How Do Visitors Use Bradford Beach?
Spend a few minutes at the beach on a busy day, and it is easy to see that every person who goes to Bradford Beach has a slightly different reason for being there. At first glance, the beach may seem to be a very hectic space with people moving constantly and many different activities happening right next to each other. But after careful observation, one may discern fairly distinct territories. These sections are, perhaps surprisingly, not simply identified by demographics. Instead, these spaces mark the different tempos of beach visitors, or how quickly visitors move through a particular area. To better illustrate how the beach can be divided into sections by tempo, we have analyzed the first and second floors of the bath house.
The bath house can be divided into three different social spaces, each with its own tempo. Social Space 1, the green area, has a very slow pace of activities. These areas on the bath house patio and terrace are where beach visitors tend to sit, people-watch, and observe the activities on the beach. Visitors in the green area frequently linger for a few hours.
The steps leading down from the bath house to the beach as well as the edges of the second floor terrace make up Social Space 2, the area marked in red. This area is also where beach visitors stop and watch the activities of the beach and the street. However, this area has a quicker pace than Social Space 1. Instead of staying in the same place all afternoon, visitors in these areas stay while they eat lunch or relax after swimming. They then might move on to another part of the beach or leave the area altogether.
Social Space 3, the areas colored gray, cutting through the bath house patio and going up the stairs, has the quickest movement of the three spaces. This area marks a path that is taken by those simply passing through the bath house. These visitors are usually using the biking/walking path that runs along Bradford Beach. Sometimes these visitors might stop at the bath house to use the restrooms or the concession stand, but frequently they simply pass by without stopping at all.
The steps leading down from the bath house to the beach as well as the edges of the second floor terrace make up Social Space 2, the area marked in red. This area is also where beach visitors stop and watch the activities of the beach and the street. However, this area has a quicker pace than Social Space 1. Instead of staying in the same place all afternoon, visitors in these areas stay while they eat lunch or relax after swimming. They then might move on to another part of the beach or leave the area altogether.
Social Space 3, the areas colored gray, cutting through the bath house patio and going up the stairs, has the quickest movement of the three spaces. This area marks a path that is taken by those simply passing through the bath house. These visitors are usually using the biking/walking path that runs along Bradford Beach. Sometimes these visitors might stop at the bath house to use the restrooms or the concession stand, but frequently they simply pass by without stopping at all.
Ringo talks about what people do while on Bradford Beach.