A public site is one that people would reasonably expect that their actions will be observed. If you want to observe people that you know, or if your observation will somehow be noticed or affect the interactions you observe, you should disclose your role as a researcher to the subjects.
Write a one paragraph description of the site that you plan to observe. Make sure that you include the reason why you selected that site and the time of day/week that you plan to do your observation. You will need to receive permission from your instructor prior to your observation. Submit your site description for my review and approval using the assignment page that follows this forum.
When you conduct your observation, bring something (pen and paper, laptop computer) so that you can record very detailed notes on everything that you observe. Feel free to also draw maps and diagrams. When you have completed your observations, type your field notes using complete sentences. Then post your notes in this forum. NOTE: field notes should not be an analysis of patterns you see, just observations which include description of events, interactions, conversations, and the physical layout.