Warm Thursday Afternoon in April
Ethnographic observations were made during spring break on a warm, sunny Thursday around noon. There was constant foot traffic which may have been as a result of the many benches in front of family-run stores as well as the tree lined streets. The street displayed a sense of community and family as much of the foot traffic included families, often two or three generations, walking together to shop from the many stores. There were also many college students and young adults that passed through either to catch the nearby M train or grab a quick bite.
Figure 1: Many family-run businesses such as NY Best Furniture and father-son street vendors are present on the street.
It was observed that a majority of the residents sitting on the storefront benches as well as the park benches nearby were of the elderly population, however teenagers and young adults were also seen taking part in this leisure activity. Men sat with other men, and women sat with other elder women, but the two groups often intermingled. The younger population seemed to stay at the benches for only short periods of time, usually to enjoy a quick lunch from one of the nearby delis.
Figure 2: This displays one of the many benches on the street.
These groups often spoke their native languages which included Greek, Spanish, and Arabic. Many cultural influences were seen in the Greek Festival posters, Hispanic food stands and Asian influenced magazines such as Chopsticks NY.
Figure 3: Many stores, such as this one, demonstrate cultural, Puerto Rican in this case, influences on the street.
