Journal Two
East of the park
Day 4- July. 19, 2013
This Friday morning I started the day at McDonalds, eating the usual big breakfast meal and a small strawberry smoothie with a fellow classmate. After swallowing down the eggs, sausage and hash brown smothered in syrup and ketchup, I coated a half of my biscuit with grape jelly, chewed it down within two bites and took three gulps of my smoothie before heading to the bathroom. After emptying our bladders, we hurried to meet the group, where we immediately hopped on the 6 train. When the brief ride was over, we walked out into what is called East Harlem, where professor explained that after WW1, there was an influx of Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, and other Caribbean folk. Today we learned a lot about Spanish Harlem, but what stuck out the most for me was the trip to The Museum of the City of New York, El Museo Del Barrio, and our visit with Don Jorge Vargas.
Starting out in the heart of Spanish Harlem, where we learned had the largest Latino population and was undergoing gentrification; it was easy to be captivated by the vibrant culture that stood right before our eyes. We walked through the high concentration of projects that were built in the 60’s to accommodate low income families, which later became a breeding ground for crime. We were blessed with the gentle touch of air conditioner as we made our way through the glass doors of The Museum of the City of New York. (Museum website: http://www.mcny.org/ )Founded in 1923, the museum’s collections contain more than three million artifacts- real and toy fire engines, maps and prints, ship models, portraits of prominent New Yorkers, and even stripper Gypsy Rose Lee’s hand-embroidered garter belt (Blue guide pg. 376 par. 2). We visited the exhibit that featured the new, up and coming ‘Micro-housing’. These homes were made for the upwardly mobile types, primarily college grads. The model that was displayed was only 325 square foot studio. It was certainly cozy, and nicely decorated but way too small for my taste. Next we visited the 1970’s fashion exhibit; the first thing I noticed was the fact that the many of the clothes on the mannequins resembled the attire that is worn in today’s trends. Talk about history repeating itself. The last section of the museum we visited was the ‘Timescapes’ 25 minute short film. The presentation conveyed the powerful timeline of how New York City became New York City. It showed maps and photographs of New York in its early days, and showed all the obstacles we faced to become what we are today. It was like a flashback into the city’s past. A short clip of the video here: http://vimeo.com/16437049
Next we walked our way to El Museo del Barrio, or the Museum of the Neighborhood. (Museum website: http://www.elmuseo.org/). This museum is one of the city’s outstanding small, sharply-focused museums, the only museum in the city devoted to Puerto Rican, Caribbean, and Latin American culture (Blue Guide pg. 376 par.5). This museum was built 40 years ago, to give Latino artists a place to display their art. We had a tour of Spanish Harlem, all while viewing various works of art. One particular painting struck an emotional nerve in me and that was the painting drawn by Hank Prussing named ‘The Spirit of East Harlem’. This painting was of a select few of the town locals, that only the people living there would know. It was a beautiful mural and set the tone of the neighborhood. It stood out to me because it was not of famous celebrities or of public figures but of regular people of the town that made it what it was. Another piece of art that struck me was the painting painted by Yasneen Hernandez called Soldaderas. The first thing I noticed was that the Mexican and Puerto Rican flag was merged into one, and that their hearts were linked as well. The picture was of Frieda Callo and Julia de Burgos; they had bullets across their chest and their hands were joined. But the thing that made the painting so personal was the babies in the background which symbolized the miscarriages that these women suffered. The guide also informed that the painter also suffered a miscarriage. There were various other pieces of art that was viewed, to see these pieces of art click this link: http://visitelbarrio.com/?v=more)
After the museum tour was completed, we had a wonderful lunch at a local Dominican Restaurant where I stuffed my face of oxtails, rice and peas, a salad, beans, and plantains. We then made our way Justo Botanical, run by Don Jorge. He was a well-known spiritual healer that is in charge of the family business that was a family tradition since the 1930’s. He said that it is his purpose to serve the public with old fashioned herbals, but this has recently changed due to the influx of medical pharmaceuticals. He says that his remedies are served with faith and hope that allows him to go through channels in the universe. He said that these are powerful stuff and that those who choose to use these remedies must be wise, and to learn how to use them correctly. He said the problem today is that people lack hope and love, and that we cannot live without using our own roots because you will lose yourself; and that you need to maintain hope and faith or you will lose direction. It was an interesting experience for me, though a little spooky. I decided to take a card out of curiosity, but then found myself racing towards the door, due to a slight burst of fear. Anyways off the next site.
After we left Justo Botanicals, we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (More info on this museum here: http://www.metmuseum.org/ ). The Museum of Art, generally called simply the Met, is the largest, most comprehensive art museum in the world (Blue Guide pg.326 par. 2). This was a gigantic museum and it was organized for the most part. We were told to split up into groups and go to any exhibit that we thought would be interesting. I was excited because I couldn’t wait to get into the Egyptian art section. We hustled and bustled and to our despair, it was closed. So we scurried to our second pick, which was the Asian art section, we swiftly breezed to the exhibit only to learn that that one was also closed, so with about 10 more minutes remaining we quickly went to the African art exhibit and spent roughly 5 minutes snapping pictures of I don’t know what. I just remember being out of breath, and sweating in an air conditioned museum. It was an exhausting end to the day, but all in all, well worth it. Until next time….
References
Wright, Carol. New York (Blue Guide). New York: Norton, 1983. Print.
This Friday morning I started the day at McDonalds, eating the usual big breakfast meal and a small strawberry smoothie with a fellow classmate. After swallowing down the eggs, sausage and hash brown smothered in syrup and ketchup, I coated a half of my biscuit with grape jelly, chewed it down within two bites and took three gulps of my smoothie before heading to the bathroom. After emptying our bladders, we hurried to meet the group, where we immediately hopped on the 6 train. When the brief ride was over, we walked out into what is called East Harlem, where professor explained that after WW1, there was an influx of Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, and other Caribbean folk. Today we learned a lot about Spanish Harlem, but what stuck out the most for me was the trip to The Museum of the City of New York, El Museo Del Barrio, and our visit with Don Jorge Vargas.
Starting out in the heart of Spanish Harlem, where we learned had the largest Latino population and was undergoing gentrification; it was easy to be captivated by the vibrant culture that stood right before our eyes. We walked through the high concentration of projects that were built in the 60’s to accommodate low income families, which later became a breeding ground for crime. We were blessed with the gentle touch of air conditioner as we made our way through the glass doors of The Museum of the City of New York. (Museum website: http://www.mcny.org/ )Founded in 1923, the museum’s collections contain more than three million artifacts- real and toy fire engines, maps and prints, ship models, portraits of prominent New Yorkers, and even stripper Gypsy Rose Lee’s hand-embroidered garter belt (Blue guide pg. 376 par. 2). We visited the exhibit that featured the new, up and coming ‘Micro-housing’. These homes were made for the upwardly mobile types, primarily college grads. The model that was displayed was only 325 square foot studio. It was certainly cozy, and nicely decorated but way too small for my taste. Next we visited the 1970’s fashion exhibit; the first thing I noticed was the fact that the many of the clothes on the mannequins resembled the attire that is worn in today’s trends. Talk about history repeating itself. The last section of the museum we visited was the ‘Timescapes’ 25 minute short film. The presentation conveyed the powerful timeline of how New York City became New York City. It showed maps and photographs of New York in its early days, and showed all the obstacles we faced to become what we are today. It was like a flashback into the city’s past. A short clip of the video here: http://vimeo.com/16437049
Next we walked our way to El Museo del Barrio, or the Museum of the Neighborhood. (Museum website: http://www.elmuseo.org/). This museum is one of the city’s outstanding small, sharply-focused museums, the only museum in the city devoted to Puerto Rican, Caribbean, and Latin American culture (Blue Guide pg. 376 par.5). This museum was built 40 years ago, to give Latino artists a place to display their art. We had a tour of Spanish Harlem, all while viewing various works of art. One particular painting struck an emotional nerve in me and that was the painting drawn by Hank Prussing named ‘The Spirit of East Harlem’. This painting was of a select few of the town locals, that only the people living there would know. It was a beautiful mural and set the tone of the neighborhood. It stood out to me because it was not of famous celebrities or of public figures but of regular people of the town that made it what it was. Another piece of art that struck me was the painting painted by Yasneen Hernandez called Soldaderas. The first thing I noticed was that the Mexican and Puerto Rican flag was merged into one, and that their hearts were linked as well. The picture was of Frieda Callo and Julia de Burgos; they had bullets across their chest and their hands were joined. But the thing that made the painting so personal was the babies in the background which symbolized the miscarriages that these women suffered. The guide also informed that the painter also suffered a miscarriage. There were various other pieces of art that was viewed, to see these pieces of art click this link: http://visitelbarrio.com/?v=more)
After the museum tour was completed, we had a wonderful lunch at a local Dominican Restaurant where I stuffed my face of oxtails, rice and peas, a salad, beans, and plantains. We then made our way Justo Botanical, run by Don Jorge. He was a well-known spiritual healer that is in charge of the family business that was a family tradition since the 1930’s. He said that it is his purpose to serve the public with old fashioned herbals, but this has recently changed due to the influx of medical pharmaceuticals. He says that his remedies are served with faith and hope that allows him to go through channels in the universe. He said that these are powerful stuff and that those who choose to use these remedies must be wise, and to learn how to use them correctly. He said the problem today is that people lack hope and love, and that we cannot live without using our own roots because you will lose yourself; and that you need to maintain hope and faith or you will lose direction. It was an interesting experience for me, though a little spooky. I decided to take a card out of curiosity, but then found myself racing towards the door, due to a slight burst of fear. Anyways off the next site.
After we left Justo Botanicals, we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (More info on this museum here: http://www.metmuseum.org/ ). The Museum of Art, generally called simply the Met, is the largest, most comprehensive art museum in the world (Blue Guide pg.326 par. 2). This was a gigantic museum and it was organized for the most part. We were told to split up into groups and go to any exhibit that we thought would be interesting. I was excited because I couldn’t wait to get into the Egyptian art section. We hustled and bustled and to our despair, it was closed. So we scurried to our second pick, which was the Asian art section, we swiftly breezed to the exhibit only to learn that that one was also closed, so with about 10 more minutes remaining we quickly went to the African art exhibit and spent roughly 5 minutes snapping pictures of I don’t know what. I just remember being out of breath, and sweating in an air conditioned museum. It was an exhausting end to the day, but all in all, well worth it. Until next time….
References
Wright, Carol. New York (Blue Guide). New York: Norton, 1983. Print.
The Wild West Side
Day 5- July. 24, 2013
The day began with us, discussing the paper work. Everyone seemed a bit more relaxed than usual. I for one felt a bit groggy and thought that today felt like a Monday. I didn’t have much rest and had an awful breakfast experience. While eating it in a hurry as usual, half of my sausage fell onto the floor, so basically the floor stole the best part of my breakfast. So having a bad start to my day, I lazily made it to the group. Today was not a good day for me. Though the weather was the best yet, with the wind blowing to and fro, I just wasn’t feeling the day. Even professor was losing his mojo. We visited the Museum of Modern Art, ate at a Thai restaurant and went on a tour with Jim. Boy was this a long day.
We started on Broadway, where we learned the history of the pedestrian zones. There was no sun in sight which was awesome, and the walk to Time Square was a breeze, literally. We arrived at Time Square, formerly known as Long Acre square. Professor explained that this was a place for theater back in the day. We passed a food stand with tons of delectable appetizers that got my tummy rumbling since I only had a half of a breakfast. After regaining attention, I further learned that in the 1970’s Time Square was one of the most dangerous places in the world, and in the 1980’s the area was overpopulated with peep shows and porn. We then walked through the RCA building, with its retro art deco style, formerly the GE building that led us to yet another delicious Smörgåsbord of delicious food. Through the torture of delectable scents and scrumptious views of a number of different types of food, we finally made it to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). The MoMA is one of the city’s premier cultural institutions, one of the great repositories not only of modern painting and sculpture, but also of drawing, design, photography, and film (Blue Guide pg. 26 par. 1). Though I was struggling to stay awake in what was supposed to be art, I found it interesting to see other people completely submerged, even emotional at these pieces of art. We saw some pieces done by Van Gogh, Picasso, and Warhol. But of all the paintings and sculptures, the only one that struck me as interesting was Bleeding Takari 2 by El Anatsui. This was an eclectic, intricate piece of art that an art illiterate person like me could appreciate. It displayed a lot of visual interest and unique structure that I found interesting. But most of all, I liked the way he utilized the floor to further covey his art. (The link to this piece of art here: http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=116286). After the museum, we took a 15 minute walk to Hell’s Kitchen to get some grub.
Hell’s Kitchen is also known as Clinton, a dichotomy that suggests both the neighborhoods past as a low scale, blue collar district and its present as a gentrifying part of the far West Side of Midtown (Blue Guide pg. 226 par. 2). Hell’s Kitchen was known as one of the roughest neighborhoods, attracting Irish immigrants who worked in the factories, and local gangs that perforated the town and turned it upside down in the early 1900’s. Plagued by drugs and crime in the 80’s, Hell’s Kitchen began to gentrify in the 1980’s (Blue Guide pg. 227 par. 1). Now it is become one of NY’s desirable locations to live. We arrived at ‘Yum Yum’ Thai Food , where I had a decent cup of Chicken Coconut soup, which was great. I then ordered what I heard was a safe pick; Pad Thai with shrimp. Boy was I wrong, It wasn’t so much the taste that turned my stomach, but the mere smell of the dish that sent my nose going through the roof. But being as open as I am about food, I gave it a try anyways. This was a bad idea, because it triggered a gag response and I couldn’t even look at the food after that. I ended up sharing a half of my fellow classmate’s meal of rice with chicken and vegetables. Though that was a bad experience I would give it another try, just no more pad thai. I will stick to the chicken and vegetables. I supplemented the loss of food, with a delicious pastry from Amy’s bread (link here: http://www.amysbread.com/ ) which seemed to fill the gap for now….On to the next location.
We hopped on to the 3 train and got off at 135th street. We walked out into the Harlem streets to meet up with Jim Acklin, a guy who knows way too much about NYC history. When he arrived he described the location as the real Harlem ‘Nucleus’, where the Harlem Renaissance developed. We had a tour of the neighborhood, where we saw the many churches, condominiums, and Harlem hospital which portrays a beautiful piece of art on the windows. He taught us a whole lot about gentrification, and how the influx of white upwardly mobiles caused the police to respond to crime much quicker. We learned the significance of the stoop and the fire escape and how these are rare features in other cities. We walked around the entire neighborhood, until we reached the walk of fame. Here we were able to(brief overview here http://www.examiner.com/article/the-harlem-walk-of-fame), see the plaques made for Harry Belafonte, Langston Hughes, Nesley Williams, Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson, Billie Holiday and many more. I was amazing to see the people that shaped what we call Harlem.
Though I was very tired and exhausted today I was able to learn a lot about the history of NY and what is had to offer. Until next time…..
References
Wright, Carol. New York (Blue Guide). New York: Norton, 1983. Print.
The day began with us, discussing the paper work. Everyone seemed a bit more relaxed than usual. I for one felt a bit groggy and thought that today felt like a Monday. I didn’t have much rest and had an awful breakfast experience. While eating it in a hurry as usual, half of my sausage fell onto the floor, so basically the floor stole the best part of my breakfast. So having a bad start to my day, I lazily made it to the group. Today was not a good day for me. Though the weather was the best yet, with the wind blowing to and fro, I just wasn’t feeling the day. Even professor was losing his mojo. We visited the Museum of Modern Art, ate at a Thai restaurant and went on a tour with Jim. Boy was this a long day.
We started on Broadway, where we learned the history of the pedestrian zones. There was no sun in sight which was awesome, and the walk to Time Square was a breeze, literally. We arrived at Time Square, formerly known as Long Acre square. Professor explained that this was a place for theater back in the day. We passed a food stand with tons of delectable appetizers that got my tummy rumbling since I only had a half of a breakfast. After regaining attention, I further learned that in the 1970’s Time Square was one of the most dangerous places in the world, and in the 1980’s the area was overpopulated with peep shows and porn. We then walked through the RCA building, with its retro art deco style, formerly the GE building that led us to yet another delicious Smörgåsbord of delicious food. Through the torture of delectable scents and scrumptious views of a number of different types of food, we finally made it to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). The MoMA is one of the city’s premier cultural institutions, one of the great repositories not only of modern painting and sculpture, but also of drawing, design, photography, and film (Blue Guide pg. 26 par. 1). Though I was struggling to stay awake in what was supposed to be art, I found it interesting to see other people completely submerged, even emotional at these pieces of art. We saw some pieces done by Van Gogh, Picasso, and Warhol. But of all the paintings and sculptures, the only one that struck me as interesting was Bleeding Takari 2 by El Anatsui. This was an eclectic, intricate piece of art that an art illiterate person like me could appreciate. It displayed a lot of visual interest and unique structure that I found interesting. But most of all, I liked the way he utilized the floor to further covey his art. (The link to this piece of art here: http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=116286). After the museum, we took a 15 minute walk to Hell’s Kitchen to get some grub.
Hell’s Kitchen is also known as Clinton, a dichotomy that suggests both the neighborhoods past as a low scale, blue collar district and its present as a gentrifying part of the far West Side of Midtown (Blue Guide pg. 226 par. 2). Hell’s Kitchen was known as one of the roughest neighborhoods, attracting Irish immigrants who worked in the factories, and local gangs that perforated the town and turned it upside down in the early 1900’s. Plagued by drugs and crime in the 80’s, Hell’s Kitchen began to gentrify in the 1980’s (Blue Guide pg. 227 par. 1). Now it is become one of NY’s desirable locations to live. We arrived at ‘Yum Yum’ Thai Food , where I had a decent cup of Chicken Coconut soup, which was great. I then ordered what I heard was a safe pick; Pad Thai with shrimp. Boy was I wrong, It wasn’t so much the taste that turned my stomach, but the mere smell of the dish that sent my nose going through the roof. But being as open as I am about food, I gave it a try anyways. This was a bad idea, because it triggered a gag response and I couldn’t even look at the food after that. I ended up sharing a half of my fellow classmate’s meal of rice with chicken and vegetables. Though that was a bad experience I would give it another try, just no more pad thai. I will stick to the chicken and vegetables. I supplemented the loss of food, with a delicious pastry from Amy’s bread (link here: http://www.amysbread.com/ ) which seemed to fill the gap for now….On to the next location.
We hopped on to the 3 train and got off at 135th street. We walked out into the Harlem streets to meet up with Jim Acklin, a guy who knows way too much about NYC history. When he arrived he described the location as the real Harlem ‘Nucleus’, where the Harlem Renaissance developed. We had a tour of the neighborhood, where we saw the many churches, condominiums, and Harlem hospital which portrays a beautiful piece of art on the windows. He taught us a whole lot about gentrification, and how the influx of white upwardly mobiles caused the police to respond to crime much quicker. We learned the significance of the stoop and the fire escape and how these are rare features in other cities. We walked around the entire neighborhood, until we reached the walk of fame. Here we were able to(brief overview here http://www.examiner.com/article/the-harlem-walk-of-fame), see the plaques made for Harry Belafonte, Langston Hughes, Nesley Williams, Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson, Billie Holiday and many more. I was amazing to see the people that shaped what we call Harlem.
Though I was very tired and exhausted today I was able to learn a lot about the history of NY and what is had to offer. Until next time…..
References
Wright, Carol. New York (Blue Guide). New York: Norton, 1983. Print.
Lower Manhattan and Captivating Chelsea
Day 6- July. 26, 2013
Today was a pretty short day with a good amount of exciting twists. I started my day out with a lot more energy than expected, so I was ready to see the world in an all new perspective. Today we saw many things in Lower Manhattan, but the things that struck me was our trip to the 9/11 memorial site, visiting the Chelsea market, The High-line access point and our art excursion.
We had a dull start to our day as we walked Downtown, passed the Woolworth building, which we learned was the tallest until the Chrysler building stole its shine. As we arrived to The City Hall Rehabilitation, to meet our guide Deedra, I started to feel a little queasy. City Hall, one of New York’s architectural treasures, houses a noteworthy collection of portraits of city mayors and 19th century celebrities, including 13 paintings by John Trumbull. I started to feel my legs buckle beneath me as I searched for the next seat to open up. Unfortunately, she began to flap her gums relentlessly; I prayed that we could at least go inside where there was shade. After what felt like an eternity, we finally started towards the front steps of the structure. Only to see the cute, little old lady turn her head to flap for a couple more minutes about the architecture. Finally we were inside, and I could finally lean on the marble column as my head continued to spin. She started to speak about the statue of George Washington, then went upstairs to talk some more. I just simply could not wait to get out of this place. Finally, after what felt like 2 years of waiting, we were finally telling her good-bye. Boy was I ready to see the next location. Off to the 9/11 memorial site.
With my head pounding, I struggled to keep up with the group. We finally made it to the 9/11 memorial site. We were escorted to a set of scanners and followed a trail that led us to the absolutely beautiful 9/11 memorial site we were all mesmerized reminded of this awful day. (link to site here: http://www.911memorial.org/?gclid=CJKtubrU4rgCFUVnOgodhlkAtA). While walking through memorial site, I was amazed at the construction of the two pools with the eternal waterfalls. I took the time to meditate and reflect, but most of all to pay my respects to the lives lost on that faithful day. After being touched by angels for a brief moment, we made our way to Wall Street and then to Federal Hall National Memorial which was said to be the first City Hall, and where George Washington was inaugurated. We then hopped on the 1 train at Rector street and got off at W14th street, where we arrived at the Chelsea Market. (link here: http://www.chelseamarket.com/).
In 1995, the former Nabisco factory reopened as the Chelsea Market, whose ground floor is filled with shops offering high-quality food, wine, kitchen wares and flowers (Blue Guide pg.186 par.3). We came here for a lunch break and boy was it over due. We rushed into the first restaurant on the left; I didn’t even have the time to read the name of the place. I felt famished from my toes up. Here we had an awesome lunch of baked ziti, baked beans, and broccoli which left me feeling like a stuffed turkey. But at least my headache was gone and I was ready to see what the rest of the day had to offer. So off we went to the High-line access points.
Built in the mid-19th century, the New York Central Railroad used to run at street level down Eleventh and further south, along Tenth Avenue. The streets were clogged with traffic, the trains were dirty, and tracks were dangerous. The Highline, a 13 mile viaduct for freight trains, was constructed in the 1930’s to solve these problems (Blue Guide pg. 188 par. 1 and 2). (Link to High Line here: http://www.thehighline.org/). As we made our way across the High Line, where we learned of the cone flower, and where we got the opportunity to watch spectacular ‘street theatre’, or in other words sit in a couple rows of seating placed right above a busy city street with a huge class window presenting the cars zooming upwards. Though I was enjoying myself, I was so compelled with nausea. I knew the day was almost over and I wanted to see what else was in store.
Off to the quirky galleries, in which professor said to pick 2 that stuck out to me. The first one I chose was titled Sunsets and Pussy, by Marianne Boesky. This gallery portrayed explicit but beautiful pictures of vaginas and sunsets. It struck me because I liked the way it made the class giggle, it was a normal part of a woman’s anatomy, yet it caused all of us to revert back into an innocent part of ourselves (the link to the gallery here: http://www.marianneboeskygallery.com/ ). The second gallery I chose was Rosalind Solomon’s Gallery called Porttraits in a Time of AIDS. (link to gallery here: http://www.brucesilverstein.com/artist/295/rosalind ). Tis was struck me because I am in Nursing school and anything that has to do with illness is automatically something of interest for me. Secondly, the photos that were on display, showed an uncanny realization of AIDS, and that this disease does not have a face. Some of the victims were elderly, some were children, some were white and some were black, some of them looked very ill and some of them looked totally healthy. All in all, this gallery opened my eyes to an already acquired knowledge of this life threatening disease.
The last stop was at a small bookstore called Printed Matter, Inc. It was an interesting, eccentric little store with odd books, and we were told to find one that spoke to us. (Link to bookstore here: http://printedmatter.org/ )I found one book that stood out to me and it was a flip book with a guy in the sand, being silly. I chose this book because it was so tiny and hard to find. I felt like it was hidden treasure. Secondly, I like the idea of finding a flip book. And lastly, it was so cute and funny that when I flipped through the pages, I giggled out loud, so I knew then and there that that was the book for me. Until next time…….
References
Wright, Carol. New York (Blue Guide). New York: Norton, 1983. Print.
Today was a pretty short day with a good amount of exciting twists. I started my day out with a lot more energy than expected, so I was ready to see the world in an all new perspective. Today we saw many things in Lower Manhattan, but the things that struck me was our trip to the 9/11 memorial site, visiting the Chelsea market, The High-line access point and our art excursion.
We had a dull start to our day as we walked Downtown, passed the Woolworth building, which we learned was the tallest until the Chrysler building stole its shine. As we arrived to The City Hall Rehabilitation, to meet our guide Deedra, I started to feel a little queasy. City Hall, one of New York’s architectural treasures, houses a noteworthy collection of portraits of city mayors and 19th century celebrities, including 13 paintings by John Trumbull. I started to feel my legs buckle beneath me as I searched for the next seat to open up. Unfortunately, she began to flap her gums relentlessly; I prayed that we could at least go inside where there was shade. After what felt like an eternity, we finally started towards the front steps of the structure. Only to see the cute, little old lady turn her head to flap for a couple more minutes about the architecture. Finally we were inside, and I could finally lean on the marble column as my head continued to spin. She started to speak about the statue of George Washington, then went upstairs to talk some more. I just simply could not wait to get out of this place. Finally, after what felt like 2 years of waiting, we were finally telling her good-bye. Boy was I ready to see the next location. Off to the 9/11 memorial site.
With my head pounding, I struggled to keep up with the group. We finally made it to the 9/11 memorial site. We were escorted to a set of scanners and followed a trail that led us to the absolutely beautiful 9/11 memorial site we were all mesmerized reminded of this awful day. (link to site here: http://www.911memorial.org/?gclid=CJKtubrU4rgCFUVnOgodhlkAtA). While walking through memorial site, I was amazed at the construction of the two pools with the eternal waterfalls. I took the time to meditate and reflect, but most of all to pay my respects to the lives lost on that faithful day. After being touched by angels for a brief moment, we made our way to Wall Street and then to Federal Hall National Memorial which was said to be the first City Hall, and where George Washington was inaugurated. We then hopped on the 1 train at Rector street and got off at W14th street, where we arrived at the Chelsea Market. (link here: http://www.chelseamarket.com/).
In 1995, the former Nabisco factory reopened as the Chelsea Market, whose ground floor is filled with shops offering high-quality food, wine, kitchen wares and flowers (Blue Guide pg.186 par.3). We came here for a lunch break and boy was it over due. We rushed into the first restaurant on the left; I didn’t even have the time to read the name of the place. I felt famished from my toes up. Here we had an awesome lunch of baked ziti, baked beans, and broccoli which left me feeling like a stuffed turkey. But at least my headache was gone and I was ready to see what the rest of the day had to offer. So off we went to the High-line access points.
Built in the mid-19th century, the New York Central Railroad used to run at street level down Eleventh and further south, along Tenth Avenue. The streets were clogged with traffic, the trains were dirty, and tracks were dangerous. The Highline, a 13 mile viaduct for freight trains, was constructed in the 1930’s to solve these problems (Blue Guide pg. 188 par. 1 and 2). (Link to High Line here: http://www.thehighline.org/). As we made our way across the High Line, where we learned of the cone flower, and where we got the opportunity to watch spectacular ‘street theatre’, or in other words sit in a couple rows of seating placed right above a busy city street with a huge class window presenting the cars zooming upwards. Though I was enjoying myself, I was so compelled with nausea. I knew the day was almost over and I wanted to see what else was in store.
Off to the quirky galleries, in which professor said to pick 2 that stuck out to me. The first one I chose was titled Sunsets and Pussy, by Marianne Boesky. This gallery portrayed explicit but beautiful pictures of vaginas and sunsets. It struck me because I liked the way it made the class giggle, it was a normal part of a woman’s anatomy, yet it caused all of us to revert back into an innocent part of ourselves (the link to the gallery here: http://www.marianneboeskygallery.com/ ). The second gallery I chose was Rosalind Solomon’s Gallery called Porttraits in a Time of AIDS. (link to gallery here: http://www.brucesilverstein.com/artist/295/rosalind ). Tis was struck me because I am in Nursing school and anything that has to do with illness is automatically something of interest for me. Secondly, the photos that were on display, showed an uncanny realization of AIDS, and that this disease does not have a face. Some of the victims were elderly, some were children, some were white and some were black, some of them looked very ill and some of them looked totally healthy. All in all, this gallery opened my eyes to an already acquired knowledge of this life threatening disease.
The last stop was at a small bookstore called Printed Matter, Inc. It was an interesting, eccentric little store with odd books, and we were told to find one that spoke to us. (Link to bookstore here: http://printedmatter.org/ )I found one book that stood out to me and it was a flip book with a guy in the sand, being silly. I chose this book because it was so tiny and hard to find. I felt like it was hidden treasure. Secondly, I like the idea of finding a flip book. And lastly, it was so cute and funny that when I flipped through the pages, I giggled out loud, so I knew then and there that that was the book for me. Until next time…….
References
Wright, Carol. New York (Blue Guide). New York: Norton, 1983. Print.
Immigrant New York (Lower East Side)
Day 7- July. 31, 2013
Today was the last day of class, a very bittersweet feeling as I knew that I would miss these folks from the class, but I am elated that I made it to the end. Today was the shortest day of all, but also one of the most interesting. Today we visited the Essex Street Market, went on a Scavenger hunt, ate at Congee Island restaurant and went to the Tenement Museum, where we met a young girl from the 1900’s.
First professor started the class with a heads up to what the day had to offer. He split us up in three groups, in which I was in Group B- the 5th Avenue hunt. We took the F train to Delancey Street where we met with Professors good friends Monica and her husband from Belgium. We learned that The Lower East Side was the most dense place in the world and the most unsanitary. With waste on the streets an outbreak of diseases was expected and eminent. Now undergoing gentrification, the Lower East side is become one of the nicest places to live in NY. We arrived at the Essex Street Market, which was built in 1940 to house push cart peddlers whom Mayor Laguardia legislated off the streets, the market offers food for all tastes-Latino, Jewish, and Upscale Urbanites (Blue Guide pg. 123 par.1). This place was filled from the ground with all sorts of food. It had my taste buds rolling, and my eyes wondering. But since we only had ten minutes, I settled with a sweet juicy apple and kept it moving. So out the door I went, passed the cheese and meat shops, barbershops and fish, fruit and veggie stands. Outside Jim was waiting for us and he let us know that this is the only active indoor market. (link to market here: http://www.essexstreetmarket.com/ )
Jim explained that the due to the heavy congestion, The Williamsburg Bridge was built, which then caused Williamsburg to become the most dense as Jews made their way across the bridge to settle in Williamsburg. He stated that the ultimate goal was to get out of the Lower East Side. We passed the Bialy Stoker Synagogue, St. Mary’s church, and showed us where a bath ritual house was. These were houses where Jewish women were expected to bathe for a whole month before getting married. He then explained again about the fire escapes and that if a building that was more than 6 stories high then you must have a fire escape present, and that this was set in place due to a mass of horrific fires that occurred in the 1960’s. We made our way through Chinatown where the smells were simply unbearable! And then walk about one block over to where the heavenly scent of pasta filled the air. This was where he sent us on our merrily way to go on our scavenger hunt, and meet at the restaurant by 2:55 for lunch. And the adventure began.
The first task was to find our way to Bryant Park, so we hopped on the 6 train to 42nd street and speed walked to Bryant Park. Directly behind the Library is Bryant Park, named after William Cullen Bryant, editor, writer, abolitionist, and proponent of such projects as central park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Before 1844, these 9.6 acres, where called reservoir park, In June 1842, the first water poured into the reservoir from man-made lake croton (Blue Guide pg. 309 par. 2). Link to park here: http://www.bryantpark.org/ . We quickly snapped pictures of ourselves and went on to the next site. Off to the Fred French Building, probably the cities first flat-top skyscraper and certainly one of the best skyscrapers of the 1920’s. In the 1920’s and early 1930’s the Diamond Business centered around the Bowery and Canal Street, but the refugees who fled the ghettos of Amsterdam and Antwerp ahead of Hitler settled uptown and were joined by jewelers who moved north from the Bowery (Blue Guide pg. 215 par. 2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_F._French_Building . We just snapped a picture of the front of the building and kept to speed. Off To St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a famous city landmark and a symbol of the success in NY of its immigrant irish catholic population. Designed by James Renwick with William Rodrigue, it draws on the decorated Gothic style of the 13th Century. It is now the largest Catholic Cathedral in the U.S and the 11th largest in the world (Blue Guide pg. 254 par.1). Link to cathedral here: http://www.saintpatrickscathedral.org/ . We hurrily, snapped a photo of the inside of the cathedral and made our way to Tiffany’s, one of the worlds renowned jewelers. It was founded by Charles L. Tiffany, father of Lewis Comfort Tiffany, the famous designer of stained glass, jewelry, enamels, and interiors (Blue Guide pg. 272 par. 3). (Link to Tiffany & Co here: http://www.tiffany.com/ ).We snapped a picture of the cornerstone and made our way to F.A.O Schwarz. http://www.fao.com/home/index.jsp . FAO Schwarz, was founded in 1862, and is the oldest toy store in the United States. The company is known for its unique high-end toys, life-sized stuffed animals, dolls, and games. The FAO Schwarz flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City is a popular tourist destination, and has gained iconic status for its floor piano, cameos in major motion pictures, and real-life toy soldiers. We grabbed a teddy bear and took a quick flash, then dashed out the door to The Plaza Hotel. Architect Henry J. Hardenburg has long been admired for his skill in manipulating the details of its French renaissance design-dormers, balustrades, high roofs, and rounded corner turnings- to create a harmonious whole (Blue Guide pg.273 par. 2). Link to the plaza here: http://www.theplazany.com/ . We snapped a couple pictures in the lobby and rushed out to the red carpets that adorned the front steps and quickly hopped of the F to Delancey Street.
After getting off the Train, we quickly made our way to the Congee Village Restaurant, where we sat at a cozy table set for a huge family, complete with a built-in turn style. While w patiently waited for the rest of the class, we patiently sipped on unsweetened green tea. Then after accommodating two more students at our table, we were served, delicious steamed veggies in garlic sauce, delectable sweet and sour chicken with broccoli, roast pork with Chinese broccoli, noodles with chopped ham, egg and a medley of veggies, and the list goes on. Let’s just say this was the BEST lunch I have had in quite a while. Link to Congee restaurant here: http://www.congeevillagerestaurants.com/ . After scouring our plates, we headed outdoors where we were split into two groups. We were the green group because green is just better.
The tenement was conveniently located around the block. This museum, a former tenement, was founded in 1988 to preserve the heritage of the nation’s immigrants, honoring the millions who lived in the Lower East Side and in other immigrant ghettos (Blue Guide pg. 122 par. 1). We met with our guide Judy Levin who escorted us into a room full of desks and mix-matched chairs. She told us to pretend that we are in the early 1900’s, because we were about to meet a young girl named Victoria Convino, who was 14 years old. It was 1916, and it certainly felt that way as we made our way through the tiny corridor to then knock on the door to find a young girl who looked timid and scared. Our tour guide asked her if we could come in and her reply was only if we are just visiting, and we cannot sleep there. We agreed to not sleep, so she let our ‘family’ in. she spoke to us about her life back in her country of Europe. She said back home, she had servants and a very big space to live. That was a huge step up to where she was living now with her mother, her father and six younger brothers. She said her brothers slept in the tiny room in the back while she slept on the Kitchen floor on a rug made of goat skin. She explained the ways she viewed Italians as ghetto. And how the food in America was bland since eating from a can was new. In her country they had vast farmland. After speaking with Victoria, we went upstairs to another room to look at real pictures of Victoria Convino, and learned that she married at 19and had a daughter and a son who became a rocket scientist for NASA. It was great to learn so much about the past in NYC. Learn more here: http://www.tenement.org/
With a bittersweet ending, I could say I learned a whole lot of valuable information about NY. I would recommend this course to my other classmates, for it is a terrific learning experience.
References
Wright, Carol. New York (Blue Guide). New York: Norton, 1983. Print.
Today was the last day of class, a very bittersweet feeling as I knew that I would miss these folks from the class, but I am elated that I made it to the end. Today was the shortest day of all, but also one of the most interesting. Today we visited the Essex Street Market, went on a Scavenger hunt, ate at Congee Island restaurant and went to the Tenement Museum, where we met a young girl from the 1900’s.
First professor started the class with a heads up to what the day had to offer. He split us up in three groups, in which I was in Group B- the 5th Avenue hunt. We took the F train to Delancey Street where we met with Professors good friends Monica and her husband from Belgium. We learned that The Lower East Side was the most dense place in the world and the most unsanitary. With waste on the streets an outbreak of diseases was expected and eminent. Now undergoing gentrification, the Lower East side is become one of the nicest places to live in NY. We arrived at the Essex Street Market, which was built in 1940 to house push cart peddlers whom Mayor Laguardia legislated off the streets, the market offers food for all tastes-Latino, Jewish, and Upscale Urbanites (Blue Guide pg. 123 par.1). This place was filled from the ground with all sorts of food. It had my taste buds rolling, and my eyes wondering. But since we only had ten minutes, I settled with a sweet juicy apple and kept it moving. So out the door I went, passed the cheese and meat shops, barbershops and fish, fruit and veggie stands. Outside Jim was waiting for us and he let us know that this is the only active indoor market. (link to market here: http://www.essexstreetmarket.com/ )
Jim explained that the due to the heavy congestion, The Williamsburg Bridge was built, which then caused Williamsburg to become the most dense as Jews made their way across the bridge to settle in Williamsburg. He stated that the ultimate goal was to get out of the Lower East Side. We passed the Bialy Stoker Synagogue, St. Mary’s church, and showed us where a bath ritual house was. These were houses where Jewish women were expected to bathe for a whole month before getting married. He then explained again about the fire escapes and that if a building that was more than 6 stories high then you must have a fire escape present, and that this was set in place due to a mass of horrific fires that occurred in the 1960’s. We made our way through Chinatown where the smells were simply unbearable! And then walk about one block over to where the heavenly scent of pasta filled the air. This was where he sent us on our merrily way to go on our scavenger hunt, and meet at the restaurant by 2:55 for lunch. And the adventure began.
The first task was to find our way to Bryant Park, so we hopped on the 6 train to 42nd street and speed walked to Bryant Park. Directly behind the Library is Bryant Park, named after William Cullen Bryant, editor, writer, abolitionist, and proponent of such projects as central park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Before 1844, these 9.6 acres, where called reservoir park, In June 1842, the first water poured into the reservoir from man-made lake croton (Blue Guide pg. 309 par. 2). Link to park here: http://www.bryantpark.org/ . We quickly snapped pictures of ourselves and went on to the next site. Off to the Fred French Building, probably the cities first flat-top skyscraper and certainly one of the best skyscrapers of the 1920’s. In the 1920’s and early 1930’s the Diamond Business centered around the Bowery and Canal Street, but the refugees who fled the ghettos of Amsterdam and Antwerp ahead of Hitler settled uptown and were joined by jewelers who moved north from the Bowery (Blue Guide pg. 215 par. 2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_F._French_Building . We just snapped a picture of the front of the building and kept to speed. Off To St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a famous city landmark and a symbol of the success in NY of its immigrant irish catholic population. Designed by James Renwick with William Rodrigue, it draws on the decorated Gothic style of the 13th Century. It is now the largest Catholic Cathedral in the U.S and the 11th largest in the world (Blue Guide pg. 254 par.1). Link to cathedral here: http://www.saintpatrickscathedral.org/ . We hurrily, snapped a photo of the inside of the cathedral and made our way to Tiffany’s, one of the worlds renowned jewelers. It was founded by Charles L. Tiffany, father of Lewis Comfort Tiffany, the famous designer of stained glass, jewelry, enamels, and interiors (Blue Guide pg. 272 par. 3). (Link to Tiffany & Co here: http://www.tiffany.com/ ).We snapped a picture of the cornerstone and made our way to F.A.O Schwarz. http://www.fao.com/home/index.jsp . FAO Schwarz, was founded in 1862, and is the oldest toy store in the United States. The company is known for its unique high-end toys, life-sized stuffed animals, dolls, and games. The FAO Schwarz flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City is a popular tourist destination, and has gained iconic status for its floor piano, cameos in major motion pictures, and real-life toy soldiers. We grabbed a teddy bear and took a quick flash, then dashed out the door to The Plaza Hotel. Architect Henry J. Hardenburg has long been admired for his skill in manipulating the details of its French renaissance design-dormers, balustrades, high roofs, and rounded corner turnings- to create a harmonious whole (Blue Guide pg.273 par. 2). Link to the plaza here: http://www.theplazany.com/ . We snapped a couple pictures in the lobby and rushed out to the red carpets that adorned the front steps and quickly hopped of the F to Delancey Street.
After getting off the Train, we quickly made our way to the Congee Village Restaurant, where we sat at a cozy table set for a huge family, complete with a built-in turn style. While w patiently waited for the rest of the class, we patiently sipped on unsweetened green tea. Then after accommodating two more students at our table, we were served, delicious steamed veggies in garlic sauce, delectable sweet and sour chicken with broccoli, roast pork with Chinese broccoli, noodles with chopped ham, egg and a medley of veggies, and the list goes on. Let’s just say this was the BEST lunch I have had in quite a while. Link to Congee restaurant here: http://www.congeevillagerestaurants.com/ . After scouring our plates, we headed outdoors where we were split into two groups. We were the green group because green is just better.
The tenement was conveniently located around the block. This museum, a former tenement, was founded in 1988 to preserve the heritage of the nation’s immigrants, honoring the millions who lived in the Lower East Side and in other immigrant ghettos (Blue Guide pg. 122 par. 1). We met with our guide Judy Levin who escorted us into a room full of desks and mix-matched chairs. She told us to pretend that we are in the early 1900’s, because we were about to meet a young girl named Victoria Convino, who was 14 years old. It was 1916, and it certainly felt that way as we made our way through the tiny corridor to then knock on the door to find a young girl who looked timid and scared. Our tour guide asked her if we could come in and her reply was only if we are just visiting, and we cannot sleep there. We agreed to not sleep, so she let our ‘family’ in. she spoke to us about her life back in her country of Europe. She said back home, she had servants and a very big space to live. That was a huge step up to where she was living now with her mother, her father and six younger brothers. She said her brothers slept in the tiny room in the back while she slept on the Kitchen floor on a rug made of goat skin. She explained the ways she viewed Italians as ghetto. And how the food in America was bland since eating from a can was new. In her country they had vast farmland. After speaking with Victoria, we went upstairs to another room to look at real pictures of Victoria Convino, and learned that she married at 19and had a daughter and a son who became a rocket scientist for NASA. It was great to learn so much about the past in NYC. Learn more here: http://www.tenement.org/
With a bittersweet ending, I could say I learned a whole lot of valuable information about NY. I would recommend this course to my other classmates, for it is a terrific learning experience.
References
Wright, Carol. New York (Blue Guide). New York: Norton, 1983. Print.
Final Impressions of New York
After this class I could now after 22 years of life in NY, consider myself a New Yorker. I can honestly say that I have obtained, as well as retained way more knowledge than I expected. This has been a unique learning experience that helped me to not only learn about New york, but to love New York even more than before. This was an exceptional class and as I reflect on the seven days of class, I could say that I have become a well-rounded New Yorker that can now feel comfortable hopping on a train and going ANYWHERE in NY. I have seen things that was right around the bend, that I would never think of going if it weren't for The Gotham Experience. This class was so worth the sore muscles and scorching heat because in the end it is the valuable memories that stick.