Activity 7 - Redo of Plaza Activity by Patricia Fraser

I went to Seagram Plaza on Park Avenue between 52nd and 53rd Streets on a sunny weekday afternoon. It was the same plaza profiled in the William Whyte documentary. I've passed this location hundreds of times but it was the first time I looked at it so objectively. According to Whyte the elements that make for a great plaza area should have water that is accessible and touchable, varied seating spaces of varying height, trees for shade when desired, a food source, light and sun. This plaza space had it all! The only aspect of the plaza that was not readily accessible was access for people using wheelchairs who would want to go up the steps to get closer to the water or make use of the open space of the plaza.

I was limited to sitting near the stairs and low walls until I went around to the 52nd Street entrance and rang a bell for assistance. This bell was placed at eye level for wheelchair users with a sign attached. A security guard from the building came out immediately to ask what I needed. He told me that I would have to go through the building's loading dock and main lobby to get to the outdoor space that only required stairs for anyone else. I've spent too much of my life going through kitchens, garages, loading docks and garbage sites to get to a fancy lobby or movie theatre or restaurant. I didn't see the point to endure dirty smells, long halls, lobbies and an escort to get to an open space that is meant to relax you. I would be stressed getting there and leaving! So instead I enjoyed the aspect that were readily and easily available to me, even though I couldn't reach the water.

I enjoyed watching kids and adults partake in it though. One couple, with their little boy, stopped to take pictures. For the pose, the father splashed his son as mom clicked away. Later a nanny stopped to take pictures with her charge in the stroller looking on. Whenever kids passed by they made it a point to walk on the low wall of the plaza and trying to touch the water, before getting back on the sidewalk. Tourists, locals and workers were all spotted during my observation. Couples sat together to talk and eat. Workers had lunch, talked on the phone or had conversations in small groups with friends. When people stood on the plaza to talk, I noticed that they stood close to the flag pole or columns of the building, not totally out in the open. This was something that was observed in the Whyte documentary; how people tend to go towards support walls or poles when talking in a large open space. Also, the couples tended to gravitate toward the shaded, seemingly private areas of the plaza. There was also a food cart on one corner of the plaza, so many people stopped to buy food or ask directions.

The time of day was late afternoon, toward the end of the workday, so there were only about twenty to twenty five people at any given time. I'm sure in the middle of the workday, at lunchtime, there are lots more people making use of the space. At this time of day, workers were passing by, or leaving the building for the day. The rest were made up of tourists, families with children, individuals and couples. There was one person who took up a spot on in the middle of the block who promptly fell asleep. By her clothes and bags it was a little difficult to tell if she was homeless or just someone with a lot of bags taking a rest because her stuff was heavy. In terms of security there were none around, especially when anyone touched the water. I didn't notice any cameras and no one appeared to reprimand those who touched and played near the water. The only security was the guy who came out after I rang the bell and he went right back into the building after we finished talking.

I actually liked this activity because sitting in polaza spaces is something I do alot anyway, but this activity helped me to see plazas in a new way!