observation WEEK 5

iDEAS iN pLACE,

I would say that there are three main groups of people or maybe two and a subgroup that use the top of Peter’s Hill (the spot). The first is the dog people who I have mentioned before. This subculture uses the spot to let their dog run free off their leash and interact with other, this aids in interaction between the owners themselves. Most of these people do not have an athletic build but take their dogs for walks maybe as a way to get out of the house. Generally, the dog people are around 30 to 50 years of age and cone to the spot by themselves with their dogs. I have not seen very many couples or children with their parents come to the spot with their dog.

The second group is the people who come and sit to see the view. This group could be divided into a group that is there to exercise and use the spot as an ending or a resting area in their workout. The second subgroup is people who just come there to sit and absorb the view (the sentimentalists). They may be walking for exercise but it is not obvious. While the exercising people are mostly alone the sentimentalists stay for a much longer time, and half of them are with someone else.

All three groups have some things in common; all of the people here are white and I would suspect live ether next to the park or a short drive away. All the groups seem to come from a white collar professional class background especially the group that exercises. I would also note that while this might be a good representation of residents in the immediate area it doesn’t portray the area as a whole. Forest Hill subway stop is located right across the street from the Arboreum. It is the last stop of the orange line and the population of the subway is about 50% to 75% black and Latino. I have not as of yet seen one black person at the spot that I can recall.