journals 5-9
5. Spanish Harlem & Central Park
7/16/14
Waking up today was a bit more dreadful due to the drowsy weather. Justine and myself started the morning off by missing the 10:02 train in Merrick. This resulted in us rushing to the Freeport train station and catching the 10:08, all I have to say is thank god we made it. We arrived in Penn Station ready to find the group and see what the day had in store.
We started the day off by getting on the Number 1 train to Times Square and then hopping on the shuttle to Grand Central Terminal. I was taken back when I heard that it was a shuttle but I soon found out that it was just a train that runs from one destination to another, without any stops along the way. After the shuttle, we took the Number 6 Train, which brought us to 103rd Street, East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or, more colloquially, "El Barrio." "This is an uptown neighborhood of Manhattan, the boundaries of which are the Harlem River to the north, East 96th Street to the South, the East River to the east, and Fifth Avenue to the west" (ENY, 75). Mike had mentioned how gentrification was slowly starting to take place in the neighborhood and started explaining the history of East Harlem. When the grid was established in 1811, the area was a farm land. Years later, in 1880, the steam trains were developed, which acted as an attraction and brought people in. "The elevated train service led to the development of this area and the construction of apartment buildings for German, Irish, Scandinavian, and Eastern European Immigrants. Later Southern Italian immigrants joined this mix, establishing what would become known as Italian Harlem- the original "Little Italy in Manhattan- along Pleasant Avenue by the East River" (ENY, 76). With the Genovese mob family running the area in the 1930s, there were over 100,000 Italian-Americans residing in the community (ENY, 76). After WWI there was an influx of Puerto Ricans, which is when it became "El Barrio." "The poverty of these new immigrants and the building of large housing projects that concentrated crime led to East Harlem becoming one of the most dangerous sections of New York City during the 1960s and 70s" (ENY, 76). I have always heard about Harlem and how it was such a bad neighborhood so I did not know what to expect. Mike had mentioned that this neighborhood once had the highest rates of poverty, unemployment, and crime. "In recent years, this community has undergone tremendous changes brought on by the process of gentrification that has been occurring since the late 1990s in the neighborhood" (ENY, 76). After finding out about the history we made our way over to the Carver Houses. "A housing project of 13 buildings that was created for low income residents of the neighborhood and completed in 1958. The project is named after George Washington Carver, an African-American scientist, who developed hundreds of uses for the peanut, soybean, and sweet potato" (ENY, 76). In my opinion, the houses looked more institutionalized and did not come across as welcoming in the slightest bit. After we were done viewing the Carver Houses, we continued on to the Museum of the City of New York.
The Museum was founded in 1923 and originally housed in Gracie Mansion (ENY, 77). "The museum has changing exhibitions focused on the history of New York City, "Especially its heritage of diversity, opportunity, and perpetual transformation" (ENY, 77). Walking into the museum we were all amazed by the beautiful staircase and light fixture. We started off by walking through a room that had beautiful and unique graffiti artwork that could be found throughout the city. The collection was called City as Canvas, put together by Martin Wong, an East Village artist and collector of graffiti art (http://www.mcny.org). The first thing I came across was a wall that had the bold letters City as Canvas across it with a brief description of graffiti through the years. I learned that New York's age of graffiti, both notorious and celebrated, began in the early 1970s. With indelible markers and aerosol spray paints, teenagers across the city were engaging in a new form of graffiti writing, one that emphasized the asethetics and visibility of their creations in addition to the literal messages they contained. They began by writing "tags," stylized signatures that usually combined an alias with the number of street where they lived on public or private buildings in the neighborhood. Soon, they were painting in subway stations, buses, and on the interior and exterior of subway cars. This is when graffiti quickly proliferated across the city. This all was very interesting to me because when I'm in the city I love looking at all the different graffiti. I feel as if graffiti is unique and usually has a story behind it that the public will never know. Graffiti in my book, comes across as a beautiful mysterious concept. We all walked around the gallery enjoying ourselves and the artwork that was displayed. The piece that stood out the most to me was the display of spray paint cans all lined up in rows on the wall. This was such a simplistic piece but it actually really cool to look at. We then were taken into a little theater where we all found seats to watch Timescapes, an engrossing 22 minute multimedia experience. It traced the growth of New York City from a settlement of a few hundred Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans to its present status as one of the world's greatest cities. What really shocked most of us was when they showed the events from September 11th. It was weird seeing something on the screen that each of us were there to experience. After the video we made our way to the Coney Island room, where we saw different pictures of different people from the 1960s. We all had a good laugh when we made Muscles stand next to the guy posing on the beach with muscles similar to his displayed on the wall. Next was Gilded New York, this exhibit explored the cities visual culture at the end of the 19th century, when it's elite class flaunted their money like never before. We walked around viewing the different portraits, jewelry, and decorative objects. After this exhibit, Mike pointed out the amazing Guastavino tiles that he loves! It came time to unfortunately leave the museum and move on.
Our next stop was El Museo Del Barrio. "The museum was founded in 1969 in a public school classroom in PS 125 by Puerto Rican activists from East Harlem, seeking to preserve their cultural heritage" (ENY, 77). Mike and Damian let us stop to get water and snacks if needed and then directed us to meet back in the front of the museum to meet Luke. I was very excited to meet this Luke because Mike could not stop bragging about how cool he was. Luke arrived and the fun began. He had us all form a circle and we went around introducing ourselves. We all opened up we had to state one sentence describing how we were feeling. I said I was excited and ready to take on the museum. Luke is a spanish poet so he rapped a poem about a girl on the D train, everyone was really enjoying it, I could tell by all the clapping going on and by the unfamiliar man that had joined the group. After getting to know a little about Luke, he started to walk us down the street. I was very surprised walking through the neighborhood because of how many people were outside enjoying the beautiful day by playing card games and just hanging out. The community seemed very welcoming and friendly, it seemed as if everyone knew each other. When we stopped, Luke had told us that the unfamiliar man that joined the group was actually a percussionist and he was interested in having Luke perform with him. It was crazy how people just randomly come up to you and become friendly with you. This community was right up my alley because I have no problem in being VERY outgoing and meeting new people. Next on our tour through this community was an awesome little book store, La Casa Azul Bookstore (http://www.lacasaazulbookstore.com). This is a bookstore that is dedicated to providing cultural, and educational programs via literature and art in East Harlem. It was such a cute little book store that had a wide variety of novels. Aurora-Anaya-Cerda started an online campaign raising 40,000 because of the bank not giving her a loan. It was inspiring to hear that she opened up her "dream" store in 2012 which became a local place for the community. After this cute little bookstore, Luke brought us to an amazing mural made by Manny Vega. "The Spirit of East Harlem" Mural, created by Hank Prussing in 1978, the mural captures the Latin influences on street life in East Harlem n the 1970s" (ENY, 77). I really loved this mural because it wasn't of famous people it was drawings of regular people from the streets of East Harlem. It was funny because there was a painting of a woman in an apron and Luke mentioned how she hated how Vega painted her so she had kids spray paint over her face. Her painting was repainted and I'm assuming she liked the new drawing. It was time to now walk to Modesto "Tin" Flores Garden. "The park was originally a vacant lot and dumping ground when it was converted by East Harlem resident Ernesto "Tin" Flores into a garden for the neighborhood's inhabitants (ENY, 78). It was a cute little garden and we were all taken back when Luke told us the sculpture in the middle of the garden was a females fallopian tubes. "In the center of this garden is an outdoor fountain sculpture, called "Seed of Growth," designed by Lina Puerta, much of whose work explores the female body and female experience (ENY, 78). Before grabbing lunch we stopped at this cool shop, Justo Botanica It was finally time for the best part of the day, lunch! Mike recommended two restaurants, we winded up choosing El Paso Taqueria, a delicious Spanish restaurant. We all enjoyed burritos and delicious mango margaritas. It was a great and refreshing way to break up the day.
It was now time for Central Park. We began our journey at the Vanderbilt Gate on Fifth Avenue at 105th Street. "This impressive entryway to Central Park was made in Paris in 1894 and originally stood before the Vanderbilt Mansion on Fifth Avenue and 58th Street" (ENY, 65). We found ourselves entering the Conservatory Garden, what a beautiful sight to see. "This garden- the only formal garden in Central Park- is named for an 1898 greenhouse or conservatory that once stood on this site, but which was torn down in 1934. The current garden which dates from 1937, was created as a Depression-era WPA (Works Project Administration) effort to provide work for unemployed New Yorkers" (ENY, 65). After walking through the garden, Mike and Damian had us sit down on the Central Park Schist and reflect on our Gotham experience. I was of course listening to what Mike had to say, but at the same time was very distracted at the other a million things going on. People were riding past on bikes, a man was doing what looked like yoga, and kids were playing on the grass. The park was filled with action and excitement and I loved it. We got up to continue our journey and walked through the Central Park Reservoir. "The reservoir is 40 feet deep and holds over 1 billion gallons of water" (ENY, 66). We then headed over to the 3,500 year old Egyptian Obelisk. "The Obelisk was built on the Nile in honor of Pharaoh Thutmose III. In 16 B.C it was relocated by the Romans to Alexandria and placed near a temple built by Cleopatra. In a gesture of good will towards the United States, the Khedive of Egypt gave the obelisk to the City of New York in 1881 to facilitate good will and improved trade between Egypt and the United States (ENY, 68). The view from the top of the structure was beautiful, it is definitely worth seeing. Our next stop was the Strawberry Fields. "Dedicated to the memory of former Beatle and peace activist, John Lennon" (ENY, 70). "In recognition of Lennon's work promoting peace, on October 9th, 1985, Mayor Ed Koch dedicated a 2.5 acre site on the western edge of Central Park across the Dakota as a tribute to Lennon (ENY, 70). We ended our beautiful day at the Bethesda Terrace. The statue was beautiful so we all decided to take a photo shoot in front of it. "The statue at the top of the fountain, known as Angel of the Waters, was created by Emma Stebbins in 1868, and is based upon the biblical story from Revelations of an angel blessing the Pool of Bethesda, giving it healing powers (ENY, 70). It was time to travel back to Penn Station so a group of us decided we would stick together and head back. We all winded up walking from 59th Street to 34th Street. It was a long walk and Justine, Casey, Muscles and myself rewarded ourselves with McDonalds as we waited for the train. We all laughed, ate, and finally boarded the train. It was a long day but I can not wait to see what is in store for the next class.
Waking up today was a bit more dreadful due to the drowsy weather. Justine and myself started the morning off by missing the 10:02 train in Merrick. This resulted in us rushing to the Freeport train station and catching the 10:08, all I have to say is thank god we made it. We arrived in Penn Station ready to find the group and see what the day had in store.
We started the day off by getting on the Number 1 train to Times Square and then hopping on the shuttle to Grand Central Terminal. I was taken back when I heard that it was a shuttle but I soon found out that it was just a train that runs from one destination to another, without any stops along the way. After the shuttle, we took the Number 6 Train, which brought us to 103rd Street, East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or, more colloquially, "El Barrio." "This is an uptown neighborhood of Manhattan, the boundaries of which are the Harlem River to the north, East 96th Street to the South, the East River to the east, and Fifth Avenue to the west" (ENY, 75). Mike had mentioned how gentrification was slowly starting to take place in the neighborhood and started explaining the history of East Harlem. When the grid was established in 1811, the area was a farm land. Years later, in 1880, the steam trains were developed, which acted as an attraction and brought people in. "The elevated train service led to the development of this area and the construction of apartment buildings for German, Irish, Scandinavian, and Eastern European Immigrants. Later Southern Italian immigrants joined this mix, establishing what would become known as Italian Harlem- the original "Little Italy in Manhattan- along Pleasant Avenue by the East River" (ENY, 76). With the Genovese mob family running the area in the 1930s, there were over 100,000 Italian-Americans residing in the community (ENY, 76). After WWI there was an influx of Puerto Ricans, which is when it became "El Barrio." "The poverty of these new immigrants and the building of large housing projects that concentrated crime led to East Harlem becoming one of the most dangerous sections of New York City during the 1960s and 70s" (ENY, 76). I have always heard about Harlem and how it was such a bad neighborhood so I did not know what to expect. Mike had mentioned that this neighborhood once had the highest rates of poverty, unemployment, and crime. "In recent years, this community has undergone tremendous changes brought on by the process of gentrification that has been occurring since the late 1990s in the neighborhood" (ENY, 76). After finding out about the history we made our way over to the Carver Houses. "A housing project of 13 buildings that was created for low income residents of the neighborhood and completed in 1958. The project is named after George Washington Carver, an African-American scientist, who developed hundreds of uses for the peanut, soybean, and sweet potato" (ENY, 76). In my opinion, the houses looked more institutionalized and did not come across as welcoming in the slightest bit. After we were done viewing the Carver Houses, we continued on to the Museum of the City of New York.
The Museum was founded in 1923 and originally housed in Gracie Mansion (ENY, 77). "The museum has changing exhibitions focused on the history of New York City, "Especially its heritage of diversity, opportunity, and perpetual transformation" (ENY, 77). Walking into the museum we were all amazed by the beautiful staircase and light fixture. We started off by walking through a room that had beautiful and unique graffiti artwork that could be found throughout the city. The collection was called City as Canvas, put together by Martin Wong, an East Village artist and collector of graffiti art (http://www.mcny.org). The first thing I came across was a wall that had the bold letters City as Canvas across it with a brief description of graffiti through the years. I learned that New York's age of graffiti, both notorious and celebrated, began in the early 1970s. With indelible markers and aerosol spray paints, teenagers across the city were engaging in a new form of graffiti writing, one that emphasized the asethetics and visibility of their creations in addition to the literal messages they contained. They began by writing "tags," stylized signatures that usually combined an alias with the number of street where they lived on public or private buildings in the neighborhood. Soon, they were painting in subway stations, buses, and on the interior and exterior of subway cars. This is when graffiti quickly proliferated across the city. This all was very interesting to me because when I'm in the city I love looking at all the different graffiti. I feel as if graffiti is unique and usually has a story behind it that the public will never know. Graffiti in my book, comes across as a beautiful mysterious concept. We all walked around the gallery enjoying ourselves and the artwork that was displayed. The piece that stood out the most to me was the display of spray paint cans all lined up in rows on the wall. This was such a simplistic piece but it actually really cool to look at. We then were taken into a little theater where we all found seats to watch Timescapes, an engrossing 22 minute multimedia experience. It traced the growth of New York City from a settlement of a few hundred Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans to its present status as one of the world's greatest cities. What really shocked most of us was when they showed the events from September 11th. It was weird seeing something on the screen that each of us were there to experience. After the video we made our way to the Coney Island room, where we saw different pictures of different people from the 1960s. We all had a good laugh when we made Muscles stand next to the guy posing on the beach with muscles similar to his displayed on the wall. Next was Gilded New York, this exhibit explored the cities visual culture at the end of the 19th century, when it's elite class flaunted their money like never before. We walked around viewing the different portraits, jewelry, and decorative objects. After this exhibit, Mike pointed out the amazing Guastavino tiles that he loves! It came time to unfortunately leave the museum and move on.
Our next stop was El Museo Del Barrio. "The museum was founded in 1969 in a public school classroom in PS 125 by Puerto Rican activists from East Harlem, seeking to preserve their cultural heritage" (ENY, 77). Mike and Damian let us stop to get water and snacks if needed and then directed us to meet back in the front of the museum to meet Luke. I was very excited to meet this Luke because Mike could not stop bragging about how cool he was. Luke arrived and the fun began. He had us all form a circle and we went around introducing ourselves. We all opened up we had to state one sentence describing how we were feeling. I said I was excited and ready to take on the museum. Luke is a spanish poet so he rapped a poem about a girl on the D train, everyone was really enjoying it, I could tell by all the clapping going on and by the unfamiliar man that had joined the group. After getting to know a little about Luke, he started to walk us down the street. I was very surprised walking through the neighborhood because of how many people were outside enjoying the beautiful day by playing card games and just hanging out. The community seemed very welcoming and friendly, it seemed as if everyone knew each other. When we stopped, Luke had told us that the unfamiliar man that joined the group was actually a percussionist and he was interested in having Luke perform with him. It was crazy how people just randomly come up to you and become friendly with you. This community was right up my alley because I have no problem in being VERY outgoing and meeting new people. Next on our tour through this community was an awesome little book store, La Casa Azul Bookstore (http://www.lacasaazulbookstore.com). This is a bookstore that is dedicated to providing cultural, and educational programs via literature and art in East Harlem. It was such a cute little book store that had a wide variety of novels. Aurora-Anaya-Cerda started an online campaign raising 40,000 because of the bank not giving her a loan. It was inspiring to hear that she opened up her "dream" store in 2012 which became a local place for the community. After this cute little bookstore, Luke brought us to an amazing mural made by Manny Vega. "The Spirit of East Harlem" Mural, created by Hank Prussing in 1978, the mural captures the Latin influences on street life in East Harlem n the 1970s" (ENY, 77). I really loved this mural because it wasn't of famous people it was drawings of regular people from the streets of East Harlem. It was funny because there was a painting of a woman in an apron and Luke mentioned how she hated how Vega painted her so she had kids spray paint over her face. Her painting was repainted and I'm assuming she liked the new drawing. It was time to now walk to Modesto "Tin" Flores Garden. "The park was originally a vacant lot and dumping ground when it was converted by East Harlem resident Ernesto "Tin" Flores into a garden for the neighborhood's inhabitants (ENY, 78). It was a cute little garden and we were all taken back when Luke told us the sculpture in the middle of the garden was a females fallopian tubes. "In the center of this garden is an outdoor fountain sculpture, called "Seed of Growth," designed by Lina Puerta, much of whose work explores the female body and female experience (ENY, 78). Before grabbing lunch we stopped at this cool shop, Justo Botanica It was finally time for the best part of the day, lunch! Mike recommended two restaurants, we winded up choosing El Paso Taqueria, a delicious Spanish restaurant. We all enjoyed burritos and delicious mango margaritas. It was a great and refreshing way to break up the day.
It was now time for Central Park. We began our journey at the Vanderbilt Gate on Fifth Avenue at 105th Street. "This impressive entryway to Central Park was made in Paris in 1894 and originally stood before the Vanderbilt Mansion on Fifth Avenue and 58th Street" (ENY, 65). We found ourselves entering the Conservatory Garden, what a beautiful sight to see. "This garden- the only formal garden in Central Park- is named for an 1898 greenhouse or conservatory that once stood on this site, but which was torn down in 1934. The current garden which dates from 1937, was created as a Depression-era WPA (Works Project Administration) effort to provide work for unemployed New Yorkers" (ENY, 65). After walking through the garden, Mike and Damian had us sit down on the Central Park Schist and reflect on our Gotham experience. I was of course listening to what Mike had to say, but at the same time was very distracted at the other a million things going on. People were riding past on bikes, a man was doing what looked like yoga, and kids were playing on the grass. The park was filled with action and excitement and I loved it. We got up to continue our journey and walked through the Central Park Reservoir. "The reservoir is 40 feet deep and holds over 1 billion gallons of water" (ENY, 66). We then headed over to the 3,500 year old Egyptian Obelisk. "The Obelisk was built on the Nile in honor of Pharaoh Thutmose III. In 16 B.C it was relocated by the Romans to Alexandria and placed near a temple built by Cleopatra. In a gesture of good will towards the United States, the Khedive of Egypt gave the obelisk to the City of New York in 1881 to facilitate good will and improved trade between Egypt and the United States (ENY, 68). The view from the top of the structure was beautiful, it is definitely worth seeing. Our next stop was the Strawberry Fields. "Dedicated to the memory of former Beatle and peace activist, John Lennon" (ENY, 70). "In recognition of Lennon's work promoting peace, on October 9th, 1985, Mayor Ed Koch dedicated a 2.5 acre site on the western edge of Central Park across the Dakota as a tribute to Lennon (ENY, 70). We ended our beautiful day at the Bethesda Terrace. The statue was beautiful so we all decided to take a photo shoot in front of it. "The statue at the top of the fountain, known as Angel of the Waters, was created by Emma Stebbins in 1868, and is based upon the biblical story from Revelations of an angel blessing the Pool of Bethesda, giving it healing powers (ENY, 70). It was time to travel back to Penn Station so a group of us decided we would stick together and head back. We all winded up walking from 59th Street to 34th Street. It was a long walk and Justine, Casey, Muscles and myself rewarded ourselves with McDonalds as we waited for the train. We all laughed, ate, and finally boarded the train. It was a long day but I can not wait to see what is in store for the next class.
6. The West Side
7/18/14
Today everyone was happy that there was no MTA strike and that we could continue our Gotham experience without having to think of a totally different plan. It was a beautiful day and I was excited we were going to be exploring the west side. We got off the train at 10:47 and hurried to meet with the rest of the class. We walked out of Penn Station and started walking towards Macy's Department Store. "Macy's occupies the entire block between Broadway and 7th Avenue and is the largest department store in the United States. The founder of the store was Rowland Hussey Macy, a Nantucket Quaker, who between 1843 and 1855 attempted to operate four retail stores in Massachusetts, all of which eventually failed. Learning from his mistakes, Macy opened "R.H Macy and Co" in 1858 on Sixth Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets, a location that was considered far uptown at the time" (ENY, 31). I had been to Macy's before around Christmas time, before walking to the tree. They have a big Christmas display in the windows and it really gets you in the Christmas mood. After stopping and admiring the architect of the Macy's building, we made our way over to Herald's Square. "Besides being a major Manhattan retail hub, Herald Square is also well-known for being the endpoint of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" (ENY, 32). We soon found ourselves walking on the pedestrian plaza, set up by Mayor Bloomberg in his administration in 2009. We kept looking up above us and Mike kept mentioning the different styles of the beautiful architect. He mentioned both Art Deco, and Modernist or Internationalist architecture building. Mike had stressed that Art Deco was prominent during the 1930s, so whenever he mentioned the 1930s we were all shouting Art Deco! The difference between the architectural styles were the setbacks, Art Deco buildings were caused to have setbacks due to the age of futuristic. Modernist or Internationalist had no setbacks because of the plazas being present upon entering the buildings, as well as the building itself being pushed away from the street (ENY, 34).
It was time to move on to one of the biggest tourist attractions, Times Square. "Times Square is technically located at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenues and stretches from West 42nd to West 47th Streets. Popularly referred to as "The Crossroads of the World" and "The Great White Way," Times Square today has a whitewashed and white bread feeling about it that belies its interesting and often turbulent history. The are that we now call Times Square began as the farm of John Morin Scott, a New York general who served under George Washington during the American Revolution. By the mid-19th century, the area became known as a center for New York's horse carriage industry and was named Long Acre Square, after the city of London's own carriage center, Long Acre. The area was renamed Times Square in 1904 when The New York Times moved into a new skyscraper on 42nd Street (ENY, 33). Mike mentioned how he did not care for Times Square, but I always seem to love all the action that seems to never end. The area is filled with people yelling at you to try and get you to watch a show, or come to their comedy club, or take a picture with them as they are dressed as a cartoon character. The excitement and fun never stops. Times Square is famous for the New Years Eve ball drop, which I will never attend in my life, I am satisfied with watching it on the screen of my television instead of being tightly packed on a freezing night miserable, I've heard stories.
After all the hustle and bustle in Times Square, it was time to head over to the G.E building. This skyscraper forms the heart of the Rockefeller Center complex in Midtown, which is why it is also referred to popularly as 30 rock (ENY, 34). It was really cool because Mike had mentioned that this was the headquarters of the NBC television network with shows such as, Jimmy Fallon, and The Tonight Show. We walked through the building and the murals on the wall were beautiful, we all just kept looking up to see the different types of murals the building had to offer. We walked outside and took in the rest of Rockefeller Center. "This complex of buildings constructed during the Depression was on elf the first architecturally coordinated developments in New York City and represents the pinnacle of Art Deco architecture and style in New York City" (ENY, 37). I've been to Rockefeller Center multiple times to see the Christmas tree, and watch the many people ice-skate down below. It surprised me that during the summer time they make the ice-skating rink into a Summer Garden & Bar. It was really cute so I promised myself I would have to come back and go down there with my friends and enjoy a nice lunch and some drinks. Next on our list of stops was the Museum of Modern Art. "One of the most important influential museums of modern art in the world, MOMA houses an impressive collection of important works of art from the 19th and 20th centuries" (ENY, 39). First off, I could not believe the fee that students have to pay, have they ever heard of a poor college student? The place did seem like it was a big deal though with the top notch security and all the people found in each of the rooms. My favorite was going up to the fifth floor, which contained works of painting and sculptures from 1880-1940 (ENY, 39). The works by Van Gogh, and Piacasso were actually surprisingly beautiful. We also looked at Andy Warhol's 32 campbell's soup cans. I've grown to really enjoy Warhol's work and like the fact that his name was mentioned in a couple of the museums we visited. the When we were done looking at all the interesting pieces throughout the museum it was time for lunch! By the way I felt like the time we had at the museum was very appropriate, Mike and Damian had mentioned that they wanted to give us a taste of the museum so that it would want to make us come back to see more. We didn't over do it and look at every piece in the place, we saw just enough to make us want to come back.
For lunch we went to Hell's Kitchen. "No one knows for certain where the name "Hell's Kitchen" came from, but the name stuck, because this neighborhood was historically one of the poorest, most squalid, and most crime-ridden in the 19th century New York" (ENY, 39). Mike and Damian took the class to this delicious Thai restaurant, Yum Yum Bangkok. The food was amazing, I ordered a chicken cashew dish and had the dumplings for an appetizer. Not only was the food and service great, but all of us sitting together as a class talking to each other and finally bonding was an awesome sight to see. Lunch came to an end and it was time to move onto Morningside Heights.
We got off the subway and the first thing Mike pointed out was this beautiful example of a Beaux Arts style building. To our surprise the building turned out to be a CVS. It was a shock because I've never seen a CVS like it before, to bad not every CVS looks like that. We met our tour guide Jim, great guy, and he took us on a journey through Morningside Heights. "Originally called Vandewater's Heights, this area became prominent during American Revolution at the site of the Battle of Harlem heights, which was notable for being one of George Washington's first victories during the war" (ENY, 80). Jim provided us with interesting information on the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. "The largest church in the world, the cathedral has room was 3000 worshippers and spans a length of over 600 feet" (ENY, 81). Before going into the cathedral we all were amazed by the Peace Fountain sculpted by Gregg Wyatt, in the garden (ENY, 82). "The 40 foot high statue, which shows the archangel Michael vanishing Satan, depicts the triumph of good over evil" (ENY, 82). We then walked into the beautiful cathedral, which all of us were taken back at all it had to offer. At one point I stated that I wanted my wedding there, but I was crushed when I found out that it was not a catholic church. After walking through the church and cooling down, it was time to head over to Colombia University.
Columbia University, the first college established in New York State, and the fifth in the United States, was originally established in lower Manhattan in 1754 as King's College and after the Revolution changed its name to Columbia (ENY, 83). The campus was beautiful, It made me think to myself, why do I not go to school here? Then I remembered you had to be a genius and that I was fine where I was at Molloy. "Walking through the campus, you'll see Low Memorial Library (1897), the centerpiece of Columbia's campus, in the distance. The first structure built on campus, the neoclassical library was modeled by McKim on the Pantheon in Rome" (ENY, 84). The buildings were beautiful, I really appreciated this campus and all the architectural delight it had to offer. After we were done taking in the scene at Columbia University it was time to head over to the General Grant National Memorial.
"Ulysses S. Grant was commander of the Union army during the Civil war and President of the Unite States from 1869-1877. Grant and his wife Julia settled in New York City after his term as President ended, and when he died of throat cancer in 1885, his body was temporarily interred in a brick tomb in Morningside Park" (ENY, 85). His wife Julia had joined him after her own death in 1902 (ENY, 85). The tombs were huge to my surprise and it was really nice that both him and his wife were placed together. I'm a hopeless romantic and love that stuff. Our next stop of the day was Morningside Park.
"This three acre park, which runs from 110th to 123rd Streets, is the natural dividing line between Morningside Park and Harlem. The park sits on a cliff made up of Manhattan schist and came into existence because it was deemed too expensive to extend the street grid across such steep terrain" (ENY, 86). It was crazy how high we were, the view from up above was beautiful. We then walked through Harlem and I've never seen a scene change so quickly. Many of the classmates felt uncomfortable but I was loving the vibe. People were on the streets selling jewelry, clothes, and basically anything that can make them a little cash. "Since its founding, Harlem has been an eclectic ethnic melting pot, and intensively spiritual place of churches and mosques, an example of urban blight and racial conflict, the place where jazz became a distinctive American form of music, and the soul of African-American culture in the United States" (ENY, 87). We stopped at the statue of Harriet Tubman. This was a memorial to the woman, who though a former slave herself, risked her life numbers times to help free other slaves along the Underground Railroad that ran from the south to Canada. Tubman is shown with the faces of freed slaves on her flowing dress, her sense of determination indicated by the roots that she pulls up as she strides" (ENY, 90). Our final stop was the Apollo Theater. "The theater opened in 1914 as Hurtig and Seamon's new Burlesque Theater, and at the time enforced a strict "Whites only" admission policy" (ENY, 90). It's so crazy hearing about how serious racism was, in today's society one would never think of a world where African-Americans and whites can not even attend the same theater. We headed back on the subway with a group of people trying to find navigate our way back to Penn Station. Muscles, Casey, Justine and myself jumped on the train to Babylon and enjoyed the ride home. Today was a great day, and the fact that there are only two classes left upsets me, it's bittersweet!
Today everyone was happy that there was no MTA strike and that we could continue our Gotham experience without having to think of a totally different plan. It was a beautiful day and I was excited we were going to be exploring the west side. We got off the train at 10:47 and hurried to meet with the rest of the class. We walked out of Penn Station and started walking towards Macy's Department Store. "Macy's occupies the entire block between Broadway and 7th Avenue and is the largest department store in the United States. The founder of the store was Rowland Hussey Macy, a Nantucket Quaker, who between 1843 and 1855 attempted to operate four retail stores in Massachusetts, all of which eventually failed. Learning from his mistakes, Macy opened "R.H Macy and Co" in 1858 on Sixth Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets, a location that was considered far uptown at the time" (ENY, 31). I had been to Macy's before around Christmas time, before walking to the tree. They have a big Christmas display in the windows and it really gets you in the Christmas mood. After stopping and admiring the architect of the Macy's building, we made our way over to Herald's Square. "Besides being a major Manhattan retail hub, Herald Square is also well-known for being the endpoint of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" (ENY, 32). We soon found ourselves walking on the pedestrian plaza, set up by Mayor Bloomberg in his administration in 2009. We kept looking up above us and Mike kept mentioning the different styles of the beautiful architect. He mentioned both Art Deco, and Modernist or Internationalist architecture building. Mike had stressed that Art Deco was prominent during the 1930s, so whenever he mentioned the 1930s we were all shouting Art Deco! The difference between the architectural styles were the setbacks, Art Deco buildings were caused to have setbacks due to the age of futuristic. Modernist or Internationalist had no setbacks because of the plazas being present upon entering the buildings, as well as the building itself being pushed away from the street (ENY, 34).
It was time to move on to one of the biggest tourist attractions, Times Square. "Times Square is technically located at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenues and stretches from West 42nd to West 47th Streets. Popularly referred to as "The Crossroads of the World" and "The Great White Way," Times Square today has a whitewashed and white bread feeling about it that belies its interesting and often turbulent history. The are that we now call Times Square began as the farm of John Morin Scott, a New York general who served under George Washington during the American Revolution. By the mid-19th century, the area became known as a center for New York's horse carriage industry and was named Long Acre Square, after the city of London's own carriage center, Long Acre. The area was renamed Times Square in 1904 when The New York Times moved into a new skyscraper on 42nd Street (ENY, 33). Mike mentioned how he did not care for Times Square, but I always seem to love all the action that seems to never end. The area is filled with people yelling at you to try and get you to watch a show, or come to their comedy club, or take a picture with them as they are dressed as a cartoon character. The excitement and fun never stops. Times Square is famous for the New Years Eve ball drop, which I will never attend in my life, I am satisfied with watching it on the screen of my television instead of being tightly packed on a freezing night miserable, I've heard stories.
After all the hustle and bustle in Times Square, it was time to head over to the G.E building. This skyscraper forms the heart of the Rockefeller Center complex in Midtown, which is why it is also referred to popularly as 30 rock (ENY, 34). It was really cool because Mike had mentioned that this was the headquarters of the NBC television network with shows such as, Jimmy Fallon, and The Tonight Show. We walked through the building and the murals on the wall were beautiful, we all just kept looking up to see the different types of murals the building had to offer. We walked outside and took in the rest of Rockefeller Center. "This complex of buildings constructed during the Depression was on elf the first architecturally coordinated developments in New York City and represents the pinnacle of Art Deco architecture and style in New York City" (ENY, 37). I've been to Rockefeller Center multiple times to see the Christmas tree, and watch the many people ice-skate down below. It surprised me that during the summer time they make the ice-skating rink into a Summer Garden & Bar. It was really cute so I promised myself I would have to come back and go down there with my friends and enjoy a nice lunch and some drinks. Next on our list of stops was the Museum of Modern Art. "One of the most important influential museums of modern art in the world, MOMA houses an impressive collection of important works of art from the 19th and 20th centuries" (ENY, 39). First off, I could not believe the fee that students have to pay, have they ever heard of a poor college student? The place did seem like it was a big deal though with the top notch security and all the people found in each of the rooms. My favorite was going up to the fifth floor, which contained works of painting and sculptures from 1880-1940 (ENY, 39). The works by Van Gogh, and Piacasso were actually surprisingly beautiful. We also looked at Andy Warhol's 32 campbell's soup cans. I've grown to really enjoy Warhol's work and like the fact that his name was mentioned in a couple of the museums we visited. the When we were done looking at all the interesting pieces throughout the museum it was time for lunch! By the way I felt like the time we had at the museum was very appropriate, Mike and Damian had mentioned that they wanted to give us a taste of the museum so that it would want to make us come back to see more. We didn't over do it and look at every piece in the place, we saw just enough to make us want to come back.
For lunch we went to Hell's Kitchen. "No one knows for certain where the name "Hell's Kitchen" came from, but the name stuck, because this neighborhood was historically one of the poorest, most squalid, and most crime-ridden in the 19th century New York" (ENY, 39). Mike and Damian took the class to this delicious Thai restaurant, Yum Yum Bangkok. The food was amazing, I ordered a chicken cashew dish and had the dumplings for an appetizer. Not only was the food and service great, but all of us sitting together as a class talking to each other and finally bonding was an awesome sight to see. Lunch came to an end and it was time to move onto Morningside Heights.
We got off the subway and the first thing Mike pointed out was this beautiful example of a Beaux Arts style building. To our surprise the building turned out to be a CVS. It was a shock because I've never seen a CVS like it before, to bad not every CVS looks like that. We met our tour guide Jim, great guy, and he took us on a journey through Morningside Heights. "Originally called Vandewater's Heights, this area became prominent during American Revolution at the site of the Battle of Harlem heights, which was notable for being one of George Washington's first victories during the war" (ENY, 80). Jim provided us with interesting information on the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. "The largest church in the world, the cathedral has room was 3000 worshippers and spans a length of over 600 feet" (ENY, 81). Before going into the cathedral we all were amazed by the Peace Fountain sculpted by Gregg Wyatt, in the garden (ENY, 82). "The 40 foot high statue, which shows the archangel Michael vanishing Satan, depicts the triumph of good over evil" (ENY, 82). We then walked into the beautiful cathedral, which all of us were taken back at all it had to offer. At one point I stated that I wanted my wedding there, but I was crushed when I found out that it was not a catholic church. After walking through the church and cooling down, it was time to head over to Colombia University.
Columbia University, the first college established in New York State, and the fifth in the United States, was originally established in lower Manhattan in 1754 as King's College and after the Revolution changed its name to Columbia (ENY, 83). The campus was beautiful, It made me think to myself, why do I not go to school here? Then I remembered you had to be a genius and that I was fine where I was at Molloy. "Walking through the campus, you'll see Low Memorial Library (1897), the centerpiece of Columbia's campus, in the distance. The first structure built on campus, the neoclassical library was modeled by McKim on the Pantheon in Rome" (ENY, 84). The buildings were beautiful, I really appreciated this campus and all the architectural delight it had to offer. After we were done taking in the scene at Columbia University it was time to head over to the General Grant National Memorial.
"Ulysses S. Grant was commander of the Union army during the Civil war and President of the Unite States from 1869-1877. Grant and his wife Julia settled in New York City after his term as President ended, and when he died of throat cancer in 1885, his body was temporarily interred in a brick tomb in Morningside Park" (ENY, 85). His wife Julia had joined him after her own death in 1902 (ENY, 85). The tombs were huge to my surprise and it was really nice that both him and his wife were placed together. I'm a hopeless romantic and love that stuff. Our next stop of the day was Morningside Park.
"This three acre park, which runs from 110th to 123rd Streets, is the natural dividing line between Morningside Park and Harlem. The park sits on a cliff made up of Manhattan schist and came into existence because it was deemed too expensive to extend the street grid across such steep terrain" (ENY, 86). It was crazy how high we were, the view from up above was beautiful. We then walked through Harlem and I've never seen a scene change so quickly. Many of the classmates felt uncomfortable but I was loving the vibe. People were on the streets selling jewelry, clothes, and basically anything that can make them a little cash. "Since its founding, Harlem has been an eclectic ethnic melting pot, and intensively spiritual place of churches and mosques, an example of urban blight and racial conflict, the place where jazz became a distinctive American form of music, and the soul of African-American culture in the United States" (ENY, 87). We stopped at the statue of Harriet Tubman. This was a memorial to the woman, who though a former slave herself, risked her life numbers times to help free other slaves along the Underground Railroad that ran from the south to Canada. Tubman is shown with the faces of freed slaves on her flowing dress, her sense of determination indicated by the roots that she pulls up as she strides" (ENY, 90). Our final stop was the Apollo Theater. "The theater opened in 1914 as Hurtig and Seamon's new Burlesque Theater, and at the time enforced a strict "Whites only" admission policy" (ENY, 90). It's so crazy hearing about how serious racism was, in today's society one would never think of a world where African-Americans and whites can not even attend the same theater. We headed back on the subway with a group of people trying to find navigate our way back to Penn Station. Muscles, Casey, Justine and myself jumped on the train to Babylon and enjoyed the ride home. Today was a great day, and the fact that there are only two classes left upsets me, it's bittersweet!
7. Lower Manhattan
7/23/14
Today was one of my favorite days out of this experience. Waking up this morning and getting ready I realized that today was our last full day of class, which meant we all had to make the most of it. Justine, Casey, and myself hopped on the train, arrived in Penn, and met up with the rest of the class in our usual meeting spot. As a class we boarded the E train from 34th Street en route to the World Trade Center stop. "Lower Manhattan, that section of the island between New York Harbor to the south and City Hall to the north, is where it all began for the City of New York" (ENY, PDF, 39). When exiting the subway station, we made our way over to Saint Paul's Chapel, the oldest church in Manhattan, built in 1764. Mike had mentioned after the tragic 9/11, workers stayed in the church during the clean up process, eating and sleeping. Walking through the church memories flashed back from the tragic event and became real again. This attack changed the lives of people and their families forever. "Although it was directly across the street from the World Trade Center, the chapel miraculously survived the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001" (ENY, PDF, 47).
Next, we made our way over to the Woolworth Building. "Woolworth was the founder of a successful chain of 5- and 10- cent stores that still beat his name. When it came time to build his headquarters in Lower Manhattan, Woolworth was determined that it would rise higher than any other in the world" (ENY, PDF, 46). Mike had mentioned that this building was the tallest building until the Chrysler building was built in the 1930s. "The building, which is neo-gothic style, was designed by Cass Gilbert, who was inspired by medieval cathedrals that he had seen in France" (ENY, PDF, 46).
Next on our tour was New York City Hall, "which houses the Offices of the mayor and the City Council" (ENY, PDF, 40). Unfortunately we did not get to go inside so we had to keep it moving. We continued on to the New York's Municipal Building and Tweed's Courthouse. "Built between 1861 and 1881, the Italianate-style courthouse was designed by two of New York's most prominent 19th century architects, John Kellum and Leopold Eidlitz and has been called "one of the city's grandest and most important civic monuments" by New York Landmark's Preservation Commission" (ENY, PDF, 45). After the Tweed's Courthouse we moved on to the Municipal Building, one of the largest governmental buildings in the world (ENY, PDF, 42). "The building is currently home to thirteen municipal agencies of the City of New York and until 2009 housed the Manhattan Marriage Bureau, where 18,000 people were married each year in the buildings second floor chapel" (ENY, PDF, 42). We kept moving until we hit Foley Square. "The square was named after Tammany Hall district leader and saloon owner Thomas F. (Big Tom) Foley. The fountain in the middle of the square, "Triumph of the Human Spirit," was created by Brooklyn Sculptor Lorenzo Pace" (ENY, PDF, 43). A few of the classmates tried standing on the steps replicating the Molloy letters with their arms. It actually came out to be a nice picture once Mike added the letters under each of them. After taking the picture it was time to head to the African Burial Ground National Monument and Museum.
"The African Burial Ground National Monument and Museum is located on the first floor of the Ted Weiss Federal Building. From 1690 to 1794 an estimated 20,000 free Africans and slaves were buried in a 6.6 acre burial ground on this site, which at this time was outside the boundaries of the City of New York. Over time the burial ground was developed over and forgotten until it was rediscovered in 1991 during the construction of the Ted Weiss Building" (ENY, PDF, 44-45). When we entered the museum each of us had to go through very strict security. They scanned us made us put our belongings under a scanner, it was surprising. We ended a small theater and watched a short video based on a young girl who lost her father. We saw how the community acted and the burial process. We then got to roam the museum and we each had the chance to lift a barrel to get a taste of how heavy these barrels were that the enslaved individuals had to lift on a daily basis.
After the very informative and interesting museum, next was the 9-11 memorial. "The 9-11 memorial, which opened in 2011, was the result of a competition launched by Lower Manhattan Development Corporation in 2003. The memorial consists of two once acre pools set in the footprints of the original Twin Towers" (ENY, PDF, 49). It was so crazy seeing all the names of the victims inscribed in bronze on the edge of the waterfall. It once again, brought me back to that day. Everyone was getting pulled out of school and I didn't understand why. Finally my mom had picked me up and when we got home the news was on and I finally understood why everyone was taken out of school to be safely in their homes with their loved ones. After seeing this beautiful memorial it was time for lunch!
We made our way over to Hudson Eats, in Battery City Park. It was such a nice place, I liked it so much better than Chelsea Market. The cool air was a nice refreshing feeling and we all went to the top floor to pick out what we wanted for lunch. Justine, Casey, and myself ordered some slices from Skinny Pizza. We found the rest of the class and sat, talked and enjoyed our lunch.
Lunch came to an end and it was time to walk on over to the Trinity Church. "This is actually the third church to stand on this site. The first, which was built in 1697, was destroyed in a fire that swept through much of Lower New York in 1776, and the second, from 1790, was torn down after it was heavily damage during a snow storm. The present church was designed by Richard M. Upjohn in Gothic Revival style and completed in 1846" (ENY, PDF, 50).
It was time for our final stop of the day, Governor's Island. I was so excited to go to Governor's Island because I love taking the Ferry and being on the water. We made the 4:00 PM ferry, paying two dollars to board. The ride in was nice due to the wind blowing in my face and the beautiful sights ahead. We arrived on Governor's Island and we were taken through Fort Jay to Castle William. We were given a tour by Emily of the building and we got to see the cells and hear about how how the people were treated. It was very informative and interesting. After the tour Mike and Damian set us free. A bunch of us walked over to the Hammock Grove to relax for a little. We caught the 6:00 PM ferry home and made our way back to Penn Station. We boarded the train en route to our homes. I can't believe the next class is our last class, the end is really coming near. Today was one of my favorite days, even though they are long they are totally worth it.
Today was one of my favorite days out of this experience. Waking up this morning and getting ready I realized that today was our last full day of class, which meant we all had to make the most of it. Justine, Casey, and myself hopped on the train, arrived in Penn, and met up with the rest of the class in our usual meeting spot. As a class we boarded the E train from 34th Street en route to the World Trade Center stop. "Lower Manhattan, that section of the island between New York Harbor to the south and City Hall to the north, is where it all began for the City of New York" (ENY, PDF, 39). When exiting the subway station, we made our way over to Saint Paul's Chapel, the oldest church in Manhattan, built in 1764. Mike had mentioned after the tragic 9/11, workers stayed in the church during the clean up process, eating and sleeping. Walking through the church memories flashed back from the tragic event and became real again. This attack changed the lives of people and their families forever. "Although it was directly across the street from the World Trade Center, the chapel miraculously survived the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001" (ENY, PDF, 47).
Next, we made our way over to the Woolworth Building. "Woolworth was the founder of a successful chain of 5- and 10- cent stores that still beat his name. When it came time to build his headquarters in Lower Manhattan, Woolworth was determined that it would rise higher than any other in the world" (ENY, PDF, 46). Mike had mentioned that this building was the tallest building until the Chrysler building was built in the 1930s. "The building, which is neo-gothic style, was designed by Cass Gilbert, who was inspired by medieval cathedrals that he had seen in France" (ENY, PDF, 46).
Next on our tour was New York City Hall, "which houses the Offices of the mayor and the City Council" (ENY, PDF, 40). Unfortunately we did not get to go inside so we had to keep it moving. We continued on to the New York's Municipal Building and Tweed's Courthouse. "Built between 1861 and 1881, the Italianate-style courthouse was designed by two of New York's most prominent 19th century architects, John Kellum and Leopold Eidlitz and has been called "one of the city's grandest and most important civic monuments" by New York Landmark's Preservation Commission" (ENY, PDF, 45). After the Tweed's Courthouse we moved on to the Municipal Building, one of the largest governmental buildings in the world (ENY, PDF, 42). "The building is currently home to thirteen municipal agencies of the City of New York and until 2009 housed the Manhattan Marriage Bureau, where 18,000 people were married each year in the buildings second floor chapel" (ENY, PDF, 42). We kept moving until we hit Foley Square. "The square was named after Tammany Hall district leader and saloon owner Thomas F. (Big Tom) Foley. The fountain in the middle of the square, "Triumph of the Human Spirit," was created by Brooklyn Sculptor Lorenzo Pace" (ENY, PDF, 43). A few of the classmates tried standing on the steps replicating the Molloy letters with their arms. It actually came out to be a nice picture once Mike added the letters under each of them. After taking the picture it was time to head to the African Burial Ground National Monument and Museum.
"The African Burial Ground National Monument and Museum is located on the first floor of the Ted Weiss Federal Building. From 1690 to 1794 an estimated 20,000 free Africans and slaves were buried in a 6.6 acre burial ground on this site, which at this time was outside the boundaries of the City of New York. Over time the burial ground was developed over and forgotten until it was rediscovered in 1991 during the construction of the Ted Weiss Building" (ENY, PDF, 44-45). When we entered the museum each of us had to go through very strict security. They scanned us made us put our belongings under a scanner, it was surprising. We ended a small theater and watched a short video based on a young girl who lost her father. We saw how the community acted and the burial process. We then got to roam the museum and we each had the chance to lift a barrel to get a taste of how heavy these barrels were that the enslaved individuals had to lift on a daily basis.
After the very informative and interesting museum, next was the 9-11 memorial. "The 9-11 memorial, which opened in 2011, was the result of a competition launched by Lower Manhattan Development Corporation in 2003. The memorial consists of two once acre pools set in the footprints of the original Twin Towers" (ENY, PDF, 49). It was so crazy seeing all the names of the victims inscribed in bronze on the edge of the waterfall. It once again, brought me back to that day. Everyone was getting pulled out of school and I didn't understand why. Finally my mom had picked me up and when we got home the news was on and I finally understood why everyone was taken out of school to be safely in their homes with their loved ones. After seeing this beautiful memorial it was time for lunch!
We made our way over to Hudson Eats, in Battery City Park. It was such a nice place, I liked it so much better than Chelsea Market. The cool air was a nice refreshing feeling and we all went to the top floor to pick out what we wanted for lunch. Justine, Casey, and myself ordered some slices from Skinny Pizza. We found the rest of the class and sat, talked and enjoyed our lunch.
Lunch came to an end and it was time to walk on over to the Trinity Church. "This is actually the third church to stand on this site. The first, which was built in 1697, was destroyed in a fire that swept through much of Lower New York in 1776, and the second, from 1790, was torn down after it was heavily damage during a snow storm. The present church was designed by Richard M. Upjohn in Gothic Revival style and completed in 1846" (ENY, PDF, 50).
It was time for our final stop of the day, Governor's Island. I was so excited to go to Governor's Island because I love taking the Ferry and being on the water. We made the 4:00 PM ferry, paying two dollars to board. The ride in was nice due to the wind blowing in my face and the beautiful sights ahead. We arrived on Governor's Island and we were taken through Fort Jay to Castle William. We were given a tour by Emily of the building and we got to see the cells and hear about how how the people were treated. It was very informative and interesting. After the tour Mike and Damian set us free. A bunch of us walked over to the Hammock Grove to relax for a little. We caught the 6:00 PM ferry home and made our way back to Penn Station. We boarded the train en route to our homes. I can't believe the next class is our last class, the end is really coming near. Today was one of my favorite days, even though they are long they are totally worth it.
8. Lower East Side
7/25/14
The day has come, it's our last class. This was a sad day, I honestly can say I'm going to miss waking up every Wednesday and Friday excited to see what my day has in store. We all met in Penn station as usual and started our day off heading to the Jewish Lower East Side. We caught the F train and took that to Delancy Street. "Although Irish and German immigrants began moving into the neighborhood in the late 1850s, it was Jewish immigration from Eastern Europe in the 1880s that really gave the neighborhood its character" (ENY, PDF, 65). We walked by the Essex Street Market. "For much of the early 20th century, the Lower East Side was filled with pushcarts, with vendors selling everything from fruits, vegetables, and meat, to clothing, and household items" (ENY, PDF, 67).
Our first actual stop of the day was Kossar's Bialys. We stopped and Mike took down what everyone wanted. I ordered an onion Bialy, I figured let me try it instead of ordering a plain bagel and being simple. We took our Bialys and bagels over to Seward Park. "The park was named after William Seward, Governor of New York from 1839-1842 and later Secretary of State during the Lincoln administration" (ENY, PDF, 69). The funniest part of the day was when we arrived at the park and Mike realized instead of ordering cream cheese he ordered a Tofu spread. Mike nominated Muscles and had him go by himself to go get the cream cheese. Muscles got lost, and winded up coming back 15 minutes later. Everyone was basically done with their bialys and bagels but thanks Muscles for being so kind. I liked my Bialy, I mean it wasn't the most delicious piece of food, but it wasn't bad. Jim was our tour guide for the day, and we were all happy because we all enjoyed him from the tour the other day.
The first place we went to was the Bialystoker Synagogue. "The synagogue was founded in 1865 by Jews who came from the town of Bialystock in Poland. Merging with another congregation from Poland, the enlarged congregation purchased the Willett Street Methodist Episcopal Church and converted it into a synagogue" (ENY, PDF, 68). Next was the Henry Street Settlement. This was found by a nursing student, Lilian Wald, this brought not only nursing care to the community, but education as well.
The final stop of the day was Congee Village Chinese Food. We walked in and the tables were huge! We fit a decent amount of us in the booth and all enjoyed different types of food from this authentic Chinese restaurant. Mike ordered dumplings, sesame chicken, fried rice, noodles, and some other stuff. I really liked the sesame chicken and the fried rice. We all talked about what our favorite parts of this experience were and shared some laughs. At the end of the lunch it was time to say goodbye. Everyone was sad, I hugged everyone, including Mike and Damian goodbye. Justine, Casey and myself left the group and found ourselves shopping in SoHo. It was a great way to end the last day.
The day has come, it's our last class. This was a sad day, I honestly can say I'm going to miss waking up every Wednesday and Friday excited to see what my day has in store. We all met in Penn station as usual and started our day off heading to the Jewish Lower East Side. We caught the F train and took that to Delancy Street. "Although Irish and German immigrants began moving into the neighborhood in the late 1850s, it was Jewish immigration from Eastern Europe in the 1880s that really gave the neighborhood its character" (ENY, PDF, 65). We walked by the Essex Street Market. "For much of the early 20th century, the Lower East Side was filled with pushcarts, with vendors selling everything from fruits, vegetables, and meat, to clothing, and household items" (ENY, PDF, 67).
Our first actual stop of the day was Kossar's Bialys. We stopped and Mike took down what everyone wanted. I ordered an onion Bialy, I figured let me try it instead of ordering a plain bagel and being simple. We took our Bialys and bagels over to Seward Park. "The park was named after William Seward, Governor of New York from 1839-1842 and later Secretary of State during the Lincoln administration" (ENY, PDF, 69). The funniest part of the day was when we arrived at the park and Mike realized instead of ordering cream cheese he ordered a Tofu spread. Mike nominated Muscles and had him go by himself to go get the cream cheese. Muscles got lost, and winded up coming back 15 minutes later. Everyone was basically done with their bialys and bagels but thanks Muscles for being so kind. I liked my Bialy, I mean it wasn't the most delicious piece of food, but it wasn't bad. Jim was our tour guide for the day, and we were all happy because we all enjoyed him from the tour the other day.
The first place we went to was the Bialystoker Synagogue. "The synagogue was founded in 1865 by Jews who came from the town of Bialystock in Poland. Merging with another congregation from Poland, the enlarged congregation purchased the Willett Street Methodist Episcopal Church and converted it into a synagogue" (ENY, PDF, 68). Next was the Henry Street Settlement. This was found by a nursing student, Lilian Wald, this brought not only nursing care to the community, but education as well.
The final stop of the day was Congee Village Chinese Food. We walked in and the tables were huge! We fit a decent amount of us in the booth and all enjoyed different types of food from this authentic Chinese restaurant. Mike ordered dumplings, sesame chicken, fried rice, noodles, and some other stuff. I really liked the sesame chicken and the fried rice. We all talked about what our favorite parts of this experience were and shared some laughs. At the end of the lunch it was time to say goodbye. Everyone was sad, I hugged everyone, including Mike and Damian goodbye. Justine, Casey and myself left the group and found ourselves shopping in SoHo. It was a great way to end the last day.
9. Final Impressions of New York
Looking back at my Gotham Experience, I wouldn't change a thing. The class overall was amazing. The Professors, Mike and Damian made the class not only educational but fun. I started off not knowing anything about the city or what it has to offer and I leave knowing more than most people probably do. Mike and Damian provided us with a book and information that I will treasure forever. My favorite classes were Brooklyn, and Lower Manhattan. I consider the group of us lucky for all the sights we got to learn about in a city that is so close to us. I feel like I learned so much more than if I were to sit in a classroom and learn about this stuff. I now know why this is such a popular class. It's also really nice being in a class with people that are from different majors. Usually I am in classrooms with all my Speech majors, I love them to death, but meeting Nursing, Education, and even Philosophy majors was something I really enjoyed. The people that were enrolled in this class were fun and filled with life. I walk away with completely different perspective of "The Big Apple," and more importantly walk away with 18 new people I can call my friends. I would do this experience again in a heart beat. I do suggest for the people that are taking this class in the future you stay on top of your journals, wear comfortable shoes, and have fun & enjoy what New York City has to offer!