Journal 1
Impressions of New York: In The Beginning
When I think about New York City, my first reaction is that it is over crowded and too busy. However, when I think about it more deeply, I remind myself of how the job I've wanted since I'm a little kid could place me in the heart of New York City or one of the boroughs surrounding it. Since I can remember I've wanted to be a police officer, and as I look toward college graduation I anticipate the possibility of being a part of the New York City Police Department or even another local department like the MTA or Port Authority. Although the idea of a city outing was never the first choice on my list of things to do, I've started to realize how important it is to understand and experience all it has to offer while I have the opportunity to do so.
Although I've lived in Nassau County for the past 21 years, I find that I don't know as much about New York City as some might expect. After missing the opportunity to take a similar New York City class in high school, I did not want to miss my shot at it again when I got another chance in college. Even though I have been exposed to minor aspects of all of the excitement and history that makes up New York's character, I find that I didn't fully appreciate all of the experiences I had and the knowledge I gained as much as I should have. Now that I'm older and have a greater understanding about how fortunate I am to have such easy access to one of the greatest cities in the world, I am looking forward to visiting all of the places that some people never get a chance to see.
Overall, I hope that I leave this class with a greater appreciation for New York City and the five boroughs. Even though I could get myself around if I had to, I especially hope that I develop an understanding of the subway system, and I hope that everything I experience encourages me to visit the city more often. With the city, Brooklyn, and Queens only a short train or car ride away, I am excited to visit some of the most popular places that I would never think of going to on my own.
Quixotic Queens: 09/06/13
Today is Friday September 6, 2013 and it is not only my first day of my senior year of college, but it is also my first day of my “Gotham: New York City” class. I am very excited for this day to begin especially because of the perfect weather that we have to begin our class. With a high temperature of about 73 degrees, and not a cloud in the sky, I headed to the Rockville Centre train station to catch a 10:11 am train into Penn Station with my girlfriend, Shannon. Seeing as we have been dating for some time now, it makes this excursion all the more exciting and special to be able to experience it all with her.
Our true journey began in Penn Station once our train pulled in at about 10:55 and our first task was to meet our new classmates and instructors at our designated meeting spot. After a brief intro speech about the class from Mike and Meritta, we began walking to Bryant Park where we had our first outdoor class, which more deeply outline our course expectations. Bryant Park was a dangerous and drug infested place to be in the 1970's until it was cleaned up and renamed after William Cullen Bryant (BG pg. 209-210). After my first ever outdoor class, we walked by the Chrysler Building that was constructed using the popular architectural style called Art Deco, which influences very intricate detail and flowing chrome lines. Built in 1930, the Chrysler Building was the tallest building for only one year until the Empire State Building was erected in 1931 (BG pg. 231-232). After learning about that, which was just outside the New York Public Library, we all gathered on the stairs of the library for a traditional class photo just before heading into the library. The architecture and designing of the building is absolutely incredible, extremely intricate and insanely detailed on the ceiling and walls. This is because the designers felt that a beautiful and well-built public building would attract many people to come and visit the public facility during the time of the depression (BG pg. 208). After leaving the New York City Public Library we headed towards the Grand Central Terminal. Once again, like the New York Public Library, the interior and even exterior architecture was very detailed and beautiful. Also notable, I learned that the terminal was only restored about 10 years ago and it used to be all dirty and stained from cigar smoke (BG pg. 229). After seeing this, we headed through a few lavish and luxurious lobbies of expensive hotels, even stopping in the Waldorf Astoria to use the bathrooms, where other classmates apparently saw famous actor Bob Saget.
Our journey then took us on a walk to the only tram in New York that takes you parallel with the Queensboro Bridge over the East River to FDR Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island. On Roosevelt Island rests a hospital that used to be home to housing for madmen, criminals, and incurables (BG pg. 382). On this stop we saw so old preserved buildings that once stood as the first nursing school in New York. Additionally, the newly renovated FDR Park has flourishing gardens and trees to relax by.
Closely following the sites of the Queensboro Bridge and the East River we proceeded underground to the subway where we rode for a few minutes to Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights, otherwise known as Mike’s hometown. At this point, the entire class excluding myself, Shannon and mike continued to an Indian restaurant. Our stomachs are not the type for that kind of cuisine so we continued to eat our peanut butter and jellies outside of a McDonald's where we also rested our legs for about 25 minutes until we reunited with the class at approximately 3:25 pm. A final note to add in regards to Jackson Heights was the extreme diversity. While eating our lunches, we must have seen a person of every different heritage walk by at least once. It is nice to see such a diverse community in which so many different people can live together as one cumulative society.
After lunch we got back onto the subway headed to Steinway Street in Astoria queens. Upon reaching street level it was clear that we were no longer in the hustle and bustle of Jackson Heights nor were we in the big city of Manhattan. Now, the streets and city seemed to more closely resemble a Long Island town, which I am more used to. Just a few short blocks away we came to visit the Museum of the Moving Image, which is completely dedicated to film and television production. This museum is dedicated to the very interesting life of film (BG pg. 499). For example, the Feral Fount from 1996 takes sculptures in three-dimension come to real time. Also, there were exhibits of the first ever televisions and Charlie Chaplin’s first ever moving pictures. But perhaps but my favorite thing to see was the mask, from the movie "The Mask," staring Jim Carey. It was especially awesome to see the mold that was created to specifically to fit Jim Carey's head. Before today's class even started, I was not even fully aware that this stop would be part of our day but I am sure glad it was.
Closely following the sites of the Queensboro Bridge and the East River we proceeded underground to the subway where we rode for a few minutes to Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights, otherwise known as Mike’s hometown. At this point, the entire class excluding myself, Shannon and mike continued to an Indian restaurant. Our stomachs are not the type for that kind of cuisine so we continued to eat our peanut butter and jellies outside of a McDonald's where we also rested our legs for about 25 minutes until we reunited with the class at approximately 3:25 pm. A final note to add in regards to Jackson Heights was the extreme diversity. While eating our lunches, we must have seen a person of every different heritage walk by at least once. It is nice to see such a diverse community in which so many different people can live together as one cumulative society.
After lunch we got back onto the subway headed to Steinway Street in Astoria queens. Upon reaching street level it was clear that we were no longer in the hustle and bustle of Jackson Heights nor were we in the big city of Manhattan. Now, the streets and city seemed to more closely resemble a Long Island town, which I am more used to. Just a few short blocks away we came to visit the Museum of the Moving Image, which is completely dedicated to film and television production. This museum is dedicated to the very interesting life of film (BG pg. 499). For example, the Feral Fount from 1996 takes sculptures in three-dimension come to real time. Also, there were exhibits of the first ever televisions and Charlie Chaplin’s first ever moving pictures. But perhaps but my favorite thing to see was the mask, from the movie "The Mask," staring Jim Carey. It was especially awesome to see the mold that was created to specifically to fit Jim Carey's head. Before today's class even started, I was not even fully aware that this stop would be part of our day but I am sure glad it was.
Once we left the museum, we headed back down to the subway in route to Long Island City. In the recent past, Long Island City was mainly an industrial town but has been rapidly developing into a very desired place to live. Long Island City is a prime example of gentrification, or when urban planning of poor undesired neighborhood transforms them into lavish and luxurious places to live. Once we again reached street level, we began our walk which took us past PS1, the oldest public school in New York. It is no longer an actual school, but has been taken over in partnership with MoMA, as one of the more extreme art museums in New York, in which we unfortunately did not get the chance to go in and see (BG pg. 495). Right down the block from there was a site called “5 Pointz.” This to me, had to be the coolest thing that we saw all day. This was a huge section of buildings that was dedicated to graffiti artists and they were allowed to spray paint what they wanted, where they wanted, when they wanted. Also, 5 Pointz hosted a small non-profit art gallery and thrift shop where items and artwork could be bought. What makes these attractions so interesting and controversial is the fact that there are plans for this to all be demolished in the near future to build more developed housing. We then walked from there all the way through Long Island City to the East River where all the building developments are brand new and show prime evidence of gentrification. From the boardwalk on the East River, we can see all the sites from the day like Chrysler Building, Queensboro Bridge, and the FDR Four Freedoms Park. We then proceeded along the tip of Long Island City to the Gantries State Park that is home to the port between the trains and ships from back in the day. It was now made into an attraction for the sights.
At this point in time, our journey had come to an end. We were on the tip of Long Island City and were given the option to take the subway back to Penn Station then proceed home to Nassau County, or take a Subway to Woodside without the instructors to then proceed back to Nassau. Although I was a bit reluctant and unsure, I took the Woodside option as it would save me about an hour of traveling time. Luckily for me, a few new friends that I met during the day took the Woodside option as well so we were able to travel back successfully home in a small group, all the while making interesting conversation. To say the least, this day far exceeded my expectations for New York City. It was much more interesting than I had imagined and I was also very proud that by the end of the day I was navigating the subways quite satisfactorily. To think that next week’s adventure will take us to Coney Island in Brooklyn has me excited to say the least.
Below you will find six of my favorite pictures from the day's events. From left to right describes Grand Central Terminal, the view from the Roosevelt Island tram over the East River, a scene from Roosevelt Island in FDR Park, Jim Carey's 'Mask' imprint, a view of Manhattan sitting behind the East River from the tip of Long Island City, and finally one of my favorite pieces of art from the graffiti site of 5 Points Museum. Enjoy!
At this point in time, our journey had come to an end. We were on the tip of Long Island City and were given the option to take the subway back to Penn Station then proceed home to Nassau County, or take a Subway to Woodside without the instructors to then proceed back to Nassau. Although I was a bit reluctant and unsure, I took the Woodside option as it would save me about an hour of traveling time. Luckily for me, a few new friends that I met during the day took the Woodside option as well so we were able to travel back successfully home in a small group, all the while making interesting conversation. To say the least, this day far exceeded my expectations for New York City. It was much more interesting than I had imagined and I was also very proud that by the end of the day I was navigating the subways quite satisfactorily. To think that next week’s adventure will take us to Coney Island in Brooklyn has me excited to say the least.
Below you will find six of my favorite pictures from the day's events. From left to right describes Grand Central Terminal, the view from the Roosevelt Island tram over the East River, a scene from Roosevelt Island in FDR Park, Jim Carey's 'Mask' imprint, a view of Manhattan sitting behind the East River from the tip of Long Island City, and finally one of my favorite pieces of art from the graffiti site of 5 Points Museum. Enjoy!
Bodacious Brooklyn: 09/13/13
Today is Friday September 13, 2013 and this morning I find myself feeling a bit under the weather. I made it a point to stop a CVS to pick up some cough drops to soothe my throat before I headed into the city. To begin the day, Shannon and I drove to Molloy College to hop on the 9:50 shuttle bus to the Rockville Centre train station. This was actually our first ever experience using the Molloy shuttles and we both agree that it was a very professional and punctual service. After a quick stop in Dunkin Donuts for a few doughnuts and a hot chocolate, we were on our way to Penn Station on the 10:11 am train.
At just a few minutes before 11am, Shannon and I met up with our classmates in our designated meeting spot in Penn Station. After attendance and a quick good morning speech outlining the day’s itinerary from Mike and Meritta, we headed to street level to walk on 6th Avenue towards the subway. Just a few short minutes away, we reached the F train that was a direct ride to Coney Island in Brooklyn. Coney Island, which was named by the Dutch, means island of rabbits for the many rabbits they saw there (BG pg. 492). Brooklyn is one of New York’s five boroughs and is geographically part of Long Island, but technically part of New York City. We prepared for an approximate 40-minute subway ride to Coney Island to soon realize it may take longer then the usual 40 minutes. After many stops, delays and postponements, we finally reached Coney Island after about an hour and a half subway ride. At this very point in time, much of the class was tired from the long ride, not to mention a bit disappointed.
Seeing as most of our free time at Coney Island was depleted from our unusually long subway ride, we were given about 25 minutes to explore the area and eat lunch. I am unfortunately sad to say that the entire theme park including the world famous Cyclone Roller Coaster was closed. It wasn't a big deal to me because now I have a great excuse to come back down to Coney Island on my own time with some friends. Mike, Shannon, Erin and I now found ourselves at the Original Nathan's, founded in 1916, where mike and Erin bought some lunch (BG pg. 492). (Shannon and I are lunch-packers). After a quick lunch in one of the most famous and most visited places in Brooklyn, we headed back to the boardwalk to meet up with our instructors, Mike and Meritta. But before we took off towards the subway, I made it a point to run down the beach to the water to feel the ocean, which was truly warm and beautiful, so much so I was tempted to hop in for a quick dip. Knowing that I was on this beautiful beach on an even nicer late summer day, it was a bit upsetting to think I was moments away from leaving to go back on the subway from which we just came.
Seeing as most of our free time at Coney Island was depleted from our unusually long subway ride, we were given about 25 minutes to explore the area and eat lunch. I am unfortunately sad to say that the entire theme park including the world famous Cyclone Roller Coaster was closed. It wasn't a big deal to me because now I have a great excuse to come back down to Coney Island on my own time with some friends. Mike, Shannon, Erin and I now found ourselves at the Original Nathan's, founded in 1916, where mike and Erin bought some lunch (BG pg. 492). (Shannon and I are lunch-packers). After a quick lunch in one of the most famous and most visited places in Brooklyn, we headed back to the boardwalk to meet up with our instructors, Mike and Meritta. But before we took off towards the subway, I made it a point to run down the beach to the water to feel the ocean, which was truly warm and beautiful, so much so I was tempted to hop in for a quick dip. Knowing that I was on this beautiful beach on an even nicer late summer day, it was a bit upsetting to think I was moments away from leaving to go back on the subway from which we just came.
At this point in time, with Coney Island behind us, we headed back into the subway to journey towards the remainder of our day. After a much more quick and convenient subway ride through Brooklyn, we got off at Jay Street and began walking the neighborhood. I soon thought we were entering another subway only to realize we were at our destination of interest that was The New York Transit Museum. Once a working and functioning subway station, this museum is dedicated to the history of public transportation in New York City with special emphasis on the subway system (BG pg. 467). Our experience of the museum began with a tour guided by an employee named Catherine. Some interesting facts she shared with us was that this museum was used for the filming of the movie, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3. Additionally, a major reason why engineers thought it was so important to move past the days of horse powered carriages was because of the massive amounts of waste they produced. At the peak of horse drawn carriages, New York City was home to approximately 200,000 horses that all needed to go to the bathroom. When allotted personal time to see the rest of the museum, I also found many other interesting details in regards to New York's transit history. For example, in 1987 Michael Jackson filmed one of his famous music videos, Bad, only one station away from where the museum is currently located. Also, as pictured on the right, there were many different displays that showed the evolution of subway related items. One particular item that interested me and is pictured here, is the evolution of the metrocard, which became electronic as we know it today in 1994.
Upon leaving The Transit Museum, our real guided tour of Brooklyn Heights now began. Our first site was Brooklyn Borough Hall that was built in the neoclassical architecture style back in 1898. After leaving Brooklyn Borough Hall we began a more detailed and regimented tour of the town of Brooklyn Heights. Among the notable details of Brooklyn Heights were old churches, famous and very expensive brownstone buildings, and of course, the East River. We even passed a famous house where poet Walt Whitman once lived. One example of an old church we saw was St. Ann and the Holy Trinity on Montague Street. Built in 1844-1847, this church exemplifies the gothic architectural style of construction (BG pg. 15). Shortly after seeing the church of St. Ann, we were officially introduced to the famous Brownstone Buildings of Brooklyn Heights. Brownstones get their named from being faced with this brown type of limestone material, hence the term 'brown-stone' (BG pg. 415). After snapping a few pictures of the iconic buildings, we walked down by the promenade that was also home to memorial for Brooklyn Heights during the American Revolution. This is the actual spot where General George Washington secretly and silently took his troops up the East River out of danger's way from the British Soldiers (BG pg. 467). From this point, we were as far West as we could be in Brooklyn, standing directly over the BQE that also overlooks the east river. From this point in Time we headed to a spot know as "Dumbo," which is short for the district under Manhattan bridge overpass. This can also be described as the location between the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge. This is a very unique sight, as both of these bridge's true scale and magnitude are clearly evident from this spot. Shortly after hanging around at Dumbo, we all followed Mike and Meritta to Jacques Torres' Ice Cream Shoppe directly underneath the Brooklyn Bridge. I am not a big fan of ice cream so I took the time to relax my legs while the rest of the class ate some ice cream, knowing that our trek across the Brooklyn Bridge is what was awaiting us. Once the class finished eating, we made our way up to the Brooklyn Bridge where for the first time in my life, I walked across a such a large scale and highly used bridge. This was truly the culmination to a beautiful, exciting, and adventurous day in Brooklyn.
At this point in time, the ending of our day's journey was here. We were now on the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge and given the option to head home or go to the South Street Seaport, which was also once known as the former world trade center (BG pg. 56). Shannon and I had all intentions of heading to the South Street Seaport with our instructors and a few classmates, but realized how truly tired we actually were. Although we were hesitant to head home, she and I walked down Chambers Street with Mike and Erin to an A subway back to Penn Station. As expected for a Friday night, the subway was extremely crowded and there was barely standing room. We arrived back at Penn Station and found great seats on the LIRR back to Long Island. Knowing that two classes are already over has me upset, but realizing there is many more adventures to come has me eagerly awaiting my final five classes.
Below you will find six of my favorite pictures from the day's events. From left to right describes the world famous Cyclone Roller Coaster, the world famous Original Nathan's Hotdogs, an old fashioned New York City Subway car, a Brownstone building in Brooklyn Heights, the walkway over the Brooklyn Bridge, and lastly the setting sun from the train car on the Long Island Rail Road. Enjoy!
At this point in time, the ending of our day's journey was here. We were now on the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge and given the option to head home or go to the South Street Seaport, which was also once known as the former world trade center (BG pg. 56). Shannon and I had all intentions of heading to the South Street Seaport with our instructors and a few classmates, but realized how truly tired we actually were. Although we were hesitant to head home, she and I walked down Chambers Street with Mike and Erin to an A subway back to Penn Station. As expected for a Friday night, the subway was extremely crowded and there was barely standing room. We arrived back at Penn Station and found great seats on the LIRR back to Long Island. Knowing that two classes are already over has me upset, but realizing there is many more adventures to come has me eagerly awaiting my final five classes.
Below you will find six of my favorite pictures from the day's events. From left to right describes the world famous Cyclone Roller Coaster, the world famous Original Nathan's Hotdogs, an old fashioned New York City Subway car, a Brownstone building in Brooklyn Heights, the walkway over the Brooklyn Bridge, and lastly the setting sun from the train car on the Long Island Rail Road. Enjoy!
A Tale of Three Villages: 09/20/13
Today is Friday, September 20, 2013 and I am thankfully feeling much better than last week, although still not 100%. Regardless, I am still very excited for today’s trip into Manhattan, and eager for it to begin. Like last week, at about 9:30 a.m., Shannon and I drove to Molloy College where we once again caught the 9:50 shuttle bus to the Rockville Centre train station. After a quick stop in the local Dunkin Donuts for a hot chocolate and blueberry cake doughnut, Shannon and I once again found ourselves on the 10:11 a.m. train into Penn Station.
After a slower than usual train ride, we pulled into Penn Station at about five minutes before 11 am. We both quickly utilized this time to use the bathroom before we met up with the rest of our classmates. Once the entire class was together again at 11:05 in our designated meeting area, we were greeted by Mike and Meritta who like always, ran through the day's itinerary with us all. After being reminded that our first term papers were due by the end of the day, we all proceeded just a few steps over to the subway within Penn Station to hop on the 1 train. We were all headed downtown to Houston Street where our day’s journey would really begin, and to our benefit, learned that the 1 train was our only subway ride for the day. (I think we all had enough of the subway after last week’s Coney Island subway fiasco). Regardless of our mode of transportation, I am quite partial to walking.
Once we all reached ground level, our journey down Houston Street and the three villages has now begun. Before reaching our first major destination, we made many quick stops throughout the Villages to really take in many of the historical sites and charm that this town had to offer. Our first site of the day was what is said to be the City's most Narrow House. This house is only about 8 feet wide and sold for 3.2 million dollars just last month. Moving on, another of the first significant places that we saw happened to be one of Meritta’s favorite bars in all of Manhattan. This of course, was the White Horse Tavern. The White Horse Tavern was established in 1880 and is in the heart of the village. In years past, many famous writers and poets often came to this bar to drink, which was common among writers in the past. This bar is also notable for being the place where Dylan Thomas, a famous poet, had an unreasonable amount of shots, managed to make it home, and then died just a few days later (BG pg. 143). The White Horse Tavern was host to many famous people and events over the course of history.
After a slower than usual train ride, we pulled into Penn Station at about five minutes before 11 am. We both quickly utilized this time to use the bathroom before we met up with the rest of our classmates. Once the entire class was together again at 11:05 in our designated meeting area, we were greeted by Mike and Meritta who like always, ran through the day's itinerary with us all. After being reminded that our first term papers were due by the end of the day, we all proceeded just a few steps over to the subway within Penn Station to hop on the 1 train. We were all headed downtown to Houston Street where our day’s journey would really begin, and to our benefit, learned that the 1 train was our only subway ride for the day. (I think we all had enough of the subway after last week’s Coney Island subway fiasco). Regardless of our mode of transportation, I am quite partial to walking.
Once we all reached ground level, our journey down Houston Street and the three villages has now begun. Before reaching our first major destination, we made many quick stops throughout the Villages to really take in many of the historical sites and charm that this town had to offer. Our first site of the day was what is said to be the City's most Narrow House. This house is only about 8 feet wide and sold for 3.2 million dollars just last month. Moving on, another of the first significant places that we saw happened to be one of Meritta’s favorite bars in all of Manhattan. This of course, was the White Horse Tavern. The White Horse Tavern was established in 1880 and is in the heart of the village. In years past, many famous writers and poets often came to this bar to drink, which was common among writers in the past. This bar is also notable for being the place where Dylan Thomas, a famous poet, had an unreasonable amount of shots, managed to make it home, and then died just a few days later (BG pg. 143). The White Horse Tavern was host to many famous people and events over the course of history.
After leaving the White Horse Tavern, as a class we made our way deeper through the villages. We were headed towards Christopher Street, which is home to a very large gay and lesbian community. Although this area was seen as the most densely populated gay area, it is now spreading throughout the city to places like Chelsea. According to Mike, New York is home to the largest gay and lesbian communities in the country, and quite possibly the world. This is truly amazing and proactive to see how we have progressed as a country and community, considering a short 60-70 years ago people were arrested, burned, and even drowned for being homosexual. Passing through Christopher Street, we found ourselves in Christopher Park. This park is home to George Segal’s same-sex couple statutes, in honor of the gay liberation (BG pg.130). Christopher Park was a nice small park with a few benches for relaxing. Additionally, across the street from the park is a true monument of the gay liberation. This is where the Stonewall Inn is located. This bar is most notably famous for the riots that took place there back in June of 1968. This is when the police came into the bar to arrest known gay people and this time they fought back. For several days, police and the patrons of the Stonewall Inn rioted in the streets and the bar. Now, when people celebrate gay pride, the Stonewall Inn is a usual meeting place, or ending place for parades and festivities (BG pg. 130). This bar, and more importantly area of the city, became a nationwide icon during the gay and lesbian liberation just a few generations ago.
Shortly after passing through this historic gay community, we found ourselves outside the Northern Dispensary located on Waverly Place. Founded in 1827, this unique triangular building used to be a hospital for the poor people (BG pg. 130). As noted by Mike, this building was designed the Federal Style of architecture, which happens to be his favorite style. Quickly walking through Gay Street to admire the charm of the neighborhood, we were now just a short distance away from Washington Square Park, which we only passed by for the moment. A few blocks East of this park, we made it to our first tour of the day, which was in the Merchant House Museum. This house was a typical and original house from 1832, which was descriptive of an upper-middle class family. At the time this house was built, there was only one other home on the block. In 1835, this home was sold for $18,000, which would truly be the deal of the century if that price stood today! Most notably, this home was not only landmarked on the outside, but due to its true originality, the inside was landmarked as well (BG pg. 158). As described by our excellent tour guide Bill, this home hosted a family of seven children, including about four servants. Additionally, about 80% of the actual furniture we saw was completely original from the mid 1800s. After our detailed tour of the original house, we finally ended up in Washington Square Park. Built in 1827, this park was home to many different scenes such as a parade ground, a demonstration area for NYU, and even a place to find any illegal drug you could possibly want (BG pg. 131). Additionally, the park is home to a famous arch portraying George Washington as both a general and as a president. Interestingly enough, the fountain in the park was not centered between the arch so a few years ago the city paid to redo the park and center the fountain between the arch. But, one of the most interesting things about this park is the fact that in the 1950s, Robert Moses had planned to build a highway directly through it, but was denied by the City.
Our journey progressed through the villages from this point. After a morning filled with history, information, and sites, everyone was anxious for our lunch break. But, we were not done traveling yet. On our way to our lunch destination, we passed several interesting and noteworthy things. For example, we saw a group of young men sitting on beach chairs on top of a small turf carpet, in a parking spot in the street. This was in honor of national ‘park day,’ a day where people put a park in a parking spot to remember the importance and beauty of the parks we do have. Also, we walked through the Mews that are now owned by NYU. The Mews used to be carriage houses for the rich people to park their horse and carriages in. These old cobble stone streets now give the feeling as if one was back in the time of cobble stone streets and gas street lamps. A few other important sites we came across on our way to lunch was the Mills House, and ‘The Slide,’ which was an old drag bar. At this moment in time, we have reached St. Marks Place where we were given just under an hour to break for lunch. Luckily, we were in a very busy area with tons of places to eat, shop, and look at. Despite all the tempting lunch options, I could not resist the call of the $1 pizza slices from 2BrosPizza with Shannon and Mike.
Directly following lunch, we knew that we had another guided tour at about 4 p.m. On our way to tour we again saw several intriguing sites. Firstly, we passed by St. Marks Church that was built on the site of Peter Stuyvesant’s own chapel, and is the second oldest church in all of Manhattan (BG pg. 166). Marching forward from the church, we walked down the avenues through Tompkins Square Park. This park is approximately 16 acres and has been home to many historic riots over the last few centuries. These riots were in response to citizen unrest about oppressive political actions (BG pg. 167). The protesters in these riots had their hardships to overcome but in the end were able to keep their park without a curfew.
Once we were through the park, which was filled with people playing with their dogs, people relaxing, and kids playing all sorts of games, we reached one of our final destinations for the day that was the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space. This museum is dedicated to live culture under attack from gentrification. Our tour guide, who was ironically also named Bill, was clearly a true member of this movement from the 1970s and 1980s. He toured us through their small museum that was dedicated to the timeline of events these people went through in reclaiming land that once belonged to them. Bill also took us on the streets to show us community gardens that were created by them, (they call themselves squatters) and are still standing and active green space since the 1970s. Bill explained things to us like the government policy called ‘Planned Shrinkage.’ He told us this was a policy created by the City because they had no money to fix places and they were then left to rot and deteriorate. Additionally, Bill took us through some of the gardens that were full of local community members trying to become a little closer with nature. In one particular garden, Bill pointed out one last remaining painting piece of a mural that was original from 1985. The mural depicted the people’s struggle in the city in all different languages, in which all had strong political messages.
After our detailed and passionate tour of the reclaimed urban space, we once again found ourselves in the heart of Tompkins Square Park. We didn’t leave without a quick history lesson from Mike and Meritta about the hard times that once fell on this park, which clearly is not evident today. Before the end of the night, we all stopped at a well-known ice cream parlor called The Big Gay Ice Cream Shop, which is famous for the salty pimp ice cream sundae. At this point in time, our day’s excursion had come to an end. Instead of going home, Shannon and I walked about 20 blocks to meet our friend for pizza, yes pizza twice in a day! After our dinner, we continued about another 10 blocks down 3rd Avenue to my stepsister’s apartment in Murray Hill to say hello to her. At about 7:45 p.m., Shannon and I hustled back to Penn Station to catch the 8:08 train back to Rockville Centre. Today’s class definitely enlightened me about much more of the back streets of Manhattan and what they had to offer, and I could not be more excited for what is to come in our following four classes!
Below you will find six of my favorite pictures from the day's events. From left to right describes the narrowest house in Manhattan, George Segal's same-sex statues in Christopher Park, the servants living quarters in the old Merchant House, some young men creating their own park in an actual parking lot, the entrance to the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, and lastly the actual Big Gay Ice Cream Shop. Enjoy!
Once we were through the park, which was filled with people playing with their dogs, people relaxing, and kids playing all sorts of games, we reached one of our final destinations for the day that was the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space. This museum is dedicated to live culture under attack from gentrification. Our tour guide, who was ironically also named Bill, was clearly a true member of this movement from the 1970s and 1980s. He toured us through their small museum that was dedicated to the timeline of events these people went through in reclaiming land that once belonged to them. Bill also took us on the streets to show us community gardens that were created by them, (they call themselves squatters) and are still standing and active green space since the 1970s. Bill explained things to us like the government policy called ‘Planned Shrinkage.’ He told us this was a policy created by the City because they had no money to fix places and they were then left to rot and deteriorate. Additionally, Bill took us through some of the gardens that were full of local community members trying to become a little closer with nature. In one particular garden, Bill pointed out one last remaining painting piece of a mural that was original from 1985. The mural depicted the people’s struggle in the city in all different languages, in which all had strong political messages.
After our detailed and passionate tour of the reclaimed urban space, we once again found ourselves in the heart of Tompkins Square Park. We didn’t leave without a quick history lesson from Mike and Meritta about the hard times that once fell on this park, which clearly is not evident today. Before the end of the night, we all stopped at a well-known ice cream parlor called The Big Gay Ice Cream Shop, which is famous for the salty pimp ice cream sundae. At this point in time, our day’s excursion had come to an end. Instead of going home, Shannon and I walked about 20 blocks to meet our friend for pizza, yes pizza twice in a day! After our dinner, we continued about another 10 blocks down 3rd Avenue to my stepsister’s apartment in Murray Hill to say hello to her. At about 7:45 p.m., Shannon and I hustled back to Penn Station to catch the 8:08 train back to Rockville Centre. Today’s class definitely enlightened me about much more of the back streets of Manhattan and what they had to offer, and I could not be more excited for what is to come in our following four classes!
Below you will find six of my favorite pictures from the day's events. From left to right describes the narrowest house in Manhattan, George Segal's same-sex statues in Christopher Park, the servants living quarters in the old Merchant House, some young men creating their own park in an actual parking lot, the entrance to the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, and lastly the actual Big Gay Ice Cream Shop. Enjoy!
East of the Park: 09/27/13
Today is Friday, September 27, 2013 and the forecast predicts another beautiful sunny day in the mid 70s. As has become ritual, Shannon and I found ourselves on the 9:30 a.m. shuttle bus from Molloy College to the Rockville Centre train station. Like the last two classes, Shannon and I made a quick stop in the local Dunkin Donuts, although only Shannon bought something to eat and drink. Following a short walk up the stairs to the train platform, we were once again on the 10:11 a.m. train into Penn Station. Pulling in much more punctually then last week, we casually took this time to use the bathroom before we met up with our classmates. After a quick synopsis of the day from Mike and Meritta, the rest of the class and I made our way towards the subway station within Penn Station.
After taking about 4 different subways all over the city, it was to my knowledge that we had finally made it to our first destination. Our first stop off the subway was East 103rd Street and Lexington Ave. in East Harlem. Right away a clear gentrification process is evident by the brand new studio apartment buildings and spa lounges that had recently opened up. Gentrification is happening here because there is simply no room left in Manhattan, and only 10 blocks away is the Upper East Side of Manhattan. We then made our way a few blocks away to the Museum of the City of New York, which offers exhibits exploring the complex history of New York (BG pg. 376). Mike had told us we had about 15 minutes to look around before our short film on the history of New York took place. We used this time to check out some of the paintings of Central Park, considering this is where the rest of our day will be taking us. Additionally, we took a quick look at the activist exhibits that shows all of the different activist movements in New York City history from women's suffrage, to bike lane occupation, to occupy Wall Street. After taking in some of the imagery the museum had to offer, we were scheduled to see the History of New York film at 12:15 p.m. This incredible movie told the detailed history of Manhattan and the five boroughs from day 1 to present day. Some interesting facts learned in this film was that Manhattan was bought for $24 in 1609. Additionally, Dewitt Clinton, governor, had the idea of making Manhattan into a huge grid to house 1 million people, as it is today. Also, 1825 marked the first time in history when people did not live in the same place where they worked, and these people became known as the first ever commuters. They lived in Midtown Manhattan and used the first ever public transportation methods to Downtown Manhattan where their jobs were located. Packed with fact upon fact, this film clearly demonstrated how New York truly is the greatest city to ever be created, and will probably always remain that way for the remainder of history.
After taking about 4 different subways all over the city, it was to my knowledge that we had finally made it to our first destination. Our first stop off the subway was East 103rd Street and Lexington Ave. in East Harlem. Right away a clear gentrification process is evident by the brand new studio apartment buildings and spa lounges that had recently opened up. Gentrification is happening here because there is simply no room left in Manhattan, and only 10 blocks away is the Upper East Side of Manhattan. We then made our way a few blocks away to the Museum of the City of New York, which offers exhibits exploring the complex history of New York (BG pg. 376). Mike had told us we had about 15 minutes to look around before our short film on the history of New York took place. We used this time to check out some of the paintings of Central Park, considering this is where the rest of our day will be taking us. Additionally, we took a quick look at the activist exhibits that shows all of the different activist movements in New York City history from women's suffrage, to bike lane occupation, to occupy Wall Street. After taking in some of the imagery the museum had to offer, we were scheduled to see the History of New York film at 12:15 p.m. This incredible movie told the detailed history of Manhattan and the five boroughs from day 1 to present day. Some interesting facts learned in this film was that Manhattan was bought for $24 in 1609. Additionally, Dewitt Clinton, governor, had the idea of making Manhattan into a huge grid to house 1 million people, as it is today. Also, 1825 marked the first time in history when people did not live in the same place where they worked, and these people became known as the first ever commuters. They lived in Midtown Manhattan and used the first ever public transportation methods to Downtown Manhattan where their jobs were located. Packed with fact upon fact, this film clearly demonstrated how New York truly is the greatest city to ever be created, and will probably always remain that way for the remainder of history.
After our museum visit was over, we began our one block walk to El Museo Del Barrio, dedicated to Puerto Rican, Caribbean, and Latin American culture (BG pg. 376). Our tour guide Manuela, started our tour outside of the museum in the neighborhood, considering it is the museum of the neighborhood. Established in 1969, the museum has moved around several times until it ended up in the Heckscher building on 5th Ave. The first stop was the graffiti hall of fame, which was a legal place for people to do graffiti art. Now, the wall used for graffiti space is painted once per year. Our next stop on the tour was to see one of the first churches in the area that is 125 years old and was very important to the Puerto Rican community. We also saw a mosaic of Julia de Burgos 1914-1953, who was very influential in the barrio over the years. After seeing some other influential mosaics in the community, done by artist Manny Vega, we stopped in a community garden within the barrio that is dedicated to the women in the community. This is also home to a mosaic in the shape of Fallopian tubes honoring the power of women, and the struggles they go through. While in the garden, we were lucky enough to run into the actual artist who painted the mural dedicated to women. Around the corner from the garden was a mural the size of a building that is original from the 1970s, commemorating the culture of the neighborhood. Following the ending of our tour of Spanish Harlem, we stopped into ‘Justo Botanica’ that was owned by Mikes old friend Don Jorge. Don Jorge has ever remedy known to man to fix any ailment; he is true Spanish miracle worker.
At this point in time we were all given one hour for meal break. Although Mike, Shannon and I brought our lunches, we all decided to split a 5-dollar Little Cesar's hot and ready pizza. We walked over to Central Park where we ate our pizza and lunches and relaxed for the duration of meal before meeting back up with the class to finish our day's adventure.
At this point in time we were all given one hour for meal break. Although Mike, Shannon and I brought our lunches, we all decided to split a 5-dollar Little Cesar's hot and ready pizza. We walked over to Central Park where we ate our pizza and lunches and relaxed for the duration of meal before meeting back up with the class to finish our day's adventure.
Our first stop after lunch was in Central Park, but more specifically, the Conservatory Gardens. This is a six-acre piece of land within Central Park dedicated to the presentation of the park's only formal gardens. These particular gardens opened in 1937 and served as an employment generator during the great depression (BG pg. 297) Continuing through the park, we passed many well-kept and occupied athletic fields as well as open fields for people to relax, talk, or play in. We then came upon the Jacqueline Kennedy Reservoir, which serves as the midpoint of Central Park. Most people in the class, including myself, had no idea a body of water this large existed within Central Park. Although this was once a main source of drinking water for the city, it now only feeds the other water features such as the Loch, the Pool, and the Harlem Meer (BG pg. 296). As a class, we continued the long way all the way around this reservoir, almost scaling the entire length of the body of water before finally heading back down southward toward our destination. Along our walk, we passed over and under several different beautiful bridges. There are 36 bridges in Central Park, all of which have been beautifully restored.
After what seemed like hours of walking in the park we came upon the Dakota Building. It got it's name because people thought the building was so remote the time it was built, it was referred to as going as far as the Dakota Territory of the United Staes (BG pg. 414). More notably, this was home to the famous John Lennon, who was one day shot right outside of this building where he later died in the hospital. After leaving this memorial, we stopped by the 2.5 acre portion of the park referred to as Strawberry Fields. These fields were created to remember the legend that John Lennon truly was before he was tragically assassinated (BG pg. 290). After leaving these fields, we found ourselves at Central Park Lake, which is home to the Bethesda Fountain and a famous scene from the movie Home Alone. Also, a lakeside admirer might find couples paddling throughout the lake in rentable row boats. At about 10 minutes until 6pm, we finally made it out of the park and were told that we were the only core class to actually go through the entire park from top to bottom in a single outing.
After what seemed like hours of walking in the park we came upon the Dakota Building. It got it's name because people thought the building was so remote the time it was built, it was referred to as going as far as the Dakota Territory of the United Staes (BG pg. 414). More notably, this was home to the famous John Lennon, who was one day shot right outside of this building where he later died in the hospital. After leaving this memorial, we stopped by the 2.5 acre portion of the park referred to as Strawberry Fields. These fields were created to remember the legend that John Lennon truly was before he was tragically assassinated (BG pg. 290). After leaving these fields, we found ourselves at Central Park Lake, which is home to the Bethesda Fountain and a famous scene from the movie Home Alone. Also, a lakeside admirer might find couples paddling throughout the lake in rentable row boats. At about 10 minutes until 6pm, we finally made it out of the park and were told that we were the only core class to actually go through the entire park from top to bottom in a single outing.
After leaving the park, we were right across the street from the Plaza Hotel in which we passed through to see how the luxurious people live. By the looks of the lobby and dinning hall, this hotel looks like it would definitely be out of my budget. To exemplify the pristine grandeur of this hotel, it is noted that this space underwent a $400 million renovation over the last two decades (BG pg. 273). Quickly exiting the hotel, we also quickly breezed through Tiffany's on 5th Ave. to see where the luxurious people shop. Across the street from this was a place closer on par to my personal budget, FAO Schwarz. The inside of this toy store can be described as a child's fantasy-land, housing every stuffed animal known to man, not to mention their giant candy store on the far side of the property. After spending some time in this iconic store, we found ourselves at our final destination for the day, St. Patrick's Cathedral. This church originally opened in 1879, and was built by the Catholic Church and remains to be the largest cathedral in the United States today (BG pg. 254). Unfortunately, we did not get to experience the true beauty of the cathedral as it was completely dressed in scaffolding, inside and out, due to renovations. Nevertheless, this is where our goodbyes took place for this class, on the stairs outside of the church.
Not wanting to take a peak train home, Shannon I broke off from our group of classmates heading back to Penn Station. We made our way over to Times Square where we did a little bit of window shopping. We first went into the Disney store, then of course, into the Yankee Store. We felt it was necessary to do a bit of shopping in the Yankee store to pay homage to Mariano Rivera's last ever game as a major leaguer, in which he played the very night before. After we were wiped out from Times Square, we continued further South back to Penn Station to catch an 8:08 p.m. train back to Rockville Centre. Today's adventures of Central Park were even better then I imagined, not knowing about 75% of the things that actually existed within the park. I am eager to see what the remaining three classes will bring.
Below you will find six of my favorite pictures from the day's events. From left to right describes the graffiti hall of fame in Spanish Harlem, the fallopian tube mosaic in the community gardens in Spanish Harlem, a view of the skyline over the Jacqueline Kennedy Reservoir, our outdoor classroom session, the boat pond in Central park, and lastly the candy shoppe in FAO Schwarz. Enjoy!
Not wanting to take a peak train home, Shannon I broke off from our group of classmates heading back to Penn Station. We made our way over to Times Square where we did a little bit of window shopping. We first went into the Disney store, then of course, into the Yankee Store. We felt it was necessary to do a bit of shopping in the Yankee store to pay homage to Mariano Rivera's last ever game as a major leaguer, in which he played the very night before. After we were wiped out from Times Square, we continued further South back to Penn Station to catch an 8:08 p.m. train back to Rockville Centre. Today's adventures of Central Park were even better then I imagined, not knowing about 75% of the things that actually existed within the park. I am eager to see what the remaining three classes will bring.
Below you will find six of my favorite pictures from the day's events. From left to right describes the graffiti hall of fame in Spanish Harlem, the fallopian tube mosaic in the community gardens in Spanish Harlem, a view of the skyline over the Jacqueline Kennedy Reservoir, our outdoor classroom session, the boat pond in Central park, and lastly the candy shoppe in FAO Schwarz. Enjoy!