Poland and other sorts of imported items. Since I am Polish, I found it very pleasant and comforting to traveling to Greenpoint.
As I arrived on Greenpoint Avenue, I felt as if I had stepped into a mini Poland. I spotted stores with Polish names. As I wandered on the streets, I overheard Polish words being spoken by the people. It immediately felt very homely for me because it reminded me of Poland. I was reminiscing as I walked down the streets observing my surroundings. It was very pleasant to see how people on the streets were interacting with each other in Polish. From the perspective of Jane Jacobs, she would point out that having people on the sidewalks is an important element of the city. She explains, “The point of both the testimonial banquet and the social life of city sidewalks is precisely that they are public. They bring together people who do not know each other in an intimate, private social fashion and in most cases do not care to know each other in that fashion” (Jacobs, 55). Thus, Jacobs would endorse the idea that the people standing on the sidewalk are a positive thing. Even though I did not know any of the people, I did feel as if it did bring me together to them. In addition, because I understood the language that they were speaking, I felt even more at home with them. Social contact on the sidewalks is something what creates some parts of neighborhoods in New York City.
As I walked through Greenpoint Avenue as an observant, I noticed how safe I felt in the neighborhood. This is another element of the city that Jane Jacobs touches upon. She explains how safety is a key element to a successful city. “The bedrock attribute of a successful city district is that a person must feel personally safe and secure on the street among all these strangers. He must not feel automatically menaced by them” (30). Thus, Jane Jacobs wants people to understand how having strangers standing on the sidewalk is not a harmful thing however, it is a positive feature of a city. A city is meant to contain different people on the street that are obviously strangers, however, do make the sidewalk feel homely and safe. As I was walking amongst the street, I felt the least amount of distress on a street.
As I walked on the street, I encountered a few Polish meat markets, grocery stores, and restaurants. It was very pleasant to see a bit of diversity. I remembered how much I appreciate New York City and its cultural diversity. I observed construction workers walking probably heading home from work. I could hear them in the background speaking in Polish throwing in a few curse words. In addition, I perceived women walking home with their hands full of grocery bags. So I presumed that they must have been walking home from work in a rush in order to cook dinner for their family. This made me also ponder about immigration and how New York City is made up of immigrants. This is why we are so diverse as a city. One of the fascinating things about urban life is that there is a mixture of people from all over the world. Jane Jacobs endorses this idea because she quotes in her book, “The benefits that cities offer to smallness are just as marked in retail trade, cultural facilities and entertainment” (146). Greenpoint contained all of these things. I spotted Polish restaurants, stores, supermarkets, bookstores, and also nightclubs such as “Exit” and “Europa.” It was so interesting to see how this own developed neighborhood was like a city of its own. Since I live in the East Village in Manhattan, it was very pleasant to see a change in neighborhoods. This activity also allowed me to revisit my roots of my Polish heritage.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Scavanger Hunt - Maria Popa
5. For this part of the scavenger hunt I rode the N train from Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria to Coney Island, on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon. Although I live in Astoria, I am a loyal R train rider and rarely take the N train. At the beginning of my journey in Astoria, I immediately noticed a lot more young ( in their 20s) people on the N train than there usually are on the R (this is not because it was a nice day outside, there are always a lot of young people on the N train, I'd really like to know the reason for this as well). There were also large groups of loud teenagers going into the city, and the train seemed very lively. When the train got to Manhattan though, the atmosphere changed. The loud teenagers mostly got of at the first few stops in the city and were replaced by tourists and people dressed in business attire. Also, while in Manhattan the train is the most crowded and there are many people with shopping bags. By the last stop in Manhattan (Canal Street) the train lost many of its passengers, most of them white, well dressed, or young. In Brooklyn, the people who got on and off the train were very similar to those in Queens: most of them were older (middle aged), non - white, and gloomy.
From my observations I concluded that many people from Queens and Brooklyn go into Manhattan to shop, work, or simply for recreational purposes such as meet up with friends and go to museums (I overheard a little boy talking to his dad about the Natural Museum of History). The teenagers from Queens were very excited to get off at 59th street (Lexington) but the teenagers, as well as most other passengers, who got off in Brooklyn did not show any sign of excitement to finally arrive at their destination.
Lastly, I don't think I was stared at on the train because I avoided making eye contact with those around me, but it was a very long journey (over an hour) and I was very tempted to get out in Manhattan and take a break. Nonetheless, I persevered and was the only person in my train car to ride the train all the way from Astoria to Coney Island.
From my observations I concluded that many people from Queens and Brooklyn go into Manhattan to shop, work, or simply for recreational purposes such as meet up with friends and go to museums (I overheard a little boy talking to his dad about the Natural Museum of History). The teenagers from Queens were very excited to get off at 59th street (Lexington) but the teenagers, as well as most other passengers, who got off in Brooklyn did not show any sign of excitement to finally arrive at their destination.
Lastly, I don't think I was stared at on the train because I avoided making eye contact with those around me, but it was a very long journey (over an hour) and I was very tempted to get out in Manhattan and take a break. Nonetheless, I persevered and was the only person in my train car to ride the train all the way from Astoria to Coney Island.
Scavanger Hunt - Maria Popa
4. I went to Grand Central on a Thursday evening hoping that i would encounter people coming home from work. After asking and being ignored by a couple of people i finally got a woman to tell me where she works. The woman (probably in her early 30s) works as a nurse at the Westchester Medical Center, she takes the train to White Plains and then a bus to Valhalla, where the hospital is. She commutes there 6 days a week because that was the only hospital that hired her since she is a recent graduate.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
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