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INFRASTRUCTUREAND INTERACTIONS

Location ObservedWest side of 7th Avenue

Between 32nd and 33rd StreetManhattan New York

Days and Times ObservedSaturday 4pm-6:30pm

Wednesday 6:30pm-8pm

Prompt: You are the ethnographer, performing first-hand observational research in a public space, using coursereadings as your guide

Fonda NanIntroduction to Metropolitan Studies

Professor Harvey MolotchTA Hillary Angelo

RCT R 12:30PMPaper I

Infrastructure and Description of Block

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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

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for the staircases, there are concrete barriers around 2 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

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.

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Figure 1: Men in suits

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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 oclock 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 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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Figure 2: People sitting equidistant

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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 Whytes 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

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

constantly be looking around and checking the time as if to make sure people who saw them

would know theyre 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

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Figure 3: Empty

Figure 4: Notice the two

people

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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 world-

renowned 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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