Adventures of Urban Life

Katherine Pimentel
Community Board 12 encompasses the neighborhoods of Inwood and Washington heights in Manhattan; it takes up the northern most tip of the island of Manhattan. According to the community board website, the area’s citizens are mostly Hispanic with a 74% of the population, the majority of Dominican descent. 13% is White mostly jewish, and about 8% of its residents are black. Community board 12 also has the largest concentration of children residing in Manhattan. In 2002 the median household income was reported to be about $52,000 which demonstrates a sharp increase in part due to the gentrification that the neighborhoods are experiencing. The majority of the housing is rented and only about 5% of those who live in the area actually own their homes. Due to gentrification housing has become a major issue in the community because the property values are increasing and many of the residents find that they can no longer afford to live there. CB 12 focuses on a wide array of issues in the community as seen from the many committees that they have. The committees cover many areas from, aging, public safety, economic development, transportation, youth and education, housing and many more.
The meeting that I went to was held at a venue other than the actual building designated for the community board. Instead it was held in a research building owned by Columbia University hospital, who ironically enough is trying to kick the community board out of their building to use it for something else. When I walked in they asked me if I wanted to speak I had to sign in before hand. As the people started pouring in I noticed that most of them were regulars because they knew each other and spoke about personal matters. The board members who sat in the front spoke to the citizens and everyone knew each others names. The main speakers, such as those from specific organizations or those involved in the NYC government had ten minutes to speak, while the citizens had three minutes to speak. One of the CB members took it upon herself to bring colored sheets of paper with the words 1 minute, 30 seconds and stop on them. She regulated the amount of time they spent talking and if they went over a few seconds she scolded them. I though this was pretty amusing because she did not care about how important what they said was. The meeting was very structured and one was not allowed to deviate from it. The people represented in the meeting was a fair representation of the neighborhood, it included Jews, Dominicans and a few African Americans.
The chair of the board did the introductions and told people when they were being out of order. The first person to speak was the commander of police for the neighborhood precinct. He spoke about the two homicides that have occurred in the year thus far and crime rates in general and how he believes they are slowly declining. Now that summer is approaching their main concern is motorcycle disturbances because they diminish “quality of life” and are disruptive to the elderly and violence that stems from alcohol in bars and lounges. I thought the issue of the motorcycles was rather petty in comparison to other issues that are of more importance in the neighborhood such as the drug problem and gang related activities. UNIDOS , community coalition spoke regarding their services for teens as well as representatives for senators and councilors.
One hot button topic in the meeting was that of the closing of the neighborhood public library for a year and a half. This had many of the community board members angry because they felt that the community was already lacking these resources and now it would be gone all together. On of the older women voiced her concern that she feared the library would never be reopened because that is her experience with other things in the community. Another man suggested that they extend library hours in the neighboring libraries to compensate for the one that is closing and he was concerned for those who work in the library and would be jobless for over a year. The representative for the New York Public Library reassured everyone that that library will be reopened after its renovation, and there are certain things that will not be possible such as more hours for other libraries due to a lack of funding. Overall the CB was not happy and many shook their heads in disapproval.
I felt like the Community Board 12 was very much involved in all of the aspects that affect the Washington heights and inwood neighborhoods. They even had good relationships with those who actually had the power to make some type of change. In relation to Arnstein’s Ladder of Citizen Participation the members of the community board would fall under the “partnership” category. Those with the power listen to the members of the board and try to find a way of alleviating their concerns. They tell them the information they know regarding a certain topic and get back to them when they have more or better answers. Those in power positions reinforce the notion that they need the communities help in order to truly be successful and encourage active participation. The fact that they even know them by name shows how the relationship has developed and become and intimate one. As far as the other citizens who come to observe the meeting but are not members, their level of participation to me would be under “consultation”. This is because they get their chance to speak and voice there opinion but no one really knows just how serious this is taken. The citizen get their tree minutes to speak and then they go back to their seats and no one ever comes back to them for more information or a contact number of some sort. It is like Arnstein states in page 238 “what the power holders achieve is the evidence that they have gone through the required motions of involving those people.” In return the people feel like they have done something helpful yet they will never really know.

Katherine Pimentel
Women have often been marginalized in American society; they have had to fight for equal rights and work harder just to be on an even playing field with men. Today, much has changed for women and they have been able to move up the social ladder but the effects of the past are still visible. The idea that women belong to the private life like Hayden states leads to the formation of housing and neighborhoods adhering to this notion. Some things have changed however, to facilitate the working woman’s life. While walking through my neighborhood in the Fordham section of the Bronx I noticed that the local church plays a big role in community social services. Inside the church there is an elementary school, a daycare center, activities for the elderly, food drives and other miscellaneous activities for the community. The church seems to hold the neighborhood together because it is the only center of its kind. There was an afterschool center, which was free and allowed the youth to go in and get homework help or just play games but that closed down a few months ago. Working parents in my neighborhood do not have many options therefore it is no surprise that many of the women are stay at home moms. One statement that Hayden made that I thought to be particularly visible in my neighbor hood is the stereotyping of jobs. “In creating and filling these jobs it will be important to avoid traditional sex stereotyping that would result in from hiring only men as drivers, for example , or only women as food service workers”(Hayden, 151). I found that most of the jobs in the area were occupied by men. They were mainly the business owners in the first place. The women were found in restaurants and clothing stores for women but the men were in the cell phone stores, electronic stores and tire shops. These jobs are not only gendered but the ones geared towards men tend to pay more which also contributed to the inequality.
“Male” and “female” spaces are pretty distinguishable in the neighborhood as well because they also confine to gender norms in society. The hair salon and the Laundromat are spaces where many of the neighborhood women gather. It is not only a space where they get their hair done or do their laundry but the fact that it is male free allows them to vent on issues they go through such as with their children or their husbands. Men are rarely seen in the Laundromat because the woman in the house usually tends to it. those that are there usually drop it off so that the worker does it for them and they come back and pick I u later. A “male” space can be the grocery store or “bodega” and the tire shops and auto mechanic shops. I always see men in these spaces and they tend to sit and drink beers and girl watch. This environment they create is uncomfortable for most women which is why they tend to stay away from it and allow the gender segregation to go on.
Queer/Gay individual have claimed lower Manhattan as their space. Most New Yorkers recognize that there is queer/gay dominance in this area because it is not hidden. There are plenty of shops that pride fully hang the gay flag and one could see gay couples holing hands all the time. “Gay men interacted on streets throughout the city, but just as various immigrant groups predominated in certain neighborhoods and on certain streets, so too gay men had their own streets and corners, often where gay oriented saloons and restaurants could be found and along which men strolled, looking for other men to pick up”(Chauncey, 11). This streets and corners became so known and their population increased to the point where it is now known as a gay space. Gay’s pick and choose to stay in these areas because they feel safe, accepted and comfortable with other who share the same interests as them. When I searched for a “gay map of New York” I found the entire lower Manhattan area covered in gay bars, lounges and restaurants. Most of these places if not all are for gay nightlife which I find interesting that this is all they have to offer the gay community in an area where the gay population is so large.
The Chauncey article mentioned private activity taking place in public places in relation to the gay community. The public places were usually parks where men met up because it was the only place they felt they had to meet up with others and not be so obvious. In my neighborhood the parks are used primarily by the youth to smoke and drink. They can not do it in their apartments with their parents home so this is the best option for them. I also noticed that many time young preteen and teen couples stay in the train stations with their partners after they get out of school to spend time because they are probably not allowed to bring them home, so they display their affection all over the public MTA.

desiree b caro
In my area of Castle Hill in the Bronx i noticed a lot of typical sexualized and gendered spaces that are of frequent use. In response to Hayden's comment about good neighborhoods being places of good shopping, transit, schooling as opposed to social services i feel like the best neighborhood offer both. My neighborhood is the perfect example of that. In addition to having many places to shop, schools, and a highly functional transit system Castle Hill avenue offers a good number of places for the working parent to rely on. there are a few after school programs that parents are able to leave their children until about 6 or 7 in the evening. one of them being in the school that i attended and frequently work for (picture included below)
also, there are many laundromats and grocery stores that are open 24 hours. additionally there is at least one urgent care hospital within a mile of my house that is open 24 hours as well. i feel like there is an abundance of resources for working parents because most of the population of my neighborhood is of minority descent, with 2 or more jobs. it is understood that almost everyone in the area works long hours, therefore the businesses that keep their hours longer make a better profit.
Castle hill has a good amount of "male" spaces located relatively close to each other. there are at least 6 barber shops in a 5 block area, all of them are usually full of hispanic men getting shape ups and watching and cat calling women as they walk by. I also believe that liquor stores are "male" spaces. typically men are usually the ones to purchase liquor from those stores and usually are the ones to socialize in the store.
with all the "male" spaces in my neighborhood there are also just as many or even more "female" spaces. There are numerous places to shop for food, clothing, jewelery and many other things. in addition to that there are innumerable hair salons, nail salons, and spas within the area. these are places where women congregate periodically to gossip as well as get taken care of. while both male and female gendered places there are some exceptions. just because these places are gendered does not mean that there are never people of the opposite sex going into those places of business.
in my neighborhood i only noticed one "queer/gay" place and that was this bar called Mi Gente which has a LGBT night once a week. before his assignment i never really even knew that the club had a gay night even though i have been there many times. When i searched for the gay map of new york i found a lot of bars, parties, gyms, and hotels. i wasnt aware that there were gyms and hotels that were directly towards the gay community so i thought that was pretty interesting.
the place in my neighborhood where people are engaging in private activities in public is a park called Angel park. growing up i spent a lot of time in that park and as i got older i became more aware of the private acts being performed in public. the park is relatively small, not more than a block long, and located right next to the cross bronx expressway, but that does not stop people from smoking weed or drinking there. during the day the park usually has a few children, but towards dusk the teenagers overrun it. they come to play basketball but when the sun lowers thats when the smoking and drinking and even sexual activity happens. another private act in public is the graffiti that visible all around my neighborhood. while it is no where near the abundance that there was in the 70s and 80s(and not nearly as artistic) there is still a great deal of it still going on today whether its people tagging up their names for recognition or for artistic purposes.

The pictures that i included in this post are all within a one mile radius of my home and are places that i use frequently.


PS- I WAS THE ONE WHO WROTE ABOUT COMMUNITY BOARD DISTRICT 9. sorry i keep forgetting to put my name on my work.

Katherine Pimentel

I sat on the Seagram plaza on a Friday afternoon at around three. It was a beautiful day so I expected to see many people using the space and enjoying the weather. There was about 70 people using the plaza, some looked like they worked in the building because there were dressed in business attire, but most were just regular pedestrians looking to sit down. The majority of the people were in either groups or couples and the rest were alone people watching, talking on the phone or using their iPods. According to the study that William Whyte made, he found that lovers don’t necessarily go to the back, but instead opt to remain out in the open. “The most fervent embracing we’ve recorded on film has usually taken place in the most visible of locations, with the couple oblivious of the crowd” (19, Whyte). This observation that Whyte made I found to be true as well. At the plaza I saw two lovers, one was on one side of the plaza and they were lying down on the ledge with one on top of the other. The other couple was making out on the other side of the ledge. Both of these couples did not seem to mind that there were people sitting next to them.

Next to the Seagram plaza there was another mini plaza where the Bank of America is. There were only about 4 people sitting on that plaza however, which I found interesting. What made Seagram more appealing than the one right across the street? I believe it was the choices in seating arrangements. Seagram offers Ledges all around the perimeter, steps and it had two large pools with fountains which creates a more relaxing environment. As the spring progresses I can see Seagram becoming even more congested because the six trees it has will grow leaves and become sources for the shade against the bright sun. The sun is also an important factor in determining the amount of people in a plaza. “People do like warmth. In the summer, they will generally sit in the sun as well as in the shade… what people seek are suntraps. And the absence of winds and drafts are as critical for these as sun” (44, Whyte). This is exactly what happens as soon as the sun began to leave and it suddenly got windy more and more people left by 4:30 about half of the people had left the plaza.

The only source of food readily available to those sitting on the plaza is a small Halal truck parked on the corner, serving hot meal and beverages. Directly in front there was a Van playing very loud Hebrew songs and Jews in them trying to get those who pass by to obtain Jewish resources (not being very successful). I did not see any visible surveillance cameras or security outside on the plaza, but inside the building there are several concierges whom I suppose would serve as security if they witness anything inappropriate outside. I think that there is not so much security because the space is public and having a guard there for example would make people feel uncomfortable and tell them what they can or cannot do. . The plaque that was on the building stated that it was a landmark which I would assume means public since the city was somehow involved to make it a landmark.

I enjoyed the time in the space because the weather was so nice that all I wanted to do was be outside. I also love watching what other people do because it is amusing and I definitely saw many “characters” worth watching at the Seagram plaza.

On, February 27, I was walking around West Broadway, going to shop in American Apparel and The Apple Store. I chose to walk only between Spring Street and Prince Street. In this area, there are many store to go shop in. This area is also know as Soho. While I was walking, I find that there are some tourist walking there and some that lives around there. Time to Time, I notice that there are some people that are well off because I see a lot of people going to Louis Vuttion, which was a public place, to go shop and coming back out with brand new bags. At American Apparel (public), there were a lot of high schoolers buying clothes and other things.
Also, I went to eat at a Chinese restaurant called Kelley - Ping Restaurant, a public/private place, I notice that the food was Chinese food but, it was made more towards the English way of making Chinese Food. In addition, the price there were average but a lot more expensive than those in Chinatown. There was a Post office (private/public place) there, and when I looked inside there was a lot of people lining up, it might be that some of the workers there were on their lunch break. When I was walking back home, I notice that their was a building under construction (private place), they were fixing the whole entire building since someone bought the building. So basically I went there shopping and also did my homework while at it. It was pretty fun observing the area and what it was like.
Charles Kan

For this scavenger hunt, I went to Reade Street which is located near Chamber Street, Brooklyn Bridge, and New York Surrogate Court. In this are it has a two way street with the bike lanes located in the middle. Time to Time there would be a little traffic but in the afternoon to night time, there would be traffic going onto Brookly Bridge.

This area located at the intersection of Mott Street, Park Row, Worth Street, Bowery Street,and St. James Pl. There are times when it is hard to cross the street because there are so many ways for car to go like turning or going straight. Traffic here is not that bad but on St. James Pl, there would be traffic and there would be a traffic policeman or police women instructing car to stop or go or turn. In addition, there are lot of people jaywalking in this area.
Charles Kan

On Thursday March 11 I attended the community board meeting on education for my district in the Bronx. District 9 covers the areas of Parkchester, Unionport, Soundview, Castle Hill, Bruckner, Harding Park, Bronx River and Clason Point. Before attending the community board meeting I researched my district to gain a better understanding of some of the situations that may be discussed. I knew that my neighborhood was not one of the better ones in New York City, but I was honestly shocked and saddend by what I found through statistics on my area.
In 2000 the Census determined that there are 167,859 people living in district 9 and I am sure that the number has risen dramatically over the last 10 years. Not surprisingly, the area is predominantly Hispanic with 55% of the population being of Hispanic origin. 33% were African American and the last 12% of the population was distributed between Asian, White, and “other.” When it came to housing there are 63,459 housing units dispersed over 80,000 square feet. 31% were multifamily residential homes (meaning 3 or more families in one house.) The average income of district 9 is 25,000 dollars annually and 39% of the population is government assisted. The unemployment rate is 11%. What makes me even more upset is that I know we are probably not even close to the worst situation in NYC.
Afterwards I looked up the location of the community board for district 9. I knew the general area of the address but I wasn’t really sure exactly where it was. I took a cab there and gave the driver the address and when he left me in the middle of Bruckner Plaza Shopping Center I was very confused. Turns out that our community board is located on top of a Rite Aid next to what seems to be a Discovery Zone. I climbed the stairs and entered the tiny space used as their community meeting space. Upon entering I noticed everyone was at least over the age of 50. Two women were sitting at the far end of the table conducting what seemed to be a job interview. At the other end of the table were two elderly women gossiping and laughing. True to form, every person in the room was either Hispanic or Black.
I chose a seat in the outer circle of the long table, I figured I was just there to observe so the seats at the actual table should be reserved for participants. I didn’t last very long back there; I was soon asked to join other 6 people up at the front of the table to begin the meeting. I explained to them that I was only a student attending for observation, but they seemed really enthusiastic about my being there so they insisted on my participation. The meeting started with an announcement from one of the chairpersons about a college fair that is being held at one of the after school facilities in our district. He handed out flyers with all the information on it to all the members. The lead chairperson, a Hispanic woman in her 70s, seemed to be concerned about transportation of the children to the fair. She was soon reassured that most of the children would be bused to the location, while others would be taking public transportation.
The topic of conversation soon turned to Public School 106, which has recently been using outdoor portable classrooms due to overcrowding within the building. Mold was found in one of the portables, and although the classroom went through extensive cleaning the parents of the children did want to use them anymore. The Board seemed to be in favor of the portables seeing as there would be no where to fit the children inside of the building. Since all of the members of the board felt the same way about the portables, but realized that they would not be used if the parents did not see fit, they decided to petition elected officials to build new schools in the area.
The topic soon turned to a debate between charter schools and public school, which became heated very quickly. The head chairperson was obviously very opposed to charter schools, complaining that they were stealing funding from the public schools in the area. Another chairperson shared his experience, stating that his children had won the lottery in order to attend the school and they were gaining a much higher education than they were in public school. There was a lot of intense back and forth between the members of the meeting, in addition to constant interruptions from every person. Some quotations from the arguments are “not all charter schools are the same and are not statistically better than public schools,” “it is best to implement charter school teachings in public schools,” “Nobody knows the real owners of charter schools.”
Another topic of discussion was the low quality of teachers in inner city public schools, saying that when college students want to learn how to teach they are thrown into the inner city as though we are guinea pigs for testing. The students suffer from the lack of experience the teachers have and the lack of passion for the student’s capabilities. The Board was also concerned with racism in schools, with cases in Brooklyn and Manhattan of different races using different entrances to the buildings. They were concerned about school evaluation systems and the location of one south Bronx school that is directly across the street from a jail… the list goes on.
I really admire the passion of the board. The lead chairperson states “I speak with my heart in my mouth.” Although I did not see that many members, they did not let their size affect their initiative. However, the way the meeting was conducted was a bit chaotic. I feel like more would have gotten done if it were more organizationally constructed- not necessarily calling for a timer, but to at least let one speaker have the floor at a time. Overall I really did enjoy myself and I intend to return to the general board meeting next month and hopefully gain a volunteer position there over the summer. It let me know that there are people in my neighborhood that care, and I am definitely one of them.
Desiree B. Caro

I found a gated community in the Bronx! And its beautiful! Way down by the water of the east river is a small neighborhood of the Bronx called Clason Point. The area is made up of small one story houses which has earned the title of "Little Puerto Rico" not only because of the large amount of Puerto Ricans living there, but also because of the striking resemblance to the small towns of the island. On the outskirts of Little Puerto Rico is this 199 condo gated community called Shore Haven at Harboure Pointe, complete with security at every entrance, a huge community center, and an amazing view of the Manahattan skyline. While I was not able to actually enter the premisis I did walk around and take a few pictures. The pictures I saw online of the inside of the facility were amazing and lead me to believe that this place is definitely on the more expensive side. I remember when this gated community was being built in 2002. As far as I can remember the land it is currently standing on was empty and not being used for residential housing.

Desiree Caro
(ps- scavenger hunt #7 is mine too!)

Foreclosure rates have been rising in New York City over the last couple of years. In my borough of the Bronx the area with the highest rate of foreclosure was in the Gun Hill section. I have personally been to this area of the Bronx many times because I have a number of friends and family members that live there.

Although foreclosure has been happening at an alarming rate in this area, there are not many physical portrayals of this. I saw more abandoned houses and new developement than actual foreclosure signs. In 2008 the foreclosure rate of this neighborhood was 12.5 percent with 21 foreclosures in that area alone. Also, the area is predominantly black and Hispanic with a non-white population of 90 percent (according to the ny times http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/05/15/nyregion/0515-foreclose.html)
Desiree B. Caro

1)Philip Johnson's "daring" AT&T building:



2)Old streetcar/trolley tracks:



this small space of cobble stone which has a hint of metal from the old track was found in the Bronx in between Kingsbridge Rd. and Valentine ave. according to Forgoten-Ny.com and Bronx historian Lloyd Ultan, the Tracks were built on Kingsbridge Rd. on an underpass to prevent traffic congestion in the early 20th century. The railway line that passes through Valentine avenue was one of the longest ones in the Bronx and it was run by the Manhattan Railway company. The fare on the Bronx trolley was just five cents. After WWI the railway companies began to abandon the trolleys because maintenance became to expensive and they could not raise the prices. Eventually the tracks were removed by 1948 as buses and cars took over the NYC streets.
by Katherine Pimentel

Public vs. Private By Katherine Pimentel
For the public vs. private activity, I chose to walk from Grand Central Station to Times Square. Although both of these places are on 42nd street, the East and the West side have a completely different scene. On both of the days that I went there were many tourists walking around and taking pictures. Inside the terminal, the tourists would take pictures of the architecture of the grand station which has beautiful designs unseen in a modern building in New York City. The fact that all of these foreigners came into NYC to appreciate the art that is grand Central Station made me think back on what was mentioned in Kunstler’s Geography of Nowhere “Adolf Loos, who declared that ornament on buildings was “a crime.” All those quoins and cartouches, pilasters and balustrades represented a waste of human effort, and of material as well, and the two other things together mean a waste of capital” (69). This idea that Loos had was apparently shared by other architects who did not feel that NYC buildings needed any type of physical appeal. The terminal was the first public space I found since it included the public transportation system and was readily open to the public. There were even individuals downstairs in the food court who sat there looking at those passing by and some just slept, it was a place to stray away from the cold.
Outside of the terminal one could see the Metlife building which is private in itself but one could sit on the seating they have outside without having anything to do with the company. As I continued walking toward the west side I passed by Bryant park on 5th avenue. Bryant Park is an interesting mix of the public and the private because anyone can go in and use the services they offer or just sit down and enjoy the weather, but it is privately managed. There are events held at Bryant Park such as the famous fashion week which is very exclusive and one must be invited to join. The days that I went it was pretty cold and no one was outside sitting in the park in the weekend it was actually covered in snow from the mini blizzard the city had received. The more I walked however, the more crowded the streets began to get. As I approached Times Square I encountered a few gathering spaces that I don’t exactly know what to call them. One was just open space that a group of young guys decided to break dance on and quickly gathered a large crowd to watch their performance. The other was a large staircase right in the heart of Times Square where people stood on to take pictures of all of the lights and the view of the city in general.
I think I can safely say that Times Square is the go-to destination for all tourist visiting the city because there is no other place that looks like it, like Kunstler mentions in his book the square is arranged in a way that a “marvelous public space is produced on the grand scale”(67). This is what attracts so many people, the fact that it breaks away from the monotonous building we encounter in our daily lives and it indulges in the aesthetics that are pleasing to the eye instead of just worrying about functionality.

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