The place I am choosing to use for my Public Space Analysis is Billybobs, in downtown Fort Worth. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's a HUGE dance hall. They hold concerts here, have a restaurant on the inside, gift shops, pool tables, arcade games, multiple bars, picture opps on bucking bulls, two dance floors, mechanical bulls. You name the country item, and Billybobs probably has it. I started going to Billybobs first semester of my freshman year, and have been hooked every since. I've actually come to be a really good dancer.
This space is appealing to me, obviously because it's something I enjoy doing, however I chose it because I know that if I just sat and watched and observed, instead of dancing so much, I would pick up on and learn things about this space. It's a really easy area to apply objectives to, and bring up arguments dealing with the larger culture.
Upon observation, I expect to pick up on more than I do simply by being a regular dancer there. I want to pick up on people's conversations, people's expressions, maybe ask around to first timers to see how they feel about it. I also want to look at the interaction between the 'regulars' and the 'newbies'. I would also like to look at the difference in crowds between a Monday/Tuesday night, a Thursday(college) night, and a Saturday(concert) night. There have got to be huge differences between all of these environments, and I'm anxious to observe.
I am in fact part of the target audience. Not only is Billybobs looking to attract country-music lovers, and dancers(which I am), they're also looking to attract the younger crowd, which I'm also included in. You can tell this is an objective of theirs because they play newer 'hip' music toward the end, nothing to do with country, just top 40 stuff, that only the younger crowd would recognize and dance to. Billybobs also does promotions on Thursdays, get in free after 11pm, and anytime before that its $2. This rakes in the younger crowd as well, because it isn't an activity that really costs a ton of money.
I have nothing but positive pre-conceived ideas about Billybobs. Therefore nothing will influence my writing negatively, which I believe to be a good thing. However, I want to take the next couple times I go as more of an observation type visit, and focus less on friends and dancing, that way I will really be able to analyze the public space effectively!
Wow, Allie, you did a early job on this proposal and I think you just did an excellent work. From your posting, I think I just got some idea about how to pick a good space which merits writing about.
ReplyDeleteI think this should definitely be a lively and fun place to analyze and observe for this assignment. I have been here before, and I can also agree with you that Billybob's attracts such a diverse group of college students that it should be interesting to see how they act in this environment, especially if it is a first time for some students.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! This is a fun place, and I'm sure it had fascinating people watching opportunities. Are you going to watch all the professional looking two-steppers? They always make me feel self-conscious when I go. They all dance better than me.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that you chose to analyze a place like Billy Bobs. I went to Billy Bobs just one time and with the observations you've pointed out i'm starting to think that my experience was poor because of the day I attended. I'll be interested to read your full analysis of it when completed.
ReplyDeleteThis will be a fun place to observe. I've been to Billy Bobs a few times, but I've never took the time to observe what's going on in detail. It will neat to see what you come up with!
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