Public Space - Manayunk, Philadelphia

My Classmate's journey within Manayunk

2 blocks and turn Right (From left to right: Picture 1 and Picture 2)

1 block walk across the ttreet (Tattoo Shop) (Picture 3)

Turn left and walk under the train track, to the "Cresson Inn" into the alley (Picture 4)

Stop sign and turn left walk straight (Picture 5)

Go left to the empty store (4347 Zesit), handout and make friend.

Walk out and find turtle. Count them. Walk Straight. (Picture 6)

My own journey around Manayunk:

Small alley way off of Cresson Street (Picture 7)

Walking farther down Cresson Street (Picture 8)

One of the first sights you may see when you get done walking down the Manayunk hills. (This particular street is Cresson St. and Cotton St.) (Picture 9)

View of Manayunk from stairs (almost in another neighborhood: Roxborough) (Picture 10)

When we were told we would meet in Manayunk to walk around, I was a little confused. I never thought of my hometown as a "space," I always thought of it as my neighborhood, and that's that. Then we were told to do a psychogeographic walk and I was even more confused. These walks consist of getting "lost"and drifting around to look at the space in a more "unpredictable" way. I am from this space, so drifting didn't seem logical to me and I was not able to complete the project because I was too caught up in my own thoughts. I kept thinking, "How am I supposed to look at this place a different way when I have been living here for years?" I always looked at it the same old way.

 I went back down to Main Street within Manayunk on a different day to see if I could complete the drifting project. As I walked around I started to notice small alley ways and the cobble stone streets. I didn't look at where I was going, I was looking at the details of the streets. I noticed the abrupt change of scenery from walking under the train tracks and coming out to see Main Street and notice all of the trees in thee far background (Picture 9). Another fresh image I never noticed was of the black empty tar spot that stuck out like a sore thumb to me on my walk (Picture 8). I walked by this empty a million times, and this walk was the first time I really noticed it. I started to notice things I never noticed before. This project has shed some new light into what Neighborhood Narratives is about. Each individual is going to have a different view of the urban city canvas, but it's up to yourself to create the element of visual portrayal versus physical portrayal.