Assignment 6 Benjamin Hom

I live on on E 184th street, right off of Fordham Road. If a "good" neighborhood is defined in terms of conventional shopping, schools and, public transit, then I live in a fantastic neighborhood.

Fordham Road is literally described as an "outdoor mall experience." There are over 300 speciality shops and chains in my neighborhood. There are several elementary schools in my area, two major train lines (the D and the 4), and a decent bus system. When it comes to resources for the working parent, however, my neighborhood is a bit lacking. I found one day care in my neighborhood and it was very inconspicuous. If you weren't paying attention, you wouldn't even know it was there. it is the J.A.D.S Children Center and only goes from children three months old to four years old. There is another daycare way uptown on Jerome Avenue, but that is a substantial walk from where I live. It is certainly out of a working parent's way.

The Bronx is full of the typical gendered spaces. For males, there is the barbershop that I, myself, attend:



This is easily distinguished as a male space because of its definition alone. It is a barber shop. Walking into this barber shop, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who specializes in dealing with female hair. In fact, you wouldn't even expect it. Just one block over, we have a unisex hair salon.

Although this space is technically "unisex," it is far from it. "Barber Shop" is in small, neon-blue lights on the window, while "Nuevo Look Beauty Salon" is in a big letters on the even bigger awning. In fact, there are only two barbers employed in the entire place and they alternate days that they work. Interestingly enough, this beauty salon is located right next to a training center for Avon employees, which quiets any doubt that this salon is a woman space.

There are also some gender specific blocks in my neighborhood:

I particularly don't understand why there is a need to have two separate sneaker stores right next to each other, but this is undoubtedly a male specific space. Males are by far the biggest consumers of sneakers, especially sneakers with the Nike logo plastered all over them.


Another gender specific block. Danice sells products exclusively to females, and the fact that it is located right next to Kid's World is not a coincidence. There are signs for girls, boys, infants, and baby furniture plastered in the upper windows, basically implying that once a woman is done shopping for herself, she can go shopping for her children easily and efficiently.

This is one of the two laundromats located within a 10 block radius of my apartment building. My building does not have a built in laundry room, and the majority of apartment buildings in my neighborhood (if not all of them) don't have them either. Although not always true, this laundromat is another example of a woman space.

In my neighborhood, you'd be out of luck if you were trying to find a queer space. In the city, however, this is not the case. Greenwich Village is the perfect example an area with plenty of queer spaces. On the East side, but not that far a walk from the village, there are places like Lucky Chengs (a drag queen restaurant). The Chelsea neighborhood is also packed with queer places. The areas that are usually picked as queer spaces are progressive and "trendy" areas of the cities. That's where you find the most gay bars, and queer specific retail stores. When you search for "gay map of new york" on google, you find a lot of links for gay clubs, bars, lounges and even gay saunas and hotels.

If we go back to my neighborhood in the Bronx, you can find a few "private" activities that are being performed in public. In the evenings, people from young adult to middle aged smoke weed in St. James Park. Why? The younger people because they have no other place to do it, and the middle aged people just because they don't care where they do it.

Assignment 5 Benjamin Hom

To be posted soon.

brewsterbrewster#5

On saturday the third of april .. i woke up unusually early to attendant the Canaries district 18 monthly community advisory meeting.. on avenue L's outreach center..when i arrived i was officially 30 mins late.. but to my surprise the meeting had just started.. as i settled down and began listening ..the speaker at the time (a representative from the 2010 census).. a fairly small man in his late thirties.. began explaining the following statistics of canarsies census count..in his efforts to persuade the attendees he explained how low our census numbers are and how it causes us to lose out on billions of government dollars for the next ten years.. and since our numbers are so low(about 36 percent) in conclusion to his speech he stated that there was going to be a march the streets (with bullhorns in efforts to remind and encourage residents to fill out there forms) .. in the about the next two weeks..groups like canarsie courage and canarsie bridge are planning on attending in support of this movement.. next up was canarsie's very own Lincinda Clark..(forgot the name of her program)but she has an organization that reaches out and supports mothers..especially those with autistic children.. in hopes of helping them cope and find programs that benefit them and their children in any way.. i think her purpose for speaking was to one: try to get viewers since she was going to be on Mytimeinc. on nbc.. on sunday the 12. and two: to bring attention to parents of special needs children .. in hopes of empowering parents.. with programs like parents supporting parents that plans to walk for financial support(fund raiser)and i believe it was to be in the following month but it was stated that she is going to be honored by the senator..even though the first two speakers didn't really peak my interest the third one was able to grab my attention because he came here bringing something new to the table.. by focusing on the youht the owner of brooklyn USA basketball (appearntly its known for getting some of todays bbstars where they are today).. came to inform the attendees that they would be establishing a branch in our area.. he then goes on to explain that there plan is to take kids at a young age and keep them until college.. through sports they aim to get kids into good schools on scholarships... what really caught my interest in his presentation was when he (the rep) reached out to Lincinda and said that he would like to have a talk about a program for special needs kids.. i mean even if he wasnt being genuine i thought that it showed some sense of people willing to reach out..and becoming incorporated.. another visitor to the meeting came on behalf of Homeland safety.. which is a program that certifies construction workers ..that part take in their four week program , and is one that is approved by the department of labor..going on the motto "that they want our people to build our building" .. this programs sets out to give their participants training for life .. and after listening to this shmeal it sounds as if things are already in motion.. and i think this is what impressed me about the meeting overall .. nothing really seems to be in limbo .. at least things seem to be moving along smoothly for now.. now my favorite part of the meeting was about the fourth and final presentation that was given by an enthused tall brown skinned lady who seemed to get all this fire after attending a parks and rec program at central park.. there she learned about it and then decided to research on how the same can be done for our community.. the fresh creek project..is a project that aims to attract and involve young people in community work... to me this was the one that stood out the most mainly because i actually felt the urge to part take in the program .. the fresh creek project is a volunteer program that works with parks and recreations.. that sets out to clean our creeks ,plant and nurture our trees.. and since this is a public ...after all of this i was beginning to loose focus because i was there for about an hour now and it seems as if the meeting was about to wrap up.. but to my surprise there was still more.. this latter part of the meeting was labeled the updates.. which consisted of updates on the memorial day parade.. that is in relation to the 69th precinct.. next was the about the medical waste transfer station which they are in strong opposition against, since it shouldn't be permitted in a residential areas.. even though they (the 69th precint) are trying to say that we dont have a say in the process because it doesn't concern the community board.. but these persistent old ladies on the board.. seem to be clearly ignoring these warnings and have been taking pictures of these doings (couldn't help but think of them staking out the area.. pretending to be spies) .. the most attendee participation came when some one brought up the "zoning" which they want to stop since there has been a building of a new condo..(two blocks from my house actually) which is taller than the other houses in the neighborhood and has been labeled an eyesore .. so they seem to be fighting against more of these condos being built so tall.. a parent at one point brought up the fact that since kids have no where to skate these days.. lately they've been skating in the streets which endangers them.. and drivers ..so as a result they aim to open up a school park so these kids can have a place to skate..another big discussion was about people parking in front of condos..and the distraction that it causes .. the upset elderly woman started out Whit "probably for about four years we have community driveways with a little space .. that is now open for others to park even if its in front of your property" apparently she and a lot of other people are outraged about people parking in front of their homes .. (making as much noise as they want with either music or the slamming of car doors) even though the police said they cant do anything about it.. someone did suggest that there is a program giving cops permission to come on the property to tow or ticket these people.. finally the meeting came to a conclusion .. even though it was better than i expected ..(thought it would be an argument between speaker and participant)overall every one was on the same page and really did come out to be informed about the things of there neighborhood.. the overall population (about 40 people showed up)did seem to be an equally mix of both men and women.. mainly west indian or african american.. with a few whites and spanish attendees in the crowd... as far as this meeting went there was nothing to vote on .. so the general atmospere was one of ease i suppose.. i mean i felt comfortable where i was and they all seemed to be on friendly terms with each other from what i can tell.. especially since some people stayed back to hold conversations while drinking the provided refreshments..as a result i would say the overall meeting would be at a level 3.. just because it was based more on what would be happening instead of an open discussion of what could be happening..

brewstabrewsta#6

on page 145..Hayden writes that "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 and evening clinics.."well after taking a closer look at my neighborhood .. ive noticed that we have all of the above.. on the main street.of flatlands you can find just about anything ranging from medical to law services .. meat markets to korean shops.. junior high schools to yashivas.. what ever you think of ..we practically have it.. so when looking for resources that are there for working parents that can be viewed as one that"would support,rather than restrict, the activities of employed women and their families."(p.16).. as i search for evidence of this i passed countless daycares (some of these workers would also pick up small children from school)....a few dance schools and karete schools... and on top of that there are jewish centers and a padegete program that allow swimming lessons and other recreational activities for young children.. not only that there are a lot of after school study programs that not only help kids with there homeworks.. but invest in them enough to take them on weekend trips..(and i know this because a friend of mine works for one of them)..
2.as for the males spaces in my neighborhood.. when first looking at this question it was a little tricky to answer... because the first thing that came to mind was.. "there are none".. i with the exceptions of babershops and parks (which still are used by women).. there really is no specific space just for men.. and i believe thats because men dont need it... instead they tend to gather by crowded side walks (the way people would in the in the plaza video)..in hopes of having coincidental run-ins with friends or just so they can watch girls go by.. so with that being said .. if the streets can be labeled as a gendered area.. i would say thats it would be one for men..on the other hand there seems to be more places that cater to women ..in my neighborhood.. there are more than five hair salons and just as many nail salons.. on weekends all of them seem to be crowded with women.. who are trying to prepare for the work week ahead.. to an extent the same goes for the laundrymats that even though there is a substanial amount of men now doing their own clothes there are still more women in these areas than men..in addition to that theres the georgetown mall.. which is like a mini outlet filled with restuarnts, clothing stores, movie rentals and a walgreens.. however with all of the variety of stores in george town.. this is definetly a gendered space geared towards ladies.. just because the only areas besides the ihop, and walgreens. everything else is geared towards women.. i mean not only is there a strawberries but theres a rainbows.. in additon theres not only a dressbarn but theres a lane briant.. and then shoe stores similar to that ..the only thing that seperates these spaces as one gender or the other is the population really or as for george town mall the targeted customers.. meaning that even though barber shops these days are unisexed.. i would still perfer going to my hair salon.. just because there are more women there.. becasuse when entering a baber shop theres a strong sense of feeling like you dont belong..even if the people are extremly friendly.. i would still feel out of place being surrounded by men.. (image on the left: shows female geared areas; women are usually inside image on the Right: shows a baber shop and a sneaker store.. often times men choose the option of haning outside rather than inside of these stores )..
3. rarely do i see any gays or lesbians in my neighborhood.. ocassionly i would spot one on the bus.. but rarely do we have them living here much less haning out here.. since this is more of a residential area..and being that theres hardly anywhere else for other genders to go..it makes sense to me that there wouldnt be any queer spots in canarsie..in order to hang out and socialize its normal for me to leave canarsie and head to the city.. which leaves me to believe that gays would have a better chance of finding there own space there too.. and after doing some research i have found that .. places like the chelsae, west village, 8th ave and w.46th .. even though these locations are sparadic.. and seem a bit like you have to be one to know where to go.. it seems as if they pick these locations becasue for one they know that they would be socially accepted by heterogenous in that area since people there tend to be a bit more friendly.. or liberal persay and two because i think it has more of a trendy vibe like those.. that is more fun and upbeat..
4. after typing in "gay map of new york city" a number of links for funmaps and gay and lesbians bars popped up and according to nighttours.com.. theres an outstanding amount of gay bars that popped up..but a few lesbian ones.. plus saunas and of course places to shop
5. as for my neighborhood the only private thig that ive seen people (usually young people) do is make out or smoke blunts (assumably) in school parks or seaview park.. and i assume that the only reason why they are forced to do it in such a place is because they simply have nowhere else to go..

activity 7 Daniele Nicolosi

I visited Chase Manhattan Plaza . I was unaware it was under construction before i planned on going there. It was a beautiful plaza. Since its closed off with caution tape and danger signs, only the stairs were accessible to get in and out of the building. The only people there were the office workers who entered and departed from the building. The plaza part that was closed off had sporadically planted trees and many circular benches for people to sit. There was an interesting tall sculpture in the plaza which was in relation to a different tall interesting sculpture across the street.

Anyone could have came in. For instance, i didn't notice the stairs that lead to the plaza, so i went through the building, took the escalator upstairs, passed the security desk and went outside into the plaza. I felt slightly out of place sitting on the steps as the office workers passed through me. If it was any normal circumstance, i could imagine that plaza being filled with people socializing and enjoying each others company, especially because the weather was beautiful the day i went.

brewsta brewsta activity 7

on thursday the first of april, the weather was warm and the sun was shinning bright.. that was when my friend D.Richards and i decided to go to 77 water street on 53rd street between Madison and 5th .. when i got there i noticed that plaza such as these are usually used as a breather in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of the 5th ave. tourist and consumers..at the time that i went it wasnt very crowded and i noticed that the people that were generally older people, or families with young children who were enticed by the water.. or groups of young people looking for a photo-op..after taking getting over my awe of the water i noticed that other people were in the process of doing the same (staring at the water), taking pictures, eating their lunches,talking on the phone (some to each other),a few kids skipped up and down the stairs as their parents looked on, while others were just sitting in the provided chairs observing the scenery...from what i saw i would say that the space was being used the way that it was meant to.. even though some were gathered by the entrance closer to the stairs .. the chairs and tables provided were being used they way they were intended(vs..people sitting on the tables with their feet on the chairs) and where the waterfall was right before it was a metal chain around (obviously stating that the water shouldnt be touched) and a ledge inside of that creating more distance between me and the water.. and since no one made an attempt to step over the chain.. i would say that the articutecs did a pretty good job in getting their point across in how and how not to use the plaza.. the special thing about the water gate plaza is that its like a little niche.. or a secret spot that kind of makes you feel like your not in the city.. much less on 5th ave.. i mean not only was there a water fall but there were plants crawling up and down the walls, and birds flying around.. which totally made me forget how hassled i felt walking through the crowds on my way here .. now on the corner across the street there are hallao vender's.. im not sure if that counts since its not directly located in front of the plaza.. other than the waterfall and the plants i previously mentioned .. there are trees planted in front of the plaza entrance.. when seeing this i thought of the video we saw in class .. and even though people wernt moving and playing musical chairs.. or there werent any guys standing in front of the entrance watching "skirts" go by i did notice that when i first arrived i stopped and stared in frontof the entrance and by simply doing that, that attracted a lot of attention to other passer Byers to the point where they to would stop and stare..as far as deterring the attention of undesirables the only thing i saw that would be for that purpose would be the tall gates that were pushed against the wall during the day.. and which i assume would be locked at night..now though there were no visible signs of surveillance cameras, or security guards, there was a janitor of some sort on the site.. maybe because its in the middle of the city, and has its own gates(so they can close at night) there isnt a need to guard the area that closely..funny enough .. i expected to see a sign similar to a park plague but i dont recall seeing anything that says anything about the plaza.. but i would still assume that it is private space...but as far as being there .. i felt safe ..being that it was equally gendered especially since most people there seemed to be lost in there own worlds..

Danielle Nicolosi Community Board Meeting

I went with a friend from the class who also lives on Staten Island, Maya Jourieh. We got there about 5 minutes late, they were in the middle of the Pledge of Allegiance. After that they took attendance of the board and to people sitting at the round tables directly in front of the board. There were about 5 tables of well dressed men and women. About 1/3 were women and there was only one black lady. The age range was between 30 and 70.

After they took attendance they asked who was there from a newspaper or magazine, and there were a few who sat where Maya and i sat,in a row across the back.

First up,a member of the The Community Response Team (CERT), went up to the podium to speak about the effects of the horrific storm we had. He reassured us that they're doing everything possible to address these effects.

A member from the Dept of City Planning had a 12 slide power point explaining to us about the Comprehensive Waterfront Plan. There are 4 major foundations: the redeveloping waterfront, the natural waterfront, the working waterfront, and the public waterfront. I had no idea this was even in effect. It's a vision of 2020.

The Dentist Office Parking Problem
( the funniest and most interesting of the meeting)
Nasty white woman with blond hair was first fighting that she didn't want to go up yet. Then she finally gave in but huffed and puffed. She was having problems with the mic and kept saying, "Just bare with me." (I actually kept a tally, she said it about 6 times). She was the president of the tax payers association. She was speaking sternly and pissed off. I wasn't too sure what she was talking about but she was mad! She said something about Applications with a bunch of numbers and letters. Something about incorrect zoning of parking. Very unclear.

At first, i couldn't tell if the next guy up was challenging her or not. He had a Santa Clause- goat beard, glasses, and white hair in a low bun. I was too focused on these last 2 peoples appearances and attitudes to focus on what the issue actually was. A statement that i caught was, " a residential, 2 family house was turned into a 1 family because this guy wanted to have a dentist office...No parking on the side..." . He said this is an abnormal situation.

Next was finally a nicer, clearer old man. He said there are a lot of violations taking place, "...she can't get away with it anymore!" He wants this property to go back to land use.

While they were waiting for the next person to speak about this issue they opened the podium up to who ever has an issue with anything. The old man next to me stood up and walked over. He explained that he moved from the North Shore of Staten Island to Annadale 50 years ago. "I need help," is what he said as he looked into the people of the board. He had a big flood. He has flood insurance but it only covers for outside damage not inside damage. He lost his pool, deck, trees, and so did the rest of his block. He lives by the water. He sounded really sad and depressed. He was a sweet old man. (someone raised their hand advising he calls 311)

To continue, the dentist man, dressed in a suit, "corrected" the previous speakers. It is a 3 story building with 2 dentists. (Nasty blond lady is hiding behind the wall shaking her head walking back and forth even more pissed off). The office takes up so much space with a ramp because they specialize in handicapped children. All they have is a 300 square foot waiting room on the first floor (size of a garage) and there is an elevator for the other floors. Doesn't see the problem with all this. Doesn't feel they are taking up too much space or causing any violations.


IN CONCLUSION
The board speaks about the land use issue. A lady at a round table raises her hand saying it should go to the land use committee. A guy at another table 2Nd's. The lady gets annoyed and says, " I just said that!" The guy next to her says that's how it works, hes agreeing with you. ( Maya and I laughed). The board thanks everyone for how they voted.


The best part about this was to see how pissed off some people got. Also The old man with the flood really touched me. And i also had no idea the Vision of 2020 was taking place so it was very informative.

I feel the level on the ladder we were on at this meeting was Level 5, Placation. Because i wouldnt go as far to say there was equal power like a partnership, however, the board definitely listened and everyone voted fairly and gave good feedback.