Local Park Walk: Meyer Park (Tempe, AZ)

Preface

After an evening of studying and juggling group project work, I found it to be an excellent time for a walk. I found myself venturing to Meyer Park in Tempe, AZ which has been the closest park to my dwelling for the past three years. It is a familiar spot where my friends and I play basketball; however, I have never truly observed the activity and liveliness of this space. I began my stroll around 6:45 pm, near sunset. The air was still, and it was a comfortable 77 degrees outside, so Meyer Park had many people taking advantage of its offerings. I plugged in my headphones and began listening to Dean Blunt’s Black Metal album (Felt that this was suitable walking music) at a low volume to ensure that I could hear any interesting activity. Truthfully, I was more interested in observing the layout of the park; It has always felt so communal and friendly, yet I have never understood why I feel this way about the space.

Experience

Upon entering the space, I hardly noticed the entrance sign (even though I had been here numerous times in the past). It sits on an aged concrete foundation and is comprised of 2 short cylindrical structures balancing a long, rounded center piece reading “Meyer”. The whole structure is of granular stone with salmon tones and white script. I believe that this caught my eye for the wrong reasons as I did not find it appealing. Onward, I continued my stroll past the playground and saw families playing with their children, which was peaceful to see and brought back memories of my favorite childhood park. Further down the concrete path, I noticed a man walking his 2 dogs who appeared to be so mellow and content with the atmosphere as well. One dog was a larger black dog that seemed to be commanding the path in which they all walked. The white dog then stood in place and peered off into the fields for a moment, so I was able to take a picture. The white dog was small with curly white hair and a short bushy tail — I laughed to myself because it seemed to be trapped in thought as it looked out at the other dogs playing fetch in the adjacent field. I walked past them and looked towards my left at the Meyer Montessori Elementary school. The park and school are separated by a short chain fence with a couple access points connecting the two. I began to understand that the communal feeling of this park rises from the families who enjoy both the park and the school. This was validated when I continued my walk through the dirt path separating houses from the school and park.

The path behind the school and park was not very wide, allowing for safe foot travel to the park. It was mostly dirt and rocks, with sporadic patches of grass that lined the house walls. I took a picture at the beginning of this path because my perspective made the line of houses seem endless. I felt as though this small space made the park seem more inviting as it stretches from the street, behind the school and finishing at the end of the park. Starting my walk down the path, my eyes locked onto the basketball courts, cared for and reserved for kids’ recess. I had to pause and photograph this as well; It was a nostalgic moment and it felt good to see that things have not changed much from my elementary days. Once I was able to continue, I observed an orange tree draped over a wall. The tree itself was vibrant and healthy in appearance, however the wall seemed to be confining it to uncomfortable space. It felt more like tasteless house décor than a tree. My thoughts and music were interrupted by a dog barking at me. I promptly left and made my way back to the front of the school with less interesting observations along the way.

At the front of the school I believed that my walk was complete, however I looked over at the ‘First Christian Church’. The sun’s orange glow hovered above the church and the surrounding trees stood above all in the bluish grey sky. I am not religious; however, this view was powerful as it made me smile seeing that the community park, school and church sat in such proximity. Meyer Park may not be the fanciest park in Tempe, however the communal and inviting structure creates a place that feels safe and relaxing. The integration of the natural grass fields, surrounding streets and concrete basketball courts may sound unappealing, however this is not the case. After truly dissecting and understanding the park, I felt as though I understood the surrounding community as well (to an extent). I hardly take walks or participate in reflective practices of this nature, but I am so glad that I did. Not only did this experience bring peace, it created a deeper sentiment for my favorite park.

Takeaways

“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.” – Herman Melville

After observing what I formerly thought of as my go-to place for basketball, I now see a community. I observed people talking and joking amongst themselves, without any verbal conflict. The energy seemed to be carefree and everyone seemed to be enjoying their time in Meyer Park. I feel that my observations of this park contradict Georg Simmel’s view statedThe Metropolis and Mental Life that city dwellers develop a blasé outlook. A visit to the park with friends or pets is simple and I observed joyful individuals excited about their current air, light, time and space. As someone who has lived in a city for much of my life, I truly enjoyed seeing the communal experience and the joy that it brings to all those that visit.

The Hollywood legend that is Caesar’s Palace opened in 1962, when the owners (Jay Sarno and Nate Jacobson) threw a Greco-Roman style party of grandeur to kick off their new venture. They pioneered the Caesar’s Palace chic which is: high class shopping and dining amongst beautiful architecture. I have visited Las Vegas 5 times in my life and I truly enjoy visiting Caesar’s Palace. Being inside Caesar’s palace had a much different feel than any other time I had been. Minutes prior to my ethnographic observations, I had lost $70 in poor wagers. Feeling down on my luck, I played The Simpson’s penny slot machine, betting $1.25 cents and struck a $700 jackpot instantaneously. This was also my first attempt at gambling, so I was quite excited. At that point I decided to call the gambling quits and soak in the atmosphere of Las Vegas, Nevada (Specifically Caesar’s palace). Upon entering Caesar’s palace, I became enthralled by a few things: the ceiling that is painted to look like a sky, the Fountain of Gods and the prominent fashion scene. I took a seat on a nearby bench and gathered some photos of the Fountain of the Gods statue. At first, I truly focused on the Poseidon sculpture; he is elegantly riding a fish and wielding a green trident. The trident was designed to look heroic: displaying Poseidon as a protector of his domain, yet it looked so violent to me as I stared longer. I am not sure why, but I was intrigued that Poseidon’s faces remained stoic, and his body made him appear to be a wrathful god. This was quite enjoyable to ponder about, so I looked around, curious to see if anyone else was paying attention to the fountain. The people eating at the neighboring restaurant had a perfect view from the patio. Their group comprised of 5 older folk that were dressed sharp, yet oddly alike: in different colored silk button ups with blazers draped over their chairs, and dark pants stacking neatly over Chelsea boots. I noticed that they had little to no interest in the sculpture, they were too consumed with business and bantering back-and-forth about seemingly boring issues. This disappointed me, so I started to observe tourist who appeared excited about their location. Christian Louboutin and Dior shop bags rested at the feet of the other tourists who wanted pictures in front of the fountain. One man I found very interesting was wielding a selfie stick and attempting to get his whole family in the photo (Wife and two 8-10-year-old children). The 2 young children were very reluctant– much like I would be at their age– to take so many pictures. The situation escalated from excitement for a picture of a well-crafted artwork into a family argument of “flash or no flash”. It became apparent that the father had no idea how to use a selfie stick, so I decided to offer them to take the picture. He handed me his phone and said to the kids “the faster you smile the faster we can shop”. I laughed at this. I snapped 4 horizontal and 4 vertical portraits, however it became apparent that I am not a photographer. The man’s wife told me that I needed to take more. I have rather shaky hands and I knew this was the issue. To combat this, I took a surfeit of pictures this time, ensuring that at least 1 photo would be Social Media Worthy. Finally, I sat down and began to observe the ceiling. For me, it was peaceful. I was not focused on the sea of shoppers that flowed tirelessly around me. By then it was 8:30 p.m., however the superficial sky in Caesar’s Palace said otherwise. Hazy clouds speckled the blue sky which acted as the blank canvas of the facade. The shades of blue and white were not fluid, but it created a sort of dreamy effect. At that moment staring at the fake sky, I was baffled by how it looked so real, yet felt so romanticized. I believe that the overall architecture of Caesar’s Palace compliments the dreamy nature of the sky painted ceiling. I had always appreciated the ancient bourgeoise look of Caesar’s Palace, but after observing and researching the history, I appreciate it even more. The art-deco style allows for the architecture to pay homage to Greco-Roman buildings, but it also fosters modern culture as it implements itself. Personally, I found it amazing that all the various retail stores were able to adapt their personal aesthetic to that of Caesar’s Palace. The shops were interesting, Caesar’s palace only allows the gold standard of fashion to implement themselves in good their spaces. At this point, I realized that many of my beloved couture retailers (Dior, Loewe, Chrome Hearts, Hermes etc.) were geographically grouped near each other. Once I was finished observing the scenery, I realized how people can have so many different interests in a given area. Like, I was making observations about an interesting fountain, while families were taking pictures and the businessmen paid no attention to the composition of their surroundings.