Journals 1-4
1. Impressions of New York
Although I have lived on Long Island my entire life, only a thirty-five minute train ride from my hometown of Valley Stream to Pennsylvania Station, I have truly not exposed myself fully to the rich history that New York City has to offer. I do visit the city often, but unfortunately, I have limited myself to experiencing the same places all the time: Times Square, Central Park, Little Italy, Rockefeller Center, Broadway shows, Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium (Citi Field), Madison Square Garden, and the Statue of Liberty. Being a lifetime Rangers fan, I recently had the opportunity to attend the Stanley Cup Game, Rangers vs. LA Kings. The rink was overflowing with Rangers’ fans there to cheer and support their team. It was an absolutely unbelievable experience that I will never forget. That being one of the many experiences of my travels into the city, I have acquired an appreciation for all New York City has to offer.
When I think of New York City, the picture that comes to mind is a chaotic, dazzling, fast-paced city that never sleeps. Walking down the streets of New York City, there is the unmistakable aroma of street food vendors cooking hot dogs, pretzels, and other delicious snacks. The streets are congested with people rushing in different directions, pedestrians talking on their cell phones, and tourists staring upward and snapping pictures. The traffic is constantly flowing with yellow taxicabs and other cars trying to reach their destinations as soon as possible, often honking at other cars to move faster. The skyline of New York City is a beautiful sight with the magnificent skyscrapers, the beautiful architecture of all the buildings, and the lights that gleam all day and night. Diversity is visible throughout the city as musicians perform a mixture of songs, people of every race and culture wander the streets, and the wide variety of food venues that are available. There is always something new to see in New York City.
Each year, millions of tourists come from all over the world to visit “The Big Apple.” Personally, I love going to the city and being a “tourist.” I bring my camera to capture and document everything I experience during the day so that I am able to reflect back on what an enjoyable time I had in the city. I have always dreamed about what life would be like living in the city, as compared to the suburbs. I would embrace the different lifestyle and culture wherever I choose to live in the city. My dad is a construction worker and he has brought me to numerous jobs that he has worked on in the city, including The New York Times Building on 8th Avenue, Citi Field, and many others. I was able to see the transformation of a stadium from start to finish. I was also able to stand on top of a skyscraper where I was able to take in the entire picturesque view of the city.
My objective in taking the New York Experience class is to gain more knowledge and background of the city. I wish to learn the history of all the boroughs in order to incorporate the history of New York City in my classroom one day. I think it is very important to have first-hand experience in the classroom to share with your students. I can’t wait to explore and see what else New York City has to offer for me.
When I think of New York City, the picture that comes to mind is a chaotic, dazzling, fast-paced city that never sleeps. Walking down the streets of New York City, there is the unmistakable aroma of street food vendors cooking hot dogs, pretzels, and other delicious snacks. The streets are congested with people rushing in different directions, pedestrians talking on their cell phones, and tourists staring upward and snapping pictures. The traffic is constantly flowing with yellow taxicabs and other cars trying to reach their destinations as soon as possible, often honking at other cars to move faster. The skyline of New York City is a beautiful sight with the magnificent skyscrapers, the beautiful architecture of all the buildings, and the lights that gleam all day and night. Diversity is visible throughout the city as musicians perform a mixture of songs, people of every race and culture wander the streets, and the wide variety of food venues that are available. There is always something new to see in New York City.
Each year, millions of tourists come from all over the world to visit “The Big Apple.” Personally, I love going to the city and being a “tourist.” I bring my camera to capture and document everything I experience during the day so that I am able to reflect back on what an enjoyable time I had in the city. I have always dreamed about what life would be like living in the city, as compared to the suburbs. I would embrace the different lifestyle and culture wherever I choose to live in the city. My dad is a construction worker and he has brought me to numerous jobs that he has worked on in the city, including The New York Times Building on 8th Avenue, Citi Field, and many others. I was able to see the transformation of a stadium from start to finish. I was also able to stand on top of a skyscraper where I was able to take in the entire picturesque view of the city.
My objective in taking the New York Experience class is to gain more knowledge and background of the city. I wish to learn the history of all the boroughs in order to incorporate the history of New York City in my classroom one day. I think it is very important to have first-hand experience in the classroom to share with your students. I can’t wait to explore and see what else New York City has to offer for me.
2. Queens July 2, 2014
On day one of my Gotham Experience I woke up feeling very excited and anxious to begin my journey exploring in the city. I caught an early train from Valley Stream to Penn Station. I wanted make sure I had enough time to purchase my MetroCard for the subway and get a snack to eat because we weren’t eating until 2pm!! We began our sightseeing adventure today in the borough of Queens. “Queens officially became a borough of New York City on May 4, 1897” (ENY, pg. 158). We took the E train from Penn Station to the Number 7 train that brought us to Willets Point- Shea Stadium stop in Corona, Queens. The Number 7 train is also known as the “International Express” due to the diversity that Queens has to offer (ENY, pg. 159). It was a relaxing 45 minute subway ride, especially because the subway cars were air conditioned. We were all cooled off and relaxed, prepared to visit the sites on our agenda outdoors in the very hot humid weather. But first, Mike and Damian sat us down at the bleachers and gave us a quick lecture about the three important things that we were going to see: The World’s Fair, New York State’s watershed, and gentrification.
We ventured our way through Corona-Flushing Meadow Park as our first destination. Looking around, I observed that the park was a bit rundown and not well maintained as in comparison to Central Park. As we continued on, before entering the Queens Museum, we looked at the remarkable unisphere that was built for the 1964-1965 World’s Fair. The unisphere represents global interdependence and expansion of the universe. This remarkable sphere that stands “at 12 stories high and 120 feet in diameter, and weighing 900,000 pounds,” (ENY, pg. 165) lies in the center of the Corona-Flushing Meadow Park and is the most famous and iconic representation of Queens. I truly wish that the World’s Fair could return so that everyone could experience the World’s greatest Fair. Unfortunately due to the exorbitant cost factor to recreate the World’s Fair, it is not in the horizon. Hopefully one day, I will be able to experience the same memories my mom was able to see in the 1964-165 World’s Fair.
Onto our next destination, we entered the The Queens Museum of Art, which was just recently expanded and renovated. It was an interesting sight to see, especially since it was a part of the World’s Fair. We waited around for a couple of minutes before our tour guides arrived, starting by giving us a brief history of the museum and then continuing to guide us to each specific exhibit. Damian gave us a quick talk about Andy Warhol and his significance to Pop Art and the World’s Fair. We then entered the Andy Warhol exhibit where the tour guides explained what piece Andy had contributed to the New York State Pavilion. Warhol painted a very controversial piece, the 13 Most Wanted Men, which was originally displayed outside the New York State Pavilion. It was a collection of thirteen enlarged mug shots from the NYPD of the thirteen most wanted criminals. However, Robert Moses, the designer of the World’s Fair, did not like these paintings so he decided to paint over them. Warhol later reproduced the 13 paintings, but only 9 out of the 13 were able to be preserved and are now hanging in New York.
Our tour continued as we entered a room to discuss the New York State’s watershed and New York City’s source of water. The city receives its water from the Catskill Mountains, the only place in the United States with unfiltered water because of the lack of developments nearby. There were many watersheds near the city but people did not treat the land the way it should have been treated and therefore the contaminated water is unusable today.
The tour guide also described what the New York State Pavilion looked like during the World’s Fair. It was a roller skating rink with stained glass windows on the roof of the Pavilion and the skating floor was designed with mosaic tiles of the Empire State. One of my favorite parts of the day was the panorama view of the city of New York which was also created for the 1964-1965 World’s Fair. It covers every possible building in the city you can think of. The panorama of the city was “built to scale of 1 inch to 100 feet…” (ENY, pg. 166). This panorama gave you an understanding of the bridges into and out of the city, and the development of the grid system.
After we viewed this amazing creation of the city, it was time to head to the Jackson Diner which was in Jackson Heights “Little India” for our Indian cuisine lunch. To be honest, I had never eaten Indian food before and I did not know what to expect. I was a bit skeptical and worried. Once we arrived at the restaurant, the waiter sat us down immediately. The aroma of the food and spices surrounded us in the restaurant. We placed our bags at our table and waited on the buffet line for some food. I tried the Tandoori Chicken, rice, and two other things with uncertain names. To be honest, I prefer my Italian food to everything else. I’m not a person to venture out and try new foods, but I’m glad I tried the Indian cuisine. Their use of spices gave the food a very different taste, making it that much more enjoyable.
After eating, we took the subway to Astoria where we went to the Museum of Moving Image. Astoria has recently been the upcoming place to live. They have created their own upscale Manhattan with beer gardens, cafes, boutiques, and bars. The former working class neighborhood has now become an affluent neighborhood where people are able to enjoy the New York City lifestyle without going into the city. According to what I could see, the gentrification process was beginning to take place. Astoria has a very strong Greek heritage (ENY, pg. 168). Most of my mom’s friends grew up in Astoria, still have family there, and they are able to see the transformation of what it has become today.
The Museum of the Moving Image on 35th Street was similar to the Long Island Children’s Museum in Garden City in my opinion. Before we went our own way, the tour guide gave us a brief history of Astoria. I never knew that Astoria had such a significant role in film-making industry prior to many companies moving out west to Los Angeles. Its main exhibition, “Behind the Screen, focuses on the technical aspects of movie and television production and has numerous hands-on activities that appeal to children and adults alike” (ENY, pg. 169). My favorite part of the museum was the hands on activity which allowed you to create your own personal animation clip. After we created our own little flipbook we went to a voice recording studio where we were able to choose a character from famous movies like Coming to America, Babe or The Wizard of Oz and dub your own voice to play the lead role of the characters like Dorothy, Babe the pig or Prince Akeem. It was a great experience learning about the different aspects of the behind the scenes of movie and television production. I was able to act like a kid again!! Who doesn’t love that idea? I bet many people would love to wind back that clock and enjoy those amusing moments when you were a kid and you didn’t have anything to worry about except having FUN!!
After this museum, we were off to our final stops of the day, the visible sights of how gentrification has transformed Long Island City. Once we got off our subway, the clouds were rolling in and it looked like a storm was about to hit any second, so we quickly looked at Public School 1 and Five Pointz: Institute for Higher Burnin’. PS1 was the oldest public school in Queens before it closed down. PS1 was taken over by the Museum of Modern Art and was turned into an art gallery. We began to walk down to “New Long Island City” and see the construction of the finished high-rise buildings which overlooked Manhattan. We also saw the 59th Street Bridge “which inspired Simon and Garfunkel’s 60s classic ““The 59th Street Bridge Song”” (ENY, pg. 160). The 59th Street Bridge has beautiful architecture and you can ride the tram across the bridge to Roosevelt Island but we were unable to do this. That is one thing I am interested in doing myself and I will definitely go back to do so, as well as to visit the other places I visited today. As we walked along the East River we were able to see the Pepsi Cola sign. This symbolic piece has become an unofficial landmark of Long Island Cities industrial past (ENY, pg. 171). At this time thunder and lightning was occurring, so we had to make our last stop at Gantry Plaza State Park very quickly. Long Island City was “named after the 19th century railroad gantries that were used to transfer cargo from ships to trains to be transported throughout Long Island” (ENY, pg. 172). Although we did not get the full experience of these last two sites it was just enough time to be able to see the transformations that are happening throughout NYC. As our first class came to an end, everyone departed to their respective ways heading back home, a few students including myself took the Number 7 train to Woodside, where I then caught the 6:38pm train to Jamaica transferring to Far Rockaway line to Valley Stream.
Throughout the day, my fellow classmates and I learned several key ideas that will help anyone traveling in the most chaotic city in the world more convenient. We learned how to properly use the subway system, even though it can be a bit expensive, and how the grid system works. Just from this one day of NY experience, I have seen places that I have never heard of and I can’t wait to see what else is in store for us. I also cannot wait to go back and explore the sights that were only quickly introduced to me today. I feel like my view of New York City has been expanded greatly in only the eight hours that I was in the city. I learned so much on my first day that I can only imagine what the remainder of the class has in store for me.
We ventured our way through Corona-Flushing Meadow Park as our first destination. Looking around, I observed that the park was a bit rundown and not well maintained as in comparison to Central Park. As we continued on, before entering the Queens Museum, we looked at the remarkable unisphere that was built for the 1964-1965 World’s Fair. The unisphere represents global interdependence and expansion of the universe. This remarkable sphere that stands “at 12 stories high and 120 feet in diameter, and weighing 900,000 pounds,” (ENY, pg. 165) lies in the center of the Corona-Flushing Meadow Park and is the most famous and iconic representation of Queens. I truly wish that the World’s Fair could return so that everyone could experience the World’s greatest Fair. Unfortunately due to the exorbitant cost factor to recreate the World’s Fair, it is not in the horizon. Hopefully one day, I will be able to experience the same memories my mom was able to see in the 1964-165 World’s Fair.
Onto our next destination, we entered the The Queens Museum of Art, which was just recently expanded and renovated. It was an interesting sight to see, especially since it was a part of the World’s Fair. We waited around for a couple of minutes before our tour guides arrived, starting by giving us a brief history of the museum and then continuing to guide us to each specific exhibit. Damian gave us a quick talk about Andy Warhol and his significance to Pop Art and the World’s Fair. We then entered the Andy Warhol exhibit where the tour guides explained what piece Andy had contributed to the New York State Pavilion. Warhol painted a very controversial piece, the 13 Most Wanted Men, which was originally displayed outside the New York State Pavilion. It was a collection of thirteen enlarged mug shots from the NYPD of the thirteen most wanted criminals. However, Robert Moses, the designer of the World’s Fair, did not like these paintings so he decided to paint over them. Warhol later reproduced the 13 paintings, but only 9 out of the 13 were able to be preserved and are now hanging in New York.
Our tour continued as we entered a room to discuss the New York State’s watershed and New York City’s source of water. The city receives its water from the Catskill Mountains, the only place in the United States with unfiltered water because of the lack of developments nearby. There were many watersheds near the city but people did not treat the land the way it should have been treated and therefore the contaminated water is unusable today.
The tour guide also described what the New York State Pavilion looked like during the World’s Fair. It was a roller skating rink with stained glass windows on the roof of the Pavilion and the skating floor was designed with mosaic tiles of the Empire State. One of my favorite parts of the day was the panorama view of the city of New York which was also created for the 1964-1965 World’s Fair. It covers every possible building in the city you can think of. The panorama of the city was “built to scale of 1 inch to 100 feet…” (ENY, pg. 166). This panorama gave you an understanding of the bridges into and out of the city, and the development of the grid system.
After we viewed this amazing creation of the city, it was time to head to the Jackson Diner which was in Jackson Heights “Little India” for our Indian cuisine lunch. To be honest, I had never eaten Indian food before and I did not know what to expect. I was a bit skeptical and worried. Once we arrived at the restaurant, the waiter sat us down immediately. The aroma of the food and spices surrounded us in the restaurant. We placed our bags at our table and waited on the buffet line for some food. I tried the Tandoori Chicken, rice, and two other things with uncertain names. To be honest, I prefer my Italian food to everything else. I’m not a person to venture out and try new foods, but I’m glad I tried the Indian cuisine. Their use of spices gave the food a very different taste, making it that much more enjoyable.
After eating, we took the subway to Astoria where we went to the Museum of Moving Image. Astoria has recently been the upcoming place to live. They have created their own upscale Manhattan with beer gardens, cafes, boutiques, and bars. The former working class neighborhood has now become an affluent neighborhood where people are able to enjoy the New York City lifestyle without going into the city. According to what I could see, the gentrification process was beginning to take place. Astoria has a very strong Greek heritage (ENY, pg. 168). Most of my mom’s friends grew up in Astoria, still have family there, and they are able to see the transformation of what it has become today.
The Museum of the Moving Image on 35th Street was similar to the Long Island Children’s Museum in Garden City in my opinion. Before we went our own way, the tour guide gave us a brief history of Astoria. I never knew that Astoria had such a significant role in film-making industry prior to many companies moving out west to Los Angeles. Its main exhibition, “Behind the Screen, focuses on the technical aspects of movie and television production and has numerous hands-on activities that appeal to children and adults alike” (ENY, pg. 169). My favorite part of the museum was the hands on activity which allowed you to create your own personal animation clip. After we created our own little flipbook we went to a voice recording studio where we were able to choose a character from famous movies like Coming to America, Babe or The Wizard of Oz and dub your own voice to play the lead role of the characters like Dorothy, Babe the pig or Prince Akeem. It was a great experience learning about the different aspects of the behind the scenes of movie and television production. I was able to act like a kid again!! Who doesn’t love that idea? I bet many people would love to wind back that clock and enjoy those amusing moments when you were a kid and you didn’t have anything to worry about except having FUN!!
After this museum, we were off to our final stops of the day, the visible sights of how gentrification has transformed Long Island City. Once we got off our subway, the clouds were rolling in and it looked like a storm was about to hit any second, so we quickly looked at Public School 1 and Five Pointz: Institute for Higher Burnin’. PS1 was the oldest public school in Queens before it closed down. PS1 was taken over by the Museum of Modern Art and was turned into an art gallery. We began to walk down to “New Long Island City” and see the construction of the finished high-rise buildings which overlooked Manhattan. We also saw the 59th Street Bridge “which inspired Simon and Garfunkel’s 60s classic ““The 59th Street Bridge Song”” (ENY, pg. 160). The 59th Street Bridge has beautiful architecture and you can ride the tram across the bridge to Roosevelt Island but we were unable to do this. That is one thing I am interested in doing myself and I will definitely go back to do so, as well as to visit the other places I visited today. As we walked along the East River we were able to see the Pepsi Cola sign. This symbolic piece has become an unofficial landmark of Long Island Cities industrial past (ENY, pg. 171). At this time thunder and lightning was occurring, so we had to make our last stop at Gantry Plaza State Park very quickly. Long Island City was “named after the 19th century railroad gantries that were used to transfer cargo from ships to trains to be transported throughout Long Island” (ENY, pg. 172). Although we did not get the full experience of these last two sites it was just enough time to be able to see the transformations that are happening throughout NYC. As our first class came to an end, everyone departed to their respective ways heading back home, a few students including myself took the Number 7 train to Woodside, where I then caught the 6:38pm train to Jamaica transferring to Far Rockaway line to Valley Stream.
Throughout the day, my fellow classmates and I learned several key ideas that will help anyone traveling in the most chaotic city in the world more convenient. We learned how to properly use the subway system, even though it can be a bit expensive, and how the grid system works. Just from this one day of NY experience, I have seen places that I have never heard of and I can’t wait to see what else is in store for us. I also cannot wait to go back and explore the sights that were only quickly introduced to me today. I feel like my view of New York City has been expanded greatly in only the eight hours that I was in the city. I learned so much on my first day that I can only imagine what the remainder of the class has in store for me.
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3. Brooklyn July 9, 2014
Today I arrived in Penn Station around 10:30am for the second adventure of this class. I was excited because we were going to the borough of Brooklyn, which includes Coney Island, and I was going to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge for the first time!! The borough of Brooklyn is the second most populated county in the United States with 2.5 million people, only behind Manhattan (ENY, pg. 135). We left Penn Station and walked down Sixth Avenue to catch the D train and took a nice relaxing forty-five minute subway ride to Coney Island, which was the last stop. “The Dutch arrived in the 1600s, and they called the island Conyne Eylandt, or Rabbit Island” because of the numerous species that populated the Coney Island area (ENY, pg. 137). So that is how Coney Island was named. Coney Island is located on the Southwest portion of Brooklyn (ENY, pg. 137). At our arrival, we looked straight ahead and saw Nathan’s Famous on Surf Avenue. I have actually been to Coney Island before as a young kid on July 4 to see the famous hot dog eating contest that Nathans has to offer. What a great experience that was!!
Mike and Damian gave us some quick background information about the history of Coney Island and instructed us to feel the vibe that it has to offer. As we began to walk, I wasn't that impressed with the overall feel of Coney Island. It seems to be a bit run-down and needs some maintenance work to attract people to what it was in the past. We had an hour to explore before going to our next stop. We began our adventure of Coney Island first going on the famous roller coaster The Cyclone. The Cyclone is an 85 foot tall, wooden roller coaster that was built in 1927 (ENY, pg. 139). Everyone was surprised that this roller coaster was able to survive the devastating hurricane that recently hit New York. My friends and I bought our tickets ($9) and rushed to be the first ones on the ride. I videotaped us going up the roller coaster for a few seconds, but I didn't want to be that person to drop their phone and never get it back. I wanted to buy the photo of us on the ride so that I would be able to look back on all the fun memories my classmates and I had on the Cyclone, but the photo machine wasn't working.
After we rode the Cyclone it was 12:45pm we needed to get something to eat so we went to Nathan’s Famous for some hot dogs, fries, and a nice cold beverage to cool us off. We forgot to keep track of the time; it was already 1:15pm so we headed back to our meeting point to continue onto our next pit stop of the day, the Transit Museum. Coney Island has so much to offer everyone and I’m glad that Brooklyn is trying to rebuild such a significant piece of New York history. I wish we had had more time to explore the entire Coney Island.
Before going to the Transit Museum we made a quick stop at the Brooklyn Borough Hall. This hall “is considered one of New York’s finest Greek revival structures and was built to celebrate the spirit of the Jeffersonian common man” (ENY, pg. 147). This hall had a Neoclassic feel with Doric scrolls with Greek style. As we continued to walk through Brooklyn, we saw the three important Greek columns: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian, the Gothic styles of the buildings and all of the churches Brooklyn has to offer. We passed this beautiful church that had Neo-Gothic architecture. The Church of St. Ann and the Holy Trinity was built between 1844 and 1847 (ENY, pg. 148). The remarkable stained glass windows also gave this church a more dramatic feeling.
We walked to the Transit Museum (http://web.mta.info/mta/museum/) which is located on the corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street in Brooklyn Heights (ENY, pg. 147). When you enter the museum, it is underground, so you felt like you are entering a regular subway stop which was a pretty cool experience. This subway station is no longer used but they are trying to construct the Second Avenue stop. This museum opened up in 1976 and it was such a significant piece of history to New York, which many people appreciated. Before the development of the subway system, people used horses as a means to get around the city. There were 200,000 work/ transportation horses and the streets were filled with horse manure. People began to throw their garbage in the middle of the street and it began to pile up and spread diseases throughout the city. I was surprised to learn that the city of New York didn’t develop a department of sanitation until 1888. With the development of the subway system, it helped spread out the population of lower Manhattan to other areas. The first subway opened up in 1904 with 28 stations, City Hall being the first stop. Many people chose to live near a subway stop and move to upper Manhattan because they were able to travel quicker using this mass transportation system that was just created. Subway workers began to hide old subway cars and opened up a temporary exhibit for people to see the transformation of the subway carts and the history behind it.
This museum was not only interactive but also holds a very important historical background to the New York City transit system. The man hours of the sandhogs held the most dangerous jobs in building the transit system, helping to create the greatest mass transportation system in the world. As a result of the NYC transit system, NYC has provided New Yorkers with a more accessible way to get around and a sustainable place to live. We were given some time by ourselves to roam around the museum and see what it has to offer. Like the Museum of Moving Image, we were able to act like kids again. As you walk through the lower portion of the museum, you are able to see various subway cars and how they developed over time to present day. My favorite subway car was the Brooklyn Union Elevated Car. The appearance of the wooden-brown look on the outside gave it a feeling like you were going on a long vacation in train car. It was very spacious when you walked in and all the windows made it feel that much brighter. I am enrolled in a New York history class next semester and I can’t wait to use what I have learned into this class. We wrapped up our visit to this great piece of New York history and headed out for our next stop.
As we walked out of the Transit Museum, we began to walk to Brooklyn Heights. We stopped for a few moments for a drink before we finished our last adventures. Walking through Brooklyn Heights you were able to see the remarkable row houses, also called Brownstones, which cost millions of dollars because they are so rare to find and have a unique character. It was a very calm and relaxing walk through Brooklyn Heights; I would have never guessed that we were in Brooklyn if somebody told me because I was unfamiliar with this area. We made a stop at Mike’s favorite type of houses, the Federal style homes. The entire class was so tired and at this point we were all ready to call it quits as we entered the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. The breathtaking views of lower Manhattan gave me a boost of energy to finish out the day. We learned that Robert Moses built the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway right underneath this promenade (ENY, pg. 150). It took away the overall view of the city because Brooklyn Heights was so quiet and all of a sudden I felt like I was back in the rush of the city again. The remarkable Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge were straight ahead of us, so we knew that our day was almost over. We continued on to DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) which is located between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges (ENY, pg. 151) and in the center of the park lays this stunning carousel. Jane’s Carousel, which was originally installed in the Youngstown theme park in Ohio, was severely damaged by fire in 1984 (ENY, pg. 152). Jane Walentas and her husband restored all of the elements of the carousel and brought this piece to the Brooklyn Bridge Park. They also built a transparent “jewel box” which cost nine million dollars, helping this park become an important piece of Brooklyn. A few of my friends decided to pay the two dollars and ride the carousel while I walked around taking picture of the two breathtaking bridges that were in front of me. Before we walked the Brooklyn Bridge, we stopped at Jacques Torres for ice-cream or chocolate. At this point I needed something cool and refreshing to help me walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. I bought a vanilla ice-cream sandwich that had these two huge chocolate chip cookies and one scoop of vanilla ice-cream. Mike told us that the famous show “I Love Lucy” was filmed at this ice-cream shop.
We had a final mission left to conquer; walking over the Brooklyn Bridge. The Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883, it is the oldest suspension bridge in the United States, and it is approximately 1.1 miles long (ENY, pg. 152). The designer of the bridge was a German fellow named John Roebling who issued these plans prior to the Civil War (ENY, pg. 152). Walking up the steps to the beginning of the bridge was just a remarkable sight. This was going to be my first time walking over the Brooklyn Bridge. What kind of New Yorker am I?? I took my camera out and began to snap hundreds of photos of this once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget. Tourist come from all over the world to see these amazing sights New York City has to offer and I just take them for granted. The amazing sights I saw walking over the bridge were something you need to experience and I’m glad I did. You could see lower Manhattan, Midtown Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty in the distance, and all the traffic that was underneath us. After walking over this bridge, I am proud to call myself a “True New Yorker!!”
Mike and Damian gave us some quick background information about the history of Coney Island and instructed us to feel the vibe that it has to offer. As we began to walk, I wasn't that impressed with the overall feel of Coney Island. It seems to be a bit run-down and needs some maintenance work to attract people to what it was in the past. We had an hour to explore before going to our next stop. We began our adventure of Coney Island first going on the famous roller coaster The Cyclone. The Cyclone is an 85 foot tall, wooden roller coaster that was built in 1927 (ENY, pg. 139). Everyone was surprised that this roller coaster was able to survive the devastating hurricane that recently hit New York. My friends and I bought our tickets ($9) and rushed to be the first ones on the ride. I videotaped us going up the roller coaster for a few seconds, but I didn't want to be that person to drop their phone and never get it back. I wanted to buy the photo of us on the ride so that I would be able to look back on all the fun memories my classmates and I had on the Cyclone, but the photo machine wasn't working.
After we rode the Cyclone it was 12:45pm we needed to get something to eat so we went to Nathan’s Famous for some hot dogs, fries, and a nice cold beverage to cool us off. We forgot to keep track of the time; it was already 1:15pm so we headed back to our meeting point to continue onto our next pit stop of the day, the Transit Museum. Coney Island has so much to offer everyone and I’m glad that Brooklyn is trying to rebuild such a significant piece of New York history. I wish we had had more time to explore the entire Coney Island.
Before going to the Transit Museum we made a quick stop at the Brooklyn Borough Hall. This hall “is considered one of New York’s finest Greek revival structures and was built to celebrate the spirit of the Jeffersonian common man” (ENY, pg. 147). This hall had a Neoclassic feel with Doric scrolls with Greek style. As we continued to walk through Brooklyn, we saw the three important Greek columns: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian, the Gothic styles of the buildings and all of the churches Brooklyn has to offer. We passed this beautiful church that had Neo-Gothic architecture. The Church of St. Ann and the Holy Trinity was built between 1844 and 1847 (ENY, pg. 148). The remarkable stained glass windows also gave this church a more dramatic feeling.
We walked to the Transit Museum (http://web.mta.info/mta/museum/) which is located on the corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street in Brooklyn Heights (ENY, pg. 147). When you enter the museum, it is underground, so you felt like you are entering a regular subway stop which was a pretty cool experience. This subway station is no longer used but they are trying to construct the Second Avenue stop. This museum opened up in 1976 and it was such a significant piece of history to New York, which many people appreciated. Before the development of the subway system, people used horses as a means to get around the city. There were 200,000 work/ transportation horses and the streets were filled with horse manure. People began to throw their garbage in the middle of the street and it began to pile up and spread diseases throughout the city. I was surprised to learn that the city of New York didn’t develop a department of sanitation until 1888. With the development of the subway system, it helped spread out the population of lower Manhattan to other areas. The first subway opened up in 1904 with 28 stations, City Hall being the first stop. Many people chose to live near a subway stop and move to upper Manhattan because they were able to travel quicker using this mass transportation system that was just created. Subway workers began to hide old subway cars and opened up a temporary exhibit for people to see the transformation of the subway carts and the history behind it.
This museum was not only interactive but also holds a very important historical background to the New York City transit system. The man hours of the sandhogs held the most dangerous jobs in building the transit system, helping to create the greatest mass transportation system in the world. As a result of the NYC transit system, NYC has provided New Yorkers with a more accessible way to get around and a sustainable place to live. We were given some time by ourselves to roam around the museum and see what it has to offer. Like the Museum of Moving Image, we were able to act like kids again. As you walk through the lower portion of the museum, you are able to see various subway cars and how they developed over time to present day. My favorite subway car was the Brooklyn Union Elevated Car. The appearance of the wooden-brown look on the outside gave it a feeling like you were going on a long vacation in train car. It was very spacious when you walked in and all the windows made it feel that much brighter. I am enrolled in a New York history class next semester and I can’t wait to use what I have learned into this class. We wrapped up our visit to this great piece of New York history and headed out for our next stop.
As we walked out of the Transit Museum, we began to walk to Brooklyn Heights. We stopped for a few moments for a drink before we finished our last adventures. Walking through Brooklyn Heights you were able to see the remarkable row houses, also called Brownstones, which cost millions of dollars because they are so rare to find and have a unique character. It was a very calm and relaxing walk through Brooklyn Heights; I would have never guessed that we were in Brooklyn if somebody told me because I was unfamiliar with this area. We made a stop at Mike’s favorite type of houses, the Federal style homes. The entire class was so tired and at this point we were all ready to call it quits as we entered the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. The breathtaking views of lower Manhattan gave me a boost of energy to finish out the day. We learned that Robert Moses built the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway right underneath this promenade (ENY, pg. 150). It took away the overall view of the city because Brooklyn Heights was so quiet and all of a sudden I felt like I was back in the rush of the city again. The remarkable Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge were straight ahead of us, so we knew that our day was almost over. We continued on to DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) which is located between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges (ENY, pg. 151) and in the center of the park lays this stunning carousel. Jane’s Carousel, which was originally installed in the Youngstown theme park in Ohio, was severely damaged by fire in 1984 (ENY, pg. 152). Jane Walentas and her husband restored all of the elements of the carousel and brought this piece to the Brooklyn Bridge Park. They also built a transparent “jewel box” which cost nine million dollars, helping this park become an important piece of Brooklyn. A few of my friends decided to pay the two dollars and ride the carousel while I walked around taking picture of the two breathtaking bridges that were in front of me. Before we walked the Brooklyn Bridge, we stopped at Jacques Torres for ice-cream or chocolate. At this point I needed something cool and refreshing to help me walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. I bought a vanilla ice-cream sandwich that had these two huge chocolate chip cookies and one scoop of vanilla ice-cream. Mike told us that the famous show “I Love Lucy” was filmed at this ice-cream shop.
We had a final mission left to conquer; walking over the Brooklyn Bridge. The Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883, it is the oldest suspension bridge in the United States, and it is approximately 1.1 miles long (ENY, pg. 152). The designer of the bridge was a German fellow named John Roebling who issued these plans prior to the Civil War (ENY, pg. 152). Walking up the steps to the beginning of the bridge was just a remarkable sight. This was going to be my first time walking over the Brooklyn Bridge. What kind of New Yorker am I?? I took my camera out and began to snap hundreds of photos of this once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget. Tourist come from all over the world to see these amazing sights New York City has to offer and I just take them for granted. The amazing sights I saw walking over the bridge were something you need to experience and I’m glad I did. You could see lower Manhattan, Midtown Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty in the distance, and all the traffic that was underneath us. After walking over this bridge, I am proud to call myself a “True New Yorker!!”
4. Chelsea & The Village July 1 1, 2014
I cannot believe that after today’s class, there are only two weeks left! As soon as we arrived in the city today, the class was talking about the possibility of the Long Island Railroad going on strike. We were trying to think of a solution to travel into the city without the trains, but hopefully they will come to an agreement and we won’t have to. Today we ventured to Chelsea and the Village. We began our adventure by discussing the history of Penn Station as we ventured out of it. The original Pennsylvania Station opened its doors in 1910, named after the Pennsylvania Railroad. The builders of the station were McKim, Mead, and White, who did such a magnificent job on the station that it was often considered a masterpiece. However, the original Penn Station, which was located right across the street from its current location, had been destroyed and taken down. The destruction of Penn Station outraged the people of New York City, causing the development of the landmark preservation. Looking at old pictures of the original Penn Station, I believe that destroying such a significant piece of history to the railroad industry and New York was a big mistake. The underground musky, dirty, run-down Penn Station today is going to be redone and the trains are going to Grand Central Terminal in a couple of years. If the original station had been kept, it would attract more people like Grand Central does, for its architecture, beauty and historical background. Luckily, Grand Central Terminal was able to be restored by Jackie Kennedy so it was not destroyed like Penn Station. After discussing the history of Pennsylvania Station, we began to walk to Chelsea.
Chelsea’s name derived from a British major Thomas Clark, who purchased 94 acres of land and named it after his hometown in London (ENY, pg. 105). The trendy area of SoHo became so popular and expensive that the art galleries could no longer afford the outrageous rent prices. As a result, in the 1900s, Chelsea became the new place for people to live and art galleries to be built (ENY, pg. 105). Hundreds of art galleries began to open in Chelsea and soon it became the center of New York art. Including the development of the many art galleries, it also created the High Line of New York City. In the 1800s, the High Line was a street-level freight line train that ran through the center of Chelsea carrying produce throughout the city. Chelsea, located in lower Manhattan, had a very populated area which led to numerous deaths along this freight train line. The nickname of 10th Avenue became “Death Avenue” (ENY, pg. 106). In 1999, a group of people formed a non-profit group and saved the structure from being destroyed and created this hit of a tourist attraction. Many other cities across the United States are now copying the High Line of New York City. Walking through the garden High Line, you can see the developments and finished high rise apartments, modern hotels, and the old railroad tracks that are still in place, covered by the lush garden. One building that stood out to me was the IAC building, which was created by Frank Gehry. This building portrays the impression of a tall ship with full sails (ENY, pg. 107). Throughout the High Line there were many modern buildings and hotels that are key real-estate in the city of New York with breathtaking views of the river and lower Manhattan. After walking along the High Line, it was time to appreciate art work at the art galleries in Chelsea.
As mentioned above, Chelsea is known for its hundreds of art galleries, and showcases the world’s most prominent Contemporary Art (ENY, pg. 107). A gallery is a private space that focuses on one or two showcases of an artist in a small space. We walked down the stairs of the High Line and went down the street and began our art gallery hopping. When walking into the art galleries there are some rules you must follow. Do not lean on or touch the art, assume everything is art, and keep your comments to yourself because the artist could be standing next to you (ENY, pg. 108). Some of the art we saw looked like ordinary things that could be made by using household things or art that a child could have made, but I guess each artist has its own individual unique perspective to create their masterpiece of art. Each of the art galleries we entered had their own unique taste. I’m not an enormous art person, but some of the galleries we visited struck me in both positive and negative ways.
Two art galleries that grabbed my attention were the Unix Galley by Eugenio Merino (http://www.unixgallery.com/index.php?id=41), and Paula Cooper Gallery by Carl Andre (http://www.paulacoopergallery.com/artists/CA). My favorite gallery of the day was the Unix Gallery “Always Shameless” by Eugenio Merino, a Spanish- born artist, who focuses on politics, religion, and society. This gallery showcased six life-sized fascist leaders of the world that were placed in Coca-Cola refrigerators. His first sculpture of the life-sized Spanish dictator Francisco Franco caused some controversy. Eugenio Merino was sued by the organization Fundación Nacional Francisco Franco, who were defending Francisco Franco’s legacy. The other art gallery that grabbed my attention was Paula Cooper by Carl Andre. The gallery looked like a barn with wooden beams exposed and sky lights which allowed the light in. I liked the use of geometric shapes that were used throughout all of his pieces. There were five main collections in this gallery. The first one was Scottish red sandstone bricks laid out in different logical combinations. I really wasn’t impressed with this collection because it looked like bricks that were placed in someone’s backyard patio. Andre was a conductor for the Pennsylvania Railroad and used rectangular western cedar wood to create his other two arrangements. One piece looked like a bar top or tabletop with the wood facing upwards and the other looked like a pathway to walk across. This was an interesting way to display a piece of art. When most people think of art, you envision the artist using canvas with different types of paints and colors, not using wood or bricks in their arrangement. After looking at several art galleries, we made a quick stop in the historical district of Chelsea.
We made two quick stops in the historical district of Chelsea which is located on West 20th and 22nd streets between 9th and 10th Avenue, Cushman Row and St. Peter’s Episcopal Church (ENY, pg. 108). Cushman’s Row, built by Don Alonzo Cushman Clement Moore’s friend, included seven beautiful red brick row houses that were built in 1839 and 1840 (ENY, pg. 108, 109). These seven astonishing row houses are an example of Greek revival architecture. Next we stopped at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. Mike gave us the background history of the church explaining that the original church is now the rectory and the church we went into was designed by Moore in 1836 with its Greek revival design. While talking, a man named Tony was nice enough to let us into the church and see this remarkable structure. With the detailed archway ceilings, the beautiful altar, the stained glass windows, and the wooden organ that took up the whole upper section of the church, it was a pretty fascinating sight to see. After stopping at these two places, we went back on the High Line and stopped at the Chelsea Market for lunch.
I had gone to Chelsea Market at least five years ago, when it was much less crowded, and I was amazed with all new restaurants and shops that had opened. When we walked in we had no idea what we were going to eat so we walked through the entire market from one end to the other. We tried free samples of ravioli at the Italian restaurant. We decided to walk in and get a table but it was too expensive. We didn’t have that much time before going to our next stop so we decided to get some Italian paninis and deli sandwiches. I ordered a chicken parmesan panini, a margarita slice, and a diet coke. It was really difficult to find a spot to eat because it was so hectic and busy.
After we finished our lunch, we headed to the Meatpacking Industry and Greenwich Village, or as native New Yorkers call it “the Village.” From the 1850s to the 1930s, this area was a wholesale meat market that was filled with slaughter houses and meatpacking plants (ENY, pg. 109). The Meatpacking District is now an upcoming neighborhood with famous fashion designer stores and upscale boutiques. After the Meatpacking Industry, we made our way to the Village, which is one of the most delightful residential areas of New York with remarkable row houses and a busy nightlife (ENY, pg. 110). We learned that the Village was predominately for the wealthy; however, when the Italian and Irish immigrants came over to America, they migrated to this upscale location between 1821 and 1822 and brought diseases like cholera and yellow fever. The wealthy people did not like this so they moved farther north of the city to get away from the congested, densely populated area. As a result, the industrialist factories swarmed in and were able to attract the immigrants to work for low wages.
Ahead of schedule, we stopped at the Jefferson Market Garden which is located on Greenwich Avenue and West 10th Street (ENY, pg. 112). Jefferson’s market was first a food market and then it was a women’s detention center. The prison was destroyed in 1974. The building also served as a courthouse that held the trial of the century. Harry Thaw was put on trial for murdering Standford White, who had an affair with Thaw’s finance, Evelyn Nesbit. Standford White was the designer of the Washington Square Arch and many other Beaux Art buildings (ENY, pg. 112). Today this building is a library that still has some of the high Victorian gothic style architecture of the courthouse.
Making our way around Washington Square Park that surrounds the prestigious New York University was a pretty interesting sight to see. In the late 1700s, this park was used for public executions and those convicted were hanged from “Hangman’s Elm” (ENY, pg. 117). The tree is still standing today and we saw it as we entered Washington Square Park. Mike told us that it is a 300 year old English elm tree standing at 110 feet high and it is the oldest tree in the city (ENY, pg. 117). Since I’m a history major, I found it pretty interesting that the city of New York transformed this land into George Washington’s military station. Also, row houses and other types of houses were built all around the park for the elite citizens. The Washington Arch was built in 1891 of the inauguration of George Washington. Standford White built the iconic structure that this park is known for, the Washington’s Arch, which was modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris (ENY, pg. 118). Located right outside of the park are the iconic, all identical Washington Mews that were built in 1831 and 1833 as the first example of controlled urban design in New York (ENY, pg.119). It was very interesting to see that NYU is purchasing all the property around the Village surrounding this park.
We made our way to our first guided tour at the Merchant’s House, located on 29th E. Street, between Lafayette Street and Cooper Square (ENY, pg 121). This house is a magnificently preserved Federal-style house that was built in 1832 by Joseph Bridget by speculation and sold to Seabury Tredwell, a wealthy businessman in 1835 (ENY, pg. 121). The Seabury Tredwell lived there with his wife Eliza, eight children, and four servants. Most of the furniture and decorations that were a part of the Tredwell’s everyday life are still intact. This Federal-style and Greek revival interior house became a city, state, and federal landmark and the museum opened to the public in 1936. Today, there are apartments and commercial buildings being built that could impact the Merchant House. Walking into a house, I was taken aback by how big it actually was because it did not seem to be that large when looking from the outside. We split up into two groups and my group started in “the parlor” which was the living and dining room. The Tredwell’s used the parlor as their place of entertainment when guests came over for tea or a luxurious party. Both rooms had incredible architecture from floor to ceiling. The ceilings were 12 feet high, which made both rooms feels very open. Our tour guide stated that both of these rooms were Greek revival and symmetrical because they had two of everything: two fireplaces and two amazing medallions that lay in the center of the rooms. The beautiful mahogany doors that separated the two rooms were very ornate and gave a high end look to this house. The Tredwell’s were fortunate to be very wealthy and lived a good life in the 1930’s. I wish I could go back in time and enjoy a party with this wealthy family. However, the servants who worked for the Tredwell’s were not as lucky as their benefactors; they lived on the top floor, which was 97 steps up. Whenever the Tredwell’s needed something to be done, the servants made the 97 step climb very often. The Tredwell’s had a bell system where the servants knew which room was making the call. The servants were on call 24 hours a day. Our tour guide said that the servants only made four dollars a month but they had room, board, and if they were sick, medical care was given to them. How is this possible?? The Irish servants worked the hardest and made the least amount of money compared to the rest of the immigrants working in the factories. In addition, the Irish servants living quarters were on the hottest floor of the house. It was also interesting to find out that the husbands and wives slept separately during this time period. One student asked if it was the culture that made them do this or was it just a part of society. Our tour guide was very informative and knew so much about this family’s past. I’m glad that we made this stop because it was exciting to see how the Tredwell’s lived compared to today’s life.
Once both groups were done, we were off to our next stop, 41 Cooper Square, where the Cooper Union Foundation Building and Academic building stand across the street from each other. The newly developed post-modern academic building designed by Thom Mayne is known for the advancements of arts, sciences, and architecture and was founded by Peter Cooper (ENY, pg. 122, 123). As we walked through the revolving door of the New Academic Building with its modern look I really liked it because it’s something different and unique that you don’t see every day. The different angles of the windows are placed to help conserve electricity; the t-shaped whole that is across the entire building really is an interesting design and angered many of its community members when it was built. The Cooper Union Foundation Building, designed by Fred A. Petersen, has an Italianate-style brownstone appearance that is known for the oldest steel-framed elevator shaft in the United States (ENY, pg. 125). The coolest part was at the Foundation Building in 1860, Abraham Lincoln delivered his speech which was the deciding factor that helped him win the presidency.
Last but not least was the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop which is known for its Salty Pimp. However, I did not get that I got a vanilla shake. As our day was coming to an end, we took the subway back to Penn Station because all of us were exhausted from today because of all the walking we endured. Once we arrived in Penn Station it was filled with wall to wall commuters. I only had two minutes to get to my train so I ran down the stairs as they made the final boarding call on track 20 for all passengers taking 6:56pm train to Long Beach!! Once I made it on the train, the doors closed behind me. I am glad I have the weekend off to recover from all the sight seeing that we did this week and I can’t wait to see what next week’s NY experience has to offer.
Chelsea’s name derived from a British major Thomas Clark, who purchased 94 acres of land and named it after his hometown in London (ENY, pg. 105). The trendy area of SoHo became so popular and expensive that the art galleries could no longer afford the outrageous rent prices. As a result, in the 1900s, Chelsea became the new place for people to live and art galleries to be built (ENY, pg. 105). Hundreds of art galleries began to open in Chelsea and soon it became the center of New York art. Including the development of the many art galleries, it also created the High Line of New York City. In the 1800s, the High Line was a street-level freight line train that ran through the center of Chelsea carrying produce throughout the city. Chelsea, located in lower Manhattan, had a very populated area which led to numerous deaths along this freight train line. The nickname of 10th Avenue became “Death Avenue” (ENY, pg. 106). In 1999, a group of people formed a non-profit group and saved the structure from being destroyed and created this hit of a tourist attraction. Many other cities across the United States are now copying the High Line of New York City. Walking through the garden High Line, you can see the developments and finished high rise apartments, modern hotels, and the old railroad tracks that are still in place, covered by the lush garden. One building that stood out to me was the IAC building, which was created by Frank Gehry. This building portrays the impression of a tall ship with full sails (ENY, pg. 107). Throughout the High Line there were many modern buildings and hotels that are key real-estate in the city of New York with breathtaking views of the river and lower Manhattan. After walking along the High Line, it was time to appreciate art work at the art galleries in Chelsea.
As mentioned above, Chelsea is known for its hundreds of art galleries, and showcases the world’s most prominent Contemporary Art (ENY, pg. 107). A gallery is a private space that focuses on one or two showcases of an artist in a small space. We walked down the stairs of the High Line and went down the street and began our art gallery hopping. When walking into the art galleries there are some rules you must follow. Do not lean on or touch the art, assume everything is art, and keep your comments to yourself because the artist could be standing next to you (ENY, pg. 108). Some of the art we saw looked like ordinary things that could be made by using household things or art that a child could have made, but I guess each artist has its own individual unique perspective to create their masterpiece of art. Each of the art galleries we entered had their own unique taste. I’m not an enormous art person, but some of the galleries we visited struck me in both positive and negative ways.
Two art galleries that grabbed my attention were the Unix Galley by Eugenio Merino (http://www.unixgallery.com/index.php?id=41), and Paula Cooper Gallery by Carl Andre (http://www.paulacoopergallery.com/artists/CA). My favorite gallery of the day was the Unix Gallery “Always Shameless” by Eugenio Merino, a Spanish- born artist, who focuses on politics, religion, and society. This gallery showcased six life-sized fascist leaders of the world that were placed in Coca-Cola refrigerators. His first sculpture of the life-sized Spanish dictator Francisco Franco caused some controversy. Eugenio Merino was sued by the organization Fundación Nacional Francisco Franco, who were defending Francisco Franco’s legacy. The other art gallery that grabbed my attention was Paula Cooper by Carl Andre. The gallery looked like a barn with wooden beams exposed and sky lights which allowed the light in. I liked the use of geometric shapes that were used throughout all of his pieces. There were five main collections in this gallery. The first one was Scottish red sandstone bricks laid out in different logical combinations. I really wasn’t impressed with this collection because it looked like bricks that were placed in someone’s backyard patio. Andre was a conductor for the Pennsylvania Railroad and used rectangular western cedar wood to create his other two arrangements. One piece looked like a bar top or tabletop with the wood facing upwards and the other looked like a pathway to walk across. This was an interesting way to display a piece of art. When most people think of art, you envision the artist using canvas with different types of paints and colors, not using wood or bricks in their arrangement. After looking at several art galleries, we made a quick stop in the historical district of Chelsea.
We made two quick stops in the historical district of Chelsea which is located on West 20th and 22nd streets between 9th and 10th Avenue, Cushman Row and St. Peter’s Episcopal Church (ENY, pg. 108). Cushman’s Row, built by Don Alonzo Cushman Clement Moore’s friend, included seven beautiful red brick row houses that were built in 1839 and 1840 (ENY, pg. 108, 109). These seven astonishing row houses are an example of Greek revival architecture. Next we stopped at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. Mike gave us the background history of the church explaining that the original church is now the rectory and the church we went into was designed by Moore in 1836 with its Greek revival design. While talking, a man named Tony was nice enough to let us into the church and see this remarkable structure. With the detailed archway ceilings, the beautiful altar, the stained glass windows, and the wooden organ that took up the whole upper section of the church, it was a pretty fascinating sight to see. After stopping at these two places, we went back on the High Line and stopped at the Chelsea Market for lunch.
I had gone to Chelsea Market at least five years ago, when it was much less crowded, and I was amazed with all new restaurants and shops that had opened. When we walked in we had no idea what we were going to eat so we walked through the entire market from one end to the other. We tried free samples of ravioli at the Italian restaurant. We decided to walk in and get a table but it was too expensive. We didn’t have that much time before going to our next stop so we decided to get some Italian paninis and deli sandwiches. I ordered a chicken parmesan panini, a margarita slice, and a diet coke. It was really difficult to find a spot to eat because it was so hectic and busy.
After we finished our lunch, we headed to the Meatpacking Industry and Greenwich Village, or as native New Yorkers call it “the Village.” From the 1850s to the 1930s, this area was a wholesale meat market that was filled with slaughter houses and meatpacking plants (ENY, pg. 109). The Meatpacking District is now an upcoming neighborhood with famous fashion designer stores and upscale boutiques. After the Meatpacking Industry, we made our way to the Village, which is one of the most delightful residential areas of New York with remarkable row houses and a busy nightlife (ENY, pg. 110). We learned that the Village was predominately for the wealthy; however, when the Italian and Irish immigrants came over to America, they migrated to this upscale location between 1821 and 1822 and brought diseases like cholera and yellow fever. The wealthy people did not like this so they moved farther north of the city to get away from the congested, densely populated area. As a result, the industrialist factories swarmed in and were able to attract the immigrants to work for low wages.
Ahead of schedule, we stopped at the Jefferson Market Garden which is located on Greenwich Avenue and West 10th Street (ENY, pg. 112). Jefferson’s market was first a food market and then it was a women’s detention center. The prison was destroyed in 1974. The building also served as a courthouse that held the trial of the century. Harry Thaw was put on trial for murdering Standford White, who had an affair with Thaw’s finance, Evelyn Nesbit. Standford White was the designer of the Washington Square Arch and many other Beaux Art buildings (ENY, pg. 112). Today this building is a library that still has some of the high Victorian gothic style architecture of the courthouse.
Making our way around Washington Square Park that surrounds the prestigious New York University was a pretty interesting sight to see. In the late 1700s, this park was used for public executions and those convicted were hanged from “Hangman’s Elm” (ENY, pg. 117). The tree is still standing today and we saw it as we entered Washington Square Park. Mike told us that it is a 300 year old English elm tree standing at 110 feet high and it is the oldest tree in the city (ENY, pg. 117). Since I’m a history major, I found it pretty interesting that the city of New York transformed this land into George Washington’s military station. Also, row houses and other types of houses were built all around the park for the elite citizens. The Washington Arch was built in 1891 of the inauguration of George Washington. Standford White built the iconic structure that this park is known for, the Washington’s Arch, which was modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris (ENY, pg. 118). Located right outside of the park are the iconic, all identical Washington Mews that were built in 1831 and 1833 as the first example of controlled urban design in New York (ENY, pg.119). It was very interesting to see that NYU is purchasing all the property around the Village surrounding this park.
We made our way to our first guided tour at the Merchant’s House, located on 29th E. Street, between Lafayette Street and Cooper Square (ENY, pg 121). This house is a magnificently preserved Federal-style house that was built in 1832 by Joseph Bridget by speculation and sold to Seabury Tredwell, a wealthy businessman in 1835 (ENY, pg. 121). The Seabury Tredwell lived there with his wife Eliza, eight children, and four servants. Most of the furniture and decorations that were a part of the Tredwell’s everyday life are still intact. This Federal-style and Greek revival interior house became a city, state, and federal landmark and the museum opened to the public in 1936. Today, there are apartments and commercial buildings being built that could impact the Merchant House. Walking into a house, I was taken aback by how big it actually was because it did not seem to be that large when looking from the outside. We split up into two groups and my group started in “the parlor” which was the living and dining room. The Tredwell’s used the parlor as their place of entertainment when guests came over for tea or a luxurious party. Both rooms had incredible architecture from floor to ceiling. The ceilings were 12 feet high, which made both rooms feels very open. Our tour guide stated that both of these rooms were Greek revival and symmetrical because they had two of everything: two fireplaces and two amazing medallions that lay in the center of the rooms. The beautiful mahogany doors that separated the two rooms were very ornate and gave a high end look to this house. The Tredwell’s were fortunate to be very wealthy and lived a good life in the 1930’s. I wish I could go back in time and enjoy a party with this wealthy family. However, the servants who worked for the Tredwell’s were not as lucky as their benefactors; they lived on the top floor, which was 97 steps up. Whenever the Tredwell’s needed something to be done, the servants made the 97 step climb very often. The Tredwell’s had a bell system where the servants knew which room was making the call. The servants were on call 24 hours a day. Our tour guide said that the servants only made four dollars a month but they had room, board, and if they were sick, medical care was given to them. How is this possible?? The Irish servants worked the hardest and made the least amount of money compared to the rest of the immigrants working in the factories. In addition, the Irish servants living quarters were on the hottest floor of the house. It was also interesting to find out that the husbands and wives slept separately during this time period. One student asked if it was the culture that made them do this or was it just a part of society. Our tour guide was very informative and knew so much about this family’s past. I’m glad that we made this stop because it was exciting to see how the Tredwell’s lived compared to today’s life.
Once both groups were done, we were off to our next stop, 41 Cooper Square, where the Cooper Union Foundation Building and Academic building stand across the street from each other. The newly developed post-modern academic building designed by Thom Mayne is known for the advancements of arts, sciences, and architecture and was founded by Peter Cooper (ENY, pg. 122, 123). As we walked through the revolving door of the New Academic Building with its modern look I really liked it because it’s something different and unique that you don’t see every day. The different angles of the windows are placed to help conserve electricity; the t-shaped whole that is across the entire building really is an interesting design and angered many of its community members when it was built. The Cooper Union Foundation Building, designed by Fred A. Petersen, has an Italianate-style brownstone appearance that is known for the oldest steel-framed elevator shaft in the United States (ENY, pg. 125). The coolest part was at the Foundation Building in 1860, Abraham Lincoln delivered his speech which was the deciding factor that helped him win the presidency.
Last but not least was the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop which is known for its Salty Pimp. However, I did not get that I got a vanilla shake. As our day was coming to an end, we took the subway back to Penn Station because all of us were exhausted from today because of all the walking we endured. Once we arrived in Penn Station it was filled with wall to wall commuters. I only had two minutes to get to my train so I ran down the stairs as they made the final boarding call on track 20 for all passengers taking 6:56pm train to Long Beach!! Once I made it on the train, the doors closed behind me. I am glad I have the weekend off to recover from all the sight seeing that we did this week and I can’t wait to see what next week’s NY experience has to offer.