Upon first exiting the
bus, I was immediately aware of the atmosphere surrounding us. We were in the
Fringe of the Tenderloin. This is an area where many underprivileged, troubled
people live. We automatically make stereotypes about these people upon their
appearances. Although many people living out of shopping carts and in boxes are
addicted to drugs and alcohol and are therefore somewhat incoherent and
“removed”, there are also many who have simply been laid off or have
unfortunate events take over the course of their lives. As we walked down the
street, I automatically found myself feeling nervous and unsure around some of
these people. I tell myself not to worry, but it’s a natural inclination to
feel uncomfortable around people who aren’t as fortunate as us. It’s hard for
us to look at them and not feel either guilty or disgraced by the way that they
are living their lives.
Clearly the signage surrounding this area on the Fringe of the
Tenderloin is directed towards people of all socioeconomic classes. It is
certainly not directed towards the high status members of society due to the
culture of the area. Not to make stereotypes of any kind, but there are
certainly people living in and around the Tenderloin who don’t have the same
educational opportunities as us. Thus, some of these people never learned how
to read efficiently. The signage in the area was clearly created for the
purpose of being effective upon a purely visual encounter.
As we continued to walk down Market Street, the atmosphere changed
rather drastically. Less people occupied the streets, and more high-end shops
and restaurants came into the picture. The signage and art culture became more
“in depth” in a sense. I found this very fascinating considering the small
amount of space between say the Fringe of the Tenderloin and Union Square.
Union Square has commercial signage visible from all vantage points that is
undoubtedly directed towards people with money. This area of downtown is not
the place to shop if you only want to drop a couple bucks. If you plan on
spending four hundred dollars on a scarf, than be my guest, go right into Prada
or Gucci.
As we walked toward Mission Street, it was unbelievable how many
different billboards and signs we saw for the new Target store. I can’t say
that the signage wasn’t effective though. When we saw the first sign
advertising the store, we immediately changed course and set out to find it. We
fell into the trap that signage artists set up for society in an oh so subtle
matter. Sooner rather than later, we were inside the realms of the store. Once
we were in, let’s just say that it was not easy to leave as quickly.
As we headed back toward the Civic Center and Public Library,
the atmosphere changed again ever so slightly. We went from feeling like we
didn’t quite fit in the “high class” vibes to feeling quite well put together.
We came to the conclusion that the area around the Civic Center and library
were attempting to raise the bar, and that they would be quite classy minus the
groups of homeless and weed-smoking people. It wasn’t an observation that we
were proud of, but it is certainly intriguing to think about how much a place
can change based on the people and vibes that are expressed there.
I felt as though this field trip was a successful one by the end
of the day. It was a good way to open our eyes to the city that surrounds us.
I’m sure most of us have been downtown several times, but it wasn’t until this
little trip that I came to realize and really take time to study my surroundings
to a full extent. Downtown was one culture and one atmosphere in my mind before.
I now see the differences in the people, signage, art, culture, and atmospheres
that lie between a matter of city blocks.
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