F Train: Lexington Ave & 63rd Street: $152,353

My observations: Even though the weather was bad I definitely got a good judgment of the area as if it were not raining. There wasn't much of a police presence in this area.

People: The general public seemed quite diverse. What I mean by diverse is that the crowd was mixed and included business men and women, students (public, private, middle, high, and college), street vendors in terms of those who sell food from carts (because of the rain there were also men on corners selling umbrellas). The general public consisted of people of various ages. At the time of day which I did my observation there were more middle and high school students since it was after 2 in the afternoon.  Very few people were staying one place to converse with others. Everyone was on the go unless you were a street vendor.

Public Spaces: This area is fully equipped with a wide array of public spaces. Three blocks west you have central park for when you just feel like catching some fresh air and enjoy a day of sun. They just made a large Starbucks right at the corner of Lexington and 63rd equipped to accommodate persons in need of a coffee to uplift your day as well as outlets to recharge your electrical devices. There are several options within a block, a couple,  or even a few to get something to eat. There are at least 2 pizza shops within blocks of each other and the train station. There is a bread factory, sprinkles, baked by Melissa’s, a diner, a subway, etc. There are many store fronts! There is also an equinox which I believe to be an athletic clothing store as well as a gym. There is a pet shop/dog grooming store a block away. There were a few boutiques whether they sold clothing, shoes, pet accessories, and jewelry, in the area as well.

 Housing: There aren't many houses in this parameter but there are a lot of apartment buildings and buildings I believe to be hotels. These apartments aren't the ones that are funded by the government, these apartment buildings are the kinds that aren't cheap, the kinds you'd find celebs and people of high status laying low in. The exterior of these buildings alone let you know that the apartments aren't cheap if the neighborhood didn't already tell you that.

Transportation: Transportation around this stop is great. You have other trains within 3 blocks from this stop. The buses are in numbers, you have the downtown, uptown, cross town options. If you need a taxi they run endlessly down Lexington and even the cross streets. What surprised me was the fact that I saw quite a few Honda's, I was definitely expecting to see Mercedes, and BMWs but seldom they any pass why I was there: maybe it had to do with the time of day.

E Train-Sutphin Boulevard/Archer Ave-Median income: $37,000

Located in Jamaica center, this stop off the E train has the lowest median income in comparison to all other stops on the E line. While the area does not in general seem unkempt, the buildings are in rather poor condition and the stores seem cluttered together. Most stores in the immediate area seem generally smaller than average and aside from fast food chains there were not many “name-brand” stores. In certain areas the sidewalks were aligned with trees but generally the area was bereft of vegetation. In terms of food, street vendors were numerous and often sold falafels, hot dogs, gyros and other foods that are typical of NYC food trucks. In general, the presence of fast food chains was overwhelming and grocery stores seemed limited to bodegas.

In terms of the demographic, most people seemed to be either black or Hispanic with very few white people. The age range was entirely mixed and consisted of children accompanied by young to middle aged parents and elderly men and women in and around grocery store fronts. Typically people were gathered outside local food chains such as McDonalds or Dunkin Donuts. On the streets, people didn’t interact much and most kept to themselves, often traveling alone or with young children. I hadn’t come across any parks or open public spaces with the exception of a cemetery that was located nearby Jamaica center and even this area was private.

Large groups of people surrounded all bus stops and few taxis drove by this area in comparison to most areas in Manhattan. Located directly above the E train is the LIRR station and airtrain to JFK which seemed to be the area in which white people were most populous. Additionally, located below the E train station are the J and Z trains.

There was a large police presence outside the LIRR station when I had gone (however, as a commuter from Queens Village I can say that this police presence varies periodically.) Otherwise outside the immediate area there was not a noticeable police presence.

Fulton Street, C train.

Fulton Street, C train.

I visited the area that surrounds the Fulton Street train station on a raining afternoon after the end of the workday, perhaps the rain may have clouded my perception of the area but I went and observed with a walk around the block and inside a local coffee shop that was located opposite the new local Citi bike stand. This areas median household income, according to the New Yorkers interactive subway map was $62,927. This station is actually in the process of becoming a complex of four linked stations served by 8 different train lines and is the 12^th busiest according to the MTA. As a result of the Fulton Center project the station and surrounding areas are undergoing big changes and evidence of the construction is seen everywhere.

This area of New York City is much older, near Wall Street and its narrow streets reminded me of a great past with older, now neglected, architecture that somehow seemed to be competing with the shiny faces of new buildings that litter the area. It certainly felt like I walked inside an American History book as I landed on puddles in the small back roads and in a few swift steps back to the modern world at Starbucks and CVS. Fulton Street itself wasn’t as busy as I’d imagine though it was about 7pm I imagine most people were already gone for the day. This area seemed to cater solely to the commuters whom work in the area as there are many offices and companies that reside here and not too many residential buildings. I tried to peek into what seemed residences and though I didn’t see many, they were evenly sprinkled in the area with some being simple doors and entries into inconspicuous building others were staffed with doormen or a concierge at a desk with a modern lobby. 

The people that I did come across weren’t of much variety. Many people were actively working at themany shops, cafes, stores, and food eateries and those who were shopping were dressed relatively nicer

but I could easily decipher who were better paid as they were in slacks and button ups and they were mostly white. As I walked on the street I saw many who I assumed to be of African, Indian or Chinese descent that were walking to the train station. As I headed more West on Fulton Street I could see a church, St. Paul’s Chapel and beyond it the site of the World Trade Center and accordingly I observed many more tourists walking around and taking pictures. I made a right to head north on Broadway and there I saw bigger stores such as Staples and J&R Electronics. I also saw a park which I later learned was where City Hall was located and it wasn’t necessarily part of the census tract of the Fulton Street Station.

In terms of people and interactions and social experiences and feelings, I didn’t see much and was quite disappointed by the lack of green and public spaces in the area. On my way back

to the train station I realized one thing that I noticed when I first came to New York City and it bothered me then too. I saw not one child. Children seemed to be an anomaly in NYC, only found in certain places at certain times and I’ve always found it weird but after surveying the area it all came together.The area isn’t meant to be much of a home and much of the traffic comes from people who come here solely to work and the businesses that line Fulton street are a clear reflection of this. These workers are provided coffee shops, places to grab a bite to eat, and pharmacy/convenience stores like CVS, stores offering shoes, clothing and accessories as well as grooming and dry cleaning services all within range. Those who make enough can afford the luxury of living in the area at a price and others may find tiny and basic apartments (read: closets) to rent in hopes of moving on up and joining the higher ranks. The census data made sense to me, or rather; I could make sense of the data. 

-Mildred Rodriguez

Trains ACE23 Chambers ST.

One of the most striking features once a person gets off of the train is that it appears to be very diverse, in terms of both class as well as race. A closer examination though reveals that their appears to be an association between race and the class a person belongs to. From my observation I could deduce that minorities (African American, Latino) worked as security, and did much of the manual labor jobs. In contrast white, and in some cases Asians occupied the upper class, and appeared to be working in white collar jobs. The following picture I feel illustrates an aspect of this race class dynamic.

Man working

Difference in appearance 

The food in this area was distributed evenly, and the price was modest considering the area is a high income neighborhood. The neighborhood had a pizzeria and a Dunkin Donuts, which are restaurant that a person can find anywhere. Some of the restaurants, and super markets that were also operating in the area could be considered upper class, or gave the impression of being a restaurant of a higher standard. The following pictures demonstrate this. The supermarket was an Amish market, which looked like they sold more expensive food/organic. Takawachi Bakery was another store, which looked like it sold high end goods.

Takarachi Bakery

Amish Market 

The area also had tourist attraction, which would further explain why it would be considered a high income area. It would also cause many in the community to be concerned with the image that they were giving off.  It in this case we can find two examples which illustrate this dynamic. The way a park is built and the image of the park can sometimes be seen as a reflection of the community. This is why the park by chambers street, was a very high class park because it contained a fountain in the center of it. Although, the park had a limitation on when it could be open and this is why the following picture demonstrates a sign saying that the park is open until midnight. This I believe reflects how important image is for this neighborhood because if the parks were open all the time, then there would be homeless people living in this area.  

At the same time during my walk through the area found 2 homeless people one was asking for change and another was sleeping on the stairs of the building. This picture shows two aspects of the community in general, and to a certain extent out desensitizing of the homeless in New York. The reason being there is a woman sleeping on the stairs to a building and no one is attempting to provide any amount of help for this person. If a person notices the picture, there is a man who is casually passing by without taking into consideration the homeless person. This further shows the issues of homeliness, and how people in the area view it.

Homelessness 

Ironically, though this is problem that people do not one address because as I was taking this photo. Someone had notices that I was taking a photo of a homeless person, and appeared to be offended, and a bit upset at me for taking the photo. This show me that this problem is something the average person does not want to deal with, and further attempt to prevent other from drawing attention to the issue.

Most of the buildings further convey a feeling of upper class because of the architect, and the way the buildings appear. There was also construction being done in the area, which showed the class dynamic further because. The construction workers that I witnessed who were wearing the green jacket, and construction helmet looked like hard working individuals.  The people who were wearing the orange coats were probably the ones who were in charge or the architect because they did not look like they were working physically and the construction hats that they were carrying did not look worn out. These people appeared to be of European descendant.

 

There was also a lot of security in this area. This could be related to the fact that some of the buildings were a tourist attraction, such as the St. Paul’s Chapel, which was across the street from wear I took the photo of the homeless person.  

St. Paul's Chapel

In terms of security a person would find a lot of police officers walking in the area, and a lot of security cameras that were covering all the sidewalks surrounding a building. The following pictures show the amount of security cameras that were found in the area. Once again the high amount of police presence is related to the fact that it is near the world trade center memorial, and there was also a postal building, which is considered a federal building. Also by chambers street is the city hall.

Security camera

Security Camera

Security camera

103rd Street on the C line

            When you get off at 103^rd street off the C line, you encounter an upper-middle class, mostly residential neighborhood right across the street from Central Park. Many of the buildings have doormen. In fact, when I used to go on night jogs, I chose Central Park West to run on and included 103^rd in my route because it was never crowded (like Broadway), but there were always doormen standing outside buildings, so I felt relatively safe. It’s a pretty quiet, clean (for New York standards) area. Most of the pedestrians are white and many of the ones that I happened to see at this particular time were middle-aged. People can be seen leisurely walking dogs in and out of the park. I was surprised that this stop had one of the lowest median incomes on the C line. 

            When you start walking towards Columbus Avenue, the scene starts to change and the people become more diverse. The residents/pedestrians now include more Hispanic and black people. Some of them are sitting on stoops or standing on the sidewalk, talking to each other and laughing. Somewhere in the distance someone is playing Spanish music. The buildings are smaller and have not been kept up as well as they have on Central Park West.  On Columbus Avenue there are a variety of stores, including Bodegas, which have practically become extinct further down on the Upper West Side.  There is a bus that goes downtown on Columbus. I went to middle school on 108th and Columbus and it is nice to know that many of the stores I went to as a kid are still there now. 

            Towards Amsterdam, there are housing projects, and further down, a very nice playground filled with mostly black children. Further uptown, between Columbus and Amsterdam, there is a public school. 99-cent stores, cheap Chinese food places, and small family-owned delis have managed to survive on Amsterdam Avenue, but a few fancy bars are restaurants have also claimed residency. It is on Amsterdam that I first encountered any police presence—just one car with one cop inside who looked like he was waiting for his partner to come back with food. There is also a bus that goes uptown on Amsterdam.

            By the time you arrive at Broadway, the area has become relatively fancy again. It is filled mostly with chain stores, nice buildings like the ones on Central Park West, and fancy restaurants. A wide variety of food can be found on Broadway—it has both fast food restaurants like KFC and McDonald’s as well as upscale restaurants. It is very populated and more diverse than Central Park West, though. Here we find the 1 train and the buses that go both uptown and downtown. 

         It should also be mentioned that, although I did not pass them on the route that I chose from the 103rd street station, there is a public library and a police precinct on 100th street between Columbus and Amsterdam.

F-Train-Avenue U- Household Income $35,539

 People: The demographic in this area is very diverse, consisting of Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians. I would say that the neighborhood is more heavily populated by Whites and Hispanics and less Blacks, but then at the same time there are some blocks within the neighborhood that are only Asian. The interesting thing is that the people who are walking around the streets, are very different then the people who own the stores and businesses. Almost all of the people I observed were walking with multiple children, so I would say that this neighborhood is mostly younger people. I also noticed many Jewish people in this neighborhood.

Food: I saw many Chinese restaurants with animals hanging in the windows. I also noticed a lot of ‘mini-marts’ or deli/grocery bodegas. There was one major fancy supermarket but for the most part I noticed people buying their food from the bodegas. There were a few kosher restaurants as well, as I mentioned before, this area looked like there were some Jews here as well.

           

     

           

     


Public Space: There was one main park on Avenue T and McDonald Avenue, which was pretty big. A lot of mothers and fathers took their kids to play there after school. A lot of the moms seemed to know each other, lots of interaction while watching their kids together. Within the park, there were sections. One section for swings and baby swings, one for slide and jungle gym, and the third was just a big open space for kids to ride bikes in or play baseball. In that big open space, I saw many teenagers hanging out, some huddled together in crowds or cliques. Another space I analyzed was a Chinese nail salon on Avenue U and McDonald Avenue, called ‘Grace Nails.’ Everyone that walked in, knew the owner by name, and said hi to at least two or three other women getting their nails done. A lot of the women even brought their young daughters to do their nails as well. I think that is saying something about the neighborhood. If these women, have enough money to get manicures that’s one thing, but also to splurge on a manicure for their 5-6 year old daughters is another thing entirely. How could someone with a household income of $35,000, be able to afford a manicure for themselves and their daughters? Something seems off here.

Actions and Interactions: Many people stopped to talk to each other on the street, but something I noticed was that most of the time the people that were interacting were of the same race/ethnicity. The Whites talked with the Whites, the Hispanics spoke (usually in Spanish) with other Hispanics, and the Jews talked with Jews. Inter-racial interaction was less common. However, as I mentioned before the women in the nail salon were very friendly to one another, as well as the moms and dads in the park.

Maintenance: I didn’t find the neighborhood to be so clean. There was lots of garbage all over the streets, and the air was pretty humid. There were a few trees, but for the most part the streets and sidewalks looked pretty neglected and beaten up.

Goods and Services: Many banks around the neighborhood. Some drugstores, hair salons, supermarkets.

Police Presence: While I was observing the neighborhood I noticed a handful of police cars around.    Mostly, stopping to give tickets, not really stopping any dangerous criminals.

Transportation: There were many many cars everywhere, lots of honking, and traffic, hard to navigate. There were also a few different trains and bus routes around the area.