Observation Summary

Lizmarie Delacruz   

Department of English, The City College of New York   

Writing for the Social Sciences (ENGL 2100)   

 Professor Crystal Rodwell

March 8, 2025

Walton Laundry Room is a friendly laundry mat with warm conversations. The people within the laundry mat are sociable and diverse in cultures and ages. The first thing you hear once you enter is the banging of the dryers. An unrecognizable Spanish song plays in the background, as do the laughter of kids and the relaxed conversation of neighbors talking about their lives as their cycle finishes. There is a smell of detergent and white powder detergent with blue dots on some of the washers near the top, making me believe that someone missed the detergent hole, making it a mess. An older gentleman with a blue hoodie and white sneakers greeted me and gave me a nod. Not being used to the area, I gave him a shy nod. He looked like the store’s owner, although I’m not sure because he was helping others like this mom who was having trouble adding coins to the dryer. After all, it was stuck. After he came up to me, he explained how he usually helps around and is a regular. This gave me insight into the kind of people that come to this laundromat and how they are all willing to help one another. After this conversation and a pleasant greeting, I looked around one last time. Kids are playing around on their phones while others run after each other. Everything is so lively, and it’s as if by just stepping in, you are family. It’s a place I never expected to find connection and this amount of kindness.