You should all be authors on this site and should be able to create new posts. Every week you should have a post based on your fieldnotes. It might be about how you took field notes (and include samples of your notes) or it might be an analysis of your field work based on your field notes.
Field Notes: 1/26
City Dock Fredericksburg:
My field notes for City Dock include an examination of weather, park design, people and topography. Although it was sunny and warm, with temperatures around 60 degrees, very few people were out using the park at the 9:00 time period that we visited. The few people that were present were sitting in their vehicles enjoying the view, while other visitors could be seen using the park to walk their dog.
The design of the park appeared to be strictly for recreational purposes, with most of the attention centered at the dock and fishing piers. The sidewalk ended at the park, indicating to me that the park was designed to be the ending to the trail. Benches could be seen at the site, but there were three at the dock and only one in the grassy area, which might account for the lack of people using the park for leisure purposes.
Signage at the park appeared to be intended to celebrate the historical tradition of the city as a whole, but fell short in several aspects. The signage showed how the passage of slave ships shaped the city, but most of the ships pictured and spoken about would have never come to the Fredericksburg area. Additional signs were posted in order to keep visitors from using glass bottles and consuming alcoholic beverages.
Train Station:
The design of the station overall appeared to encourage people to keep moving. There were no outside benches with the exception of one by the bus stop, but even that one had curved edges and bars that would not be conducive to staying for long periods of time. The stations sidewalk was very well lit with lights lining the entire side of the building. There was a small bike rack and limited in front parking.
The green space situated outside of the station also discouraged sitting or lingering. There were no benches and places to sit, and there was no one observed that walked through the park at all. The one person that could be seen walking there dog walked their dog on the sidewalk and not in the green space which struck me as odd.
Inside the station, it was very handicap accessible with ramps that could also be beneficial for people with suitcases or luggage. There was some vandalism inside the station, but could only identify one specific spot.
Thanks, Kelly!