Fieldwork: Mapping A Block
1. What location did you choose? What drew you to it? Describe what you found.
I decided to draw 125th street. It’s an area in Manhattan that is commonly populated by Africans, Hispanics, and African Americans. The reason I decided to draw this is because of how largely populated the area is, it’s a common shopping place that people go to when they want to buy an outfit real quick or the latest J’s. The Apollo sits in the middle of West 125th and is home to many performers. The history of 125th is significant is another reason why I decided to draw this specific area. Black history is prominent in this area which is why it's known as “Black Manhattan.” I wouldn’t necessarily say I found this but when walking down 125th street as a black person the experience is veryyy different that a hispanic person or maybe sometimes a white person walking down 12th street. I say this because every time my friends and I walk down the block we are always stopped by hair braiders asking if we want our hair braided. Don’t get me wrong I have no problem with them doing that but my hair would done in natural styles mostly in a puff and they would still ask if I want my hair braided🥲.
2. What did you notice in your observations that you’ve never noticed before?
When I was searching for pictures of this area that I felt I knew 100% I noticed that buildings that I grew up with were either gone or not even built yet. I was shocked at some of my childhood memories not being there when looking at pictures. I also realized how old the Apollo is even though I never been inside in person watching it on TV. The inside is so brand-new almost a tourist wouldn’t even know how long it’s been on 125th street.
3. What is absent that you might have expected to find?
As previously mentioned a lot of the buildings that I would expect to be there weren't there when looking at old pictures. It made me rethink what I really knew about the area I was familiar with for 10 years. ChuckE Cheese was one building I was hoping to find on Apple Maps but to my surprise it was torn down recently. I always find myself on 125th street since it’s close to my house and I never once thought that it would close down.
4. Can you determine anyways in which this space has been impacted by COVID-19.
125th street is a popular area whether you are going to work, want to shop, hungry, going to school, etc. with the population being huge in NYC especially in manhattan COVID 19 had affected 125th street tremendously. What was once a street with a lot of people walking by it is now empty, a lot of stores have closed down due to no one shopping. During the Black Lives Matter Protest rioters and protesters stormed the streets which caused shops to board up and never open again.
