brewsta brewsta #4

#5. ride one of the train lines from start to finish.
for this activity i chose the L train and got on @ 8th ave; the time was 2:51 on a sunny Friday
from 8th ave- 1st ave
it started out very empty with only a handful of people on the 2nd cart (where i was sitting)... the population was mainly young spanish school high school kids (in a group), following white middle class people both young and old and a few blacks.. the things i saw on the train were
-people listening to music, putting on make up, reading the paper, playing with their phone, looking around, day dreaming,looking out the window,sleeping,eating, searching their bags, looking at me look at them, and this lady next to me was actually reading my notes as i wrote my observations... from 8th ave -1st ave is usually where i catch the train (which is often times crowded) at this time i tend to feel a little on edge because most times i would have to stand due to lack of seats .. but today i was more filled with curiousity to see who gets on and off the train.. as i pass through these neighborghoods.. i get the feeling that the dwellers of these neighborhoodlead a very expensive life style (even if there apartments look a bit dated)just because its in the city and because theyr paying for the location more than anything else...
Bedford -Grand street
majority of the people now went from being young Latinas to white, then black
however there were white,asian,black,spanish,and hisidic jews from bedford to grand street ..ive never really thought of the way this area looks and ive also never gotten off to venture around either though i suppose its just another neighborhood filled with condensed apartments.. usually by the time i get to grand street im just begining to feel comfortable in the space that i am in .. and all of my edginess has gone..
montrose avenue -dekalb avenue
even though the cart still isnt close to being full a few more spanish people came ...mainly mothers with their young school children...there was a black lady leaning on a pole(reminded me of the priviatizing discussion we had in class).. people seem to share their day with there family members the same way .. they would at the dinner table.. young kids can be seen doing their homework (with parents assistance).. in addition they tell their parents about their day..the other day i noticed a school girl being congratulated after showing her mom her report card..
after a while more school kids began coming on the train.. a young white lady then randomly gets up and switches her seat for the one across the ailse ..and middle class black people with the exception of a few are now getting on the train..when passing through montrose and dekalb avenue ..i know for a fact that this would be condsidered the "hood" just because it is filled with abandoned buildings ..littered streets.. and condensed.. depressing looking apartments.. however from montrose all the way down to bushwick .. the words gentrification also comes to mind.. because these are the place that urban pioneers are now settling in.. when this movement first started taking place .. i admit i was pretty stoked that middle and upper class whites are now moving back into brooklyn and are reinvesting in the bourogh but now that i know of the consequences of it .. i feel a sense of woe for all the spanish/ black people who i feel are starting to feel as if they no longer belong in their own neighborhoods
myrtle- bushhwick
there is now less people on the train than before..all the white people got off at myrtle .. usually there would be one or two left but not this time.. any way at some point a young black lady (with a blond wig) got up from her seat so she can sit on the empty side with her leg up (something not often seen on the L train)
Broadway junction- Canarsie Rockaway parkway
usually by the time the train reaches junction it gets packed with middle class black people, school kids (usually high schoolers) Asians (starting to notice them more in my neighborhood) and Spanish people who usually get off at new lots ..but this time no one came on..
and I suppose the vacancy of the train was due to the weather out side .. I'm guessing because it was that nice out.. a lot of people decided to stay and hang out instead of rushing on the train like they usually do.. finally canarsie!.. thats how i feel.. since i live in this area .. as soon i get to the last stop i start to feel tired because i know that i would finally be able to relax in mhy own home..but passing through this neighborhood..maybe its due to my ignorance of other neighborhoods and what theyr really like ... i feel as though canarsie is better just because its not filled with apartments but is an isolated community of private housing.. law offices.. countless food stores.. churches..high schools..clinics and our own pier.. and plaza.. to me canarise is like its own town and that isnt very denpendent on outside business or support.

#10. photograph 2 different street configurations in manhattan.. location 1: macy's 34th street

in the first location, (34th street) the street configuration is a little peculaliar being that (as seen in the picture on the left)looking straight ahead is meant for pedestrian crossing .. where as to the left of the crossing is meant for both pedestrian and and cars.. however on the right..(i supppose can be discribed as a plaza) is an area for sitting ,strolling and looking around.

the 2nd locaion was 543 W.42nd near the castillo theater ..what you see here in the pictures below is the image of one way traffic merging into a busy two way streets on one side and . .. a car(where the black car is) exiting a parking lot into that same traffic..

Assignment 3 Benjamin Hom

For this activity, I decided to observe the Village. I believed that if there was any place that would have distinguishable differences between public and private places, it would be the Village. On a Tuesday after noon at about 3' o clock, I made my trip. When I emerged from the West 4th train station, I immediately spotted the first public place. It was this little basketball court that was across the street from a McDonald's. It was packed with people, which was obvious because the weather was beautiful. Many people were playing basketball, but many more were just standing around or leaning on the gates just talking. The park was open to everyone. There was nobody regulating whether or not people were using the basketball court to play basketball or anyone there in general to monitor admission to the court so it was obviously a public place. It was also an obvious gathering place. I then looked around me at the long strip of tattoo parlors and "adult" shops that were adjacent to the park, and wondered if they were public, private or both. Anyone could go into them, granted that they were of age, but they served purposes that must be adhered to. You have to be a consumer to spend a certain amount of time there. It is open to browsing, but you can only browse so much. These places I would consider a mix.

I walked a little east to discover Washington Square Park, another public, gathering place. It was huge and undergoing quite a bit of construction. People of all ages were in the park; children, teenagers, adults, and the elderly. The park itself is surrounded by four blocks of all private places. NYU was on one side, and a lot of private residences on the other three sides. More people were walking through the park than the streets in front of these private places. After the park, I walked back west up to the Charles Street. I walked down Charles Street and it was a lot more quiet and a lot less inhabited than the main streets. The only people that were on these streets were only passing through. These were all beautiful private residences. As I kept walking down Charles Street, I realized that the blocks were becoming less and less commercial and more and more residential.

I went back on a Saturday night to make more observations. It was around 9:30, and I observed almost the same type of trends. The only difference was that the change in the number of people was much more apparent. Both parks and the main commercial streets were three times as packed than it was on the previous Tuesday. Also, the general age changed too. Most people I saw were in their 20s and 30s. There were hardly any children present. When I took the walk down Charles Street this time, I noticed the same exact trend. I saw a little more people on these residential blocks, but compared to the main streets these were ghost streets.

SCAVENGER HUNT

1. (Benjamin Hom)
Phillip Johnson's 'daring" AT&T Building in 2010.


The building, which is located at 560 Madison Avenue, is now the Sony Tower.

2. (Benjamin Hom)

Finding any unearthed trolley tracks around the New York City area was much harder than I thought it'd be. Admittedly, I looked in my own neighborhood in the Bronx and key places around downtown Manhattan to find traces of these tracks but to no avail. Defeated, I retreated to the internet for some information on locations of trolley tracks. Apparently when some of the asphalt wears down, tracks stick out of the street. They only remain unpaved, however, for a certain time before the city covers them up again. I also discovered that in my borough, the Bronx, there was once quite an elaborate trolley system, controlled by the Third Avenue Railway. The Third Avenue Railway was a street railroad company in New York during the 19th and 20th centuries that controlled lines in Manhattan, the Bronx and Westchester County. I was shocked to find there was once a trolley that was not that far from my neighborhood.


This is a picture from East Tremont Avenue in the Bronx. The BX 40 happens to go down this similar line. From the 1900s to the 1920s, these trolleys were in demand, but that changed when the Board of Transportation wanted all of the trolleys in the Bronx to be replaced by buses. By 1942, the buses system in the Bronx became an insanely large fleet, and by 1948, there were no long trolleys in the Bronx.

3. (Benjamin Hom)

The Essex Street Market is one of the very few public indoor markets left in New York City, and certainly one of the only (if not THE only) one that is accessible every day of the week.


The Essex Street Market was one of the most interesting places I've ever been to in New York City. There was so much variety of items to choose from. It was literally a one stop shop for everything anyone could need. It had all kinds of fruits, vegetables, meats, chocolates, cheeses and many other types of food. They had a wide variety of organic foods even a place to get your hair cut.

It was interesting to see all these various kiosks set up around the market that were surprisingly not selling name brand items, but items from local merchants. What didn't surprise me, however, was the large array of people shopping there. There were literally all types of people present during my visit. Essex Street is right in the heart of the Lower East Side, which represents just about every type of race, age and social class (minus the extremely wealthy). The atmosphere was quite refreshing. As aforementioned, all the products being sold at the Essex Street Market were all homegrown products. It was nice actually seeing the people who produced their products actually selling them.

4. (Benjamin Hom)

Grand Central Station

A "reverse commuter" is a person who resides in an urban area but commutes back and forth to a suburban area for work. I went to Grand Central Station at a little after 5 PM to find someone who was commuting back to the city after work (rather than getting up early and finding someone on their way to work). It was difficult finding someone who was willing to talk about their personal life with a stranger, but I was lucky enough to catch a gentleman who was kind enough to spare 2 minutes for me on his way home. He worked at a law firm in White Plains, and commuted there for several reasons. First of all, he lived in the city all his life, and didn't see that changing for a while. He then explained how he and his wife have no children, so they had no need for a house. I asked him why he didn't just get a job at some firm in the city, and he just laughed and said it's not as easy as it sounds. He said that he didn't mind it though, because the commute isn't stressful at all. The trains to White Plains are not crowded in the morning and vice versa in the evening. He also said that a good job in the suburbs is just as good as a job anywhere else, and commuting is just a part of life, even if it is "reversed."

6. (Danielle Nicolosi)

After reading The Geography of Nowhere by James Howard Kunstler, I understood that a "frontier neighborhood" is one that is developing. From this understanding, i visited New Brighton. I knew this was a developing, or frontier neighborhood because on one street, alone, (as you can see in the videos) there are old beaten down houses on one side, and a brand new, nicely built developement of low income houses.

7.(Danielle Nicolosi)

I looked up on google 'which area in Staten Island has the highest foreclosure rate' and the zip codes 10302 and 10303 came up. I drove around the area with my dad since he knows the area rather well. I took a few pictures of some of the houses with for sale signs. My dad explained to me that the house never has a 'foreclosure' sign. When you call up to say your interested in the house, you will learn that it is owned by the bank. These houses also typically have big locks on the outside of the doors of the houses, which is also a giveaway.

The weather was nice when i went, therefore there were children on their bikes and people walking around. the houses themselves looked pretty gloomy, but didn't look as gloomy as it could have on this particular day.

9.(Danielle Nicolosi)

Gated communities are very common in New York City. There a way for New Yorkers to get away from the fast-pace traffic life. Statistics say it's safer for kids to grow up in, also. There is a farily new gated community right near my neighborhood. It is a beautiful 55 and over community called The Tides At Charleston. It is recently started being built, however seniors started living there about 4 years ago and there is still more of it being built. The Tides at Charleston is a gated community consisting of 190 single- family homes set in an attractive waterfront location. These buildings combine privacy with low maintenance desired by empty nesters; active adults whose children have grown thus allowing them to enjoy the rewards of their years of hard work.

http://www.thetidesatcharleston.com/index.html

brewsta brewsta #3

On Monday march 1st at 3 in the afternoon w.chen and i took advantage of the great weather and went to st.marks place in search of private,public and mix used places. Starting at Astor all the way down to Tompkins square park we dodged these mildly filled side walks (that are crowded at night, especially on weekends)scattered with vendors in front of stores selling bongs, i love new york hats,beanies and small nick knacks...walking down these street i noticed not only local Japanese restaurants,but small chain stores like pink berry, red mango,chipolte and BBq, in addition to piercing shops,irish bars, tiny book and music stores..but the thing that makes this area grand is that it has just as many apartments as it has shops.....with the exception of the block before tompkins park being mainly residential.. the majority of this area is made of apartments on top and stores below...this area at first sight appears to be purely private ..being that it is either residential or business owned.. but when taking a closer look i noticed that st.marks is actually shared space with little difference between whats public and whats private and thats all before reaching the park...i supppose it has something to do with the air or the feel of the enviroment which holds a very relaxed and welcoming feel to it.....because there people tend to gather and sit on stoops or just hang outside of resaurants without any fuss from store owners (who, ive noticed would even welcome the crowd by holding conversations of their own)....now when we finally reached the bbq block (last block before the park) it dawned on me that it was way emptier that the previous ones and that this one was filled with more apartments with the exception of boutiques towards the end of the block... this i would discribe as being private sincce it was a more residential neighborhood.. while the park that was just across the street by all means to me would be veiwed as completely public space (even with park regulations), because ive seen all types of people doing just about everything there...

Assignment 2 Benjamin Hom

For the second activity, I was told to visit this Puerto Rican restaurant in midtown Manhattan. It was called "Sofritos," and it was located on 57th street and 1st avenue. Now I must admit, I was a bit surprised by this. I had no idea there were any Latino type restaurants in midtown New York City, and if I wasn't so sure that this restaurant even existed, I have never even found the place.

I knew the intersection and everything, but once I got there I could still not spot this restaurant. I stood at the corner of 57th for literally five minutes and looked for anything that screamed "Puerto Rican dining," but to no avail. This was a subtle, mixed-use type neighborhood. I really couldn't tell anything apart. I didn't know what building was a restaurant, what building was a business, and what buildings were residences. Only recognizable franchise stores stood out in this area.

Luckily, the person I brought with me spotted the restaurant before I could, and we finally went inside. The restaurant looked more like a club to me. There was even a dress code, which I could understand. This was a really upscale place. It was so full that we had to wait 45 minutes before we could be seated. Sofrito's honestly could have fooled me. While I was waiting, the only thing I found to be Hispanic about this place were the servers and the music. It was more like what an outsider would expect from the Latino culture. The food, however, did not disappoint. This was some of the best Spanish food I have ever eaten.

On the outside, there was nothing defining about Sofritos at all. It blended in with everything else in the area and you would have never been able to tell that it was a Hispanic restaurant. Once on the inside, however, it was a different story. There was music, lights and a whole club scene. Regardless, it didn't feel that much like a Puerto Rican place. The food definitely did but the ambiance didn't. It was one of those places that you have to save up money for weeks to go to. I did really enjoy it, but this place was definitely more about making money than enriching a person with Puerto Rican cuture, like many Hispanic restaurants often do.

assignment 3 Danielle Nicolosi

I take the express bus and get off at 57th and Lex and walk to Hunter everyday. However, on this particular day, Tuesday, February 22nd, i decided to take notice of what spaces, in this 11 block walk, that i consider private, public or a mix of private and public.

I pass up Bloomingdale's, Levi's, Louis Vuitton, Aldo (all stores i can't afford), and i notice on these weekday mornings they don't tend to be too busy with customers. Although, i have decided that these stores are a mix of public and private. My reasoning is that since someone owns them they are privately owned by that owner, but they're store is open to whoever is welcome to come in ( the public ). They also have the right to kick out whoever they want for whatever reasons. This logic also goes for the deli's, Subway's, Starbucks, and other stores along my walk to school.

There are also few office buildings. In my opinion, these are also a mix of pubic and private areas. It is mainly for people who work there but the public can walk into the lobby, or if they are visiting someone, or have a meeting, they could probably come in. So for the majority, these office buildings are private, although they can be public for certain circumstances.

The other thing I'd like to point out in my daily walk to school are the sidewalks. Yes, you can argue that whoever owns the business that the sidewalk is in front of owns that piece of the sidewalk, but i must say sidewalks are extremely public. They are filled with all types of people: businessmen and women, shoppers, tourists, homeless people, concession workers, and people like me going to school. So whoever owns their share of the sidewalk has some rights to who sits there (like homeless people) but there is people everywhere so I would definitely have to say sidewalks are more public then private.

The street is public. You do have to obey the traffic regulations of the law, but anyone could drive there as long as you have your license and you are obeying those traffic laws. Taxi's and Buses are public because anyone could ride them as long as you pay, which also goes for subways and subway stations. The only thing i consider private about the street is when you are in your own car, then you have some privacy.


As for Hunter College, my destination, i would consider it to be public, for now. I say for now because there is no way of really telling who's a student and who's not. There is suppose to be some id swipers coming which definitely make it more of a hassle and cause traffic but it will also make it more private, even thought it's a public school...? This is still, in-fact, a mix public and private, once this method of identification is taken into effect.


Visiting this span of 11 blocks on Lexington Avenue on a Sunday, doesn't change how i feel about how public or private each space I articulated is. The only difference i noticed was less Business workers and more shoppers and tourists.

This assignment was interesting to try to notice something I've never really thought about before. The underlying meaning of public to me is a place where anyone can go. The underlying meaning to private to me is a place where only you could be, for example your house or your room. But i have an understanding that public and private mean different things to different people, depending on who it is.

Assignment 1 Benjamin Hom

For the first assignment, I decided to visit Manhattan Mall one Friday afternoon. I only stayed for an hour because in all honesty, nothing much happened on my trip there. I was originally against the idea, because at one point in time, I had been somewhat familiar with the area, but I heard that the mall and everything around that area had changed. And it had. I could hardly recognize the place. My first thought walking into Manhattan Mall was, "This is it?" I'm gonna be honest, I immediately noticed the lack of a food court. What kind of mall doesn't have a food court? There wasn't even any little snack places. I guess it started to make sense after a while. I actually thought it was quite ingenious. The lack of any kind of place to just sit, eat, and relax forces people to shop. A lot of people, myself included, can go to the mall for a couple of hours without spending a dime. We just hang out at the food court.

The rest of the layout just seemed bland to me. It just didn't feel like a mall. Half of the mall was just one big JCPenney's with security guards in black suits with black ties standing outside the doors and by the escalators. The other stores were just kinda there. They were attractive; the Footlocker had a pretty sweet display in their front window and all the Aeropostales were inviting but nothing else really stood out. It feels like the mall was just built to maximize profit and for 33rd street and Broadway, that makes perfect sense. I could hardly keep an eye. It was about 4 'o clock on a Friday and there was only a handful of teenagers there. I mostly saw mothers with their children there and there was really no browsing. They all seemed to know what store they were going to and went there. I guess that's Manhattan for you.