Cold gray-stoned benches

There is a fairly common place that can be found on the Downtown Phoenix campus at ASU, where some students, some smokers, and some passer-byers might go to meet with a friend or rest for a moment. It’s a place in open territory, for which everyone is allowed to use and no one can claim ownership. (Well except maybe ASU) Where is this so freely displayed space you might ask? It is the bench area in between the Ucent and Cronkite buildings.

            Now these benches have probably seen more action then a toilet seat since they are in the direct view of every person walking through the parallel buildings. And if a person were to take a moment to sit on one of these cold, gray-stoned benches, he or she might come to notice the ridiculous amount activity that goes on around them all at once.  At first glance, that person might just consider admiring the obvious…there might be other students or workers or just plain old citizens sitting on the bench next to them as well.  There may also be people sitting around the shiny, round, metal tables across the way or groups of men dressed in athletic attire, on their way to the YMCA for a good cardio workout. And if that person were to be sitting on a specific bench, directly in front of the doors to the Ucent building, facing the Cronkite building, and then look in direction to their left, that person might take notice to the light-rail zooming by while some commuter cars could be stopped at the red light.

            Then, when taking the time to focus on more detail, the person who took the time to rest and observe for a second may begin to admire all of the noises collaborating at once. Now, that person doesn’t just notice the zooming light-rail, but also takes the moment to hear the warning of the light rail horn as it approaches an intersection. The commuter cars no longer just look like any plain vehicles, but like silver Nissan Ultimas and black Honda Civics that have exhaust leaking from the rear pipes as they idle at the stoplight. The people next to them as well, can be identified as students with their ASU identification cards hanging from a lanyard around their necks, as they try to blow their nicotine filled smoke in the opposite direction of where that person is sitting. (But inevitably it follows the wind current that leads in the person’s direction) Eventually the noise of clicking heels on the concrete pavement, followed shortly by the sounds of a roller backpack draw the person’s attention, and leads them to admire the nicely dressed young female as she struts by. While turning away from her direction, the person then stops to glance at the group of ‘over-achievers,’ seated at those glistening metal tables across the way, going over their syllabus for the semester and chattering about how nutty their new professor is.

            Before the person realizes it, he or she gets hooked on the conversations being spoken around him or her. One couple is cheeringly excited about their plans for the weekend…going on a dinner and movie date…something about “Country Strong”…and then another group of guys rave on about a kegger party being held near Tempe campus. A few girls pass and the person can’t help but be curious about why the girls have an obsession with that Twilight, Edward Cullen guy…apparently it’s his face the girls seem to fancy the most. Next, as the person may shift in his/her seat (because stone benches aren’t exactly the most comfortable as many people can attest to), the person may notice the older woman briskly marching by as she professes her concerns on the new iPhone 4 (you can tell it’s the iPhone 4 because it has a more box like shape) about the recent shooting in Tuscan.  And before the person knows it, eventually the conversations fade, and the students sitting next to or across from him/her get up to leave…possibly for class or possibly for home…and a new set of observations begin again.

            So if there is a person looking to sit and relax or just take a moment to admire the surroundings, there is a perfect place to do so…in between the parallel buildings on the cold, gray-stoned benches on the Downtown Phoenix campus.