57th Street Parklet and Columbus Circle Plaza

In response to an assignment for our Environmental  Behavior Research class,  I walked Broadway from 59^th Street Columbus Circle to 23^rd Street,  Union Square observing people in the environment and taking pictures. I did this one week ago on Sunday February 19th at around 3:30 - 4:30 in the afternoon.

I began the walk with a specific interest in whether  people were using sitting in what have been referred to as parklets. These are areas of the street formerly occupied by moving cars.

The question had been asked in class whether  anyone would sit in a spot that might feel like it was actually in the street. I wondered about this as well,  although my overriding question in on this Sunday afternoon in February was whether  it would be warm enough for people to be sitting outside at all.

I soon discovered that it was indeed warm enough as a number of people were sitting on stone benches and ledges in the plaza around the Columbus Circle monument.

So I'm glad I started where I did, because the first blocks of parklets were quite sad and empty, as were the nearby cafe tables outside a restaurant.

No one is sitting at the tables between 57th and 58th Street. A lone cyclist talks on his phone and rides through the parklet.