Julia+Waechter+2

Julia Waechter __The Boston Harbor Walk__ The Boston Harbor Walk is an ongoing project created by the Boston Harbor Association, with the help of the Boston Redevelopment Association in 1973. It runs from Chelsea Creek, through East Boston, and ending in Dorchester. Basically, it is a long pathway designed for pedestrians and bikers, along a scenic route so they can enjoy the outdoors. It was designed in order to give the public access to the newly improved and cleaned Boston Harbor. Before this project was started, few people thought of the ocean as a place for recreation, prior to this it was mainly used for factories that lined most of the coast. Along the anticipated 46.9 mile walk are parks, exhibit areas, café’s, and public seating areas, in hopes of inviting more people to enjoy the new area. The harbor walk was built in way to incorporate landmarks Boston already had, it runs along the coast, but also incorporates boardwalks and bridges that were there previously. Making it not only a new and exciting part of Boston, but also one that shows some of Boston’s history. The part of the Harbor Walk in Dorchester behind Harbor Point Community, near UMass Boston, is the part that I am most familiar with. Both hour sessions I sat on one of the provided benches along the path, with a view of the water. On the first day, it was around 5:00, still light out, and high tide. It was fairly warm on this day, a nice change from the weather that we had been having. On the second day it was 6:00, and already dark; the streetlights were on, with the tide beginning to go out. It was cold in the forties, and pretty windy out, even colder now that the sun had gone down. The most obvious thing I saw while observing was the water from Boston Harbor. The bench faces the water, which stretches as far as the eye can see. The harbor walk follows the entire harbor, which was cleaned and re-established so that the citizens of Boston could enjoy the water that surrounds the city. This alone shows the huge shift in values between generations, in prior years not many people thought of the ocean as a place of beauty, waste and pollution from factories were dumped into the water. Behind me on the pathway, there were many people riding bikes, jogging, and walking. It seemed to me that most of the people I saw walking and exercising lived in the Dorchester or South Boston area. I saw a lot of people jog or bike one way then again returning making me believe that they lived in the area. I also saw that the harbor walk was used by UMass Boston students regularly. Many people I saw on the harbor walk were wearing UMass apparel, I even saw what I’m assuming was one of the UMass athletic teams, they were running as a pack and were wearing the warm ups the school provides. One person I saw while sitting was a unique kind of runner. Instead of using the designated path, he ran along the rock wall, which was uneven, and full of obstacles that he jumped over as part of his work out. While another woman I saw was also using the harbor walk for exercise, she was using the designated path to sprint between two benches, over and over again. This showed me that different people use the location in their own way. The path was put there for people’s enjoyment, as well as a place where they could safely exercise outside of their homes. It was warm, and still light out, so many people were enjoying the view and the nice weather. On the second day it was just after dark, and I could see large ships across from where I was sitting in the harbor. I’m assuming this is because they are taking some sort of cargo out of the harbor. This time while observing, I saw less people exercising, and more young people walking in groups. This is probably because it was too dark to be out walking alone, where it could be dangerous. The harbor walk had a different feel after dark then it had previously during the day. During the day it had a light fun feel, a safe place for people to bring their children and pets, and feel comfortable to travel alone. At night the mood changed slightly, it was a lot quieter, and few people were traveling by themselves. It seemed that traveling along the path alone would be slightly dangerous, mainly because of the seclusion of the area. One person I saw was a young male in what looked like a work uniform. It seemed that he must have been using the harbor walk to get to his job. Other people I saw were a young group of girls and boys, about six or seven of them. They seemed to be using the harbor walk as a place to hangout, because they didn’t seem to have a purpose for being there, besides simply to hangout with each other. During the first observation, I could hear a lot of airplanes flying over the harbor. This is most likely because Logan airport is close by on the other side of the harbor. I could also hear the waves crashing against the shore. There is a manmade rock wall the separates the water from the pathway, that could prevent the water from coming up too high, and possibly damaging all of the hard work put into the new harbor walk. The water was at high tide, so it was continually hitting the wall. On the second day I observed I heard children playing and laughing behind me, parents were probably taking their kids out for a while before it got too dark out. Along the harbor walk there are small grass fields where people can play or sit in the grass. I could also hear dogs barking; many people were walking and playing catch with their dogs. I was thinking that this is because after 6:00 people are just getting home from working, and are taking their dogs who have been cooped up in their houses or apartments all day before they eat dinner. While I was observing I came across many smells, on the first day I could smell the ocean and salt from the harbor. This is because of the large harbor that the path follows. I could also smell the water on the second day I observed, except it was more of a bad smell because the tide was going out. On the first day I smelt the scent of fresh cut grass, because earlier that day the small grass field was cut. On the second day I also had smelt the trash that was next the bench, the trash cans are provided by the Boston Harbor Association to prevent pollution in the harbor. While I was observing on the first day I felt the concrete walkway underneath my feet, some of the pathway is made of concrete, while other parts are a mixture of gravel, boardwalk, and bridges. I also felt the manmade rock wall in front of me. On the second day I was observing I walked down in front of the rock wall where I could feel the rocks and the seashells along the shore. I feel that the Boston Harbor walk would best be described as a Utopia. It was designed as an escape from the busy city where people can go and enjoy the view of the harbor. People that live in Boston have few places to go to where they can enjoy nature; the harbor walk was designed for people to get a chance to enjoy the ocean that surrounds it. The harbor walk is a place where people can go to play, walk, and exercise; it is a happy place for people to enjoy the view and the outdoors.