After you conduct your first observation of your space for your mapping project, please post your first set of field notes here before class begins on Thursday, April 21. As you make notes from your observations, please make sure you include the following information: 1) Date, time, and place of observation; 2) Specific facts, numbers, and details; 3) Sensory impressions: sights, sounds, textures, smells, tastes; 4) Personal response to your observations—both to the act of recording and how others responded to you; 5) Specific words, phrases, summaries of conversations/interviews, and any insider language; 6) Questions that your observations generate for you as the researcher (ones that you might pursue in your subsequent observations).
Please note: You are welcome to post the highlights or a summary of your field notes, especially if you take your notes by hand. If you type them on your laptop, then you're welcome to post all your notes, or a substantial section of them (since it's easier to cut and paste).
I'm not going to be able to conduct my first field study by the start of class tomorrow. I plan on going at 3:30 tomorrow afternoon. I will post my field notes asap.
ReplyDeleteApril 20th, 2011 at 5:00 p.m.
ReplyDeleteDespite the cold/rain, there were approximately 20 people at the Columbine Memorial when I was there. A group of four people had stationed a temporary memorial at the entrance. They had been at the Memorial since 9 a.m. They had brought crosses with pictures of the victims. There were news groups taking video footage of the memorial. It was rainy and overcast. The mood was solemn. People were especially reflective today, considering that April 20th is the anniversary of the Columbine shootings. People were more than willing to answer my questions. On a day that remembers one of the greatest school tragedies of recent history, I was reminded that there are kind people in the world.
Here are some of the specific words that I took from my interview:
"Everyone's life has value. We have to honor that"
"I took a vow when I said I would 'Never Forget'"
"The moment I remember most was the Moment when the mother of Corey DePooter (victim) came up to hug me and said 'Thank You'"
"I don't object to the use of biblical passages and symbols because I think it would be unfair to the families to censor the way in which they remember their loved ones"
"People come to the memorial from all over. One year, there were 3 people who came from Iowa--several states away--to pay tribute to these kids and Dave. For the third anniversary, there was a man from Memphis who came to reflect"
"Who knows the impact these kids (including Harris and Klebold) would have had on the world"
"This memorial is a reminder that bullying is alive and present"
"This memorial is here to help the families heal"
"We are all Columbine"
I am thinking that I want to know a little more about the design of the memorial. Are the memorials for the individual victims organized in particular way?
Initial Observations:
ReplyDeleteI went to Tattered Cover on 16th Street on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at approximately 1:30pm. I spent the first hour or so noting all of the different aspects of the store and observing how people interact with one another and the space. I walked into the bookstore and noticed that the floor was wooden, the lighting was bright but not harsh, and the space was quiet but not silent. There was noise from the coffee shop, and I could hear hushed voices deep in conversation. This floor was definitely utilized by students who were studying. There are a number of unique tables scattered throughout this level for people to do work. There also seemed to be a lot of people who were meeting each other to talk and enjoy each other’s company. Most of these people occupied soft, cushy chairs and couches. Most of the reading material on this floor is light—it consists of magazines, calendars, cookbooks, etc. I felt as if this level of the floor functioned more as a large coffee shop than a typical bookstore.
Then, I went up to the second level. This level is much, much quieter—essentially silent. While the lighting is similar, the floor is carpeted with deep, soothing, green velvet. This level contains the majority of the books. There is a section for every type of book—politics, sports, military history, astronomy etc. There are comfortable chairs and couches in different nooks of this floor, and they are in every section. It seemed as if most of the people on this floor browsed the shelves for a while, finally found a book they liked, and sat down to read. There are less people on this level. Those who I passed generally made eye contact with me and smiled before continuing with their search for the perfect book. It seemed as if people came here to be social and alone at the same time.
The majority of the people that I saw were between the ages of 20 and 50, and they were almost all Caucasians. They all seemed to be middle or upper-middle class people.
The Staff:
The customer service desk is in the very middle of the bottom floor, and it is very open. The desk is just a teacher’s desk, and it gives customers greater access to the staffer behind the desk.
While I was on the second floor, one staff member approached me and asked me if I needed help finding anything. I thought to myself that this would never happen at a Borders or Barnes and Noble; I would have to seek out help if I needed anything.
Placed on all of the bookshelves are colored “Staff Recommended” cards. Staff members write about certain books which they have read and place these cards next to the books so that customers can have mini-reviews of books which they are interested in. One said, “Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand. Utterly charming!” Another said, “Rarely can a work of fiction so brilliantly capture a moment of historical time than Grossman’s To the End of the Land – I am in awe, floored, humbled, grateful, and haunted by this book.” These cards show that the staffers are not simply there because they have good customer service skills; they also love to read and love books.
The Customers:
The main reason that people seemed to go to Tattered Cover is because it is unique and local. One customer said, “I love the feel of this store because it’s not like a Barnes and Noble, you know, all commercial.”
The next time I go to Tattered Cover, I want to spend more time speaking to customers and staffers.
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ReplyDeleteFor this project, I am looking at how the café amplifies the culture of Whole Foods—and what kind of community there is in/at this Whole Foods. I went to the café in Whole Foods market at Cherry Creek North on April 19th, 2011 from 2:30-4 pm.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of specific facts, the first thing I noticed was how amazingly crowded the store was, and especially the coffee shop—on a Tuesday afternoon at 2:30. In the café there was a wide variety of people—not all the “types” one would think would be at Whole Foods. When I first arrived, there were two students sitting at the counter—one high school aged, the other college, two 30ish old women having a conversation also at the bar counter, an elderly man doing a crossword sitting on the last stool at the counter, a 50ish woman reading a book, and a 50ish couple, with a friend (also fiftyish) who appeared to be friends and also business colleagues of some type. Concerning the amount of time people stayed in the café, there seemed to be two categories of people—those who got their coffee, food (very important as I’ll note later), leisurely ate, than left. They stayed about 15-20 minutes. Then there was a second group that seemed to be there to eat, but also to relax; the people of this group usually had a book or a newspaper, or, as one man did, an ipad. Throughout my time there, my attention was drawn to the interaction between the baristas and the customers, which proved my initial thought—that there are many “regulars” at this Whole Foods Café. Two instances in particular confirmed by belief; one customer received her coffee and said to the barista, ahh you put a heart in it this time. Definitely a strong indication that she is a regular. Also, another customer remarked on the barista’s change of hair color. What I did find odd, is during the hour and a half I was there, I witnessed 3 instances when a customer got irritated at another—and over seemingly very trivial things. One example was a woman in her late twenties who got extremely annoyed and would not accept the apology of a mom and her two daughters accidently standing in the path of the woman’s intent of departure.
The initial sensory impression I had was that of a European market—not only the way it looked by through the way the area by the coffee shop smelled. Being a place where food is sold, one would naturally think it would be very aromatic, however, consider a “normal” grocery store, the food is normally entirely packaged, so the air is usually smell-free. In contrast, this Whole Foods had smells of bread, olives (from the olive bar), pizza baking, cookies wafting in each direction. The way in looked, the area in which the food was, was also very different than a “normal” deli part of a grocery store. The colors were more muted, with elegant displays sporting merchandise for the upcoming Easter Weekend interspersed throughout the buffet islands. Given the busyness of the day and the amount of customers in the store, it was not surprising that there was a joyful buzz of noise—coming from both the workers and the customers.
To go to the Whole Foods and sit quietly at a table with pen and paper was an extremely natural feeling. I feel that a large draw of the “non-grocery” part of the store is that one feels comfortable being in the area unaccompanied. Although some coffee shops also have this appeal, I feel there were a larger percentage of people who came to the Whole Foods café to simply enjoy a peacefulness while still being surrounded by “civilization.” The European aspect I mentioned is very vital because it draws a lot of Europeans—4, that I specifically noticed…one that I interviewed. As far as first interviews, it was very difficult because he was a very reserved person. It appeared to me as if he didn’t have much to say about this Whole Foods because it is what all grocery stores should be—nothing special about this one, except that it wasn’t a normal American grocery store. As he expressed, the quality of food is higher. It may be more expensive, but American food, overall, is cheap quality food. The second person I interviewed, however, was the antithesis of the first—and ironically sat at the same table. A woman in her mid-thirties, who was there with her 5yr old-ish daughter, was very eager to tell me all that she could—overall an entirely different customer than the first man I talked with. This dichotomy is an interesting aspect I would like to further explore.
ReplyDeleteThe main aspect that I would like to pursue further is: why does the atmosphere/ community the employees of Whole Foods create affect the atmosphere/ community for the customers? Whole Foods is famous for being a fantastic place to work—a place where they value employee moral, as they believe it leads to better customer service, and thus a better (more successful) business. On the surface this is easy to dismiss as idealistic corporate policy that does not get translated onto the ground—however there was a noticeable difference in the attitudes of employees at this Whole Foods, in comparison to many other retail outlets. Where I was sitting was adjacent to the employee entrance and throughout the hour and a half I glimpsed the mannerisms of employees coming to and from their shifts. There is a distinct employee culture of Whole Foods that I believe is the center of the “welcoming feel” for the customers. In my one of my subsequent observations, I would like to interview an employee to find out more about this, as well as their observations about the customer community of Whole Foods.
I was unable to make observations on a concert at Lamont last night because I had an audition that was occurring at the same time and took longer than expected. Having missed this, I looked ahead at the upcoming events occurring in Gates Auditorium with audiences that would therefore be using Joy Burns Plaza, and made myself a schedule:
ReplyDeleteSat. 4/23 = "Newman Center Presents" Alarm Will Sound (completely non-related to students, minimum ticket price is $32, audience will likely be entirely public)
Tues. 4/26 = Lamont Symphony Orchestra (tickets free, audience will likely be mixture of music students and public music patrons)
Fri. 4/29 (afternoon) = All-School Convocation (requirement for music students, so audience will likely be entirely students)
Unfortunately, these do not coincide exactly with when our field notes need to be posted to the blog. Will it be alright if I post each set as soon as possible after the dates of each of these respective performances?
I have been able to begin the observation process. I went to Stella's on Tuesday, but was only able to stay for about 30 min. I arrived there around 2:48pm. Here is a short snippet of my field notes so far:
ReplyDeleteI have just arrived at Stellas for the first session to begin my research for my paper. I have been here one other time but never explored beyond the patio and cash register area. This homey building is much larger then appears from the outside. The side brick room that I am currently sitting in is pretty busy. There is a total of 11 people in this room: 9 women and 2 men. A majority of people are working on their computers or doing working in a notebook. The two ladies behind me are speaking loudly and here more for socializing. Their cheerful buzz is the main soundtrack for this room right now. Most of the people in this room are sitting alone, however some people are sitting with others either socializing or doing work.
The décor is very homey yet abstract at the same time. Brick walls line both of the long walls and are oddly shaped in places which adds character. On one wall, there is an area painted blue in order to make that side look as though there is no brick there and instead the wall is absent and providing a view of outside. Artwork lines both sides of the room—mostly brightly colored abstract pieces. They are simply framed in black or white cardstock and further emphasis the streamlined feeling of this place. The chairs are made for work-they are simple and wooden. The view out the side windows face the outside brick of the building next to Stella’s.
Before deciding upon where to sit, I walked around the inside of Stellas. The back room consists of more comfortable seating- couches, big chairs that people disappear into, and the vibe is much more quiet in that area. When I walked through, I felt as though I was introuding into someone living room. People looked at up me as if I were disturbing them by walking through that area.
In contrast, the area that I am sitting is has a constant buzz yet is still mostly quiet. When I walked in, someone was talking on their cell phone in a hushed manner. Most people are busily working other then the two tables that are here in order to socialize with another person.
If I had to characterize the majority of people right now, it looks as though most people here are between the ages of 18-30. This reflects the current atmosphere as a result.
Last night I carried out my first observation in the Lounge of Centennial Halls 2N. Although the night was a little quieter and a little less busy than usual I think it was a fair showcase of what the lounge represents, and what it means to the people who live on the floor. I took 3 pages of fairly thorough notes, simply taking down events, conversation topics, and people who made appearances and for how long. There were deep conversations, casual conversations, serious remarks, playful banter, people going nowhere and people trying to go everywhere all in the same place at the same time. The lounge represents a crossroads of several dimensions. My reflections deal mostly with how everyone is linked by the lounge. It is everyone's and no one's personal space. People are remarkably comfortable within it, yet they can't treat it as they would their private rooms. I think this project will work well and I think I will be able to analyze the significance of this space without making it a personal argument.
ReplyDeleteI plan on going tomorrow to conduct my first set of field notes. I'll post my notes soon.
ReplyDeleteI observed the atmosphere in the Lamb Shoppe for three hours this afternoon, noting the comings and goings of the people throughout that period.
ReplyDeleteWhen I initially arrived, there were only two customers and the salesperson there, it being 3 in the afternoon. After I settled myself in the small seating area that is placed into a corner of the shop, which was filled to the brim with various yarns and tools of the trade, I began to observe the people.
Along with the two ladies who were there for approximately 2 1/2 hours, there were twelve other people, ten women and two men, who came into the store that day, each staying for various amounts of time before carrying on.
When I was watching people at Civic Center Station at evening rush hour last Thursday, I noticed (this is no where near all the observations I took):
ReplyDeletePeople are often checking their watches and generally seem rushed. Oftentimes, someone would see their bus sitting in the terminal and sprint onto it even though it sat there for 5 or 10 minutes after they were already on it.
People form neat lines next to the guard rails. People in the commuter lines walk up and say hello in friendly way and often recognize each other. They often discuss superficial topics like the weather and how their day was.
I also noticed that there were demographic differences between the people in each line. Some lines were middle class workers, while others were minorities wearing casual clothes.
Overall, the station was pretty quiet with a constant hum of the busses outside.
Few people were on their phones. Many were texting, playing games, or reading but not many were actually talking on them.
Next time I go, I plan on focusing on interviewing people. I hope to specifically find out a bit more about the community on the bus, ie if they know each other, if so, how well, etc.
I was finally able to go to the SAME café for my first set of field notes today, April 25th, as I was unable to go when I originally planned. I went between 10:40 and noon. The café itself does not open until eleven so I took the opportunity to walk around the block to get an idea of its location. Located on East Colfax, it is surrounded by unique stores and small restaurants and neighborhoods. The assortment of houses ranged from historic style, beautiful houses to run-down apartment looking buildings. I entered into the café a few minutes before they were actually running. However I was still greeted by the owner, Brad, and he explained to me how the café is ran.
ReplyDeleteHe pointed towards the menu of the day, as it changes daily, and told me to pick out what I want and then I can either leave a donation in the donation box or do an hour’s worth of work in the café. While I waited for the kitchen to officially open, I helped myself to the complementary ice tea. Water and coffee were also options. Brad recommended I try the ham and bean soup as well as the Asian slaw. I took his advice and was served it immediately.
A lady came in not too long after me and got what I ordered as well. I asked if I could sit with her for lunch. We chatted for a good fifteen minutes before she apologized and said she had to leave to go back to work. She works 3 blocks away doing construction and said that she came to the SAME at least three times a week. Normally she likes to get in and out really quickly because a lot of students from the neighboring East High School frequent the café, and she does not like when it is too crowded. When I asked her why she preferred the SAME in comparison to somewhere like Pete’s Kitchen, a neighboring local 24-hour restaurant, she responded, “It’s not as expensive as surround areas, and the proportions are perfect. You can feed three people in one meal at those other places.” She also later in our conversation mentioned how the SAME had “such heart” next to other restaurants. She didn’t have any bad things to say about the owners and applauded their use of organic ingredients. She got up to get a slice of pizza and recommended I try the three cheese pizza as well, which I did.
My meal was overall very tasty. The soup was incredibly sweet because, as I found out, it was made with brown sugar. The woman I ate with too found the soup to be especially good. The Asian slaw was good but rather mediocre. The pizza was wonderful though! Libby, the other owner, hand makes the pizza crust for everyday. Coming from a family of pizza fanatics, I was very impressed. The warm yellow walls combined with the twangy music playing made the café very cozy and welcoming. Inspirational signs hung on the walls saying the following: “Be the change you want to see in the world,” and “A person’s true wealth is the good he or she does in the world.” Most people in the café appeared to be in the 30-50 age range. There was an even mix of Caucasian and Latino people with several African Americans as well.
Like the woman I sat with said, there were quite a few students who appeared between the 11:30 and noon time slot. Even more students walked by outside. In future observations, I want to talk to these students and some of the volunteers.
1. Saturday, 4/23/11 at 6:55-7:30, 8:28-8:40, 9:36-9:43 PM at tables in the Joy Burns Plaza in the Newman Center. Time blocks describe observations taken before, at the intermission of, and during the band, “Alarm Will Sound’s,” performance of “1969.”
ReplyDelete2. At 6:55, there were approximately 40 people in the lobby, between the ages of 16 and 80. The plaza contained six tables with chairs around them, as well as four raised tables with no chairs, that had been set up for people to stand around.
The doors to Gates Auditorium had not opened yet, so the body language of many in attendance indicated awkwardness at trying to find ways to kill the time before the show started. People stood mostly in pairs or alone having quiet conversations and looking regularly towards the doors of the auditorium to see if they could find their seats yet. Some stood around the tables, many walked aimlessly, exploring the space, and the rest sat at one of the tables. As the 7:30 curtain approached, there was more movement of people passing through to the auditorium, but the number of people actively occupying and using the lobby space remained consistent at around 50.
When intermission started around 8:30, the lobby became much more densely packed with approximately 150 people conversing, sipping refreshments, and using the restrooms at any one time. During this fifteen minute period, clumps of people were larger (around four or five) and conversations were animated and loud. Most people stood comfortably, passing the time, and those walking did so with purpose.
At the end of the performance, I got back out to the lobby around 9:35 (two to three minutes after the end) and the number of people lingering in the lobby space was back down to approximately 50.
3. Sensory observations included:
The acoustical nature of high ceilings and tiled floor is to amplify the sound of many conversations, so an individual had to speak louder than usual to be heard easily over the dull roar.
The temperature in the lobby was cool, despite the large number of people in the indoor space.
To signal people at intermission when the show would be resuming, a doorbell like series of pitches was played four or so times.
4. I found the process of taking observations to be stressful due to the nature of this setting. Most of the people using the space are interactive with each other and those who are alone or less social hover by the edges of the plaza. As someone sitting alone in the midst of others’ animated conversations, rapidly taking notes, I felt somewhat awkward. As such, at intermission especially, everyone around me acted as if I did not exist. In this sense, I doubt that I had any effect on their behavior.
5. I found my personal observations to be not nearly as helpful as interviewing people, which I did five times over the course of the evening. As part of my paper, I will do a deeper analysis of what was said, but some interesting things stood out to me at this point in my research include:
Of the five people that I interviewed, only one described themselves as a fan of classical music.
Three were season ticket holders for the Newman Center Presents series
Two of them mentioned a man named Stephen Seifert, who, they explained to me, is the Executive Director of the Newman Center Presents series and is responsible for choosing what performances will be included in the season. They clearly respected his opinions and stated that his choices were one of the primary reasons they were members.
Three of the people I interviewed happened to be sitting at the table where I was conducting another interview and after listening they all wanted to contribute to my research.
6. At tomorrow evening’s performance, I will add to my interview question list, “How do the Newman Center facilities compare to other performance venues?” and “Do you have any affiliations with the University?” I hope to see some significant differences in lobby behavior with an audience that is connected with the Lamont School of Music as opposed to outside patrons.
Yesterday I wandered around Confluence and Commons park, making observations about the geography and people using the park.
ReplyDeleteI started by walking down the Cherry Creek Trail, which is split in half, with bike traffic on the river left side of the creek, and pedestrian traffic on the right. I got off the light rail at the Denver Community College stop. Walking on street level to a ramp down to the trail. I noticed immediately the noise of the city: cars, trucks, the light rail, and freight trains all made a huge amount of noise that made it unpleasant to walk on the sidewalk. Dropping down into the creek, however, the noise let up significantly, making the walk much more pleasant.
This was at about 3:20 PM, and the park was not too busy. On the trail, I saw some people, but certainly not as many as would be there on a saturday or sunday. There were some people walking on my side of the trail, but not many. Of these two people, there were two main types of observable use for the space, exercise, and privacy. There were a number of people jogging or walking, obviously there to exercise. There were two people who were there on the phone, smoking a cigarette, and clearly using the space because it offered them a place to smoke and have a semi private chat. Continuing down the trail to confluence park, I noticed similar types of use. Three types of people were riding bikes on the bike path: cyclists, recreational bikers, and commuters.
Reaching the park, I was impressed to right off the bat see some remarkable things. There was a man on a big wheel old time bicycle, a couple of men doing sets on a set of stairs, and a woman walking two adorable white labs. I say remarkable because I have associated parks with homelessness and disuse, which is what happens in the parks around the Springs. I walked up these stairs to a grassy field in the center of the park. Noticing a large white sign, I walked over to it. This sign was a list of the park rules in Spanish, I read the sign, and then looked at the other side to see if there was english on the reverse. Sure enough, there was the same sign written in english. I really found this interesting because of how it seemed like there was no bias towards english on the sign, and that it was expected that spanish speakers would be using the park as mush as english speakers.
I noticed also how three artistic bridges seemed to connect LoDo, this park, the REI shopping center, and another shopping center/loft community across I-25. Looking east, I could see all the way over the bridge and up 16th street. I had the impression that this park was intended to be a hub for the wheels of recreation and commerce.
Moving across the field, I climbed a small hill. Expecting to see nobody on top, I was surprised to see a depression with a sculpture of a compass pointing north, east, south, and west. The granite blocks of the sculpture were marred with graffiti, taking away from the serenity of the scene substantially. There were a bunch of people sitting at the top of this hill, smoking, chilling and talking. They were all young, all dressed in somewhat ragged cloths, emboridered with the logos of various punk bands. Walking down the hill, I crossed another field with a marine working on self defense with another man. There was a sculpture "Common Ground" at the end of my walk that described the ethnic and cultural diversity of Denver.
On the whole, this experience was very enlightening and helped me gain a better understanding of the place for purposes of this assignment, but It also made stronger connections between myself and Denver, and I could see myself living there in the future.
I was supposed to have an interview during class time on Thursday at one of the World Trade Center building downtown. Unfortunately when I arrived, she had to cancel because of an important meeting. Its fun to be the lowest on the food chain. I ended up sitting outside of the two buildings on the 16th Street Mall side to observe the different groups of people that gathered. There is a huge disparity between the people that enter the two buildings and those that walk along the street. Most every person that walks into the building is suit and tie clad while the street walkers are much more casual. Several financial services like US Bank and E Trade are located on the ground floor of both buildings. This probably contributes to more of a diverse crowd. I need to observe more from the WTC Suite upstairs.
ReplyDeleteI am going to reschedule the interview for sometime next week.
I observed the 27th and Welton light rail station, an inner-city station along the D line in the Five Points neighborhood, as well as the light rail train to and from this station from approximately 4:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M (Rush hour). While I have not yet made any observations that seem to lead towards a particular conclusion regarding this station or neighborhood, I did observe several general behaviors in light rail use. En route to the station, it became apparent that many people systematically avoid sitting next to or near other people on the train. People prefer to sit in a seat-pair alone. If this was not possible, people prefer to sit on the opposite side of a seat-pair and arrange themselves such that they do not directly face one another. As the train filling forced people to sit next to each other, I observed several instances in which the second person to sit in a seat would rotate himself towards the aisle so as to present his back to his seat partner.
ReplyDeleteThis along with the relative lack of discussion, indicate that the space is not a primarily social one for many people, at least to the extent that it doesn’t seem to encourage interaction between people that did not already have a reason to interact (i.e. boarded the train as a group).
At the light rail station behavior was similar, although there seemed to be a more developed generational difference. Younger people continued to either isolate themselves or remain with the group with which they arrived. However, I observed an instance in which several women shared the bench at the station despite at least one of them appearing to be unfamiliar with the others.
The Light Rail station was near what appeared to be some type of small school, which seems to have led to a relatively high number of women with children in the area.