When you walk into the entrance of Moe’s you immediately notice the bright yellow walls and signs that surround the restaurant. To the right is a tall menu that stretches to the ceiling describing all your options things to eat. In front of your face will be a long table with all the ingredients Moe’s offers protected y a sheet of glass. Tables and booths take up the rest of the restaurants space.

The large menu tells you all of your options on what to eat. You could choose from tacos to nachos to burritos. The tables and booths let the paying customers sit down and enjoy their food while talking together. Yellow rays of the sun glares off the protective glass that is there to keep unwanted germs from customers getting on the food.

As soon as you walk in you will hear “Welcome to Moe’s!” shouted at you from the workers there. Generally, that workers will have a friendly smile on their faces. People are lined up to the entrance waiting just to order their food. Most are staring at their phones some are doing the same thing as me, observing their surroundings and soaking everything in. Across the restaurant there is a tall man with greying hair talking to a young child, his voice raises in excitement. He is obviously very passionate about what he is talking about.

There is a diverse crowd in a Moe’s. It does not pander to serve a certain ethnicity or social class or economic class. To my understanding, just about everyone enjoys Moe’s. When I look around I see students, business men, families, and people of all sorts of backgrounds. They all have one thing in common however; they are hungry and in there to eat the delicious food provided.

White as far as the eye can see, the library is lit by fluorescent light bulbs that are aimed towards the ceiling, creating a contrasting white to its surroundings. Basking under these fluorescent lights are Georgia State students huddled at different centers of amenities, leaving other areas almost completely vacant. Almost as if purposely done the areas of most concentration lean towards the center of the room while the opposite ends of the library are completely vacant leaving a void where only chairs idly wait as if wondering when the next butt would be placed upon them.

While other areas of the library are left somewhat empty, an area of active traffic and activity are the computers and the seating booths found on the far left of the library located next to the library classroom 1. The U shaped seating booths adjacent to the library classroom have groups of students sitting together. The students sitting at one of the group of booths are somewhat loud and rowdy paying no mind to the traditional library rule of thumb and continue to enjoy one another’s company. Fashioned in only muted colors of grays and blues, the small band of merry students do a good job of compensating by being nothing short of loud. Despite the fact the group remains unmoving from their seat they also simultaneously create a mess that is composed of open book bags and food sprawled all over the table.

Parallel to the seating booths and the library classroom are the array of blue screens monitors positioned on tables like small islands. The islands have students sitting in hunched back postures with eyes nailed to the monitor reviewing subjects and reading their online course materials. One male student with a dark skin complexion wearing a yellow jacket is knee deep in his work as he furiously types away even though he’s not looking at a monitor and glances away every now and then from his text book to check his work. With book bag agape and hands busy he has been working diligently and doesn’t intend to stop till he’s finished.

The other side of the library is comprised of the technical help desk where student hired clerks are sitting on high stools hidden behind a desk assisting anyone inside that may need it. The clerk deskbound, waits patiently with eyes forward and hands on desk. His hair is long and brown and is out of his face but somehow manages to fall back and place and has to be repeatedly brushed aside revealing excess skin on his neck folding over itself. Even if not unmoving the assistant has heavy breathing patterns and the slightest effort of key stroke is followed up by a heavy gasp. As students or persons in need approach, his sloth like manner is covered up and he’s suddenly invigorated and composed. Once done the sloth like manner returns and he sits idly waiting again.

Next to the counter where the help desk was are mini stations for students to approach and make reservations in advance. The number of people that approach are few due to the nature of how quickly reservations get fill up for the novelty of the study rooms and competition for them highly sought out for. An Asian girl, wearing a gray plain sweatshirt and navy blue jeans with brown hair cascading as she walks, stops at the station. Typing and only clicking a bit she finishes and walks off into the distance.

As you approach the enormous brick building you are greeted by security. To go inside the library you have to show your student ID to them. Once you’re through security you are immediately greeted with a wide staircase being used by students. The floor is covered in white tiles that soon transitions into a brownish carpet when you make a left. To the right, there are restrooms and elevators. As the elevator begins to close, a girl with a blue Georgia state shirt and black Nike shorts rushes to catch the elevator. Her black backpack, which is the size of her entire upper body, gets caught between the double doors. To the left side of the first floor of the library, there is a lounge area with abstract chairs that people can sit on. Once you pass those chairs you find a small coffee shop called Saxby’s in which students come in and out, some with coffee or pastries. Towards the back are u shaped booths occupied by groups of students. These booths are lined up in rows. Behind the booths are various tables available for anyone to sit. Further to the left of the booths are rows of shelves being occupied by books. To the right side of the library, there are more computers and an info desk that takes up most of the area.

The various tables and computers are there to help students throughout their college years. The tables and booths are there for students who travel in packs. These booths allow students to sit together and study or to work on projects. Sometimes these booths are occupied by one single person as said by a GSU student who goes by the name Malik. Malik said ” I don’t really like when one single person occupies an entire booth. It becomes an issue when there’s no more booths left and my study group doesn’t know where to sit”. The coffee shop inside the library fuels the student’s energy; it’s there to provide them with drinks and food. Inside the coffee shop are tables that students can sit and enjoy their food while they look over any of their schoolwork. A girl with droopy green eyes sits at one of the tables. She’s sipping at her hot drink that has steam coming out of it. The girl’s chocolate colored hair is up in a messy bun, some loose hairs seem to escape as they fall to the side of her head near her ear. She exhales and slumps down in her chair as she looks over all the notes she has sprawled out on the table. Also inside Saxby’s there is a couch with a TV set up in front of it. Here students can relax and enjoy their refreshments. The computers and printers located beside the staircase are there for quick and fast access for students. Students who are in a rush to get to class and need something to be printed go straight towards these computers and printers. A tall dark skinned girl runs straight to the computer quickly printing a paper. As soon as her hand makes contact with the freshly printed paper, she bolts for the doors. Around twelve the line to get to the printers grows really
close to the doors.

The people who occupy these objects are mostly students who come in to get things done. A short boy with caramel skin goes straight to one of the printing sections. He rushes towards the only empty computer left before another student occupies it. His long fingers type away as he tries to print what he needs. Near the coffee shop, a short girl with long brown hair leaves Saxby’s with a cup in her hand. As she walks out she brings the cup to her plump lips, before she drinks it she closes her eyes and inhales the scent. In one of the booths a group of various people occupy the space. Two of them are boys while the other three are girls. One of the boys is dark skinned with brown long hair. The other is a pale short boy with blonde hair. Two of the girls are both brunettes with pale skin. The other is a tan girl with dirty blonde hair. All their eyes crinkle as their laughs fill the quiet library. A girl who sits at a computer across them narrows her eyes at them giving them a mean look. All these students who occupy the library move around like ants. Near the printers, the line seems to get longer over time. One girl, in particular, starts tapping her foot she constantly checking her watch on her left wrist. She groans as she runs her fingers through her long brown hair. Her face soon becomes red as a young boy tries to cut in line.

The library is filled with many unique people; it’s like a melting pot. It ranges from light skinned people to dark skinned. Some might also be professors, student workers, or just students. All these people who come to the library are there for various reasons. Some students come to refuel their body with caffeine to try to keep awake during their classes. Others come to get away from the chaos that waits outside the library.

Tharun Vikash Babu Chitra

Professor Tiffany Mayet Smith

English 1101

October 1, 2016

Piedmont Avenue

On Piedmont avenue, there are many cars going in one direction, because this is a one-way street. The one-way street  is specifically designed to keep the students safe. Many cars are passing continuously and there is heavy traffic  since the road is located on the Georgia State University (GSU) campus. The road is divided into 3 lanes for the vehicles and there is a sidewalk on both the sides of the road for the people to walk safely. There are many people moving continuously on this road. The roads are maintained properly. There is no trash on the road and it was newly painted. The potholes were fixed well. There is a traffic signal near every corner of the road and the symbol of GSU is painted in the road on all the crosswalks to show the people that this is a school zone. Most of them are wearing bags. It was very cold that time so, some were wearing jackets and sweatshirts.

There are huge buildings on the both side of the road. These buildings include the Citizens Trust Bank building, GSU student alumni center and GSU dorms such as Piedmont central, University Commons, Piedmont North, and Patton hall. These are the main buildings on this road. There is also a small park next to the Citizen trust bank’s parking deck. There are also other resident buildings which were left for commercial purpose on the first two floors. Almost all these buildings have a parking lot and there are some buildings which were left for parking alone. This road is a perfect place which has both commercial and residential buildings. You can see the Capital of Georgia and the famous Grady hospital from this road. There is also one parking deck for the Grady hospital. Next to that is the Piedmont entrance for the hospital. Atlanta Children’s Health Care is located in this road opposite of Patton hall.

There is a tree after every 10 feet and street lights are fixed every 20 feet on both the sides of the road. There is also the electrical post after every 30 feet.  The trees are watered every day by the sprinklers which are placed near the bottom of every tree. The trash cans were also kept near all the buildings painted with the GSU symbol again showing that this is a School zone. This road is always busy. There are many people crossing this road every day. Most of them are students because some were wearing Panther card around their neck and some had it in their hands. There are many dorms located on this street. So many people take this way to their classes. A group of people was sitting near the Citizens Trust Bank and chatting amongst themselves. They were so loud that I could hear them even when I was 100m away. There was another group near the park. They weren’t making much noise. They were silently smoking. Opposite to them, a couple was romancing. This is a place which is always occupied.

The guard and turnstile entrance position in front of the library preface the library. An array of students stand in close proximity to each other as they anticipate the downward direction elevator. GSU Staff members at the main desk patiently await to assist any student in need. The ceiling lined with beams of artificial light in combination with the windows bringing natural light create a scene that is pleasing to the eyes. The unblinking stares of many students while looking back and forth from the sheet of notes or a class textbook that they are referencing. They sit down in there chairs in a lounged position until their task is finished.

The second floor holds many tables for students to use their own laptops and phones for use. It also includes the group study rooms that are able to be reserved for groups that need an isolated room to study for their various classes. A dark complexion female student with jet black long hair sits lazed in a chair facing the window in between library north and south. She wears a parallel line design pattern on her sundress with her hair straight. Laptop in her lap, she sits up slowly and begins typing as she is constantly references a textbook.

The third, fourth, and fifth floors of the library are all quite similar to each other. Holding very large and extensive source material collections, as well as multiple lounge areas scattered around the floors. On the fifth floor however, there was something very specific. As you enter floor five from the elevator you can almost instantly notice the mood of the area. It’s as if everyone in the room was taking a test. The dead silence on floor five is what it is known for as only those who truly want to study or do their class assignments in absolute peace come to this floor. These floors also hold private group study rooms as there are always more needed because of how populous the place is. Each of these floors also include the bridging lounge area with the view of the outside which also adds that natural light element.

The occupants of this library come the many elements that makes it feel very comfortable. This space has minimal noise which helps the students focus on their work, Internet connection which allows them to be completely connected, and the many minute details that they love, whether it be the charger ports, the natural light of the windows, or even the option to check out many different devices from the service desks. In an interview with a student practically lives in the library, Nermina, she talks about the library. She constantly chills on the fifth floor and says, ” The library to me is a place where I can 100% focus on anything I’m doing whether it be assignments, studying, or I just want some relaxation time. It has it all, and on this fifth floor silence truly is golden.”

There are many objects seen and hidden throughout the GSU Library. All of them come as a benefit to the students that find this place their sanctuary. That subtle combination of ceiling light and natural light, in addition to the crisp decor and cleanliness makes it very pleasing to the eyes. The amount of electronic accessibility makes it a hub for all students as modern day information gathering is tailored to online research. The GSU Library is the ultimate medium for the students at GSU that includes accessibility, comfort, and silence.

Footlocker once again ascended to a new level of retail shopping once viewing it a second time. The shoes catch your eye as they glisten through the clear glass windows. The vivid lights of the store compliment the overall scheme as to intrigue you even more. The black and white tiles on the ground match the shirts of the workers as if to make them seem like they are apart of the store. Samples of shirts, and athletic wear are shown off by the human like mannequins to illustrate a good outfit. The mixture of urban style and athletic wear further compliment the store overall. This mixture can be seen through all the customers that shopped there. Since they too wanted athletic wear or a type of fashion that is popular at the time.

Those that occupy the space haven’t changed as much due to the type of people the store is trying to please. The customers that shop at Footlocker are given a plethora of options, and are in awe of the outstanding style choices. The store does a good job of having deals for those savvy shoppers that truly know what a good deal is. Footlocker implements multiple staff workers that are there in case you need help. The customers that come in the store and buy nothing still seem to interact with each item as if they were willing to buy. The store has multiple isles that the customers can navigate, since the store was busy. This allows a steady flow of customers that can leave with a feeling of satisfaction.

Nate, which I interviewed for about 10 minutes gave very detailed reasoning’s of why he liked Footlocker.  He said the only thing that they would change about the space is the fact that the store is kind of small compared to other shoe stores. He wanted to have a bigger option, but it doesn’t stop him from coming to footlocker since they have the “best options”. Footlocker brings a mixture of urban culture, and athleticism which Nate likes very much. The other stores he says have too similar looks or seem to have a boring layout. The approach I took in order to find a suitable person to interview was if they bought something and if they were alone. The reasons behind that is that if they bought something they were willing to make an investment on something that came from Footlocker which means they liked it. Secondly, if they were alone it meant that they came on their own accord and not because of another person.

There are two entrances to this a Walmart, one in on the right side of the store, and one is on the left. When you walk in the automatic doors you are greeted by a burst of air and usually a not so cheery worker. The whole department store is the size of a warehouse and lit up like a hospital (but nowhere near as clean). On the left hand side of the store is all the produce, in the front are the fresh goods. Next, are the frozen goods, followed by the canned and boxed foods. On the right hand of the store is, well, everything else. This side ranges from clothes, to hunting equipment, diapers for babies.

The customers at Walmart are…. interesting.  Sometimes you have your average shopper who is there only because it is the best option. He usually has a sense of shame for being in a store that is associated with such riff raff, or he is passing judgment onto the people causing the riff raff. Then you have your red necks, the ones who used to hang out in the parking lots of Walmart during their teenage years comparing their jacked up trucks, these are usually the ones causing a ruckus. I spoke with a man named John on my trip to Walmart. John was one of your average shoppers. He enjoys Walmart because of the low prices, and says that the people watching is usually incredible. John is not wrong in the least bit.

All of the objects within Walmart, with the exception of the customers, are there for the same reason to make money. The employees want a paycheck. The produce is there for the purpose of being sold. The store itself just serves as a means for Sam Walton to add onto his already massive family fortune. The customers are just there to help the Walton family advance their financial status by buying groceries and anything else they may need.

The courtyard is an open space full of small daily objects used by those who occupy it. The fountain spews water up high above causing it to fall down in a beautiful formation. The crystal blue water falls from one fountain into another to create a water fall entrapped in stone that leaves a beautiful feeling within those who pass it. Many people stop in mid walk to take a shot of it. The benches and tables is where the occupant goes to do work and or socialize with their friends and classmates. However, when these are occupied are left to sit on the side of the garden that hangs out under it. Sitting down on the cold and grainy concrete edge surrounded by bushes and trash causes some discomfort which is seen by how some girls sway from side to side pulling their shorts down to cover their flesh. My interviewee James mentioned that after some time his back will begin to hurt due to there not being a back for him to straighten up in. The benches and tables are there to encourage community and unity within the students. These objects control the way the students act in the way that it pushes them into a single space without suffocating each other to socialize. The bushes liven up the area and keeps it from looking dull and depressed. I watched as a girl pulled out her charcoal block and began to draw the scene before her eyes. With every motion and flick of her wrist the image in front of her began to appear.

The Courtyard is like a bag of Chex Mix, full of a variety of people with different interest. This space is good for everyone at GSU looking for some alone time or for some socialization. Just as James said there are many different cliques one can join if they wish to do so. Those who wish to be alone sat alone they all sat together. Lined up on a single edge of concrete slab sat 4 girls and two boys all with cords dangling from their ears, fingers typing away on their new age technology, and none of them speaking. They all sat with at least 2 feet of space between them but not a single word was spoken to one another. This human interaction is the various groups we see that have formed on common interest. A girl with neon green hair and eyes to match, that could be seen from a mile away, sat on the edge of the fountain with her sketch pad in her lap and oil pastels laid out beside her. Soon her fingers became stained with the medium and she needed to wipe her fingers to blend. A boy with hair as dark as night held out a tissue to her. She thanked him for it and smiled.

There is a variety of students whom occupy the courtyard space. Looking out into the space we see the heads of those alike huddled into corners, seats, trees, and steps. All these people come from many backgrounds, are from different majors, and like different things all of which are factors of how they are separated. The people you commonly find at the courtyard are all parts of the cliques.  The person I interviewed, James, belonged to the smokers located just to the side of the big fountain. The smokers are often always together and can be distinguished by their smell and the obvious smoke flying above their fingertips as they hold their vice between their fingertips.

The Georgia State buildings stand tall, enclosing a space for people and students, with many seats and bushes, and creates the Courtyard. The Courtyard, which is one Emily’s favorite “happy” places. Under a tall, slender girl with pale skin and short blonde hair’s feet, is lots of concrete, a dirty, disheveled color, creating a floor; To her left, a small concrete patterned bridge, goes over the road, connecting the Courtyard to the building Classroom South. Plastic and metal chairs, seats, and tables fill the space, luring students and the few lingering pedestrians in to sit down, and fill their space. Around noon, all the seats are almost filled.  There’s tall white tents set up, large white posts with a white sheet thrown across the top, selling cool merchandise, like Emily likes, and offering part time jobs to the surrounding people. Every corner of the Courtyard is filled with something, another door to a building, which opens and closes as people enter and leave, letting out the quick cool breeze to ease the heat, or stairs leading in or out of the Courtyard.

There’s a circle, filled with students and people smoking, and they all chatter to each other about something between each puff. Surrounding the beautiful fountain with clear waters and a blue underlying tone beneath it, are bushes, edging the sides of the buildings. The edgings have concrete slabs poking out, and were made perfectly in the shape of a bench. This, is also where people sit. A petite, dark complexed girl with long brown hair stands up from the concrete slabs, with a look of un comfort as her thighs peel off the rough concrete slab, and walking off with a distinct pattern from sitting on the rear side of her thighs. In the corner, by herself reading a large novel in the shade, is a young lady, with dark skin, smooth and creamy as chocolate, sitting on the dusty concrete floor, with her back rested upon the skyscraper buildings. Another concrete slab pokes out from the building, and shelters her from the rays of sunlight.

Around the girl lost in her book is a tall, muscular guy sitting at a table eating a quite large sandwich filled with some meat. The muscles in his arm as it moves up and down gently flexes. The table to his right has two girls at it, one has her brown curly hair in a ponytail, twirling it as they speak, and leaning back in her chair. The other, her dark wavy hair blows slightly in the breeze and moves a bit as her hands fly in the air back and forth, up and down. Theres a ramp, narrow and short, beside a small flight of stairs; a girl, pushes a cart filled with various items down the ramp, and as the speed increases, she follows behind, grabbing it, and making it slow down.

The Courtyard is filled with so many different people, the population being very diverse. Emily loves the diversity, and how everyone interacts with each other. Theres people advertising, which is a group of people, theres people studying at the tables, which is another set of people. People sit and people watch on the rough benches, or stop and take a minute break before the next class. The Courtyard is filled with posters of students, petitions, advertisements, and the heart of the heart, the fountain. The girl with dark black hair, sitting on the edge by the fountain drinking saxbys coffee and listening to music with her headphones in, stands up, slings her book bag over her shoulder and walks off into the distance.

The dining hall at Patton Hall is a place where students, staff, faculty, and visitors can dine. To enter the dining hall, first enter through the lobby of Patton, where you can already smell the food being cooked, to approach the three clear gates that are solid and waist high. These open down the middle once your finger print is approved by the scanners that are located in between the gates. Once you are in, you can smell the strong coffee being brewed and the bacon being cooked, along with the sweet smells of fruit.  After walking in, immediately walk down a few stairs into the main dining space. On the right and left, the walls are covered with large, floor to ceiling, windows that let in light from the city. Also on the left is a variety of small tables with only two chairs to large tables that seat up to twelve chairs. All of the tables are white and the chairs are either sky blue, turquoise, or a lime green. In the sea of tables are tiled cylinders that reach the ceiling that hold silverware and condiments on stainless steel platforms around the cylinders. These thick, pole-like cylinders are coated with blue and green circular tiles. On the right are the booths that stretch down to the second set of stairs. These booths have plush seats that can hold at least six people per booth. The second set of stairs leads down to the serving area. Dessert items, ice cream, coffee, and waffle makers are to the right and on the left is a serving station that typically serves hot dogs and hamburgers. Around the corner from the hot dogs and burgers is a salad bar. On the back wall is a sandwich bar and other serving areas that serve different food every day and for every meal. As you turn the final corner to go back up to the main dining area, the dish disposal is on the right just after the cereals and milk tables and another serving area that normally has fries and pizza is on the left. Up the stairs into the main dining area and to the right is an assortment of drinks: sodas, juices, smoothies, and water. Also in the dining area, are televisions that are mounted on the ceiling above the windows that show previews of dining events on campus.

Many different types of people occupy this space. First of all, there are the staff that occupy the dining hall. The staff are people of all ages, gender, and race. The staff dresses in a uniform with a distinctive blue collared shirt with the GSU symbol that reads “Panther Dining” over where whoever is wearing its heart would be. The staff make omelets for students, refill cups by the drink dispensers, wipe off tables, set out fresh food, and many others tasks that are required to accommodate to the students using the dining hall. Today, one dining staff member is refilling the steaming, yellow scrambled eggs. The woman has hair dark brown hair pulled back which contrasts with her pale, sand colored skin. She is wearing the blue Georgia State collared shirt and wears clear gloves on her hands as she carefully places the pan of eggs into the steaming water on the counter. The other people that occupy the dining hall are mostly students on meal plans or have paid to eat at the dining because these are the only ways to have access to the dining hall. There are girls and boys coming in through the clear gates. Each person pauses while they wait for their fingerprint to be approved. Two boys similar in appearance are carrying book bags and skateboards. One of the boys is about 6 feet tall with short curly hair the chocolate and the other boy is only a few, maybe 2 inches, shorter has bleach blonde hair slicked back and parted on the left. The taller boy already mentioned piles his plate with a biscuit and gravy, bacon, and mixed fruit. He walks slowly, eying his plate with every step, to a table for two where the other boy is already sitting. One of the booths is occupied by only one person. She has no food on the table only her drink and an open notebook that she is flipping through. She has straight, black shoulder length hair and wears circular framed glasses. With every turn of the page in the notebook, she flips her hair behind her shoulders.

It’s the morning so the dining hall is filled with fewer people and is quiet. There is a slight humming noise that can be heard from the people in the space that are talking and the occasional sirens and horns from the traffic on the street outside. There is a girl that was walking in from the first set on stairs into the main dining area. She is holding her phone in her right hand as her left hand traced down the rail on the stairs. This girl has her dark brown hair pull back underneath a cameo baseball cap. Cayla is a student at Georgia State and she is on a meal plan. Cayla said she comes to the dining hall to eat when she doesn’t go to the other dining halls on campus. She said lives in Patton Hall so this is the most convenient dining hall for her personally. Cayla mentioned she liked the dining hall because there are tables big enough for her to sit with all her friends. She also mentioned that along with coming to the dining hall to eat, she views it as a place to hang out. After talking with Cayla, she goes to a table where 3 girls are already sitting down. She immediately pulls out a lime green chair, sits down, and begins talking and laughing with the other girls. Cayla is one of many other people in the dining hall today that is eating and talking with people at a table.