Paper 101509 V2

“INFRASTRUCTURE AND INTERACTIONS”

Location Observed West side of 7th Avenue Between 32nd and 33rd Street Manhattan New York Days and Times Observed Saturday 4pm-6:30pm Wednesday 6:30pm-8pm Prompt: You are the ethnographer, performing first-hand observational research in a public space, using course readings as your guide

Fonda Nan Introduction to Metropolitan Studies Professor Harvey Molotch TA – Hillary Angelo RCT – R 12:30PM Paper I Infrastructure and Description of Block

The block observed is definitely a very unique block in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is where the main entrance to Madison Square Garden and a side entrance to Pennsylvania Station are located. To the north of MSG is a Charles Schwab office and Borders bookstore, all connected to one building in this plaza. The entrance to MSG and the area directly in front of the stores is elevated as well as somewhat blocked off from the actual sidewalk. There are steps opening up this elevated area to the sidewalk which are designed at an angle to the sidewalk towards the entrance of MSG. These staircases are gradual – there are a few steps then a flat plane and then a few more steps. At the foot of the steps are two evenly spaced rectangular structures standing about 3 feet high with plants in the center. The sidewalk here is also about double the wide of the average sidewalk in Manhattan. Along the edge of the sidewalk toward the street in the middle of the block is a section blocked off by moveable metal blockades where people line-up to get taxis by a professional at the front of the line directing taxis his way. How Infrastructure Sets the Scene All the actions of people who pass by or linger on this block are dictated by the infrastructure of this plaza. It can be assumed that the space was made so open and spacious because of Madison Square Garden, which attracts extremely large crowds when there is an event. Even so, people utilize this rare space in Manhattan outside of the purpose of entering the arena. The incredibly open and wide staircases act as an open invitation to people walking by on the street. People rarely seem to hesitate when entering into the elevated area. Instead of handrails Na n 2

for the staircases, there are concrete barriers around 2 ½ feet tall, the perfect height to lean against. There is also room on the flat surface of the barriers to set things such as drinks, small containers, or handbags down. Along the outer edge of the elevated area opposite the storefront side is a long concrete and stone ledge, extending along a large portion of the block, acting as the barrier between the open area and the plants. This ledge is more than deep enough for people to sit on and even walk on. More than half of this ledge is blocked off by potted plants that

surround

an

extended

subway grate that sits directly in front of this portion of ledge. People still use the large potted plants as areas where they can lean against.

Choreography

Figure 1: Men in suits

This block was incredibly busy during the times that this block was observed. People passed through and flowed in and out of the area constantly. There was a smaller amount of people traffic on the Saturday afternoon than on the Wednesday night. Besides the quantity of people, the types of people in this area also changed. Specific types of people were also more prevalent on certain areas of the block. On a Saturday afternoon, there would be more women and women with younger children, couples, and tourists on this block located mainly in the elevated plaza. On a Wednesday night, there would be much more people in business-wear rushing through the block on the street side. Na n 3

A main difference in the choreography, or the ways in which people moved and acted, of the groups of people on these two blocks between the two days was the pace in which they walked. Wednesday night from 6:30 to 8 o’clock is peak rush-hour time for commuters so most people would walk at a very fast pace, some running, to the Pennsylvania station entrance. On a Saturday however, people would walk slowly, pausing here and there to look up at the video screens or the stores as they passed by. What was most interesting was that people acted the same and seemingly according with one another (the day or the time of day did not affect how people acted when they were in the plaza.) This applied to people who were not just walking by but intentionally staying in the area. There was this unspoken social decorum that was very apparent. Whether this was a conscious act or a subconscious thought, everybody abided by this social decorum. People who sat along the ledge would sit with equal spaces between each person and couple (groups would not all sit if there were 3+ people). Even if there is a large enough space between two

people

for

another

person to sit, nobody would, as

if Figure 2: People sitting equidistant from each other.

sitting there would cause some sort of

imbalance to the scene therefore rendering it an improper action. The area that a person would sit in seemed to be coveted property, as if that seat as well as a certain radius around that seat

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belonged to the sitter and anybody who dared to cross that invisible border would not be following that social decorum. Standing people usually crowded along the edges of the plaza. As with William Whyte’s findings in “The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces”, the areas where there were the largest amount of people traffic in a plaza was where people liked to stand. In this plaza, people liked to gather around the entrances of the staircases or directly in front of storefronts. There were large open areas in the center of the plaza but unless there were groups of 4 or more, people would steer clear of standing idle in this open space. This Figure 3: Empty center area.

plaza also extends around the southwest corner of 33rd Street. This

area, however, was usually almost completely empty. If there were ever people in this area, they would also sit or stand along the entrances of staircases where people would walk in and out. The distance decorum in sitting also applied in standing. Whether standing or sitting, individuals were always seen doing something or acted as if they were occupied. Most people would be talking on their phones, texting, smoking, sometimes eating, and reading. If they were waiting for somebody, they would

Figure 4: Notice the two people sitting by staircase.

constantly be looking around and checking the time as if to make sure people who saw them would know they’re not just idly standing around and staring. These people would also usually stay in one spot or area. Standing people would rarely pace around or walk up and down the Na n 5

plaza. People who did pace or walk around attracted a lot of attention and were often times seen as annoyances to those who were properly staying in one spot. The most interesting choreography was the way people stood or sat. Most, if not all, people would face the same general direction. If each person had a string extended from their body in the direction their bodies were angled, everybody would generally be facing the center of the plaza. If an individual was facing a different direction it would be because they were in the center of the open area or peering out over the staircase on to the street or sidewalk. Infrastructure dictates so much of the choreography and how people interact (or not) in a certain space. The surroundings of a block, in this case a major commuter hub and a worldrenowned arena, may also dictate what kind of people frequent the area and affect the happenings within the area. The social decorum established, however, seems to be a social standard that everybody is aware of and obeys.

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