1. Impressions of NYC:
New York City, the city that never sleeps, only in New York, if you can make it here you can make it anywhere, and anything can happen in a New York minute are just a few of the famous sayings that go along with New York City. Yet, when if you actually take a moment to sit and think about all these sayings you’ll realize they are all true. New York City has so much to offer yet how come residents of New York barely make time to see it? Unfortunately I am one of those people. I lived in New York for over 12 years yet I can't say I've ever truly come to the city to see more than a broadway play or go to dinner. My hopes of this class is that I will be able to uncover things in the city that otherwise I would have been blind to.
Originally born in London, I moved to Long Island when I was eight. Long Island is vastly different from London and as a child I was not impressed. The lack of public transportation was probably my biggest turn off. Little did I know that just 1 hour away (using the LIRR of course) was a big city with bright lights that’s resembled my hometown. One of the things I disliked about Long Island was that I had to ask my parents to drive me anytime I wanted to see my friends, in London all my friends were either walking distance, a bus or train ride away. The first time I rode a train in America was on my way to NYC. Surprisingly I do remember my first time to the city…but it was a long one. I was in the immigration office getting something finalized and I remember being so drained that I initially hated the thought of having to go to the city and hoped I would never have to go again. Luckily my aunt had planned a trip for us to see the Lion King on broadway, this opened my eyes to a less boring side of the city and into a more exciting lively part like you see in the movies. I loved it so much up until now I’ve seen the Lion King 4 times on broadway.
Over time throughout high school I shyed away from the city but was still in awe of its beauty. I only went to the city during the holiday times either to see a show, to visit a relative, or to take a pictures by the tree. It wasn’t until my sophomore year in college that I would be once again reintroduced to a new face of the city. As an accounting major we are encouraged to intern for work experience. I was lucky enough to land an internship and a Big Four accounting firm called Ernst & Young. I was elated when I received the news but now the decision was would the internship be in Melville just a 10 minutes drive from my house or in their headquarted office located right in Time Square. I really hoped that I would be in Melville but was upset when I found out I would be working in their headquarters. As my dad told me all the perks about being in such a large office, meeting people, learning the city all I could think about was how early I would have to wake up and how I would ever learn the complicated subway system.
I spent all night before my internship on the MTA website learning how to take the LIRR and the subway to work and managed to get there on time. I was nervous that I would hate the city, the hustle and bustle, and getting lost. Although at a young age I was used to independence coming from London, my time on Long Island had turned me into exactly what I didn't want, someone who relied heavily on there car as their only source of transportation and someone who could not figure out the public transportation system. My internship is what truly made me fall in love with NYC and regain the independence which I felt I had lost.
I have had one of the most phenomenal internship opportunities and one of the reasons was all because of the location. I worked at 5 Time Square and that comes with perks and unpleasantries as well. My first year I worked on the 36th floor in our building and had a phenomenal view. Working in Time Square while beautiful and convenient, it is the tourist center of New York. The “tourist” are so easy to spot out and can make any day where your rushing to work seem like your stuck in a traffic jam on the southern state. Despite that I was able to go out into the city, have dinner with friends and coworkers, do fun activities like speedboating tours around the statue of liberty, boat cruises, and scavenger hunts. I was able to take a cooking class with my fellow interns, and get a private tour of Brooklyns very own Barclays Center and learn about how the design of the building was made to include the surrounding neighborhood by adding local stores inside the venue and having glass outside the practice gym so residents can see the team practice. Mike mentioned having Indian food in Jackson Heights I believe which I was excited about because my dad had taken me to a few Indian restaurants in Queens. Also being Nigerian every year in October there is a Nigerian day parade that my friends an I attend to celebrate the independence of Nigeria in 1960 . The city has so much to offer and after working there for two years I realize I still haven’t even made a dent in seeing it all. One of the things I’m hoping to get out of this class is being able to learn the subway system, see historical places, and beautiful art work because those are things often lost in all the bright lights of the city we all know and love.
Originally born in London, I moved to Long Island when I was eight. Long Island is vastly different from London and as a child I was not impressed. The lack of public transportation was probably my biggest turn off. Little did I know that just 1 hour away (using the LIRR of course) was a big city with bright lights that’s resembled my hometown. One of the things I disliked about Long Island was that I had to ask my parents to drive me anytime I wanted to see my friends, in London all my friends were either walking distance, a bus or train ride away. The first time I rode a train in America was on my way to NYC. Surprisingly I do remember my first time to the city…but it was a long one. I was in the immigration office getting something finalized and I remember being so drained that I initially hated the thought of having to go to the city and hoped I would never have to go again. Luckily my aunt had planned a trip for us to see the Lion King on broadway, this opened my eyes to a less boring side of the city and into a more exciting lively part like you see in the movies. I loved it so much up until now I’ve seen the Lion King 4 times on broadway.
Over time throughout high school I shyed away from the city but was still in awe of its beauty. I only went to the city during the holiday times either to see a show, to visit a relative, or to take a pictures by the tree. It wasn’t until my sophomore year in college that I would be once again reintroduced to a new face of the city. As an accounting major we are encouraged to intern for work experience. I was lucky enough to land an internship and a Big Four accounting firm called Ernst & Young. I was elated when I received the news but now the decision was would the internship be in Melville just a 10 minutes drive from my house or in their headquarted office located right in Time Square. I really hoped that I would be in Melville but was upset when I found out I would be working in their headquarters. As my dad told me all the perks about being in such a large office, meeting people, learning the city all I could think about was how early I would have to wake up and how I would ever learn the complicated subway system.
I spent all night before my internship on the MTA website learning how to take the LIRR and the subway to work and managed to get there on time. I was nervous that I would hate the city, the hustle and bustle, and getting lost. Although at a young age I was used to independence coming from London, my time on Long Island had turned me into exactly what I didn't want, someone who relied heavily on there car as their only source of transportation and someone who could not figure out the public transportation system. My internship is what truly made me fall in love with NYC and regain the independence which I felt I had lost.
I have had one of the most phenomenal internship opportunities and one of the reasons was all because of the location. I worked at 5 Time Square and that comes with perks and unpleasantries as well. My first year I worked on the 36th floor in our building and had a phenomenal view. Working in Time Square while beautiful and convenient, it is the tourist center of New York. The “tourist” are so easy to spot out and can make any day where your rushing to work seem like your stuck in a traffic jam on the southern state. Despite that I was able to go out into the city, have dinner with friends and coworkers, do fun activities like speedboating tours around the statue of liberty, boat cruises, and scavenger hunts. I was able to take a cooking class with my fellow interns, and get a private tour of Brooklyns very own Barclays Center and learn about how the design of the building was made to include the surrounding neighborhood by adding local stores inside the venue and having glass outside the practice gym so residents can see the team practice. Mike mentioned having Indian food in Jackson Heights I believe which I was excited about because my dad had taken me to a few Indian restaurants in Queens. Also being Nigerian every year in October there is a Nigerian day parade that my friends an I attend to celebrate the independence of Nigeria in 1960 . The city has so much to offer and after working there for two years I realize I still haven’t even made a dent in seeing it all. One of the things I’m hoping to get out of this class is being able to learn the subway system, see historical places, and beautiful art work because those are things often lost in all the bright lights of the city we all know and love.
2. Quixotic Queens:
September 6th...
Of all the days to start our Gotham class we picked possibly one of the hottest and most humid days. And of course that also happened to be the day the subways decided they were running different services due to construction. Despite this it ended up being a great day…draining but a great a day nonetheless. As I rode into Penn Station with my drawstring bag and all I was eager to see what this class would be like.
As we all met up and we walked towards the subway initially hoping to take the E train to Roosevelt Ave however no one had noticed any of the flyers that said certain lines would be down due to construction and we all ended up waiting in the hot subway station for a train that wasn’t coming. I don’t know much about the subway except that the 1,2, and 3 would take me to 42nd and 7th and Penn Station. But apparently the 7 trains is a great way to get around Queens. “The 7 train has been nicknamed the “International Express” because its route takes passengers through some of the most ethnically diverse communities in North America” (ENY, 215). Because the 7 trains are also elevated it gives for great scenery and chance to see an array of different areas.
When we went to the Queens Museum it happened to be on the same day as the US Open. We met and spoke to people on the subway as we rode the 7, we saw families, friends, everyone all dressed up excited to watch the match. Before walking into the museum we sat over on a small bench to get a quick synopsis of what this area was like decades ago. This area we were sitting by was surrounded with beautiful trees, tennis courts, paved sidewalks, beautiful scenery was once a garbage dump. Hard to believe as I looked around and saw the tall trees and lush green grass. This is first where Mike spoke to us about our favorite Hero & Villain Robert Moses. Living in Deer Park I know the name Robert Moses because it’s how us “Suffolk Residents” feel we are superior to Nassau residents because although they have Jones beach, which is frankly not the cleanest, we have beautiful Robert Moses Beach. Hearing his name I thought he makes beaches how could he possibly be a villain? Little did I know Robert Moses legacy had nothing to do with beaches. Robert Moses as the Parks Commissioner initiated a clean up of the park because this is where they were going to hold the 1939-1940 World’s Fair. Also in 1946 the UN used this location as their first meeting place.
Another important thing to know was how Queens even began being called Queens. It was named after Queen Catherine of Braganza. One of the facts I found interesting was that Queens was previously a very rural area and now Queens (if separated) would be the 4th largest city in the country! “For the most part Queens remained rural in character with agriculture being the predominant trade of its inhabitants. Coastal areas of the region along the East River (where LaGuardia Airport is now located) and in the Rockways attracted summer residents, trying to escape from the heat of the City” (ENY, 214). Queens was almost a resort of sort to escape the heat.
After we left we walked towards the museum to one of the most beautiful and refreshing (literally) sites was upon us. The unisphere. This 12 story high, stainless steel representation of the earth had the fountains on in honor of the US Open…LUCKY US! The unisphere was “Built to symbolize “Man’s Achievements on a Shrinking Globe and an Expanding Universe” as well as to reflect the ideal of global interdependence” (ENY, 218). This is because here is where the worlds fair was held and this piece was meant to signify how despite where we are located geographically we can all help each other because we all have different things to showcase. The world fair consisted of different nations showcasing how far they have come.
We made our way to the Queens museum Mike as well as our tour guide in the museum told us that this is where the UN General Assembly had met for the first time. Which is strange how things come together because as I was looking in my Molloy planner I came across the date October 23rd, 1946 which is when the United Nations General Assembly’s second session convened for the first time in Flushing Meadow. Walking around the museum one of the pieces I really enjoyed because I’m very into politics and social justice was a piece by Liu Wei called Library II-II. This piece was made out of books, wood, iron, and hardware replicated a falling deteriorating city. The piece was made to show notable landmarks in Bejing but was shown falling and collapsing and made up of books to show the oppression and censorship. Pieces of art like this is what I truly find intriguing because the artist could have simply painted or sculpted a depiction of a falling city but using books truly helps you understand the message. For some reason this truly stuck out to me because not only do we live in a country where we have the freedom to read whatever we want but we have the freedom to express what we want through books and art, however many countries are not so lucky and have died over this liberty we take for granted. It was a very thought provoking piece. Next the “crown jewel” of the worlds fair for NYC was the panorama. It was a replica of what the city looked like. It was color coded to depict certain things, like tenements were colored red, etc. There was even a plane that went around every minute at LaGaurdia. The panorama was updated frequently but because of the rapid change going on in New York they decided to keep it as a time capsule and stopped making changes. We can most obviously see this because the Twin Towers were still in tact, which shows that it had stopped being updated before 2001. 1992, was the date they ceased changes.
After all this walking and on a humid day our next stop was for lunch in little India. We took the 7 to Jackson Heights and went to the Jackson Diner, which was an Indian style buffet. I personally loved it coming from London there is a large Indian influences so the food to me was great. It was also nice seeing fellow classmates step outside of their comfort zone and try new things.
After our lunch we took the R train to Astoria. Astoria, named after the Aster family is a perfect example of gentrification. As we walked up and down we could see where the wealthy had taken over, bringing along chain restaurants, increasing property values, and desire to live there. However, as the area is undergoing gentrification, the original inhabitants have a hard time maintaining their homes because cost of living is going up and therefore they are no longer able to afford it and then they move out. This shows just how much of an effect gentrification has on our society and it’s happening all over New York.
As we walked through Astoria to our last stop were entered the Museum of Moving Images. This place was by far my highlight of the day. The modern look with the white floors and open space was trendy. It wasn’t just a museum that showed how far filmmaking had come, it was an interactive learning experience that brought me back to my childhood seeing all the old cartoons I used to watch. Seeing the masks and molds of different famous characters from movies such as the late Robin Williams who recently passed was great because you get a sense of how much detail was put into the movie. As I walked through the museum I not only enjoyed it but I immediately sent pictures to my dad and told him we had to come back and bring my sisters and brother who are 13, 11, and 2. This was the type of museum I felt would be enjoyed by the whole family and I can’t wait to bring them back.
My father had worked in Queens off Jamaica Ave for over 20 years and I never would have guessed that this part of Queens existed. A place full of so much history. Queens truly is historically rich and it’s a shame that most people would rather travel all the way to Manhattan when they have so much history just a few miles away. Although it was hot and humid day I was happy to have visited the places we did because I found a new appreciation for Queens, I no longer viewed it as a scary area but a misunderstood historical portion of New York.
Unfortunately we were unable to go to Long Island City due to the subway still being down but what a great end to a long hot day. On our way back instead of getting off at Jamaica we accidentally rode the train all the way to the end. Rushing, about 8 of us ran around looking for directions on how to get to Jamaica and I stopped and asked a cop. He had told us we were just one stop away so we boarded the train with 8 minutes to spare we arrive at Jamaica now with about 2 minutes to spare. IMAGINE! 8 students with backpacks running and yelling out track numbers. To our surprise we all made it and then laughed about how possibly Mike had done that on purpose to give us a chance to figure out the subway system. What a long an exhausting day!
Of all the days to start our Gotham class we picked possibly one of the hottest and most humid days. And of course that also happened to be the day the subways decided they were running different services due to construction. Despite this it ended up being a great day…draining but a great a day nonetheless. As I rode into Penn Station with my drawstring bag and all I was eager to see what this class would be like.
As we all met up and we walked towards the subway initially hoping to take the E train to Roosevelt Ave however no one had noticed any of the flyers that said certain lines would be down due to construction and we all ended up waiting in the hot subway station for a train that wasn’t coming. I don’t know much about the subway except that the 1,2, and 3 would take me to 42nd and 7th and Penn Station. But apparently the 7 trains is a great way to get around Queens. “The 7 train has been nicknamed the “International Express” because its route takes passengers through some of the most ethnically diverse communities in North America” (ENY, 215). Because the 7 trains are also elevated it gives for great scenery and chance to see an array of different areas.
When we went to the Queens Museum it happened to be on the same day as the US Open. We met and spoke to people on the subway as we rode the 7, we saw families, friends, everyone all dressed up excited to watch the match. Before walking into the museum we sat over on a small bench to get a quick synopsis of what this area was like decades ago. This area we were sitting by was surrounded with beautiful trees, tennis courts, paved sidewalks, beautiful scenery was once a garbage dump. Hard to believe as I looked around and saw the tall trees and lush green grass. This is first where Mike spoke to us about our favorite Hero & Villain Robert Moses. Living in Deer Park I know the name Robert Moses because it’s how us “Suffolk Residents” feel we are superior to Nassau residents because although they have Jones beach, which is frankly not the cleanest, we have beautiful Robert Moses Beach. Hearing his name I thought he makes beaches how could he possibly be a villain? Little did I know Robert Moses legacy had nothing to do with beaches. Robert Moses as the Parks Commissioner initiated a clean up of the park because this is where they were going to hold the 1939-1940 World’s Fair. Also in 1946 the UN used this location as their first meeting place.
Another important thing to know was how Queens even began being called Queens. It was named after Queen Catherine of Braganza. One of the facts I found interesting was that Queens was previously a very rural area and now Queens (if separated) would be the 4th largest city in the country! “For the most part Queens remained rural in character with agriculture being the predominant trade of its inhabitants. Coastal areas of the region along the East River (where LaGuardia Airport is now located) and in the Rockways attracted summer residents, trying to escape from the heat of the City” (ENY, 214). Queens was almost a resort of sort to escape the heat.
After we left we walked towards the museum to one of the most beautiful and refreshing (literally) sites was upon us. The unisphere. This 12 story high, stainless steel representation of the earth had the fountains on in honor of the US Open…LUCKY US! The unisphere was “Built to symbolize “Man’s Achievements on a Shrinking Globe and an Expanding Universe” as well as to reflect the ideal of global interdependence” (ENY, 218). This is because here is where the worlds fair was held and this piece was meant to signify how despite where we are located geographically we can all help each other because we all have different things to showcase. The world fair consisted of different nations showcasing how far they have come.
We made our way to the Queens museum Mike as well as our tour guide in the museum told us that this is where the UN General Assembly had met for the first time. Which is strange how things come together because as I was looking in my Molloy planner I came across the date October 23rd, 1946 which is when the United Nations General Assembly’s second session convened for the first time in Flushing Meadow. Walking around the museum one of the pieces I really enjoyed because I’m very into politics and social justice was a piece by Liu Wei called Library II-II. This piece was made out of books, wood, iron, and hardware replicated a falling deteriorating city. The piece was made to show notable landmarks in Bejing but was shown falling and collapsing and made up of books to show the oppression and censorship. Pieces of art like this is what I truly find intriguing because the artist could have simply painted or sculpted a depiction of a falling city but using books truly helps you understand the message. For some reason this truly stuck out to me because not only do we live in a country where we have the freedom to read whatever we want but we have the freedom to express what we want through books and art, however many countries are not so lucky and have died over this liberty we take for granted. It was a very thought provoking piece. Next the “crown jewel” of the worlds fair for NYC was the panorama. It was a replica of what the city looked like. It was color coded to depict certain things, like tenements were colored red, etc. There was even a plane that went around every minute at LaGaurdia. The panorama was updated frequently but because of the rapid change going on in New York they decided to keep it as a time capsule and stopped making changes. We can most obviously see this because the Twin Towers were still in tact, which shows that it had stopped being updated before 2001. 1992, was the date they ceased changes.
After all this walking and on a humid day our next stop was for lunch in little India. We took the 7 to Jackson Heights and went to the Jackson Diner, which was an Indian style buffet. I personally loved it coming from London there is a large Indian influences so the food to me was great. It was also nice seeing fellow classmates step outside of their comfort zone and try new things.
After our lunch we took the R train to Astoria. Astoria, named after the Aster family is a perfect example of gentrification. As we walked up and down we could see where the wealthy had taken over, bringing along chain restaurants, increasing property values, and desire to live there. However, as the area is undergoing gentrification, the original inhabitants have a hard time maintaining their homes because cost of living is going up and therefore they are no longer able to afford it and then they move out. This shows just how much of an effect gentrification has on our society and it’s happening all over New York.
As we walked through Astoria to our last stop were entered the Museum of Moving Images. This place was by far my highlight of the day. The modern look with the white floors and open space was trendy. It wasn’t just a museum that showed how far filmmaking had come, it was an interactive learning experience that brought me back to my childhood seeing all the old cartoons I used to watch. Seeing the masks and molds of different famous characters from movies such as the late Robin Williams who recently passed was great because you get a sense of how much detail was put into the movie. As I walked through the museum I not only enjoyed it but I immediately sent pictures to my dad and told him we had to come back and bring my sisters and brother who are 13, 11, and 2. This was the type of museum I felt would be enjoyed by the whole family and I can’t wait to bring them back.
My father had worked in Queens off Jamaica Ave for over 20 years and I never would have guessed that this part of Queens existed. A place full of so much history. Queens truly is historically rich and it’s a shame that most people would rather travel all the way to Manhattan when they have so much history just a few miles away. Although it was hot and humid day I was happy to have visited the places we did because I found a new appreciation for Queens, I no longer viewed it as a scary area but a misunderstood historical portion of New York.
Unfortunately we were unable to go to Long Island City due to the subway still being down but what a great end to a long hot day. On our way back instead of getting off at Jamaica we accidentally rode the train all the way to the end. Rushing, about 8 of us ran around looking for directions on how to get to Jamaica and I stopped and asked a cop. He had told us we were just one stop away so we boarded the train with 8 minutes to spare we arrive at Jamaica now with about 2 minutes to spare. IMAGINE! 8 students with backpacks running and yelling out track numbers. To our surprise we all made it and then laughed about how possibly Mike had done that on purpose to give us a chance to figure out the subway system. What a long an exhausting day!
3. Bodacious Brooklyn:
September 13th...
Waking up bright and early for another Saturday class, I boarded the LIRR in Rockville Centre to Penn Station with Meg Lonergan, and Steph Meyer. Weather conditions today were much cooler than our class last week and definitely called for a light jacket. I felt because of this we would have a more enjoyable experience because we wouldn’t all be as tired due to the heat. To my disappointment due to weather prediction we were unable to go to Coney Island. Coney Island was probably the one place I was looking forward to going most because the history in and of itself of Coney Island is a great one. One of the interesting facts I found out about Coney Island is that it isn’t even an Island it’s a peninsula! “Originally Coney Island was an actual Island, being separated from the mainland of Brooklyn by a creek, which was only much later filled in to turn Coney Island into the peninsula that it is today” (ENY, 193). Coney Island is filled with excitement, fun, and rides it would have been a great way to spend the day while also getting to hear about what it used to be like. So instead we moved onto the Brooklyn Heights.
Brooklyn Heights is a beautiful area with beautiful buildings. Before we did that we walked along the Brooklyn Bridge. I’ve always heard of people walking the Brooklyn Bridge and how much of a beautiful site it is but never had I thought I would actually get the opportunity to do it. Completed in 1883 the Brooklyn Bridge is actually the oldest suspension bridge in the entire country! How unbelievable right here in New York! This 1.1 miles stretch is traveled over by thousands of people a day, photographed by famous photographers, and decorated with locks, chains, anything of sentimental value. John Roebling a German immigrant designed this famous bridge connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan. “While he was surveying by the docking ferry, his foot was crushed by an incoming ferry. Roebling believed that he could cure himself by pouring cold water on the wound, but this lead to amputation and his eventual death” (ENY, 208). Fortunately, he passed the plans and left in charge his son, Washington to continue the bridge. Costing 15 millions dollars (320 million now) this bridge used over 600 workers 27 of which died due to decompression sickness. This bridge was a beautiful design. Being able to walk over the bridge and see the incredible views was breathtaking. I didn’t even notice it was 1.1 mile walk. My favorite part of the bridge though aside from the view was the locks that people had put on them. It instantly reminded me of Pont de l’Archeveche, the love lock bridge located in Paris. People from all over the world would come to this place and write on a lock and clip it on the bridge to symbolize their everlasting love. Catching onto that tradition people began doing it on the Brooklyn Bridge as well. Unfortunately the one located in Paris had been cut down due to the weight of them on the bridge damaging structures.
During the walk over the bridge Mike spoke about the different architecture such as neogothic, neoclassical, Greek revival. This was interesting because I had learned about these styles in my art history class with Professor Caruso. As we went around during the remainder of the class it was good to see that when Mike pointed to a structure, we were able to identify it based on certain characteristics of the columns. Finally off the bridge we entered the Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass (DUMBO). “On December 18, 2007, the landmarks Preservation Committee designated the Dumbo section of Brooklyn as the city’s 90th historical district” (ENY, 207). Due to this it encourage transformation within the neighborhood and our favorite word…Yes you guessed it the neighborhood became gentrified! “It currently has the highest concentration of technology firms in New York” (ENY, 207). One of the things I was most interested in was the Brownstone buildings. Personally with a job in the city I’ve been apartment hunting for places in the city and in Brooklyn and if you want to be hip a Brownstone is the way to go. However if you want to be hip you better hip hop your way over to the bank because that Brownstone will cost you a hefty check. Especially because of the limited amount of Brownstone left due to the closing of the factory this is in high demand and people are paying top dollar for it to make or to preserve their existing brownstone. I think it’s safe to say that I will not be moving into a Brownstone when I move out of college but who knows maybe one day.
After lunch we made are way over to the Brooklyn Historical Society Museum. Let’s just say Mike has a sixth sense because just as we entered it began raining. A little tired (I guess that Brooklyn Bridge walk took more energy than I thought), I found myself almost falling asleep while walking through. The tour guide took us around and told us a little bit about the museum and what the historical society as a committee does. It was difficult to stay interested but I did like the library. This library which is actually open to the public is filled with very dated books, looking through some of them just the color and the writing inside the book it’s crazy to just imagine someone else just a hundred year before holding it.
Mike could sense our tiredness and decided to let us leave a little early. Instead of going to Jamaica this time we went back to Penn Station and took the train back to RVC. Overall my favorite part of the day was the phenomenal Brookyln Bridge. Once again my views on Brookyln had changes. Esepecially being in the DUMBO area how beautiful and clean! There are good and bad parts of every area and Brooklyn’s good parts are beautiful!
Waking up bright and early for another Saturday class, I boarded the LIRR in Rockville Centre to Penn Station with Meg Lonergan, and Steph Meyer. Weather conditions today were much cooler than our class last week and definitely called for a light jacket. I felt because of this we would have a more enjoyable experience because we wouldn’t all be as tired due to the heat. To my disappointment due to weather prediction we were unable to go to Coney Island. Coney Island was probably the one place I was looking forward to going most because the history in and of itself of Coney Island is a great one. One of the interesting facts I found out about Coney Island is that it isn’t even an Island it’s a peninsula! “Originally Coney Island was an actual Island, being separated from the mainland of Brooklyn by a creek, which was only much later filled in to turn Coney Island into the peninsula that it is today” (ENY, 193). Coney Island is filled with excitement, fun, and rides it would have been a great way to spend the day while also getting to hear about what it used to be like. So instead we moved onto the Brooklyn Heights.
Brooklyn Heights is a beautiful area with beautiful buildings. Before we did that we walked along the Brooklyn Bridge. I’ve always heard of people walking the Brooklyn Bridge and how much of a beautiful site it is but never had I thought I would actually get the opportunity to do it. Completed in 1883 the Brooklyn Bridge is actually the oldest suspension bridge in the entire country! How unbelievable right here in New York! This 1.1 miles stretch is traveled over by thousands of people a day, photographed by famous photographers, and decorated with locks, chains, anything of sentimental value. John Roebling a German immigrant designed this famous bridge connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan. “While he was surveying by the docking ferry, his foot was crushed by an incoming ferry. Roebling believed that he could cure himself by pouring cold water on the wound, but this lead to amputation and his eventual death” (ENY, 208). Fortunately, he passed the plans and left in charge his son, Washington to continue the bridge. Costing 15 millions dollars (320 million now) this bridge used over 600 workers 27 of which died due to decompression sickness. This bridge was a beautiful design. Being able to walk over the bridge and see the incredible views was breathtaking. I didn’t even notice it was 1.1 mile walk. My favorite part of the bridge though aside from the view was the locks that people had put on them. It instantly reminded me of Pont de l’Archeveche, the love lock bridge located in Paris. People from all over the world would come to this place and write on a lock and clip it on the bridge to symbolize their everlasting love. Catching onto that tradition people began doing it on the Brooklyn Bridge as well. Unfortunately the one located in Paris had been cut down due to the weight of them on the bridge damaging structures.
During the walk over the bridge Mike spoke about the different architecture such as neogothic, neoclassical, Greek revival. This was interesting because I had learned about these styles in my art history class with Professor Caruso. As we went around during the remainder of the class it was good to see that when Mike pointed to a structure, we were able to identify it based on certain characteristics of the columns. Finally off the bridge we entered the Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass (DUMBO). “On December 18, 2007, the landmarks Preservation Committee designated the Dumbo section of Brooklyn as the city’s 90th historical district” (ENY, 207). Due to this it encourage transformation within the neighborhood and our favorite word…Yes you guessed it the neighborhood became gentrified! “It currently has the highest concentration of technology firms in New York” (ENY, 207). One of the things I was most interested in was the Brownstone buildings. Personally with a job in the city I’ve been apartment hunting for places in the city and in Brooklyn and if you want to be hip a Brownstone is the way to go. However if you want to be hip you better hip hop your way over to the bank because that Brownstone will cost you a hefty check. Especially because of the limited amount of Brownstone left due to the closing of the factory this is in high demand and people are paying top dollar for it to make or to preserve their existing brownstone. I think it’s safe to say that I will not be moving into a Brownstone when I move out of college but who knows maybe one day.
After lunch we made are way over to the Brooklyn Historical Society Museum. Let’s just say Mike has a sixth sense because just as we entered it began raining. A little tired (I guess that Brooklyn Bridge walk took more energy than I thought), I found myself almost falling asleep while walking through. The tour guide took us around and told us a little bit about the museum and what the historical society as a committee does. It was difficult to stay interested but I did like the library. This library which is actually open to the public is filled with very dated books, looking through some of them just the color and the writing inside the book it’s crazy to just imagine someone else just a hundred year before holding it.
Mike could sense our tiredness and decided to let us leave a little early. Instead of going to Jamaica this time we went back to Penn Station and took the train back to RVC. Overall my favorite part of the day was the phenomenal Brookyln Bridge. Once again my views on Brookyln had changes. Esepecially being in the DUMBO area how beautiful and clean! There are good and bad parts of every area and Brooklyn’s good parts are beautiful!
4. Chelsea & the Village:
September 20th...
Coming to my third class I figured okay, the worst class was probably the first one due to the heat and the last class wasn’t so bad. We road the subway a lot so I had put $10 on my metro card at the end of last class to make sure I was ready to go. Little did I know Mike would literally take us on a journey through the village and Chelsea that felt like easily 12 miles. First we walked outside of Penn Station which was different from our norm because typically we immediately ride the subway never stepping outside of Penn. As we stood outside Mike asked us what was behind us, we replied Penn Station. He referred the Penn Station as a “piece of shit” because in comparison to the post office just across the street, Penn stations structure and interior design was frankly…shit. He told us later on that in the next class we would be seeing the marvelous Grand Central Station and having been there multiple times to visit friends in New Rochelle it wouldn’t even be fair to put Grand Central and Penn Station in the same sentence (pardon me for even doing that).
First to see Chelsea we would walk across the High Line because the elevated structure would allow us to see more. “ The existence of train lines on crowded city streets, however, led to numerous fatalities-so many in fact that 10th avenue became to be known as “Death Avenue”” (ENY, 84). We walked over the High Line, which was now converted, from an old subway line into a garden with native New York plants. I guess we didn’t walk down far enough because it honestly looked like grass to me but one of my classmates Danny said he had come here with his girlfriend and further down there were beautiful flowers.
“What Chelsea is primarily known for today is its numerous art galleries, showcasing some of the world’s most prominent contemporary art” (ENY, 85). We went into a few different galleries to see some of this art work. After hearing some of the prices for the art and how much was invested by business men to help artist open up these galleries I was honestly a little confused. Some of the art work I had seen I didn’t really understand. Maybe if there was someone there to help explain the piece or what the artist was trying to convey that might have helped. One particular artist used modern technology as an inspiration, he used his ipad. It’s good to see people be influenced by things that are relevant to this generation but other than that I guess I just wasn’t impressed especially when hundreds of thousands of dollars were being thrown into this. But I guess if the “beautiful people” enjoy this and it makes the artist money go for it.
We stopped by this little bookstore and Mike told us to go in and find something provocative. Upon entering I saw a series of books that said pinup on it and the odd thing was that it was a male on the cover posing as we see many female models doing on magazine covers. Speaking to Lee we opened up a dialogue about how if this was a woman this magazine could be sold in stores everywhere right at the cash register, but because it was a man doing the EXACT same pose it was deemed to risky. I'm sure if I spent more time in the stores I would have found other interesting books and pieces.
Continuing our walk we stopped by the Jefferson community garden. This is where the trial of the century was held. It was a trial of rape claimed by Evelyn Nesbit and her accuser Stanford White who Mike always refers to as a (pervert, rapist, etc.). I got a sense of a flashback thinking about because right before our eyes there were old women sitting on lawn chairs making things, and selling them. Yet, back in the day this would not have happened there.
After lunch we walked through Washington Square Park which is a hotspot for NYU students (who seem to be taking over the city). Right near the entrance standing tall is a 300 year old elm tree. This tree is the very same tree that was used to hang people. It was sort of eerie to think about. We continued to walk and our next stop would be the Merchant House.After all the museums and tours we went to they were all kind of lengthy and draining so I was nervous the Merchant house would be the same. To my surprise this was my favorite part of the day. The Merchant House was a standing textbook of what an upper-class family would live in during the 1800’s. The house had be preserved because the daughter of the family never moved out. Built in 1832, the outside and inside had old remnants and some prop pieces to give visitors the feel of what a typical family would have seen. The tour guide walked us through the day and the life of what a mother would do. We started on the top floor and made our way down to the bottom learning about how she would dress, entertain visitors, and perform her daily duties. We also visited the servants quarters which were all the way at the attic and this was typically young Irish immigrant girls sent here to do work. They had the choice to either work in the factory and have more independence or work for homes.
A sad thing I learned about the Merchant house which I really enjoyed is that due to construction of a Hotel near it it will cause the building to shift. This shift will damage the Merchant House and despite that it is a designated landmark it does not guarantee adequate protection of the house. I asked the tour guide if the family of the home were involved in any part of the house possibly guest speakings, apperances, writings on behalf of the house, and to my surprise she said no I figured that if my ancestors had a house for numerous generations I would have loved to be involved in every aspect of it.
This ended our day and I thought it was a perfect ending. The merchant house was informative, interactive, and I actually enjoyed the speakers. Coming home on the other hand was a struggle. We started of at 34th st between 7th & 8th Ave, and when I looked up we were now near A & B Avenue, and were on 4th street what a walk! Meg and I took the subway on the L-Train and were supposed to take it to 7th ave but noticed it didn’t go to 7th but it went to 6th. Then we took the 1, back to Penn Station. In all this commotion we lost about 5 classmates who didn’t get of the L train and ended up taking a cab. We all made it back and took the LIRR to RVC. And then I took a well deserved nap :).
Coming to my third class I figured okay, the worst class was probably the first one due to the heat and the last class wasn’t so bad. We road the subway a lot so I had put $10 on my metro card at the end of last class to make sure I was ready to go. Little did I know Mike would literally take us on a journey through the village and Chelsea that felt like easily 12 miles. First we walked outside of Penn Station which was different from our norm because typically we immediately ride the subway never stepping outside of Penn. As we stood outside Mike asked us what was behind us, we replied Penn Station. He referred the Penn Station as a “piece of shit” because in comparison to the post office just across the street, Penn stations structure and interior design was frankly…shit. He told us later on that in the next class we would be seeing the marvelous Grand Central Station and having been there multiple times to visit friends in New Rochelle it wouldn’t even be fair to put Grand Central and Penn Station in the same sentence (pardon me for even doing that).
First to see Chelsea we would walk across the High Line because the elevated structure would allow us to see more. “ The existence of train lines on crowded city streets, however, led to numerous fatalities-so many in fact that 10th avenue became to be known as “Death Avenue”” (ENY, 84). We walked over the High Line, which was now converted, from an old subway line into a garden with native New York plants. I guess we didn’t walk down far enough because it honestly looked like grass to me but one of my classmates Danny said he had come here with his girlfriend and further down there were beautiful flowers.
“What Chelsea is primarily known for today is its numerous art galleries, showcasing some of the world’s most prominent contemporary art” (ENY, 85). We went into a few different galleries to see some of this art work. After hearing some of the prices for the art and how much was invested by business men to help artist open up these galleries I was honestly a little confused. Some of the art work I had seen I didn’t really understand. Maybe if there was someone there to help explain the piece or what the artist was trying to convey that might have helped. One particular artist used modern technology as an inspiration, he used his ipad. It’s good to see people be influenced by things that are relevant to this generation but other than that I guess I just wasn’t impressed especially when hundreds of thousands of dollars were being thrown into this. But I guess if the “beautiful people” enjoy this and it makes the artist money go for it.
We stopped by this little bookstore and Mike told us to go in and find something provocative. Upon entering I saw a series of books that said pinup on it and the odd thing was that it was a male on the cover posing as we see many female models doing on magazine covers. Speaking to Lee we opened up a dialogue about how if this was a woman this magazine could be sold in stores everywhere right at the cash register, but because it was a man doing the EXACT same pose it was deemed to risky. I'm sure if I spent more time in the stores I would have found other interesting books and pieces.
Continuing our walk we stopped by the Jefferson community garden. This is where the trial of the century was held. It was a trial of rape claimed by Evelyn Nesbit and her accuser Stanford White who Mike always refers to as a (pervert, rapist, etc.). I got a sense of a flashback thinking about because right before our eyes there were old women sitting on lawn chairs making things, and selling them. Yet, back in the day this would not have happened there.
After lunch we walked through Washington Square Park which is a hotspot for NYU students (who seem to be taking over the city). Right near the entrance standing tall is a 300 year old elm tree. This tree is the very same tree that was used to hang people. It was sort of eerie to think about. We continued to walk and our next stop would be the Merchant House.After all the museums and tours we went to they were all kind of lengthy and draining so I was nervous the Merchant house would be the same. To my surprise this was my favorite part of the day. The Merchant House was a standing textbook of what an upper-class family would live in during the 1800’s. The house had be preserved because the daughter of the family never moved out. Built in 1832, the outside and inside had old remnants and some prop pieces to give visitors the feel of what a typical family would have seen. The tour guide walked us through the day and the life of what a mother would do. We started on the top floor and made our way down to the bottom learning about how she would dress, entertain visitors, and perform her daily duties. We also visited the servants quarters which were all the way at the attic and this was typically young Irish immigrant girls sent here to do work. They had the choice to either work in the factory and have more independence or work for homes.
A sad thing I learned about the Merchant house which I really enjoyed is that due to construction of a Hotel near it it will cause the building to shift. This shift will damage the Merchant House and despite that it is a designated landmark it does not guarantee adequate protection of the house. I asked the tour guide if the family of the home were involved in any part of the house possibly guest speakings, apperances, writings on behalf of the house, and to my surprise she said no I figured that if my ancestors had a house for numerous generations I would have loved to be involved in every aspect of it.
This ended our day and I thought it was a perfect ending. The merchant house was informative, interactive, and I actually enjoyed the speakers. Coming home on the other hand was a struggle. We started of at 34th st between 7th & 8th Ave, and when I looked up we were now near A & B Avenue, and were on 4th street what a walk! Meg and I took the subway on the L-Train and were supposed to take it to 7th ave but noticed it didn’t go to 7th but it went to 6th. Then we took the 1, back to Penn Station. In all this commotion we lost about 5 classmates who didn’t get of the L train and ended up taking a cab. We all made it back and took the LIRR to RVC. And then I took a well deserved nap :).