Dear Nanny,

As you know I’m in college now, living on campus. There’s a lot for me to do here but at the same time I can’t help but feel isolated. For this assignment I had to choose one of my favorite places on campus to go to and describe it to you. I know this is nothing special but the place I have chosen is the bench on the east side of the pond, the one right outside Mohonk Hall.

I like sitting on the bench because of how calm the environment that surrounds it is. I’ve only been disturbed on one occasion by a way too curious bee, but it left me alone after some time. I usually go and sit on the bench after I eat at the dining hall, or sometimes I just go there when I’m feeling dejected. I never had the ability to just go and sit with nature, so I’m taking full advantage of that now. I haven’t felt much desire to really think about anything lately, for fear of thinking about mom and crying. When I’m on the bench I don’t really feel like thinking about anything. I just sit and watch, feel the breeze, and for once breathe.

I did some research about the bench, and you might have guessed, but there’s not many interesting facts I can give you about the bench. Something I can infer about the bench is that it uses some design to prevent people from sleeping on it. I looked up some articles to test my theory and I came across the term “Hostile Architecture”. Hostile Architecture is usually benches, or most commonly anything that can be sat on, that are designed to prevent people from staying on them for long periods of time, if at all. The bench I was sitting on was designed to prevent people from feeling comfortable laying down.

Another interesting fact I learned didn’t really pertain to the bench specifically, it had to do with the stairs I was looking at from across the pond, the stairs that lead from the basement entrances of Capen and Scudder Hall to Parker Quad. I learned that the stairs were designed in the late 60s. At that time, New Paltz didn’t have the liberal, diverse reputation it’s known for today. The stairs were designed specifically to deter protests. If a large crowd was running up or down them, a lot of people would trip and fall. I always wondered why I feel so uncomfortable walking up and down those stairs everyday, but now I have my answer.

Anyway, I hope things are going good back at home. I hope Aidan’s doing his homework and going to school everyday. I hope you haven’t been working too hard around the house. You’re retired and should relax and enjoy the golden days, that’s what I think at least. If you’ve been worrying about me, don’t. I’ll be fine. I’ve been doing fine. See you soon, I love you.

Sincerely,
Colin Gallagher