Rachel Nadboy

Rachel Nadboy

Looking at Google Map shows me that I have a basic understanding of the layout of Harvard Yard, but my map does not accurately portray Harvard Square and the Quad. I have included almost all of the buildings in Harvard Yard, and they are in the correct location in relation to one another. I did not place Robinson, Sever, and Emerson in the right spots in the Yard, so my map has a lot of empty space where they should be located. But, the sizes of the freshman dorms and the libraries are pretty accurate on my map. Outside of the Yard, I did not construct Harvard Square correctly, but I did include the streets that border the Yard. I had a lot of trouble figuring out where all the houses are in relation to one another, so I ended up estimating. On the other side of the Yard, the only buildings I knew how to sketch were the Science Center and Memorial Hall. I did not know how close the Law School is to the Science Center, but I knew it is behind it. I suppose that the two maps are so different because I only knew how to construct a map of the places I visit on a regular basis – the Yard, especially my dorm and the surrounding dorms, and the Science Center and Annenberg. I do not go to the Quad often, so I did not know how to map out the building configuration. Similarly, I have not been to the Law School many times, so it was tough for me to pinpoint its exact location. This suggests that we only use a few parts of the city on a regular basis, and those are the places that we come to relate to. We only know how to sketch a map of the places that we visit often and have the opportunity to observe.