Initial Thoughts: Entry #1 May 28th, 2013
New York City is a setting that is affiliated with many different ideas, feelings, people, and events. When I was younger, going into the city with my family was a treat. We would take the train to the city if we were doing something special, such as celebrating a birthday. Some of my favorite places that I have been to in New York City include Time Square, Broadway, Museum of Natural History, The Nintendo Store, The Javitz Center, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Central Park, Midtown Comics, The Wax Museum, and the MoMA. Not to mention, all the amazing restaurants. I have nothing but very fond memories of Manhattan. It would appear that I mostly connote "New York City" with the borough of Manhattan, as I have only been to the other four boroughs a few times.
As far as the other boroughs, I have limited experience. I reside in Valley Stream which is right next to Queens, so sometimes I see it in passing. Last semester, I completed a portion of my classroom observations in a school district in Brooklyn. The area was much different than Long Island, in terms of architecture. The streets were very narrow. However, I had a wonderful time during my stay in Brooklyn. The school that I observed at was very warm and welcoming towards me. I have had no exposure to Staten Island or The Bronx, but during this course I will!
Aside from personal experience, there are also many films that come to mind when I think of New York City. Some of which include, Oliver and Company (1988), A Bronx Tale (1993) , Spiderman (2002), Annie (1982) , Little Nicky (2000), Elf (2003), New York Minute (2004), Enchanted (2007), The Other Guys (2010), 13 Going on 30 (2004), Night at the Museum (2006), and The Avengers (2012). Mind you, these are merely a few that I can think off the top of my head. It is evident that New York City has captured the attention of film directors for many years.
My impressions of New York City at this point are great. I acknowledge this part of the world as a center of diversity; a big melting pot. After all, many immigrants began their pursuit of the American dream here. The culture of New York is like no other. There is always something new and fun to discover when walking the streets of New York. I am looking forward to what this course has to offer and I am eager to expand my mind to things I never knew about New York!
Bodacious Brooklyn: Entry #2 June 7th, 2013
Yesterday was our first official class. I made sure to arrive at the train station early, and I boarded the LIRR at its scheduled time. At the train's transfer, I met with my friend Jackie. We arrived at Penn Station together. The two of us wandered and then found the rest of our class. Our class has a very positive aura; everyone was very friendly and welcoming towards one another. After introductions, our class boarded the Metro and began our commute to Coney Island! I have been carrying on about going to Coney Island for days. Part of the reason why I was so stoked for this particular activity was because I have never been to Coney Island before. I have always wanted to! I've seen it referred to a lot in films and it just looked so beautiful and like so much fun. Needless to say, it exceeded my expectations!
One fact I learned is that Coney Island is not really an island, it is a now peninsula connected by landfill. In addition, Coney Island was settled by the Dutch. According to the Blue Guide to New York, the Dutch named this land "Konijin Eiland" due to the large inhabitants of rabbits (Blue Guide, pg. 492). As time went on, Steeplechase Park, Luna Park, and Dreamland opened. Unfortunately, Dreamland burned down in 1911. However, I had the pleasure of experiencing the wonders of Luna Park! The highlight of my day was riding The Cyclone! The Cyclone is one of the oldest standing roller coasters; it was built in 1927 (http://www.lunaparknyc.com/about-us/the-cyclone-history.html). Aside from the ride being historical, it is a lot of fun! A few of my classmates and I had a blast on this ride.
Following our Cyclone adventure, the four of us ate at Nathan's hot dogs, established in 1915. We chowed down and then continued our class to the next stop, The New York Transit Museum. The New York Transit Museum is operated by the Metropolitan Transit Authority (Blue Guide, pg. 468). We had a very wonderful, articulate tour guide teach us about the history of the New York transit system. We learned that prior to the transit system, New York was even more populated than it is now. In addition, the streets were extremely unsanitary and disease was spreading at a dangerously fast rate. Trains helped disperse the population because it facilitated travel and made it possible for workers to commute. A devastating blizzard hit the east coast of the United States in 1888, leaving people stranded in train karts for up to 24 hours, while being blocked in by 50 inches of snow. Such a catastrophe led people to think-- what if trains ran underground? The Metro plan was put into action shortly after. It was a dangerous job, but eventually it got done. We can now really appreciate the history and risks the transit system went through.
Last, but certainly not least, we explored Brooklyn Heights. Brooklyn Heights was notorious for its upper class families, churches, and clergymen (Blue Guide, pg. 466). Present day, Brooklyn Heights is one of the city's most desirable real estates. We set foot on the very same land that the colonial army was stationed during the Battle of Brooklyn back in 1776. During the Battle of Brooklyn, General William Howe of Britain defeated George Washington's troops (http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-battle-of-brooklyn). In addition to the historic value, the view in Brooklyn Heights is also breathtaking, which is a contributing factor to its high real estate prices listings. Not too far from here, we enjoyed some of Brooklyn's finest ice cream.
To end the day, we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. It is approximately 1.13 miles long. It felt great to walk and also was a magnificent view. For a period of time, The Brooklyn Bridge was the largest suspension bridge in the entire world (Blue Guide, pg. 464).This class session was so enjoyable and I am so glad I chose this for my Core credit! Looking forward to our next adventure on Tuesday!
A Tale of Three Villages: Entry #3 June 12th, 2013
Our next class explored all the different parts of what is referred to as, "The Village". Throughout the day, we managed to pass through the West Village, Greenwich Village, and the East Village . Each of these individual communities had their own history and style to them.
The West Village used to be a main center for commerce due to its geographical advantage of being close to the Hudson River (Blue Guide, pg. 140). When we wandered through the West Village, our class saw the White Horse Tavern where many writers and poets gathered for social drinking. Dylan Thomas, a renowned poet of the 20th century, tragically died from too much alcohol intake one night during his visit to the White Horse Tavern. (http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/150).
The West Village used to be a main center for commerce due to its geographical advantage of being close to the Hudson River (Blue Guide, pg. 140). When we wandered through the West Village, our class saw the White Horse Tavern where many writers and poets gathered for social drinking. Dylan Thomas, a renowned poet of the 20th century, tragically died from too much alcohol intake one night during his visit to the White Horse Tavern. (http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/150).
Greenwich Village is keen to many expressive ideas, such as art, theater, poetry, and political advocacy such as gay rights. This community certainly encourages individuality and creativeness. Their fashion is evident in the style of the villagers as well as all the local shops, cafes, and bars. It features the beautiful Washington Square, a large park for social gatherings. It is also the home to New York University.
Historically, Greenwich Village has been by all sorts of groups. Originally, Greenwich Village was inhabited by the Native Americans. The Dutch were the next to take over Greenwich Village and used it as farm land. In 1713, the British who later conquered and designated the name "Greenwich Village", meaning Green Village (Blue Guide, pg. 128). At the turn of the 20th century, there was a population increase due to the cheap rent rates and appeal to the middle class. As a result of a new, young population, there was an increased hype of social and artistic activity.
Washington Square is often referred to as the heart of the Village. Our class marveled over the tall archway to Washington Square, known as the Washington Arch, which was designed by Stanford White at the end of the 19th century. It was inspired by Arc de Triomphe located in Paris (Blue Guide, pg. 131). The Washington Arch is significant in that it commemorates the one hundredth year anniversary of George Washington's inauguration.
Historically, Greenwich Village has been by all sorts of groups. Originally, Greenwich Village was inhabited by the Native Americans. The Dutch were the next to take over Greenwich Village and used it as farm land. In 1713, the British who later conquered and designated the name "Greenwich Village", meaning Green Village (Blue Guide, pg. 128). At the turn of the 20th century, there was a population increase due to the cheap rent rates and appeal to the middle class. As a result of a new, young population, there was an increased hype of social and artistic activity.
Washington Square is often referred to as the heart of the Village. Our class marveled over the tall archway to Washington Square, known as the Washington Arch, which was designed by Stanford White at the end of the 19th century. It was inspired by Arc de Triomphe located in Paris (Blue Guide, pg. 131). The Washington Arch is significant in that it commemorates the one hundredth year anniversary of George Washington's inauguration.
The East Village is rich in immigrant history. One of the highlights of yesterday's trip was our visit to the Merchant's House Museum located in the East Village. In the 19th century, this building was a home to an aristocratic family known as the Tredwells. Seabury and Eliza Tredwell bought this extravagant home for a mere $18,000, in 1835. Their youngest daughter Gertrude lived to be nearly one hundred years old and was never married, and she chose to live her entire life in this house (http://www.merchantshouse.org/about/). Touring the house gives you an idea of what it would have been like to be wealthy in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Running water and heat were a luxury back then. This family hired Irish immigrant workers who tended to their cooking and cleaning needs. The servants were summoned by a bell chime, which was a nifty invention that connects to different rooms through out the house. It is relevant that this family was well-respected and it is remarkable that their furnishing and personal belongings managed to remain in such splendid condition.
After the tour, our class took an intermission for lunch. A few of us went to eat together. Then Jackie and I went to a comic book store next door! Our class reunited to make our way over to the next destination-- a unique place called the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space and has only been founded recently. This was a great way to understand the Village's history, as well as understand their present situation about the area in which they live in and take care of. This section of the village used to be abandoned rubble due to people neglecting it because this part of the city was labeled as a "bad neighborhood". It was local community members who came together and decided to make a change; they transformed the rubble into rich soil and turned the once vacant lots into beautiful community gardens. Our tour guide mentioned that George and Ira Gershwin, two famous 20th century composers, lived in this section of the Village. Also, the lyricist of the Wizard of Oz, Yip Harburg graduated from school here. Since then, the community has continued to be active in the sustainability of their neighborhood. In the past century, there have been several riots emerging from strong headed citizens.
East of the Park: Entry #4 June 14th, 2013
Pleased to say that it did not down poor on our class yesterday! We got very lucky. We were able to go site-seeing through Harlem and the parks as planned. Harlem is a famous center of African, Latino, and Puerto Rican life and culture (Blue Guide, page 437). There is historic significance emerging from the Harlem Renaissance in which famous literature, art,and jazz works were produced. Major contributors to the Harlem Renaissance include Langston Hughes and Jean Toomer (http://www.history.com/topics/harlem-renaissance). Harlem certainly has its own culture apart from the other neighborhoods of the city and carries a strong sense of pride and community.
First stop on the agenda was the Museum of the City of New York, which was founded in 1923 and showcases over three million artifacts (Blue Guide, pg. 376). The museum featured all sorts of pieces of New York culture. It also included an informative twenty two minute movie that covers hundreds of years of New York's history. As explained in the overview, New York got its name after the British Settlement, in which they decided to name the land after the duke of York. Due to New York's geographical benefits such as being accessible to bodies of water, it became an ideal center for trade and expanded as a huge merchant city. It was Mayor Clinton of the 1800's who planned to arrange New York City in "blocks" to house up to 1 million people. For the first time in history, people were no longer living where they worked. This was due to the growth of subways and trains.
After we met with our friendly tour guide, Lucas. Lucas is a devoted poet and artist who grew up in the Bronx and knows a great deal about the five boroughs. He is employed by El Museo, one of the city's finest and specified museums that focuses on the history of Latin, Puerto Rican, and Carribean cultures (Blue Guide, pg. 346). I really enjoyed the message Lucas was conveying about communities. Communities are so special and we often take them for granted. The art work displayed on the side of the buildings in Harlem speak volumes about the residents and what they value. The image to the left is a painting that captures real life members of the town doing their day to day activities. One section that stood out to me were the men sitting outside playing dominoes. It is social activities such as these that bring people together in an admirable way. After viewing several of these paintings, we had the pleasure of hearing Lucas recite some of his original poetry!
Then, a bunch of classmates and I had lunch at an authentic Spanish restaurant. The chicken quesadilla was outstanding-- quite possibly the greatest Spanish cuisine I have ever had. After regaining our energy, we walked through the beautiful west side of Central Park. The water looked so beautiful! . After we passed through, we visited the famous Metropolitan Museum of Art! This was my second time ever visiting. As the Blue Guide notes, this museum occupies 1.5 million square feet and there is too much showcased to see in just one visit (BG, pg. 326). The Metropolitan Museum of Art showcases work from all around the world across a wide time length. The sections include Greek Art, Roman Art, African Art, European sculptures, Medieval and Byzantine Art, Egyptian Art, American Art, Modern Art, as well as others. Needless to say our class did not have time to see every thing. However this visit, I got a chance to look at the works of Vincent van Gogh's, including La Berceuse and Olive Orchard. Van Gogh was a self-taught artist who became recognized as a vanguard figure in the history of modern art (http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/gogh/hd_gogh.htm). It was absolutely wonderful to see! Next time I come, I would really love to check out the Egyptian art!
We then passed The Dakota Apartments, which, architecturally, are among the city's finest apartment buildings (Blue Guide, pg 414). The Dakota was even luxurious in its early development as it had admirable features including large space, electricity, and elevators (BG, pg 19). The Dakota Apartment drew wealthy clientele, including John Lennon. John Lennon lived and died here-- he was shot in the courtyard in 1980 by a lunatic fan. Therefore, it is appropriate that Strawberry Fields is across the street from the Dakota Apartments. The beautiful, peaceful scenery is a tribute to John Lennon and his music. Beatles fans around the world marvel over this location! After our brief tour from the mayor of Strawberry Field, we took the Metro home. It has been another wonderful day!