Journal 2
The Wild Westside: 10/04/13
Today is Friday, October 4, 2013 and our luck as a class seems to be holding up. Despite a small chance of rain late in the afternoon, today's forecast is mainly sunny and warm all day. In keeping tradition with the great weather each class so far, Shannon and I found ourselves at Molloy College early in the morning to catch the 9:50 a.m. shuttle bus to the Rockville Centre train station once again. Without stopping at Dunkin Donuts this week, Shannon and I were once again on the 10:11 a.m. train to Penn Station, but not before quickly buying a new ten-trip train ticket for the remainder of our classes. Pulling into Penn Station on time, Shannon and I, as well as our classmate Jordan who we met on the train, quickly used the bathrooms then met up with our other classmates in our designated meeting spot. After a few quick words from Mike and Meritta, we began our day's journey by walking up to street level out of Penn Station.
Our journey began with a short walk over to Broadway, which has become transformed in a large pedestrian zone over the years. This is the closing down of a commercial traffic zone that creates a friendlier environment for people to relax, shop and hang out in. It also causes a person to walk more opposed to driving, which becomes very controversial with the drivers of Manhattan. A plan to optimize the potential of Manhattan would be to eliminate private traffic all together and only allow cabs and work trucks to drive within the city, but this idea has never come into being. Continuing through the pedestrian zones on Broadway, we made our way into Times Square on 42nd Street. Times Square is the site where many theaters have been landmarks. Additionally, this area can be described as being a famous place for theatre productions to take place (BG pg. 218). Lastly, this is the place in Manhattan where the New Years Eve ball drops every December 31st. Like many other places in Manhattan during the 1970s and 80s, Times Square was a dangerous place to be. This is also the place where Mike told us his story about how in the 1980s he found himself in a bit of trouble, and a police officer told him to get out of there because he could not protect him if he had to. It remained like that until Giuliani and his administration came into office and began cleaning up the city. Something else that we saw was public space in private places. This is the city allowing buildings to be built higher than they are allowed to in exchange for building public space for people to use and enjoy. Continuing forward, we found ourselves at the GE Building that is home to the Rockefeller Center dinning and shopping concourse, filled with Art Deco architecture. The GE Building was constructed by Rockefeller in 1933 and is home to famous tenants like General Electric and NBC (BG pg. 248). The lobby of Rockefeller Center was home to a world-class mural painting done by Diego Rivera, a hardcore Marxist, who created a very controversial mural that Rockefeller hated and eventually destroyed because he refused to take it down. Today, the lobby is home to an extravagant mural called Progression. The styles of all the buildings in Rockefeller Plaza have a later and little bit different flat top Art Deco design. Leaving the GE building and Rockefeller center, we began waking over to the Museum of Modern Art.
Our journey began with a short walk over to Broadway, which has become transformed in a large pedestrian zone over the years. This is the closing down of a commercial traffic zone that creates a friendlier environment for people to relax, shop and hang out in. It also causes a person to walk more opposed to driving, which becomes very controversial with the drivers of Manhattan. A plan to optimize the potential of Manhattan would be to eliminate private traffic all together and only allow cabs and work trucks to drive within the city, but this idea has never come into being. Continuing through the pedestrian zones on Broadway, we made our way into Times Square on 42nd Street. Times Square is the site where many theaters have been landmarks. Additionally, this area can be described as being a famous place for theatre productions to take place (BG pg. 218). Lastly, this is the place in Manhattan where the New Years Eve ball drops every December 31st. Like many other places in Manhattan during the 1970s and 80s, Times Square was a dangerous place to be. This is also the place where Mike told us his story about how in the 1980s he found himself in a bit of trouble, and a police officer told him to get out of there because he could not protect him if he had to. It remained like that until Giuliani and his administration came into office and began cleaning up the city. Something else that we saw was public space in private places. This is the city allowing buildings to be built higher than they are allowed to in exchange for building public space for people to use and enjoy. Continuing forward, we found ourselves at the GE Building that is home to the Rockefeller Center dinning and shopping concourse, filled with Art Deco architecture. The GE Building was constructed by Rockefeller in 1933 and is home to famous tenants like General Electric and NBC (BG pg. 248). The lobby of Rockefeller Center was home to a world-class mural painting done by Diego Rivera, a hardcore Marxist, who created a very controversial mural that Rockefeller hated and eventually destroyed because he refused to take it down. Today, the lobby is home to an extravagant mural called Progression. The styles of all the buildings in Rockefeller Plaza have a later and little bit different flat top Art Deco design. Leaving the GE building and Rockefeller center, we began waking over to the Museum of Modern Art.
MoMA, short for the Museum of Modern Art, has one of the best permanent collections of 20th century art. It is home to famous paintings, drawings, sculptures, designs, photos and films, all of which remained intact after the $848 million renovation that took place in 2004 (BG pg. 260). After a quick intro speech from Mike about the brief history of the museum, we were handed our tickets and entered into the actual museum. Following a few quick escalator rides, we began looking at different pieces of art. One of the first notable pieces we saw was Monet’s famous Starry Night, as well as Claude Monet’s Water Lilies. One of the most famous New York painters was Jackson Pollock, had original artwork on display here as well. MoMA houses what some call his best ever "drip" paintings (BG pg. 266). Over his own life, he threw away real representation of life and just dripped, splattered and splashed paint on canvas, now representing inner emotions through art. We also saw pop art that is representative of popular every day items turned into artwork, such as the American flag. We also experienced contemporary artwork. With a quick pass through the outdoor garden, our museum exploration was done and we headed for the exits.
At this point, everyone was hungry and we were told that it was time for lunch, but not before a 25-minute walk to get there. Although we were offered free Thai food in Hell’s Kitchen, Mike, Shannon and I opted for our packed lunches that we brought from home. Hell's Kitchen can be described as the area between 34th and 57th Street and between 8th Ave. and the Hudson River, which plays host to many different ethnic dining establishments (BG pg. 226). After eating our lunches and exploring the neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen, we all met back up at 3 p.m. From this point in time we walk about 15 minutes away to a subway uptown to 110th Street, which is also Cathedral Parkway and where our afternoon excursion began.
At this point, everyone was hungry and we were told that it was time for lunch, but not before a 25-minute walk to get there. Although we were offered free Thai food in Hell’s Kitchen, Mike, Shannon and I opted for our packed lunches that we brought from home. Hell's Kitchen can be described as the area between 34th and 57th Street and between 8th Ave. and the Hudson River, which plays host to many different ethnic dining establishments (BG pg. 226). After eating our lunches and exploring the neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen, we all met back up at 3 p.m. From this point in time we walk about 15 minutes away to a subway uptown to 110th Street, which is also Cathedral Parkway and where our afternoon excursion began.
Our very first stop off the subway was at the Hungarian Pastry Shoppe where the owner Phil had us hang painted angels on string to represent everlasting love. Also at this point in time, we met our walking tour guide for the afternoon, Jim. We first stopped outside the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine where we had a brief introduction from Jim about his background and love for the history of New York. We then headed inside to see the true grandeur of this cathedral. This cathedral is the head of the episcopal church and was never actually finished being built. The 13 acre plot of land that was bought in 1887 as the new home for this cathedral, had many up and downs in it's life in regards to completion. As late as 2001, there was a fire in the church once again stopping work, which never fully resumed due to lack of funds (BG pg. 420). Proceeding onward from the cathedral, we made our way onto the campus of Columbia University. Originally founded as a gentleman's college, today, the University is one of the most prestigious places for higher education in the entire Country (BG pg. 427). As a class, we sat on the steps of the library and had a trivia of New York contest for rights to accept our good luck bracelet that Mike got from Don Jorge last class. Although I didn't win, I did earn a few points in the contest. We then checked out the campus church and passed by the well renowned law school, and even were able to pass through an on-campus barbecue that was taking place on one of the campus quads. We then walked over to Morningside Park that got its name because this is one of the best places to see the morning sun rises. From this very spot, we were able to see across Harlem to various other destinations we were scheduled to stop at. Walking down the large flight of stairs into and through Morningside Park, we came out down by Fredrick Douglas Blvd. This is also a scene for a gentrification process. Walking down Fredrick Douglas Blvd. we hit St. Nicholas Ave. where there is a statue of Harriet Tubman in honor of her effort to get runaway slaves up to Canada. While touring the streets of Harlem, we periodically made stops to hear a few interesting facts about the town from Jim. After passing by this iconic statue, we came up to 125th street that is home to the famous Apollo Theatre. Opening in 1913, this theatre was at one time for whites only. As times changes in history, so did the theatre, becoming the emerging point for stars such as Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross (BG pg. 440). After learning a little bit about this iconic theatre, we continued as a class down 125th street toward the subway. At this point in time it began raining quite heavily and considering the subway was a few steps away, Mike thought this would be a good time to end class for the night.
Considering we were done with class a little earlier then usual, and we were already at a direct subway into Penn Station, Shannon and I decided to head home early this class. Also, not to mention, it had began to rain. On a crowded but pleasant 3 train back to Penn Station, the two of us along with a few other classmates talked to pass the time. Swiftly returning to Penn Station, Shannon and I were able to make a 6:10 p.m. train back to Rockville Centre, enabling us to get home at about 7:30 p.m. Despite the rain at the end of class, today was excellent and full of information I am excited for the remaining two classes in lower Manhattan.
Below you will find six of my favorite pictures from the day's events. From left to right describes the New Year's Eve ball in Times Square, Jackson Pollock's "drip" painting, inside the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, the library at Columbia University, Morningside Park from Morningside Heights, and the Famous Apollo Theatre. Enjoy!
Considering we were done with class a little earlier then usual, and we were already at a direct subway into Penn Station, Shannon and I decided to head home early this class. Also, not to mention, it had began to rain. On a crowded but pleasant 3 train back to Penn Station, the two of us along with a few other classmates talked to pass the time. Swiftly returning to Penn Station, Shannon and I were able to make a 6:10 p.m. train back to Rockville Centre, enabling us to get home at about 7:30 p.m. Despite the rain at the end of class, today was excellent and full of information I am excited for the remaining two classes in lower Manhattan.
Below you will find six of my favorite pictures from the day's events. From left to right describes the New Year's Eve ball in Times Square, Jackson Pollock's "drip" painting, inside the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, the library at Columbia University, Morningside Park from Morningside Heights, and the Famous Apollo Theatre. Enjoy!
Lower Manhattan and Captivating Chelsea: 10/11/13
Today is Friday, October 11, 2013 and as clearly evident by the weather forecast, our beautiful weather streak has ended. Today’s predicted forecast is cloudy with about a 70% chance of rain. Luckily Mike did not cancel class so as usual, Shannon and I took the 9:50 a.m. shuttle bus from Molloy College to the Rockville Centre train station. After a quick stop at Dunkin Donuts for a pumpkin and blueberry doughnut, we found ourselves pulling into Penn Station accordingly and quickly used the facilities before meeting up with our classmates. After a quick speech from Mike and Meritta explaining that the day’s events may be altered by heavy rain, we set out as a class to begin our journey.
We began our day by taking a 2 train to Park Place where we first entered ground level and saw the Woolworth Building. It was built in 1913 and immediately became the tallest building in the world once it was erected, but was soon surpassed by the the Chrysler Building. However, it remains to be one of the city's most intricately detailed buildings (BG pg. 79). Only passing by the building, our first stop of the day was New York City Hall. Just to enter onto the property of city hall we had to go through New York City Police stations and get scanned for any illegal contraband; this was obviously not a problem for Shannon, Mike and I. New York City Hall is home to many famous portraits of past city mayors and other influential people. This is also where the office of the city's current mayor, Mr. Bloomberg, has his his office (BG. pg. 85). Our tour guide for city hall was Deirdre, who definitely showed her knowledge of New York. She fired off many interesting facts about this building and about New York City in general. For example, in 1653, 360 years ago to this year, the inhabitants of New Amsterdam, now Manhattan, thought there was enough people to make it into a city and built the first ever city hall. During the time of the first census, as enumerated in 1790, the population was 33,000, and growing rapidly. Nowadays, the city has a population of about 8.4 million people. Additionally, in 1802 there was a contest with a prize of $350, or about $7,000 today, to design the best plans for a newer and bigger city hall, and that was how the building we see today came to be. The building is now faced with limestone that was done in the 1950's when renovated in the federal style of architecture, while the inside still has the original marble. Our first sight inside the city hall building was to see a famous statue of George Washington that was succeeded by checking out several other rooms in the building in which Deidre gave us an extensive history. Leaving city hall, we headed down Broadway to see St. Paul's Chapel. Built in 1766, it is the oldest church in city where George Washington even attended church. A subsidiary of the Trinity Church, it was built to serve the people who lived too far uptown for people to make it downtown to Wall Street.
We began our day by taking a 2 train to Park Place where we first entered ground level and saw the Woolworth Building. It was built in 1913 and immediately became the tallest building in the world once it was erected, but was soon surpassed by the the Chrysler Building. However, it remains to be one of the city's most intricately detailed buildings (BG pg. 79). Only passing by the building, our first stop of the day was New York City Hall. Just to enter onto the property of city hall we had to go through New York City Police stations and get scanned for any illegal contraband; this was obviously not a problem for Shannon, Mike and I. New York City Hall is home to many famous portraits of past city mayors and other influential people. This is also where the office of the city's current mayor, Mr. Bloomberg, has his his office (BG. pg. 85). Our tour guide for city hall was Deirdre, who definitely showed her knowledge of New York. She fired off many interesting facts about this building and about New York City in general. For example, in 1653, 360 years ago to this year, the inhabitants of New Amsterdam, now Manhattan, thought there was enough people to make it into a city and built the first ever city hall. During the time of the first census, as enumerated in 1790, the population was 33,000, and growing rapidly. Nowadays, the city has a population of about 8.4 million people. Additionally, in 1802 there was a contest with a prize of $350, or about $7,000 today, to design the best plans for a newer and bigger city hall, and that was how the building we see today came to be. The building is now faced with limestone that was done in the 1950's when renovated in the federal style of architecture, while the inside still has the original marble. Our first sight inside the city hall building was to see a famous statue of George Washington that was succeeded by checking out several other rooms in the building in which Deidre gave us an extensive history. Leaving city hall, we headed down Broadway to see St. Paul's Chapel. Built in 1766, it is the oldest church in city where George Washington even attended church. A subsidiary of the Trinity Church, it was built to serve the people who lived too far uptown for people to make it downtown to Wall Street.
After exiting the back of St. Paul's Chapel through the cemetery, we made our way to the World Trade Center Memorial. The World Trade Center site was a group of seven buildings, including the iconic Twin Towers, that were all destroyed in the deliberate Islamic attacks on America in 2001 (BG pg. 62). As a group, we waited on a long line that moved quickly to enter the actual memorial. After going through more security checkpoints, we finally made it into the memorial. Upon entering the memorial, Mike gave us 20 minutes to explore the area. For being a site that is dedicated to the thousands of Americans killed in the attacks of 9/11, the atmosphere was not as somber as I thought it would be. The memorial is comprised of two infinity pools that are literally the footprints of the old Twin Towers that fell. Around the pools are the names of all the people who were tragically killed in the attacks. Another very interesting detail about the memorial is the survivor tree. This is a tree that had made it through the attacks of 9/11 and still stands tall and flourishes beautifully today. After 20 minutes of remembrance and exploring, we met back up with the class to continue our day's journey. After leaving the memorial we walked through the Financial District and walked through Zuccotti Park where Occupy Wall Street occurred just a few short months ago. The Financial District is in the Southern most tip of Manhattan that is home to most of the city's financial institutions, including Wall Street (BG pg. 64). We then walked a few blocks over to Trinity Church. This is the church where George Washington and Alexander Hamilton are buried and unfortunately their tombs were under renovation and were unable to be seen. Trinity Church is one of the highest and wealthiest buildings in the area and has a large churchyard that is a welcomed green space by many in the Financial District (BG pg. 65). Moving forward, we headed into the area of Wall Street where the New York Stock Exchange is. Wall Street, sometimes referred to as just "The Street," is most often associated with financial industry of New York (BG pg. 64). Continuing onward, we also passed the Federal Hall National Memorial, which we could not go into because of the current government shutdown.
Walking down through the Financial District we came upon the famous Charging Bull statue that Shannon, Mike and I touched for good luck. The Charging Bull represents the city's Financial District and was put there by Arturo Di Modica on his own terms (BG pg. 45). Also across the street is the Bowling Green Park where we were given a few minutes to shop around the little pop up flea market that was there. It was basically all scarfs and sunglasses and not of too much interest of me. Not being able to enter the National Museum of the American Indian due to the government shut down, we continued on with our tour. We made our way into Battery Park, which is now home to the sphere that once was housed in the lobby of the Twin Towers. Now that the new Freedom Tower is opening (also known as 1 World Trade by people like Meritta), there is a debate of whether or not to move it back. Sitting in another of our outdoor classrooms, we were now on the edge of Manhattan looking into the river. This 23-acre park that sits on filled land got its name because of the battery of cannons that were posted here during the American Revolution (BG pg. 46). After checking out the views of the harbor, Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island, we walked a few blocks over to a subway heading uptown to Chelsea. Walking through what Meritta explained to be the meatpacking district, we headed over to the Chelsea Markets where we were going to be given our break for meal. Once home to the Nabisco Cookie Factory, Chelsea Markets reopened in 1995 with its ground level hosting as food stores, wine bars, flower shops, and other shopping needs (BG pg.186). As usual though, Shannon, Mike and I found a bench to eat our packed lunches. At exactly 4 pm, the class met back up on the 10th Street side of Chelsea Markets. After lunch we walked a few blocks over to the Chelsea High Line. The high line was originally built in the 1930s to relieve congestion and dangerous conditions in the area of Chelsea. Once shipping was done by trucks in the 1950s and no longer by trains that ran on the high line, it sat and began to rust until the 1980s because no one wanted to pay to demolish the old freight line (BG pg. 188). As little as 20 years ago, anything west of 8th Ave. was considered a wasteland which is clearly not evident of the area today. The old high line was turned into a public walk above street level that runs about 20 blocks South from 30th Street, and quickly became widely popular all over the world. After walking on the high line for a few blocks, we got off in the heart of Chelsea to start our late afternoon gallery hopping.
As a class we began going into many of Chelsea's Galleries. A gallery is a collection of artwork, all of which are for sale. Unlike most artwork that people think of, the art usually found in galleries in Chelsea are quite unusal. For example, some artists have broken glass windows on display, or even a fully blank white canvas, all of which can sell for thousands of dollars depending on how prestigious the artist's name is. As explained my Mike, many galleries do not even make money and are just used as tax write-offs by the super wealthy, which is something I'd like to get into one day (that's a presumption of me being super rich one day). One gallery I liked in particular was the Elizabeth Dee Post Culture Gallery. The artwork housed here was definitely different than what I would expect to see at an art gallery. One of the featured pieces was just a regular broken window. Another gallery that I liked was home to artist Sam Durant whose work was again very unusual. One of his featured pieces was a life sized recreation of a pack of cigarettes that was truly a marvel for the eye. Before heading home, and as a tradition of the Gotham class, we stopped into the Printed Matter Bookstore, which is where artists sell their books. One book that really caught my eye was called Suburban Suicides and portrayed women who killed themselves due to the boringness of living in the suburbs. After stopping in a few more galleries and listening to what I thought was disrespectful and inappropriate remarks from some fellow classmates, Mike gave us our concluding speech for the day. Instead of waking the streets or taking the subway back to Penn Station, Shannon, Mike and I went back up to the high line and took that almost all the way back to Penn Station. Considering the the gloomy forecast for the day, I consider our class extremely lucky to have not gotten rained on at all today. Though we didn't really experience any rain yet, considering the cloudiness and steady winds we decided not to stay in the city after class this time and headed home on a 6:10 p.m. train back to Rockville Centre. I cannot believe next week is our last Gotham class and although I am excited to explore immigrant New York, I am sad to know it'll be our last class adventure.
Below you will find six of my favorite pictures from the day's events. From left to right describes the infinity pool at the World Trade Center Memorial, the survivor tree at the World Trade Center, the Trinity Church, the Chelsea High Line pedestrian walkway, fallen military remembrance names in Battery Park, and lastly the book cover of Suburban Suicides. Enjoy!
Below you will find six of my favorite pictures from the day's events. From left to right describes the infinity pool at the World Trade Center Memorial, the survivor tree at the World Trade Center, the Trinity Church, the Chelsea High Line pedestrian walkway, fallen military remembrance names in Battery Park, and lastly the book cover of Suburban Suicides. Enjoy!
Immigrant New York: 10/18/13
Today is Friday, October 18, 2013, and although we have already had the best streak in weather known to this class, today’s weather is forecasted to be even beyond perfect. With a high in the upper 60’s, and not a cloud in the sky, Shannon and I started off our Friday morning in the same fashion as every other class this semester. At 9:50 a.m., we were on the shuttle bus from Molloy College to the Rockville Centre train station. After being dropped off, we made a quick stop into Dunkin Donuts for a blueberry cake doughnut for me, and a blueberry muffin for Shannon. After our purchases, we found ourselves on a more crowded then usual 10:11 a.m. train ride into Penn Station. Pulling in to the station promptly, we then quickly stopped at the facilities before meeting up with our classmates in our designated meeting spot for the very last time this semester. After a quick speech from Mike and Meritta outlining our day’s itinerary and especially reminding us to not shed any tears in light of our last class meeting, we made our way onto ground level to walk to Sixth Avenue to catch a subway downtown.
We started our day off by taking the F train to Delancey Street that is on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, known more specifically for the immigrant population. By 1900, the most densely populated area in the world was the Lower East side of Manhattan where these immigrants lived in tenements, otherwise today known as apartments. These apartments, or tenements were built especially for the first ever immigrants who entered this area, who were of Irish and German decent (BG pg. 18). Today, a new wave of immigration is occurring from the Latin American Countries. Despite the new immigration, gentrification is still taking place here on the Lower East Side whereas the remodeling and new construction of buildings and stores is clearly evident. One of the ways New York City’s Mayor LaGuardia cleaned up the streets in the 1930’s was by creating the Essex Street Food Market. The purpose behind building this market was so pushcart peddlers selling food would have a more regulated, clean, and designated spot to sell their foods and goods to the largely growing population (BG pg. 123). Inside the market, every food stand is home to a different type of food. There is almost no type of food you can't find here, from meats and cheeses, to regular groceries, to even caviar, which I personally saw for sale (regrettably not noticing the price). After leaving the Essex Street Market, we continued onward ending up about just one block away from the Williamsburg Bridge where we waited for our walking tour guide Jim. In the remaining time we had waiting for Jim, Mike and Meritta once again reminded us the importance of finishing all our of assignments on time and in their entirety, as well as asking us if we had any last questions about our final assignments. After that and like always, we were treated to a quick history lesson from Mike and Meritta about the Williamsburg Bridge. The nickname that was given to the Williamsburg Bridge was the “Jews Highway”. This was because at one point in time, many decades ago, this area was so densely populated with Jewish people who ever so often used the Williamsburg Bridge to get from Manhattan and Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to conduct their job activities. Finally, at about 12 p.m., we met up with our experienced and knowledgeable tour guide Jim outside the Essex Street Market.
We started our day off by taking the F train to Delancey Street that is on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, known more specifically for the immigrant population. By 1900, the most densely populated area in the world was the Lower East side of Manhattan where these immigrants lived in tenements, otherwise today known as apartments. These apartments, or tenements were built especially for the first ever immigrants who entered this area, who were of Irish and German decent (BG pg. 18). Today, a new wave of immigration is occurring from the Latin American Countries. Despite the new immigration, gentrification is still taking place here on the Lower East Side whereas the remodeling and new construction of buildings and stores is clearly evident. One of the ways New York City’s Mayor LaGuardia cleaned up the streets in the 1930’s was by creating the Essex Street Food Market. The purpose behind building this market was so pushcart peddlers selling food would have a more regulated, clean, and designated spot to sell their foods and goods to the largely growing population (BG pg. 123). Inside the market, every food stand is home to a different type of food. There is almost no type of food you can't find here, from meats and cheeses, to regular groceries, to even caviar, which I personally saw for sale (regrettably not noticing the price). After leaving the Essex Street Market, we continued onward ending up about just one block away from the Williamsburg Bridge where we waited for our walking tour guide Jim. In the remaining time we had waiting for Jim, Mike and Meritta once again reminded us the importance of finishing all our of assignments on time and in their entirety, as well as asking us if we had any last questions about our final assignments. After that and like always, we were treated to a quick history lesson from Mike and Meritta about the Williamsburg Bridge. The nickname that was given to the Williamsburg Bridge was the “Jews Highway”. This was because at one point in time, many decades ago, this area was so densely populated with Jewish people who ever so often used the Williamsburg Bridge to get from Manhattan and Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to conduct their job activities. Finally, at about 12 p.m., we met up with our experienced and knowledgeable tour guide Jim outside the Essex Street Market.
At this point in time, we walked just a few blocks over to the Economy Candy Store that is apparently one of the most famous and popular candy stores in the entire city. The inside of the candy store had almost every type of candy imaginable to man. However, the one item I was looking for was not in stock. The famous ‘Crispy M&M’ has not been in circulation in America for many years now and one employee said they do get them in from time to time, but not today. It was a long shot, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. Walking around the Lower East Side, one of our first stops was underneath the Williamsburg Bridge. Jim explained that all of the many apartment buildings in this area were part of a special project from the City of New York to provide housing for the poor. Jim also explained that the train that goes over the Williamsburg Bridge is either the J or Z train, which is where the rapper Jay-z got his name. Our next stop on our walking tour was the Bialystoker Synagogue that was built in 1826 and built out of very local stones. Although this building was built in 1826, this federal style dwelling was bought by the Jewish congregation from Bialystok in 1905 (BG pg. 123). We then continued onward and saw the Hillman Houses on Grand Street that is across the street from the building where a Jewish woman goes for cleaning before marriage, which is normal in a Jewish person’s rich and deep culture. We then came upon the Henry Street Settlement. This settlement house, styled in the late-federal architectural type, was built for immigrants to assimilate to the area when they came to this country (BG pg. 125). We then passed what is thought to be the third oldest Roman Catholic Church in the city that is Saint Theresa's Church. Something interesting that Jim pointed out to our class was that he clock on the top of the church is said to be one of the oldest running clocks in the city dating back to the 1800s. Moving forward, we then came upon the Eldridge Street Synagogue that is a true preservation success story. Just about 20 years ago, this synagogue was in really bad shape and is now fully restored. However, in it’s early years of existence, this synagogue was said to be the grandest synagogue on the Lower East Side, attracting so many worshipers at one point in time, that the police had to come down to do crowd control (BG pg. 120).
After passing the church, we came upon the very famous and well known Canal Street, where a cheap knock-off hand bag is never too far away. Canal Street, which borders with SoHo, can most closely be described as Chinese on the Eastern side of Broadway. One of the most proud icons of this area among the Chinese is the Golden Pacific Nation Bank that actually collapsed in 1985, causing panic among patrons (BG pg. 109). From this point in time, Mike allotted us one hour to spend for shopping and exploring through this rich and cultural area, also informing us of some good tea gardens and ice cream shops in the area. Shannon, Mike and I used this time to check out the shops and small places on Mulberry Street. Shortly after, we began our trek back down Canal Street to meet the class at Congee Village Restaurant where we were going to be treated to an authentic Chinese lunch, one of which Shannon, Mike and I actually planned to participate in. Meeting our class inside the restaurant at approximately 2:30 p.m., we sat down as a class to enjoy our final meal together. Although I am not a risky guy when it comes to eating food, I actually tried almost everything and to say the least, loved it all. From the garlic and sesame chicken, to the noodles and beef, lunch was an absolute pleasure that I will always remember from our last core class together. After lunch, we
had just a 2-minute walk around the block to the Tenement Museum. This museum
was actually an authentic tenement from the 1900’s. In 1988, it was turned into
a museum in an effort to preserve the heritage of our nation’s immigrants who
previously live on the Lower East Side of Manhattan (BG pg. 122). Quickly after
meeting our tour guide, Ruth, she showed us into a classroom where we had an
extensive history lesson about the immigrants of this area from the 1900’s and
what life was like for them during their migration to this country.
Like Ruth said, Lucas Glockner built this particular tenement that we were in in 1863. Also, she notified us that we were now participants in this living museum as we pretended to be actual immigrants coming into the country in 1916. Ruth explained the extensive background of what it truly was like for these immigrants coming over from their native countries, starting with the long, crammed, and dirty boat ride that took them first to Ellis Island. Throughout history, this small island served as the United States Immigration Station which approximately 12 million immigrants passed through during its working years. At its high point, the Great Hall in Ellis Island processed between 5-6 thousand people daily. After rigorous tests and inspections, about 98% of the immigrants were allowed into America (BG pg. 38). After our history lesson from Ruth, and us learning the way most new immigrant families became assimilated to the area was through meeting friends, we continued to the true ‘living’ part of our tour. Walking out of our classroom and into what was an actual old hallway of the tenement, Ruth knocked on a door to introduce us to an actual tenant of this old building, Victoria. Inside the old tenement apartment, Victoria put on a short skit truly putting us all in the lives of new immigrants of this time. There were even roles assigned to the classmates as family members to ask specific questions to Victoria and to make certain decisions for our ‘immigrant family.’ After leaving the tenement apartment, which in 1916 would go for about $28 a month, we headed upstairs to another classroom and had a quick discussion about America and words that can more closely describe the people of America. As a group, we came to the conclusion that the best adjective to describe Americans is diverse, which to me, is a great representative of what we truly are.
Despite the fact that some of the class was walking across the Williamsburg Bridge after class, Shannon, Mike and I did not go even though we would have liked to walk across the bridge. Some classmates were going to the Brooklyn Brewery and considering Mike and I are not drinkers and Shannon is just shy of 21, we figured it would be best for us to just head home. Following an easy subway ride up to 34th Street, and a quick walk over to 7th Avenue, Shannon and I said our final goodbye to Mike who was on the Hicksville line and we boarded and extremely packed 5:51 p.m. train to Rockville Centre. Actually, it was on the Hempstead line and we would have to change at Jamaica that neither of us have ever done before. Considering how much we have learned about trains and subways, we went for it and easily and successfully transferred at Jamaica to get us back to Rockville Centre for out very last core class ride home. Even though this class was very intensive and required a lot of work, (I am not complaining I know this is college) I am extremely sad it is over and don’t know how I am supposed to spend my Fridays now. This class was extremely useful, practical, and informative and there wasn’t a second of it that I did not enjoy. I feel privileged to have been apart of the core class that is Gotham: The New York Experience.
Below you will find six of my favorite pictures from the day's events. From left to right describes the inside of the Essex Street Market, the Economy Candy Store, the outside of the Henry Street Settlement, a typical street in Chinatown, the Bialystoker Synagogue, and the inside of a typical 1900's tenement apartment. Enjoy!
Despite the fact that some of the class was walking across the Williamsburg Bridge after class, Shannon, Mike and I did not go even though we would have liked to walk across the bridge. Some classmates were going to the Brooklyn Brewery and considering Mike and I are not drinkers and Shannon is just shy of 21, we figured it would be best for us to just head home. Following an easy subway ride up to 34th Street, and a quick walk over to 7th Avenue, Shannon and I said our final goodbye to Mike who was on the Hicksville line and we boarded and extremely packed 5:51 p.m. train to Rockville Centre. Actually, it was on the Hempstead line and we would have to change at Jamaica that neither of us have ever done before. Considering how much we have learned about trains and subways, we went for it and easily and successfully transferred at Jamaica to get us back to Rockville Centre for out very last core class ride home. Even though this class was very intensive and required a lot of work, (I am not complaining I know this is college) I am extremely sad it is over and don’t know how I am supposed to spend my Fridays now. This class was extremely useful, practical, and informative and there wasn’t a second of it that I did not enjoy. I feel privileged to have been apart of the core class that is Gotham: The New York Experience.
Below you will find six of my favorite pictures from the day's events. From left to right describes the inside of the Essex Street Market, the Economy Candy Store, the outside of the Henry Street Settlement, a typical street in Chinatown, the Bialystoker Synagogue, and the inside of a typical 1900's tenement apartment. Enjoy!
Impressions of New York: In the End
When I think of New York City as compared to seven weeks ago, my reactions and feelings have certainly changed drastically. Just a few short weeks ago, before our New York City Experience class had started, my thoughts about New York City were dry, boring, and uninterested. However, given the chance to deeply explore all the hidden, (and not so hidden) wonders that these five boroughs have to offer, a person can truly change their way of thinking and will certainly develop a completely new opinion of the City as a whole. Not that I had a negative feeling about the city before this class had started, but now that it is over and I have experienced it all I have an extremely positive and favorable outlook about the five boroughs.
I’d have to say my favorite day of class was Lower Manhattan and Chelsea. Given my pursuit of a criminal justice degree, it is fitting that a tour of New York City Hall and the 9/11 Memorial would be in my closest interest. The things we learned and saw in City Hall were truly amazing and had direct ties to the history that not only became the America we are living in today, but more importantly of New York City. Additionally, the 9/11 Memorial was in just all ways beautiful and was an excellent representation of the strength of this country and city. Also in this class, we went through Battery Park, the Chelsea High Line, and Chelsea Markets. The park and high line were awesome green spaces that have been placed there to further serve the community. Lower Manhattan and Chelsea are what most closely come to mind when thinking of my favorite class, with our day in Central Park as a close second.
I’d have to say my favorite day of class was Lower Manhattan and Chelsea. Given my pursuit of a criminal justice degree, it is fitting that a tour of New York City Hall and the 9/11 Memorial would be in my closest interest. The things we learned and saw in City Hall were truly amazing and had direct ties to the history that not only became the America we are living in today, but more importantly of New York City. Additionally, the 9/11 Memorial was in just all ways beautiful and was an excellent representation of the strength of this country and city. Also in this class, we went through Battery Park, the Chelsea High Line, and Chelsea Markets. The park and high line were awesome green spaces that have been placed there to further serve the community. Lower Manhattan and Chelsea are what most closely come to mind when thinking of my favorite class, with our day in Central Park as a close second.
Considering I was born in raised in the suburbs of Nassau County, I definitely feel it is a stretch to say I would some day want to live in one of the five boroughs. However, I have secured an enormous appreciation for the history, culture, and reputation of New York City. It is hard to believe how much I didn’t know about the city and how wrongly informed my assumptions of the city were. I feel truly privileged to have been able to take this class, and especially considering I earned four college credits. Of course, none of this would have been possible without Mike and Meritta. Not only did they serve as our chaperons in safely touring us and teaching us the ways of the city, but also they provided us with ample information about the city to learn and take in as much as we possibly can. Additionally, they took us to ‘sample’ so many different places within the five boroughs that we basically need to come back on our own to get the full enriched experience of the city, which is definitely my plan for the near future.
In closing, I am extremely happy I was able to take this class. I learned so much about the city, from the history to how to use the subway system like a true New Yorker and not just a Long Islander who says they are a New Yorker! I am very sad to see this class end and would highly recommend with class to any student without reservation. It was my pleasure to be a part of this core class that is, Gotham: The New York Experience.
In closing, I am extremely happy I was able to take this class. I learned so much about the city, from the history to how to use the subway system like a true New Yorker and not just a Long Islander who says they are a New Yorker! I am very sad to see this class end and would highly recommend with class to any student without reservation. It was my pleasure to be a part of this core class that is, Gotham: The New York Experience.