Journal 2
The Wild Westside
Our class, like every other class began at Penn Station. From there we walked our way over to Times Square. Before 1904, Times Square was known as Longacre Square and was dominated by horse exchanges, carriage factories, stables, and blacksmith shops (Blue Guide, pg 217). During the 1960-1970s, Times Square was filled with filth, drugs, and prostitutes. Under Mayor Giuliani, however, Times Square was cleaned up and turned into the center of New York City. From Times Square we walked over to Broadway, which runs diagonally. There were pedestrian zones and Professor Mike proposed both the positive and negative aspects of it. I personally think it's a wonderful idea considering it's right in the most tourist driven area. It allows for people to freely walk and sightsee without the fear of getting smashed by a cab.
From there we made our way over to Rockefeller Center and were able to go into the NBC studio shop (which was grossly overpriced may I add). We were able to walk around for a little and see all the little shops and statues in that area. From there we made our way over to the Museum of Modern Art or MOMA. It was moved to its present site in 1932 (Blue Guide, pg 260). Personally, I am not an art aficionado nor do I really enjoy it, but this experience I definitely enjoyed. The Museum was very crowded and it was cool to see that people from around the world come to see this institution. There were many artists that I have heard of and many that I did not. I enjoyed looking at the different pieces of art. I especially enjoyed the Andy Warhol pieces. I thought that the sound art exhibits were also very interesting. There was a lot of strange things that I did not consider to be "art," but to each his own.
From MOMA we made our way over to Hell's Kitchen for some Thai food. I had one prior bad experience with Thai food so I was a little skeptical to try it again. It was actually really good! I had the garlic chicken and was able to try sticky rice for the first time (Thanks Meritta!) I will most definitely be giving Thai food another chance.
After lunch we went to Morningside Heights. We walked over to a Hungarian Pastry shop where the owner wanted us to hang up different pictures of angels that an artist had created. I wanted to go in to get a snack, but listened to my better judgment and skipped it. There, we also met our tour guide who was going to show us around Morningside Heights as well as Harlem. We stopped at a beautiful church, St. Johns, which we were able to go inside of. I had actually been to this cathedral before. From St. John's, we walked over to Columbia University. The campus was huge and quite beautiful. Whenever I see that much green in NYC, it amazes me. We sat on the steps and proceeded to have a game of Jeopardy....Gotham style. We then walked down the stairs to Morningside Park, which was also very beautiful. At the top of the stairs, there was a breathtaking view of the city. After the park, we walked towards 125th Street where there was a statue of Harriet Tubman. We then came across the Apollo Theatre, which has had many very famous celebrities perform. Our day ended with a thunderstorm and I was home by about 7:15, which was a very nice change.
From there we made our way over to Rockefeller Center and were able to go into the NBC studio shop (which was grossly overpriced may I add). We were able to walk around for a little and see all the little shops and statues in that area. From there we made our way over to the Museum of Modern Art or MOMA. It was moved to its present site in 1932 (Blue Guide, pg 260). Personally, I am not an art aficionado nor do I really enjoy it, but this experience I definitely enjoyed. The Museum was very crowded and it was cool to see that people from around the world come to see this institution. There were many artists that I have heard of and many that I did not. I enjoyed looking at the different pieces of art. I especially enjoyed the Andy Warhol pieces. I thought that the sound art exhibits were also very interesting. There was a lot of strange things that I did not consider to be "art," but to each his own.
From MOMA we made our way over to Hell's Kitchen for some Thai food. I had one prior bad experience with Thai food so I was a little skeptical to try it again. It was actually really good! I had the garlic chicken and was able to try sticky rice for the first time (Thanks Meritta!) I will most definitely be giving Thai food another chance.
After lunch we went to Morningside Heights. We walked over to a Hungarian Pastry shop where the owner wanted us to hang up different pictures of angels that an artist had created. I wanted to go in to get a snack, but listened to my better judgment and skipped it. There, we also met our tour guide who was going to show us around Morningside Heights as well as Harlem. We stopped at a beautiful church, St. Johns, which we were able to go inside of. I had actually been to this cathedral before. From St. John's, we walked over to Columbia University. The campus was huge and quite beautiful. Whenever I see that much green in NYC, it amazes me. We sat on the steps and proceeded to have a game of Jeopardy....Gotham style. We then walked down the stairs to Morningside Park, which was also very beautiful. At the top of the stairs, there was a breathtaking view of the city. After the park, we walked towards 125th Street where there was a statue of Harriet Tubman. We then came across the Apollo Theatre, which has had many very famous celebrities perform. Our day ended with a thunderstorm and I was home by about 7:15, which was a very nice change.
Lower Manhattan & Captivating Chelsea
Again, we started our day in Penn Station. From there we hopped on the F train to go to the Financial District. Our first stop was the Woolworth Building, which was New York's tallest building until the Chrysler Building was constructed in 1930 (Blue Guide, pg. 79). Afterwards, we headed to City Hall where we were greeted by our tour guide. She gave a very detailed description of how the colonies began. City Hall was constructed from the years of 1810 to 1812. It is the oldest city hall in the United States and still has its original function. This building contains many photos of former mayors as well as other 19th century figures. This building is of federal architectural style. There was a large statue of George Washington in the lobby along with a beautiful staircase.
After our tour at City Hall, we went to St. Paul's Church. This church is located very close to what used to be the Twin Towers. This church provided a space that first responders from 9/11 could go to. From there we went to the 9/11 Memorial which was very sad yet a beautiful way to commemorate those who lost their lives in the attacks. We then walked to Trinity Church in an attempt to see Alexander Hamilton's gravesite, however, it was locked up because of the government shutdown.
Battery Park was next on the agenda. It got its name from a row of canons that defended the original fort and stood near the present sidewalk (Blue Guide, pg. 46). A lot of construction was going on during the time we were there. From Battery Park we were able to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I have been to both before so I was kind of happy we didn't have to do it again. We walked around for a few minutes then headed to the Meat Packing District. From there we walked to Chelsea Market and were able to shop and eat. However, most of the stores are very overpriced as is the food. But all in all I did enjoy the market. After lunch, we went to the Highline. This is a 1-mile linear park that was built on a former railroad. It runs from Gansevoort Street up to 30th. This was probably my favorite part of the day. The park as well as the view were both beautiful.
The final leg of our day included gallery hopping. We saw many different artists works and their rendition of what art is. I have to say most of the pieces I looked at I did not like, nor did I really see the "art" in it, but again to each his own. From there I walked back to Penn Station and got home around 7:30 (awesome!).
After our tour at City Hall, we went to St. Paul's Church. This church is located very close to what used to be the Twin Towers. This church provided a space that first responders from 9/11 could go to. From there we went to the 9/11 Memorial which was very sad yet a beautiful way to commemorate those who lost their lives in the attacks. We then walked to Trinity Church in an attempt to see Alexander Hamilton's gravesite, however, it was locked up because of the government shutdown.
Battery Park was next on the agenda. It got its name from a row of canons that defended the original fort and stood near the present sidewalk (Blue Guide, pg. 46). A lot of construction was going on during the time we were there. From Battery Park we were able to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I have been to both before so I was kind of happy we didn't have to do it again. We walked around for a few minutes then headed to the Meat Packing District. From there we walked to Chelsea Market and were able to shop and eat. However, most of the stores are very overpriced as is the food. But all in all I did enjoy the market. After lunch, we went to the Highline. This is a 1-mile linear park that was built on a former railroad. It runs from Gansevoort Street up to 30th. This was probably my favorite part of the day. The park as well as the view were both beautiful.
The final leg of our day included gallery hopping. We saw many different artists works and their rendition of what art is. I have to say most of the pieces I looked at I did not like, nor did I really see the "art" in it, but again to each his own. From there I walked back to Penn Station and got home around 7:30 (awesome!).
Immigrant New York
My morning consisted with my usual croissant and pumpkin spice latte (my Penn Station routine). From there I met the group in our usual meeting place where Professor Mike informed us of our day ahead. We took the F train to Delancey Street, where our day began. We talked a lot about how the Lower East Side was the hot spot for immigrants. Many Irish and German immigrants came from their country in the 1850's and landed in Ellis Island. From there, they moved to the Lower East Side. During this time period, the streets of NYC were filthy and garbage covered the streets. During 1860's, the Jews came from Eastern Europe. After the Jews, the Chinese and Italians came over and also settled in the Lower East Side. By the early 1900's, it was the most heavily populated area in New York.
When we got off of the train, we went to Essex Market. There were bakeries, spice shops, taco stands and everything in between. It was really cool to have a market like that in the city. It did not seem to be as overpriced as some of the other places in the city. They also had a wide variety of customers. This market was created by Mayor LaGuardia who made a place where all pushcarts could be housed (Blue Guide, pg. 123). This helped to make the food and streets more sanitary. Pushcarting was usually an immigrants first job after coming to the New World. They sold a wide variety of things from fruits to veggies to meat to spices.
After the market we met our tour guide and headed over to Economy Candy. I really do not think I have ever seen as much candy as that in one place. Anything you could think of, they had it. I definitely bought more candy than I should have, but oh well. From the candy store, we walked the streets of the Lower East Side and were taught what a tenement was. Most immigrant families lived in these long, usually 3 room, apartments. They were small and cramped and I have no idea how a large family could live in one. There were no bathrooms and no way to dispose of garbage, so it was thrown out of the window on to the street, which is why the streets were so filthy. On our walk, we came across the Bialystoker Synagogue. Jim pointed out that on the top of the door the letters "A, M, and E" stand for American, Methodist, and Episcopal, meaning that everyone could worship there.
Our next stop: LUNCH! We went to a Chinese family style restaurant named Congee Village. The food was actually pretty good and my favorite part was most definitely the noodles. After lunch we went to the Tenement Museum which was probably my favorite museum and tour of this class. Our tour guide was very informative, giving us more information of immigration and the roots of the Lower East Side. We were then taken into a tenement where a young girl, Victoria, and her family lived. She was very funny and made the tour very enjoyable. After the Museum, we chatted for a bit and then our final day came to an end.
When we got off of the train, we went to Essex Market. There were bakeries, spice shops, taco stands and everything in between. It was really cool to have a market like that in the city. It did not seem to be as overpriced as some of the other places in the city. They also had a wide variety of customers. This market was created by Mayor LaGuardia who made a place where all pushcarts could be housed (Blue Guide, pg. 123). This helped to make the food and streets more sanitary. Pushcarting was usually an immigrants first job after coming to the New World. They sold a wide variety of things from fruits to veggies to meat to spices.
After the market we met our tour guide and headed over to Economy Candy. I really do not think I have ever seen as much candy as that in one place. Anything you could think of, they had it. I definitely bought more candy than I should have, but oh well. From the candy store, we walked the streets of the Lower East Side and were taught what a tenement was. Most immigrant families lived in these long, usually 3 room, apartments. They were small and cramped and I have no idea how a large family could live in one. There were no bathrooms and no way to dispose of garbage, so it was thrown out of the window on to the street, which is why the streets were so filthy. On our walk, we came across the Bialystoker Synagogue. Jim pointed out that on the top of the door the letters "A, M, and E" stand for American, Methodist, and Episcopal, meaning that everyone could worship there.
Our next stop: LUNCH! We went to a Chinese family style restaurant named Congee Village. The food was actually pretty good and my favorite part was most definitely the noodles. After lunch we went to the Tenement Museum which was probably my favorite museum and tour of this class. Our tour guide was very informative, giving us more information of immigration and the roots of the Lower East Side. We were then taken into a tenement where a young girl, Victoria, and her family lived. She was very funny and made the tour very enjoyable. After the Museum, we chatted for a bit and then our final day came to an end.
Final Impressions
Although this course had an obscene amount of walking, I very much enjoyed it. I loved New York City to begin with and this course made me love it that much more. There were so many places and things that I have never seen before, let alone even knew about. I learned how to ride the subway (sort of) and it makes me feel like a smarter New Yorker! I learned so much about the city that is one of the greatest and happens to only be a 45 minute train ride away. I will definitely visit many of the places that we went to during this class, but this time I will get to spend a little more time there.