Devin+Cannon+2

Devin Cannon

Professor Kingsley

Sec. 8

14 November 2009

//Castle Island //   For my field observations I choose to observe Castle Island in South Boston. Castle Island is owned by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and is part of South Boston’s Harbor Walk a 46.9 mile walk along Boston Harbor, which they added a man made walk way, which surrounds Pleasure Bay which is an enclosed by the walk way and where you can swim at Castle Island. It also has a strip of beach, which is the most commonly used beach in the city for people swimming or just trying to get a tan. The castle on the island was rebuilt during the American Revolution under the order of colonel Sylvanus Thayer in 1834 and was used to protect Boston from coast attacks. Castle Island got its name because at one point the entire land mass was and Island until they built the man made causeway in 1930 which today is the road and the parking lot that is used today. As of today the Island is used as an escape from the fast paced city life however it attracts people from all over to visit. Castle Island gives locals a place to run/walk, relax and get fresh air without leaving the city. Growing up on Cape Cod which is about an hour away my mom use to take us to Castle Island to get lunch and run around the Island and just watch the planes land at Logan. As for the Castle it is closed to the public however Throughout June and August there are tours conducted by volunteers of the Castle Island Association. On my first day being at Castle Island one of the first things I noticed was how many people where there doing a variety of different things. Some people were running, walking, laying on the grass or just sitting watching the lovely view of the island. Due to how windy it was most people where wearing winter jackets and pants with a hat however most of the runners where wearing spandex pants with a T-shirt or a long sleeve and listening to their I-pods. There were all different types of people there which made me think about what castle island meant to the locals of Boston and my guess is they see Castle Island as an escape from city life due to how peaceful and beautiful the island is. There was also an overwhelming scent that took over the island that day which happened to be the smell of grease and fried food from Sulley’s. Some people that come down to Castle Island come for the delicious food that is served there such as burgers, hotdogs, fries and more. Because of the great prices it is affordable for family to come down and grab something to eat while they watch the planes land at Logan Int. Airport. There where many noises that I could hear while being at Castle Island such as plans flying overhead, seagulls, waves crashing against the shore and the whistling wind. Due to how busy of an Airport Logan is there was always a plane landing or taking off from close by so it was easily herd from Castle Island. It was also so windy that day the ocean was very rough causing waves to crash into the rocky coast of the island. Since little kids love to feed the seagulls they were everywhere making that awful noise they make. Those are some of the noises you will become familiar with when you head down to Castle Island. I decided to walk around a little to see what was around that I could touch some things were the grass, sand, water and the stone that makes up the castle. The grass was still very green and lush and was still wet from the morning dew but it was short and you can tell the city of Boston keeps up with its maintenance. My favorite part was being on the beach being on the cold sand made me think of home because I grew up on the beach. The water was very cold but calm on the side of pleasure bay and rough on the open ocean side. Last I went up to the castle and touched the stone that makes up the walls they were very rough feeling, cold and almost felt a little damp. On my second day of observation I went to the other side of the Island which would be the side furthest from the parking lot. I noticed that there was a Korean War Memorial, less picnic tables and more runners then people just watching the view. The Korean War Memorial was placed there as a place to honor the soldiers that fought in the War from this neighborhood. I noticed there were a lot more picnic tables on the other side of the Island this is because of how windy it is on this side due to the fact you are out in the ocean without anything surrounding you so people don’t like to sit out there because they will be to cold. Last I noticed that the people that were out there with me where mostly runners they are out there because the running path takes you all around the island and most runners want to run the most miles they can so they want to take the longer path. Those are some differences in what I saw from my fist day to second day of observation. I heard boats driving by me in the harbor, planes, seagulls and waves. Since I was on the ocean side there were some boats out there some of which I noticed where Boston police boats cruising the coast. I heard less plans then before probably because most plans while landing fly directly over pleasure bay and since I was on the ocean side I was out of their path so I did not hear them as well as before. I still herd a lot of seagulls and waves crashing against the rocks due to the heavy winds. Today I particularly noticed the scent of low tide and I could still smell the food being cooked at Sulley’s. Since the tide was out while I was there you could see the muck on the coast line that had a very raunchy scent no it. Also because I was further way from it the smell of Sulley’s was weak but I still got a whiff of fried food every now and then. Those are some smells I noticed during my observation. There were several differences in feeling of the island’s atmosphere between the two days. Day one there was more family activity going on such as playing on the beach and picnicking on the grassy areas of the Island rather than just runners. Since there was more action on the other side there were more things to observe such as scents and feeling of the island. The smell of fried food was much more overwhelming on the other side rather than the ocean side because people got their food and ate it throughout the picnic tables around there. I also felt that the pleasure bay side had more of a family vibe because the kids had a playground to play on the sand on the beach and the grassy areas to run around in. However on the ocean side was cold and windy and not much other than the Korean War Memorial for people to look at. That is the difference in atmosphere from day one day two. As you can see Castle Island is a very popular and important spot in South Boston. It can be used by all ages to lay on the beach walk the harbor walk or just look at the beautiful view of the ocean. It is a great place to grab a burger and watch the plans land at Logan Int. Airport. Castle Island is simply the best escape from the city without leaving the city.