Irene Martinez
Activity 1: Flaneur
This weekend me, my husband, and child went to South street seaport. My son loved the water and viewing the seagulls swoop by while I started to observe the people around me. On my left there was a Caucasian women with an Asian child in the stroller. Which I would assume she was a nanny and is taking care of the child while the mother was shopping or at work. He was maybe 2 years old eating a mixture of fruit and vegetables, and I wonder only if my child could have done the same. On my right there was an elderly women tossing bread to the seagulls. Which I felt was a good idea, but not if it isn’t allowed to feed them. We sat there for a good hour, watching my son running and chasing the seagulls, while I started observing more the Caucasian mother. She was a mother in her mid twenties, wearing orange and beige stripped shirt with black tights and beige uggs boots. She was reading a Lindsay Mckenna book. She wore sun glasses. While the child was in his stroller eating from this plastic green and yellow container that had varies of fruits and vegetables cut into pieces the right size for a toddler to be eating. Underneath the stroller was a purse, star bucks bag and a pretzel time bag. Then I started to observe the elderly women. She was probably around her 60s. She had a yellow livestrong bracelet on tossing pieces of bread onto the ground so that the birds and seagulls could eat. She really didn’t do much just toss bread. The only thing that I found interesting was the way she was dressed. She wasn’t dressed like any ordinary elder person. (although I don’t know what an ordinary elder person would look like) but she caught my attention. She wore a black long skirt with tiny holes it looked like a pattern, but it wasn’t. Her shirt was tucked into her skirt so I couldn’t see it. But she wore a long leopard print mink coat. Which I felt she needed some fashion sense. After the hour, we got hungry so we went to eat at subways. Which the line was extremely long. So we decided to head back into queens and grab a bite from someplace that didn’t have many of people shopping. Because i can't stand the tourist. But thats another issue.
A cold windy day riding on Staten Island ferry, it was pretty peaceful and relaxing. It was my second time riding the ferry since my child days. While riding the ferry, I saw some parents that brought their child with them to sight see or to have fun. This bring back old memory when my mother brought me to the ferry. At first, I thought I was going to throw up and get sick since I'm not that good with boats and ships, however it was a good thing I didn't.
While I was in the ferry, there were many tourists taking pictures of Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Brooklyn Bridge, South Street Seaport, and many other things. All of a sudden, there was a flock of birds flying along side the ferry because some tourists and people were throwing bread and pieces of pretzels for them to eat. Besides the tourists, there were many college students and high school students either going back home or to school. My friend who was with me notice some fellow classmates of him that was going to CSI. After this, my friend and I walk around and I notice a place called Snack Bar. They were selling popcorn, pretzels, beer, soda, juice and cookies. It was pretty pricey but affordable.
Finally, we reach Staten Island but I did not get off since I'm not that familiar with Staten Island. Coming back to the City, It was the same as coming to Staten Island, however, there was lesser tourists and many more students. Riding the ferry, it was what I actually expected from it. It was a good thing I rode the ferry, it help me remember my first time riding it.
Charles Kan
I have lived in Manhattan all of my life and have rarely had the need to go out of the borough for any occasion. There are some boroughs that I can probably count with my fingers the times that I have visited them because I always though Manhattan offered everything I needed. One such borough I am unfamiliar with is Queens. It just seems so far but, my classmate suggested I go and become a little more acquainted with it, so I did. She loved the Forest Hills section of Queens by Queens Boulevard and Austin Street. There were about four blocks of streets lined up with stores, shops and restaurants. I went at around 8pm therefore not many stores were open but there was still a good amount of people outside. What was open however, was Martha’s Country Bakery was the place my classmate raved about. Inside the bakery there were many people sitting down and enjoying a hot coffee on the cold night and spending time with their friends or significant other. The bakery is apparently known for its delicious pastries so they get many customers who are willing to travel just to satisfy their sweet tooth.
I did not feel threatened walking down Austin Street due to the fact that it was well lit and people were using it. I think this would be a space that Jane Jacobs would deem as safe, since people had a purpose to be out. The bakery can be seen as an attraction and they close at 11 pm so locals and strangers alike are walking in and out. “Once a street is well equipped to handle strangers, once it has both a good, effective demarcation between private and public spaces and has a basic supply of activity and eyes, the more strangers the merrier”(Jacobs, 40). From my conversations with several of my friends from Queens, Martha’s is pretty known therefore it is no Stranger to strangers like myself.
My classmate loved their strawberry cheesecake and I was determined to see how good it was for myself. When I went in I first noticed their wide varied of pastries and it was tough to make a decision but I chose the red velvet cheesecake. My friend and I sat down and I looked around. The bakery was small but very cozy and the waitress was very nice. I found it unusual that they had waitresses and chose seats for their customers but it helped create a nicer atmosphere for everyone because of their great customer service. As for my cheesecake, I was not disappointed. It was not too sweet and the cake part was moist. I would recommend this bakery to anyone who likes sweets or wants to take some one out for dessert because there is some thing there for everyone and the space is small and intimate.
Katherine Pimentel
Katherine Pimentel
I arrived at Bay Plaza Shopping Center on a cold and windy Wednesday afternoon at around three. My first observation was the parking lot which was pretty empty. This surprised me because shopping centers are usually full especially during the afternoons, but one must keep in mind that in the city many New Yorkers rely on public transportation. The Bx 12 conveniently takes one right into the shopping center which makes it easily accessible to those individuals who do not have cars. Another reason why the parking lot was empty could have been because many people were still at work and could not make it until after five.
The first store I entered was a Marshalls there was a good amount of customers in there, mostly women. They were looking to find great bargains being that Marshalls carries designer items at discounted prices. The women crowded themselves around the shoe area and tried on all sorts of shoes. Every once in a while they would comment on the shoes that some one else had on as if they were helping them make a decision. The store in general was a mess, the costumers made this worse by dropping things and acting like they did not notice so that they would not have to pick it up.
The Barnes and Nobles at Bay Plaza had a completely different atmosphere than the clothing stores. It was very quiet, yet had the most people. I was surprised to see how many people were in there. In the Starbucks the customers sat and sipped their coffee with a book in hand. Almost everyone was there alone minding their business. I sat by the magazine section to do my observations for about half an hour and the same people that were there when I got there remained when I left. Perhaps the cold weather enticed them to stay in the store with a warm drink and read a book. The people would take a magazine and literally read the entire thing instead of flipping through it and buying it if there was a topic of interest. The man next to me was reading a comic book that looked like it was very entertaining because ever so often he would chuckle and he did not take his eyes off that book. There were a few people who looked like they did not come into the bookstore for anything specific, maybe they just wanted to be in a quite space and gather their thoughts because they just sat down and watched everything around them, kind of like what I was doing.
My experience in Bay Plaza was interesting because I am used to seeing malls that are crowed and always have something going on. Bay Plaza lacked that energy I expected. The amount of people in the Barnes and Nobles should serve as a hint to any one thinking about opening up a bookstore in the Bronx because there clearly seems to be some type of demand for books or the type of atmosphere that a book store brings.
Flushing Meadow Park Located in Queens is one of the most peaceful and historic places I have been to. The area is surrounded by landmarks and interesting scenery, with the recently constructed City Field as well as the location of the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fair. With the arrival of the fresh snow the park seemed kind of vacant but there were definite signs of life in the footprints of previous visitors and the large snowmen that were sporadically placed throughout the area.
As I entered the park I walked over a ramp which overlooked the train yard of the 7 train (which I am pretty familiar with since my father works there.) I found a map and looked for some landmarks that I would be interested in. I never realized how large the park actually was. It extends for miles with small trails intertwined with the trees and greenery. For my purposes I chose to see the main attractions. I walked over the Sphere of Globe, which was about a half mile from the entrance. I had seen the sphere many times in movies and pictures but never up close.
I noticed a few things about the sphere itself that I had never realized before. The map on the globe was a topographic map, meaning that it shows differences in height and mountain ranges through the various places depicted. I found it very interesting that this type of map was chosen to be displayed rather than a map depicting borders or boundary lines. 
Located next to the sphere was the site of the World’s Fair of 1939 and 1964. Now rusted, the location seems to be a reminder of the greatness and wonder of the fair. People all over the world were drawn to this one point to view the marvels of their time. I couldn’t help but to think of what a World’s Fair in 2010 would look like… electronics, fast food, roller coasters? Nothing we haven’t seen before.
In addition to these main attractions, Flushing Meadow Park has a museum and a theater in close proximity to the sphere and World’s Fair remains, both of which were closed at the time.
As I attempted to make my way out of the park from the way I had come in I noticed a circle on the floor that was mostly covered with snow. I tried my best to dig around it in order to get a better view; it was a time capsule most likely buried during the time of the second World’s Fair. On the circle was a list of things that were buried, including a Beatles album, cigarettes, and birth control pills- certainly the mark of the 60’s. While the entire trip to the park definitely had me thinking about the past, I considered the time capsule the most interesting find. It really made me think about how people lived 50 years ago and what they really considered important. 
Desireé B. Caro
For my first attempt at becoming a flaneur I visited Bay Plaza shopping center located in my home borough of the Bronx. It’s a place that I have visited many times throughout my childhood, teenage years, and current “adulthood.” Often times I would go to Bay Plaza with my mother on weekends when we would have the time to take the two busses that it takes to get there. Usually the trips were out of necessity; food shopping, clothing shopping, etc. There are about 30 shops in the center, including about 10-15 big name brand stores such as JC Penny, Toys R Us, Old Navy, Staples, and Barnes & Noble. In addition to all the shopping areas Bay Plaza also has a movie theater and an Applebee’s, which appeals to the younger crowd of people. There have been countless times throughout my high school years that I have been invited to Bay Plaza to see a movie, not just because of its convenient location, but also because it is quite easy to see two movies for the price of one.
The day that I chose to observe Bay Plaza was a Sunday, which often proves to be busier than most of the other days since a lot of people have off on Sundays. Since the Plaza is outdoors, there is not really a centralized location that everyone has to pass through. You can actually go to one side of stores without even having to go near the other side of the plaza, which makes it easy for quick stops and purchases. On this day, the extremely large parking lot, located right in the center of the Plaza was almost completely full. Although there were a lot of cars, I noticed that many of the shoppers used local transportation to get to and from the shopping center.
The people that were shopping on this day were mostly of minority descent, predominantly African American or West Indian. I figured that this was because the shopping center is located right in the middle of a section of the Bronx called Co-op city. Co-op city made up of very tall Co-op houses in about 5 or more sections. Co-op city is also a predominantly black neighborhood. Most of the people I observed were traveling in groups with either their friends or families. The families that I saw usually had about one to two smaller children with them and maybe a teenager. However, most of the teenagers were in groups with each other, speaking loudly or laughing.
Bay Plaza is a place that I am familiar with, therefore I felt comfortable in the environment. I had basically grown up in this middle class area with my friends who were of the same “class” or situation as I was. It was interesting to see sit on the sidelines and peer into the lives of the people that I associate myself with on a daily basis.
Desireé B. Caro
During my visit to South Street Seaport, in every direction I walk with my friends, I would see tourists walking around taking pictures of the boats, seagulls, and many other things. Also, there were some parents that brought their children there to have fun and to sight see. It was a good thing, the parents didn’t tell me to look after their child. While walking, I notice that the Express there is close due to either renovation or it has been close down. My friends and I then stay at the Food court to eat lunch, I then notice something familiar, I would see this old handicap man feeding his leftovers food to the seagull and he looked very joyful giving them food. My previous visit to South Street Seaport, I saw him doing the same thing.
As time passes, a homeless man, with dirty clothes and a disturbing smell, would come to eat, relax, sleep and to get warm. I thought the poeple working there would force him to leave, but the way it looks like they did’nt care or they were accustomed to it. Later on, a bunch of people would come in a fill up the food court, it was twice the amount of people that was there when I enter the building. Every now and then, small pigeons would fly in and wander around for food or to sight see.
There are many people living in the urban are that are well off or not. Many of them have jobs and many of them do. My observation tells me that it is really hard to find a job at this moment since the economy isn’t that good right now. It seems like it is not easy to have a place to live in the urban area.
Charles Kan