E Line- World Trade Center/Church Street- $205,192

People: The neighborhood around the World Trade Center (WTC) largely consisted of government buildings, federal and state, as well as banking/financial -centered businesses, thus providing many professionals that made up the population. It appeared as if the most common resident was someone with a white-collar job with the median age being in the thirties. The second most popular group were tourist families, American and foreign.  Since the largest representation of the neighborhood demographic is professionals, it seemed as if the only children were tourists with their family, and even then minors were very scarce. After people in their thirties the next most common age was 40-60 years of age, and then those in their twenties. When it came to race, the most abundant was white (around 35-40% of the population), with black and Asian subsequent. Concerning gender, I would estimate that the district was divided between 60% men and 40% women. For class, I would infer upper-middle class was most prevalent, while lower class was the least, with the rest of the population being hard to identify by class and being generally mixed. Even in the large radius I focused on, there was only one homeless person, and she was sitting next to the subway entrance steps.

Actions and Interactions: Of the many people observed, groups of two or more people were the most common, while those by themselves were usually in suits and kept to themselves. There were big groups consisting of guided tours, many groups of friends, as well as small groups of professionals, I infer colleagues, who from simply passing by could be heard talking business.

Police Presence: There was understandably a lot of police standing along the perimeter of the WTC site, but there were also many alongside government buildings in the neighborhood. The police presence included many cop cars parked along the street, police in the streets, and security in front of City Hall and guarding the parking lot of the Manhattan Municipal Building.

Food: There were not many places to eat in the neighborhood, as the majority of space was used for banks and government agencies. I could not find one grocery store my entire time, but I did come across a fresh fruit stand on the sidewalk. The prevalent places to eat were small cafes and Starbucks, while restaurants were more of a rare occurrence.

Public Spaces: This neighborhood is highly dependent upon its public spaces, and I have never seen another area in Manhattan with more of these city-run areas. There was City Hall, the Manhattan Municipal Building, numerous courts, including the New York Supreme Court, to name some of the areas of government. Though these structures are not meant as places of public leisure, it does emphasize how the New York state government heavily influences the neighborhood, rather than private businesses. Community parks included the heavily used City Hall Park and the cemetery of St. Paul’s Chapel that functioned as a place where people were resting or having guided tours. Moreover, at City Hall Park there were street performers that entertained and attracted a crowd.

Goods and Services: There were numerous banks, with many streets being lined with more than two.Again, business and government buildings dominated the neighborhood so places like clothing stores and restaurants were less common.

Maintenance: The entire WTC area was well maintained, especially for such a crowded area. There was no noticeable litter and the parks were kept very clean, while there were many trees and gardens that provided a nice atmosphere. The roads and sidewalks were additionally maintained with care and kept clean.

Transportation: Many vehicles of transportation in the neighborhood were in fact tour buses and coach buses meant for sightseeing tourists. The vehicles along the street and in parking lots were not luxury cars , but average-priced cars that were relatively new, some being government vehicles that tended to be found near state and federal government buildings. Within the neighborhood there were various other subway lines provided besides the E-line.

Overall, it is fairly obvious that the neighborhood around the WTC has one of the highest median household incomes in all of New York City simply by observing the area.