Activity 7: Plaza Observation

Activity 7: Plaza Observation

Rosedelle A Chery

For this activity, we had to redo the “urban life project” by William H. Whyte. I decided to go to Greenacre Park. It was really beautiful and peaceful. I never knew such a serene place existed in New York. There was giant waterfall in the middle of the park and a pond that it flowed into. Through all the hustle and bustle of the city, Greenacre plaza is used as a quiet getaway from the stresses of the city. It’s a place for people to meet up, socialize with friends and coworkers and it’s a place for people go when they want to be by themselves. Greenacre Park is located on 51^st between 2^nd and 3^rd ave, so the majority of people there were tourist, shoppers and seemingly business people. Most of the people were white, but there was a good mix of other races. There were mothers and nannies there, relaxing with kids, girlfriends probably talking about the latest gossip and men talking about stock numbers and sports(I didn’t want to be to nosy so I’m only assuming that’s what they were talking about). There were people there alone simply enjoying the wonderful scenery.

I believe Greenacre Park is being used today exactly for what it was built. Greenacre Park and parks like this that are built in the middle of the city were created to provide New Yorkers with a place outside of their homes where they can relax. When I visited Greenacre Park, that’s exactly what people were doing. Everyone seemed calm and seemed to be enjoying this oasis. There were some that still looked like they had the world on there shoulders, like this woman who was staring blanking into the rushing water. It seems as though she got lost in her own mind and the mesmerizing waterfall. Also, it is a great tourist attraction for people who simply thing the New York is just the busiest and most hectic city in the world. The park was very welcoming and it didn’t, to me, have any places there that were meant to keep out undesirable. I think that the location of the park and the people there, depending on the time are what keep out undesirables. The fact that it is in the middle of midtown, might keep away low income people that don’t really go to that early of Manhattan, and if it was totally filled with white people or another race, it might keep certain people out. However, the park in itself didn’t have separating effect because it was so peaceful and open.

One of the best aspects of Greenacre Park is the large amounts of sunlight that it allows. There aren’t too many trees there to cast an overbearing shadow; however there are enough to provide necessary shading on sunny days. According to William H. Whyte, “the quality of the experience…is greater when there is sun around (p 42).” I agree with Whyte because there is nothing better feeling the sun’s warmth on you on a cool day. The trees also provides protection when the sun is to hot and the dynamic between the amount trees and sunlight illustrates another thing the Whyte mentions. He states that “the best time to sit under a tree is when there is sunlight to be shaded from (p42).” The best thing about Greenacre was the waterfall. Sitting near it made me feel like I was in the tropics, relishing from the soft mist the splashed on me as the water fell. Whyte mentions that “it is not right to put water in front of people and keep them from it (p 48).” However, I don’t agree with this statement because then people would just go in the water and might cause a lot of ruckus in a calm place. I liked the fact that there were sitting areas near the waterfall so one can feel some water as it splashes. I didn’t see any plaques there that led me to believe that Greenacre Park was private. I enjoyed visiting Greenacre Park and I will definitely go back with my friends during the summer when I need to unwind.