It’s all about location, location, location
While the visibility and seemingly vast ‘lines of sound’ within Top of the Hop make it a public space, its isolated location gives it privacy. Housed on the second floor and at the very edge of campus, this space is disconnected from the activity of central Dartmouth and of the Hopkins Arts Center. As a result, the traffic flow is minimal; the stair case is a physical boundary which embodies the separateness of TotH, ascending to this space is a purposeful act.
A lookout over the rest of campus
The line of sight looking out from Top of the Hop is vast. Many report the picturesque and expansive view which the floor to ceiling windows offer to be their favorite feature of this space. Although it may seem that this would connect those in Top of the Hop to the outside world, the set apart nature of the top floor makes it an outlook more than anything else. As the line of sight is only one directional (outward), there is a pervasive sense of detachment looking down on the rest of campus. As far as a visible connection to the rest of the Hopkins Center, only the small gaps in the stairwell hint at the activity below.
Limited auditory range emphasizes separateness
As the location of numerous student led and visiting shows there is constantly much ado in the Hopkins Center. The student mail service and the grille also contribute to the ceaseless flow of traffic. However, because the Top of the Hop is set well above the commotion of the lower floor it is a space of relative calm. Although there are sometimes trickles of sound which make their way upstairs, they are muffled and distant adding to the feeling of isolation.