When you live in the same neighborhood your whole life, you tend to think you know the area inside and out. You see familiar faces, popular hot spots, and you know where exactly to go to grab a bite to eat or to get some peace and quiet. So when we first discussed the project, I expected it to be an easy assignment thinking there wasn’t much else to learn. I was already forming ideas and the layout in my head. When we were told that two field notes needed to be done, I thought it could be done from years of memory instead of actually going out with the intention of taking notes. I was only partially wrong.
I had written down what I would most probably hear and see. When I went out, all of it was present. As a child, I had always avoided the highway around 65th street. It had always seemed too quiet and I felt disconnected from civilization whenever I had gone. The feeling was still apparent each time I had gone to do a field note. During the colder temperatures, I had the urge to leave as soon as possible. It seemed more silent than usual and there really weren’t too many people.
Though the expected did come true, there were other details that I would have missed otherwise had I not done it properly. I never really took note of how many arab based businesses were in a certain area, or how many of them were halal franchises which reflect the majority of the people who live here. The second thing that I noticed was the difference in sound. I noticed that the two ends of Bay Ridge had less sources of sound than the middle region. For example, the sound in the first region (near 60th street) mainly came from the highway and cars while the middle region had sound coming from cars, busses, people, store fronts, and more.
After doing the project I realized how many businesses that went unnoticed. These were mainly the ones that didn’t seem to have much life in them, the ones that didn’t seem to be prospering. Because I never needed them, I barely ever noted that they were there. The project made me give my attention to most of the environment. It forced me to open my eyes and see things that I ignored on a daily basis. One thing that surprised me was the comic book store by the Alpine Cinema movie theater. I hadn’t realized that it was still there! I used to go as a child and then stopped. But because I stopped, it disappeared from my field of vision.
My home lies on the boundary between what my group determined to be division 1 and division 2. When I set out to do my field notes, I didn’t recognize anyone by the highway nor did I recognize anyone in division 3. It was only until I started getting closer to my home did I get smiles, or make small talk with people. I started thinking that it might be a reason why I feel so disconnected from the two ends of Bay Ridge. Maybe I’m just not familiar enough with the people living there.
This project overall did not change my views on my hometown. It did, however, highlight the gradient. I feel as though the gradient has always been at the back of my mind, but it wasn’t until this semester that I really acknowledged it. It wasn’t until now that I realized the ties between the types of people (for example, minority) and the kind of housing condition. I believe I know most of Bay Ridge but I have also learned that visiting the areas that I feel were “dead” more often would change my perspective of them. If I knew more people in division 1 and 3 like I do in division 2, I am sure I would get a more positive vibe. And since I’m not moving anytime soon, I might just venture out to these regions more often.
