Veronica Wickline

Veronica Wickline

Sitting in the Starbucks at the corner of Mass Ave. and JFK feels like being in the center of the world. You are the axis around which activity turns. I chose this view as the vantage point for my map because it captures the buzz I associate with Harvard Square.

Furthermore, this view resonates with me for its accessibility: anyone can walk up to the second floor of Starbucks and get a top-down view of the Square. So often, aerial view maps are a mark of power, often military power. To see a space from the top down is to comprehend it, even to posses it in a way. Even now you must have money or clout to access an aerial view. For example, you must have permission from Harvard to see Cambridge from the top of William James Hall or the Science Center. You must have the money for a plane ticket to see Boston from the air.

At Starbucks, one finds an inexpensive union of individual pleasure and commercial power. If Starbucks weren't such a successful business, it would not be able to afford this central location and its patrons could not enjoy a top-down view of the Square. At the same time, any individual with three or four dollars to his name can purchase a coffee along with a day's access to Wifi, shelter, restrooms, and an aerial view of his environs. Even though I have a vague (and not at all justified) distaste for commercial coffee chains instead of independently-owned coffee shops, I appreciate the ways in which this champion of Capitalism empowers its patrons for a very affordable rate.