Describe your own personal place or the physical location you feel most “placed” or comfortable in a brief essay. This could be a place where you grew up, where you are located now or even somewhere you imagine for your future. It could be a type of generalized environment (i.e. the forest, the city) or it can be a very specific destination. What makes this place special for you? Is it because of family ties or shared community values? Maybe it is a particular landscape that you feel most at peace in. Please describe the physicality of your place including a sensory description. What is the character of this place? Who are the inhabitants? What is its history? Please describe in detail. Please post your essay below before our class meeting on 9/29 by noon.
What is your place?
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Angela Pagliaroli- My Place
As a child my family was always going camping. From the desert to the beach we were always on to the next big adventure with every weekend that passed. I always enjoyed these trips. The beautiful landscapes and the great experiences will always stay with me and remain a part of me, but when I think of my place none of these experiences comes to mind. Instead I think of a long open road that is near my house.
I have always lived in the city and although my family did “rough” it on the weekend I would consider myself a city girl through and through. I always enjoyed the rustic trips we took but I was always overjoyed to be home with all of the common amenities that it offered. It wasn’t until recently though that I really discovered my place.
I was driving down this open road that I mentioned that is right near my house. It isn’t too over populated and on each side of the thing there are homes settled about 100 yards from the street. There is lush greenery all around the place and generally children playing in their front yards. One day a few weeks ago I was driving back to school from home around sunset. The weather was just perfect and I had all the windows down in my car. My hair was whipping outside of my sunroof and I was just driving 50mph down this long straight road. To any other person this would just seem like any other drive back to school after a long weekend, but the weather was cool and crisp. There was a serene silence that surrounded the area and I could see the colors in the sky changing from oranges and reds to purples and pinks. I felt so at peace driving along. Things in my life were put into perspective and I just realized the common fact that life goes on. Nature moves along day to day not worrying about the past and in the larger scheme of things my so called problems were pointless. I just felt so comfortable in that moment and I felt so connected to the earth. For the first time I felt genuinely happy and serene.
I have never had that feeling from a place before and so I named this experience and this road my place. I don’t know if I will ever get this feeling from this place again but the initial experience itself was fulfilling enough. As time progresses my place will probably change but for now this long, straight, empty road provided me with the greatest feeling of connection to my surroundings that I have ever felt before and I wouldn’t trade any part of the experience.
I find the idea of conjuring a distinct conception of my personal place a little difficult. I think that the age we live has a lot to do with this. it used to be that people were born and raised in a place. they knew that that was their place because it just was. In this age of cheap easy travel, international communication, and relative mobility, the idea of a personal sense of place has begun to get a bit blurred. however easily uprooted though, there is something that draws me to certain places over others.
I suppose that I can say fairly certainly that my place is somewhere in the North-Eastern United States. Somewhere between the dense green mountains and serene lakes of upstate New York, and the jagged Coast of Maine. These are the places that have had the most impact on me. I grew up canoeing and sailing on those lakes and climbing in those mountains. We would go on cross-country ski backpacking trips and kayak out to the islands off of Mid-coast Maine. I do feel most at home next to a fire in in a place where I can’t hear any cars.
having said that however, I can’t help but thinking about my first couple of experiences camping out in the southern California desert, and in Zion in Utah. Those places were certainly new and unusual to me but felt almost equally perfect. Perhaps in this new age, the sense of place becomes more abstract. Not so much a town or state as a type of place. I feel most at ease in a place where I can hear myself think and can see some stars. The last time I camped out in the desert, I really thought that I could just live there no problem.
San Diego took a good long time to grow on me. Its huge overcrowded, over grown, overdeveloped sprawl caught me off guard at first. now that I’ve figured it out a bit It has actually grown on me. I wouldn’t say that it is “my place” but I feel at ease and at times even comfortable and happy here.
I didn’t have a place or think of my place until this class, but after thinking about it, my place would have to be San Francisco. San Francisco is where I grew up and lived the first 18 years of my life. I feel most comfortable there because most of my family resides there and I love the diversity of people and of the food. I get this different, great feeling there compared to everywhere else I’ve been.
I didn’t realize it was my place until I moved to San Diego for school. I left San Francisco, I left thinking that I hated the cold and loved the beach, but after leaving in San Diego during the hot summers, I decided that I rather be cold than hot, and indoors than at the beach. When you’re hot you can only take off so much, but when you’re cold you can layer on. And at the beach the sand gets everywhere, like glitter, the herpes of craft supplies. I always leave exhausted and a feeling like I need a 2 hour shower. I don’t San Diego will ever grow on me. It’s nice to vacation here but to live and consider it my place is not likely.
The foods in San Diego cannot compare to San Francisco’s variety. In San Francisco, a passion for food grew in me. You can call me a foodie snob. The food and culture is the biggest difference to why San Francisco is my place and not San Diego. When I go back, the air feels more fresh and crisp. I love the fog! Everything is so close and the public transportation is amazing. I like to be able to walk places and get across town in 5 minutes. Another big aspect that I like about San Francisco is that it is a progressive city. They are the only city in California that has a ban on styrofoam and plastic bags. We are an environmentally friendly city.
Sometimes I get bored of the city and need to escape. My escape is usually Clearlake. It is isolated and it is cut off from communication. There is no TV or internet to distract you from the outdoors. Instead, we go hiking or swimming. It’s quiet relaxing; however, I can’t live there. It wouldn’t be as pleasant if I did.
Maybe my place will change the more I travel, but for now, I am always wishing to be back home in my place, San Francisco.
When I first began contemplating how I might respond to this rather broad question, I didn’t really know where to even begin. I tried to think really hard about all the different places I’ve been over the course of my life and where I remember, “fitting in” the best. After struggling for a while I stopped and simply thought about the place that I consider to be, “home” and for me that place is Sacramento, California.
I don’t consider Sacramento to be my place necessarily because of the physical landscape, climate, or the like; rather it is my place because it is the place where I have lived the majority of my life. I have lived in several different cities over the course of my life but never anywhere near as long as I have lived in Sacramento. I have experienced the majority of my education there and have been a member of several different sports teams there as well. I know the city’s layout better than any other place on Earth and can navigate to just about anywhere I could want to go without needing directions.
I also consider Sacramento to be my place because it is the place that I most closely associate with family and friends. Before recently relocating to southern California, my immediate family has lived in Sacramento for fifteen years. I’ll never forget sitting out on the patio in our backyard, feeling the cool evening breeze on my skin and listening to flocks of geese and other birds flying overhead. Often, we would enjoy a nice dinner outside consisting of deliciously tender cuts of barbequed meat, sweet buttered corn and a fresh salad. Warm summer nights in Sacramento are incredible and something that I’ll never forget.
Because we have lived there for so long, the majority of my close friends, whom I know from school, sports, etcetera are also from Sacramento. Additionally, my grandparents live in Sacramento and have lived there for over thirty years. During elementary and middle school my brothers and I would go over to their house every day after school to do homework, practice piano with my grandmother, and generally relax after a long day at school.
The city is completely engrained in my mind and no matter how long I am ever away from Sacramento, it always feels like home whenever I return.
To be quite frank, the only reason why I feel that this is my place is because I have only visited this place for 2 days and I fell in love with the scenery, the people, the food and the general environment of it all. Another reason is because this place was completely out of the my norm, completely unexpected, an essentially a place that is far, far away from a home – a place that I’ve lived in, almost my entire life.
This place is Interlaken, Switzerland – or possibly just Switzerland overall because I’d like to travel outside the touristy environment and see what it’s really about.
I studied and traveled abroad this summer and this is the place that truly stuck out to me. It was special because the environment was peaceful, family friendly, outdoor activities were in reach, whether it had to do with hiking, sky diving, paragliding, riding the scooters or simply riding around in a bike to the nearest lake. Everything there was everything green (the grass and mountains), blue (the lake), white (the Swiss Alps) and nothing in between, really, aside from the ridiculously over-priced restaurants and shops. When my friends and I were on the train, on the way to our hostel, we saw houses that were neither really too close or too far, but close enough to converse with your neighbors and far enough to have a play pen for the kids, a garden and then the lake at the very edge of your backyard. The town wasn’t too far from the houses either, so if groceries, Swiss chocolate or going out to eat was necessary, it wasn’t an inconvenience to drive or bike to those places.
I’m not sure if the community shared similar values since we only stayed there for a couple of days but the people there were very friendly. Everywhere we ate and even walked, some people stopped to greet us. They were very polite (but then again, this was a touristy area, so I might have a biased opinion), very friendly and approachable people. Everything about my experience there was so care-free. Hanging out with friends, meeting new people and doing fun activities for a reasonable price was probably everything that I could ever want in a home. I’m so used to being around houses and houses of people, and away from the scenery that Interlaken showed me and simply knowing that there is a different way of living – a different WORLD out there, it makes me want to go back. I was 2 days and I already fell in love with the place, enough even that if I stayed a few months longer, I could picture calling it my home.
I don’t write poetry, but this prompt inspired one. Here it goes:
Before and After Here nor There
Place is my car, a dj booth, and even Whole Foods.
Spaces I can maneuver no mater what place.
Place is a book, a song, a pair of shoes.
They take me there, away from here.
“Excuse me miss”, they’d asked.
“Where’s the spaghetti?
Can you get me fork?
How much for housekeeping?”
That was La Jolla. The jewel, the crown.
Even unaccepted by my own kind:
“Y tu que sabes!” After asking directions.
Realizing my race.
Place is a space where you’re in control.
Where there is comfort.
Where you can let go.
Reykjavik, Amsterdam, Normal to Uni Heights.
Free of discrimination.
Full of music, with spaces to dance.
That is comfort. That is home. That is my place.
I would have to say that one of my places from the past, and that I still hold dear in my heart is the summer camp I went to for 5 years in the San Bernardino Mountains here in Southern California. It was a music based camp (not band camp) where both wind and string instruments, as well as choral students attended. The community it originally was based from is Long Beach, CA but students from all over the United States can attend and receive scholarships to go. This place is special to me because so many memories are attached here, and so much positive growth during my teen years occurred there. I have life long friends and experiences from this place.
It is located in Arrowbear; in between Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear. There was a cabin with the main office and mailboxes for each camper and was checked daily around noon to see if we got letters from down the mountain, “the porch” which was a cement slab with a patio-type covering overhead where Arts and Crafts was held and usually the meeting place for many hikes. The Orchestra bowl was a stage made of cement usually laid out with many chairs and music stands, also covered by a patio covering and was the main area for the concerts at the end of each session. The dining hall was on a hill above the orchestra bowl and volleyball court that not only fed us three times a day, but also housed our indoor night activities like board game night and skit night. The kitchen was where all food was separated by liquids and compost and dishes were washed by the daily KP (Kitchen Patrol) assigned to each cabin member throughout the weeks, everyone made sure to scrape their plates clean because you knew it would be you sometime during your stay washing the dishes as well. The Arrowbear gift shop was full of sweaters, gifts and snacks. It was never staffed, but you deposited money to the camp at the beginning of your stay and subtracted what you bought on a piece of paper with everyone’s name on it as an honor system, then collected your remaining balance at the end. The Jazz porch, a small alcove located underneath the gift shop is where small quartets, trios, duets or even soloists practiced in “sectionals”. There are girls and boys cabin dorms, both indoors and outdoors, a ramp leading up to the Nurse’s porch complete with a constantly tuned piano, the Nurse’s station and more alcoves for practicing. Down the dirt hill was the campfire where songs were sung most nights and we looked up at the vastness of the sky, seeing more stars than we ever did at home in the city, including many shooting stars that I wished upon. During the day this was also the hiking path to get to the big pile of rocks named Happy Gap, named for its many gaps and the happiness it brought to all campers.
I feel like this place is special to all the people that ever have had a connection to this place. I no longer even play and instrument anymore but it still means a lot to me. The overall community there was very positive, a nirvana for geeks alike, someplace where we could show our true awkward teenage selves and be praised and accepted for it rather than shunned from society. The best part about this camp is that I have so many musical songs associated with it (obviously). Any type of classical piece played there or even the songs we sang at campfire stick out and have an instant connection to a physical place there no matter where I am here. Often I hear these songs in elevators, department store dressing rooms, or even in a mall. I posted one in particular that we would sing at campfire.
Circle Game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbIuC9hTY9Y
In thinking about my place and a space where I feel at ease, I immediately thought of the most basic, my room, my home. The time when I arrive in my apartment, turn the lights on, and close the door to shut out the day is a moment when I feel like letting out a huge sigh and ultimately, can let go.
Dropping off the weight of my day- whether in package or mental baggage form- sometimes I find myself racing to my house with a sense of anxiety, arriving there to really go nowhere, but feeling, upon arrival, a sense of ease.
It is for me, a place of ultimate decompression, as if the culmination of the day and the act of shutting any door to the outside world, whether in San Diego, New York, or a geography elsewhere, is similar to the end of a show, when the performer has taken a bow, walked off the stage and into his/her dressing room.
Laura Dambuleff
I suppose I would have to say my place is San Diego. I’ve lived in four different locations (ie cities/towns) in my life… the first two I was too young to develop a sense of place and the prior one to San Diego is a place you couldn’t pay me to return to. Upon further thought, however, I truly do love San Diego, it has become a part of me and offers me so much of what I need.
I love San Diego because over the course of one day, I can wake up with the beach outside my window, have brunch in the quaint neighborhood of Hillcrest, travel to the badlands to watch the sun set, and end my night downtown at my virtual second home/place of work, a dimly-lit, music-filled nightclub. There’s not many other places I can think of where you can have literally almost any type of landscape/environment at your fingertips… perhaps New York City or Los Angeles or San Francisco but I feel as though if I lived in any of those cities I would feel the same way about them as I do about San Diego. I absolutely adore LA and NYC (haven’t been to SF!!) but my bed is here in San Diego
I wake up every morning to the sun dripping through my window onto blue satin sheets, with the soft echo of ocean waves trailing off in the distance, just about as loud as the faint noise of cars passing by. The temperature always stays more regular near the beach, which I cannot tell you how much it is a pleasure not having to wake up sweating or incapable of ripping the warm sheets off to enter your frozen cold room. A lot of my place has to do with my bed, as sad as that sounds. I can sleep almost anywhere, and in almost any situation (and trust me, I have) but there’s something about your bed, the sheets you chose, the way it’s worn in, the angle it’s in… that just makes everything else seem irrelevant. My bed isn’t even that special… IKEA frame, mid-range pillows, discounted pillow-top mattress… but there’s something about it that just makes it… a big part of my “place”.
I love the wide array of things to do in San Diego… I get bored very easily and I dread routine so having an escape and being able to eat whatever cuisine I feel like, visit a park, a beach, a downtown neighborhood, a quiet town, even a desert… and having access to that every day is absolutely amazing. In New Jersey I lived 20 minutes away from ANYTHING (other than deers, tractors, trees, and hillbillies) and let me tell you, having a Trader Joe’s, a gas station, a bank, and so on less than five minutes away is AWESOME. Variability is great, and the easy going nature of everyone in San Diego makes it so easy to be comfortable, regardless of who you are and what environment or culture you prefer (if any).
I suppose a big part of my place is Voyeur, the nightclub I work at. Music is a huge part of me, anyone who knows me will probably describe my obsession if they had to tell you about me in 30 seconds. So, as one of the main electronic venues in San Diego (and even southern california) needless to say I spend a lot of time there. The edgy decor, ranging from AK-47 lamps, photographs of skulls on the walls, wrought iron staircases, and a dumbfounding LED wall spanning a major length of the club… I love it. It’s well thought out and you can tell a lot of love and energy was put into it’s creation, which is something I appreciate. The best part is, despite it’s gothic, dark, and almost upscale demeanor, the vibe of the place as well as every individual I work with is the exact opposite. You’re there to have fun, dance until you fall over, listen to DJs you admire and respect, and be amongst people you enjoy the company of. And my co-workers are the most sincere, hard-working, easy-going, caring, dedicated people I know.
So, in conclusion I suppose my “place” can be generalized into a location with varying aesthetics, one that can have both a bustling busy environment and empty space at the same time. But most importantly, it is a place I can develop comfort in, surrounded by people I love.