Journal 1
Impressions of New York
New York City makes me think of lights, camera, and action. I think of how New York lights up at night, the busy streets, and the skyscrapers as they almost pierce the clouds. New York makes me think of jobs, busy schedules, work, and fashion. I think of people going in and out of doorways with shopping bags from fancy named brand stores. I think of bright yellow taxi cabs speeding up and down the roads. New York sends out a magical rush that radiates through its crowd.
Growing up on Long Island, I have been fortunate enough to experience a little bit of the busy city. Although the city is not my most favorite place to be, it is not my least. When I go to the city, it is usually around the holidays where I get to see the beautiful holiday lights and/or for a special occasion such as a broadway show. I do not believe I have experienced the true meaning or value of New York just yet, but by the end of this class, I sure hope I capture it!
Like many of us, I have a fear of the unknown. I do not know the city like I do my hometown and therefore, my fear accentuates. I rely on myself for transportation which makes me doubt the trains and subways quite often. I fear the taxi cab drivers knowing that the only way from point A to point B is by speeding and honking horns. Lastly, if someone left me by myself stranded in the city and told me to find my way home, I would probably cry just like I did when I was in a foreign country. The city is foreign to me. It is a different world to me. Hopefully by the end of this class, I will be able to say it feels more like home. After all, New York is my home.
Growing up on Long Island, I have been fortunate enough to experience a little bit of the busy city. Although the city is not my most favorite place to be, it is not my least. When I go to the city, it is usually around the holidays where I get to see the beautiful holiday lights and/or for a special occasion such as a broadway show. I do not believe I have experienced the true meaning or value of New York just yet, but by the end of this class, I sure hope I capture it!
Like many of us, I have a fear of the unknown. I do not know the city like I do my hometown and therefore, my fear accentuates. I rely on myself for transportation which makes me doubt the trains and subways quite often. I fear the taxi cab drivers knowing that the only way from point A to point B is by speeding and honking horns. Lastly, if someone left me by myself stranded in the city and told me to find my way home, I would probably cry just like I did when I was in a foreign country. The city is foreign to me. It is a different world to me. Hopefully by the end of this class, I will be able to say it feels more like home. After all, New York is my home.
Bodacious Brooklyn
Besides going into the city to see broadways shows and to see holiday lights, today was my first real New York experience. I purchased my first metro card (shocker, I know). I had my mom drive me to the train station because I knew for a fact there would be no spots by the train station! I took the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) from Baldwin to Penn Station. I was hesitant on eating or drinking anything due to the fact that we would be non-stop walking all day and most likely not come in contact with a nearby bathroom (which I was right for the most part). After attendance was taken, we headed directly to the D train (subway) for our first adventure towards the lovely Coney Island.
When arriving to Coney Island, our class had a mini class meeting on the beautiful beach. Although the sun did not show its face much, it was still a great time. I thought it was interesting how Coney Island does not require one to pay an admission fee or even a fee to enter onto the beach (not used to that - but it is a nice thing to get used to). On the beach, we spoke about what is expected of us as well as course work (yes, there is course work - this is not just a walking class as many seem to think). Course work involves journals (such as this) after each class as well as two papers involving New York City and its contributors. Afterwards, we broke for lunch and to explore the historic island. Unfortunately, I was not daring enough to ride the cyclone. Instead, my friends and I went to the Nathan's Famous for some food (BG, p. 492)!
Once back together, we took the F train (subway) to New York's Transit Museum (NYTM). There, we were informed about the subways and the transportation through New York City. It is quite amazing to see how far New York has come with transportation. What I found to be extremely interesting from our tour guide was when she said that it used to be extremely toxic to live in the city due to the horse poop (back in the day, horses were a strong means of transportation). I learned that the working conditions while making the subways throughout the city were extremely dangerous. I thought it was fascinating how our tour guide stated that one worker would start at one end and another worker would start at the other end to finally meet in the middle when creating a subway. Subways have helped our city tremendously. When thinking of super storm Sandy or snow storms for that matter, railroads would experience difficulty in running. Subways helped transportation greatly because they were underground. This is also a reason why a lot of New York's power supply lines and electrical wires run underground (less conflict with the weather). Without these hard workers, we would not have the transportation in New York like we have today. These workers risked their lives by working in such poor conditions and putting themselves into danger by working at such a low pressure. Overall, this tour of the NYTM was extremely interesting. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgable! I think this would be a great class field trip or virtual field trip to include in a classroom, especially a history classroom (studying to become a teacher, I think of these things).
After exploring the NYTM, we walked to the Brooklyn Bridge! We not only walked to it, but ended up walking across it afterwards! While walking towards the Brooklyn Bridge, a lot of us tried some ice cream from an ice cream shop we passed. I started to feel a little nauseous but did not think anything of it until we were actually walking over the bridge. Then, I thought the ice cream might have contributed to the nausea. I almost thought I was going to have to stop and find a garbage! While approaching the Brooklyn Bridge, I had the opportunity to witness beautiful skyscrapers, the freedom tower being one of them. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to go to the Twin Towers before the horrific tragedy, but the site now is beautiful. Hard work definitely pays off and hard work is all that these workers have been doing to make this site as beautiful as it is today. Before actually walking the Brooklyn Bridge, I learned that John A. Roebling came up with the idea to create this bridge (BG, p. 464). I learned that he later on got sick and left it up to his wife and son to make sure his policies and ideas were being attained. So, with the help of his son and his wife, the Brooklyn Bridge was opened in 1883 (BG, p. 464). The Brooklyn Bridge has held a crucial role in evacuations of Manhattan and still does to this day. During September 11, 2011 and the summer black out in August, 2003, people relied on this bridge to exit New York City (BG, p. 466).
Once completing my walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, I proceeded towards the subway to catch a train back to Penn Station. I then got on the LIRR from Penn Station to Baldwin. I could not wait to hop in the car with my mom and simply just relax. I think I was in bed by 10PM that night. Boy, did I get a good nights sleep for my first adventurous day in the city of New York!
When arriving to Coney Island, our class had a mini class meeting on the beautiful beach. Although the sun did not show its face much, it was still a great time. I thought it was interesting how Coney Island does not require one to pay an admission fee or even a fee to enter onto the beach (not used to that - but it is a nice thing to get used to). On the beach, we spoke about what is expected of us as well as course work (yes, there is course work - this is not just a walking class as many seem to think). Course work involves journals (such as this) after each class as well as two papers involving New York City and its contributors. Afterwards, we broke for lunch and to explore the historic island. Unfortunately, I was not daring enough to ride the cyclone. Instead, my friends and I went to the Nathan's Famous for some food (BG, p. 492)!
Once back together, we took the F train (subway) to New York's Transit Museum (NYTM). There, we were informed about the subways and the transportation through New York City. It is quite amazing to see how far New York has come with transportation. What I found to be extremely interesting from our tour guide was when she said that it used to be extremely toxic to live in the city due to the horse poop (back in the day, horses were a strong means of transportation). I learned that the working conditions while making the subways throughout the city were extremely dangerous. I thought it was fascinating how our tour guide stated that one worker would start at one end and another worker would start at the other end to finally meet in the middle when creating a subway. Subways have helped our city tremendously. When thinking of super storm Sandy or snow storms for that matter, railroads would experience difficulty in running. Subways helped transportation greatly because they were underground. This is also a reason why a lot of New York's power supply lines and electrical wires run underground (less conflict with the weather). Without these hard workers, we would not have the transportation in New York like we have today. These workers risked their lives by working in such poor conditions and putting themselves into danger by working at such a low pressure. Overall, this tour of the NYTM was extremely interesting. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgable! I think this would be a great class field trip or virtual field trip to include in a classroom, especially a history classroom (studying to become a teacher, I think of these things).
After exploring the NYTM, we walked to the Brooklyn Bridge! We not only walked to it, but ended up walking across it afterwards! While walking towards the Brooklyn Bridge, a lot of us tried some ice cream from an ice cream shop we passed. I started to feel a little nauseous but did not think anything of it until we were actually walking over the bridge. Then, I thought the ice cream might have contributed to the nausea. I almost thought I was going to have to stop and find a garbage! While approaching the Brooklyn Bridge, I had the opportunity to witness beautiful skyscrapers, the freedom tower being one of them. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to go to the Twin Towers before the horrific tragedy, but the site now is beautiful. Hard work definitely pays off and hard work is all that these workers have been doing to make this site as beautiful as it is today. Before actually walking the Brooklyn Bridge, I learned that John A. Roebling came up with the idea to create this bridge (BG, p. 464). I learned that he later on got sick and left it up to his wife and son to make sure his policies and ideas were being attained. So, with the help of his son and his wife, the Brooklyn Bridge was opened in 1883 (BG, p. 464). The Brooklyn Bridge has held a crucial role in evacuations of Manhattan and still does to this day. During September 11, 2011 and the summer black out in August, 2003, people relied on this bridge to exit New York City (BG, p. 466).
Once completing my walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, I proceeded towards the subway to catch a train back to Penn Station. I then got on the LIRR from Penn Station to Baldwin. I could not wait to hop in the car with my mom and simply just relax. I think I was in bed by 10PM that night. Boy, did I get a good nights sleep for my first adventurous day in the city of New York!
A Tale of Three Villages
To start off my day, I took the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) from Baldwin to Penn Station. I was prepared with my umbrella just in case of rain (being that it was in the forecast)! Today was a lot of walking (definitely a lot more than the first day)! Plus, it was hotter than our first adventurous day which made it even more brutal trying to walk through the heat. On a brighter note, I had the opportunity to see so many historic places today!
Our first stop was the White Horse Tavern. This bar is known for its Bohemian culture and is where writers and artists gather in Greenwich Village. The White Horse Tavern is a major tourist attraction. We then continued walking through Greenwich Village onto Gay Street. This street was not named after any kind of sexuality (which I thought it was due to the area it is in). Gay Street is in an area with a lot of gays and lesbians (that is why I thought the street name had something to do with sexuality). Learning about the stonewall riots at the Stonewall Inn was extremely interesting (BG, 130). Gays actually fought for their rights and spoke out. I think it is extremely important standing up for what you believe in, even if it means standing alone (which was definitely not the case here). We then visited The Northern Dispensary which is a medical building that was built to offer medical care to the poor. This is the only public building from the Federal period that is still standing (BG, 130).
It took us a while but we finally arrived at one of those most interesting places of the day (I thought)! We reached the home of the Tredwell's. We were fortunate enough to have such a knowledgable tour guide show us around the Tredwell home. We traveled from room to room as she explained the significance and importance of certain objects and traditions that the Tredwell's followed. The most interesting piece of information that caught my attention was the bell system throughout the household. I found it fascinating how a bell would be called by one of the house members and the servants would know who to attend to. Another piece of information that I found interesting was when our tour guide stated that women would basically take turns going to houses (as if I did it this time, now it is your turn).
I was so excited to take a break and to sit down during our lunch break! A couple of my classmates and I went to Chipotle to go Mexican style for lunch. We admired the air conditioned restaurant as well as the seats!
Washington Square Park was definitely a learning experience! I never knew there could be so much history on a park. I found it extremely interesting to know that this park was the site of the first public demonstration of the telegraph by a New York University professor (BG, 131). We then arrived at the east part of the village! We were accompanied by a tour guide at The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space. Our tour guide, Bill was one of a kind. He was extremely knowledgable. Bill gave us quite a mouthful! We entered different gardens and communities that seemed so sacred. I noticed there were what seemed decorations on top of the fences surrounding the gardens. I proceeded to ask why that was so. Bill stated that people recycle by making decorations as such. Another lady stated that it prevented people from climbing the fences and getting into the gardens. I think a little too much information was given to us in a short period of time. I also think we were standing in one place for a much longer amount of time than we really needed to. It would have been nice to have walked around the park as Bill was talking to keep our minds going rather than staying in one spot.
After our tour was over, we proceeded back to the museum to explore it a bit more. Some of us then headed back to the subway to catch a train back to Penn Station while others chose to enjoy the night life that was talked so highly of (I kind of wish I stayed, but I was exhausted)! After getting back to Penn Station, I took the LIRR to Baldwin where I collapsed as soon as I got into the car and said goodnight as soon as I got home!
Our first stop was the White Horse Tavern. This bar is known for its Bohemian culture and is where writers and artists gather in Greenwich Village. The White Horse Tavern is a major tourist attraction. We then continued walking through Greenwich Village onto Gay Street. This street was not named after any kind of sexuality (which I thought it was due to the area it is in). Gay Street is in an area with a lot of gays and lesbians (that is why I thought the street name had something to do with sexuality). Learning about the stonewall riots at the Stonewall Inn was extremely interesting (BG, 130). Gays actually fought for their rights and spoke out. I think it is extremely important standing up for what you believe in, even if it means standing alone (which was definitely not the case here). We then visited The Northern Dispensary which is a medical building that was built to offer medical care to the poor. This is the only public building from the Federal period that is still standing (BG, 130).
It took us a while but we finally arrived at one of those most interesting places of the day (I thought)! We reached the home of the Tredwell's. We were fortunate enough to have such a knowledgable tour guide show us around the Tredwell home. We traveled from room to room as she explained the significance and importance of certain objects and traditions that the Tredwell's followed. The most interesting piece of information that caught my attention was the bell system throughout the household. I found it fascinating how a bell would be called by one of the house members and the servants would know who to attend to. Another piece of information that I found interesting was when our tour guide stated that women would basically take turns going to houses (as if I did it this time, now it is your turn).
I was so excited to take a break and to sit down during our lunch break! A couple of my classmates and I went to Chipotle to go Mexican style for lunch. We admired the air conditioned restaurant as well as the seats!
Washington Square Park was definitely a learning experience! I never knew there could be so much history on a park. I found it extremely interesting to know that this park was the site of the first public demonstration of the telegraph by a New York University professor (BG, 131). We then arrived at the east part of the village! We were accompanied by a tour guide at The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space. Our tour guide, Bill was one of a kind. He was extremely knowledgable. Bill gave us quite a mouthful! We entered different gardens and communities that seemed so sacred. I noticed there were what seemed decorations on top of the fences surrounding the gardens. I proceeded to ask why that was so. Bill stated that people recycle by making decorations as such. Another lady stated that it prevented people from climbing the fences and getting into the gardens. I think a little too much information was given to us in a short period of time. I also think we were standing in one place for a much longer amount of time than we really needed to. It would have been nice to have walked around the park as Bill was talking to keep our minds going rather than staying in one spot.
After our tour was over, we proceeded back to the museum to explore it a bit more. Some of us then headed back to the subway to catch a train back to Penn Station while others chose to enjoy the night life that was talked so highly of (I kind of wish I stayed, but I was exhausted)! After getting back to Penn Station, I took the LIRR to Baldwin where I collapsed as soon as I got into the car and said goodnight as soon as I got home!
East of the Park
After completing day #2 of this class, I really did not think I would be able to continue! Day #2 tired me out like never before but day #3 rolled around in the blink of an eye. Today, I followed my usual schedule as I have the past two class days. I took the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) from Baldwin to Penn Station.
After departing from Penn Station, we caught the Times Square Shuttle (which I've never taken before) over to Grand Central Station (which I've never been to before)! We then made our way to the 6 train to make it to East Harlem. I have to admit, being in Harlem terrified me a bit! I am not quite sure if I am being stereotypical but I was keeping my eye on each and every item I brought with me. We first headed to the Museum of the City of New York. We each got to explore the museum a little before we all gathered together. I found many different artifacts such as many different styles of clothing. I found the clothing styles to be fascinating. I then entered into a room that consisted of artifacts such as police shields, badges, and economic figures. I got a kick out of (laugh) a poster/picture that talked about food stamps and welfare. It spoke about people who are being supported by others and yet still complain they are not getting enough - what more could you ask for if you are living off of welfare and doing what you please (which is not working)?! Afterwards, we all gathered together as a class to watch a historic film on the beautiful city of New York. I found it quite interesting that New York City's population is eight million and counting.
After visiting the Museum of the City of New York, we were guided by an extremely knowledgable tour guide around East or "Spanish" Harlem. He shared many bits of information that captured my attention. He first asked for each of our names and one word to describe ourself (which I thought showed appreciation on a personal level). We were given information about a particular community garden that had many figures, statues, and/or fountains. The particular object that stood out to me most was the fountain that represented the fallopian tubes in a woman (maybe because I am a biology major, but that fascinated me). Our tour guide, Luke, showed us many different murals and graffiti walls. He explained that the graffiti walls are not simply just graffiti, but a form of art. People have the time of their lives creating this type of art. Luke made me realize there are millions of different types of art. He is an artist himself. He is a poet. Poetry is considered a type of art. He shows his passion towards his poetry deeply. He was nice enough to share a poem with all of us (which was great)! I would most definitely recommend Luke for others to be guided around East Harlem.
After our guided tour, I was excited to have our lunch break and try some food in East Harlem! My friends and I went to a Mexican restaurant where most of us either got a quesidilla or a burrito (very yummy)! After lunch, we all set out on our adventure to explore the beautiful Central Park (which I have never been to, either)! It was interesting to find out the motive that drove Frederick Law Olmstead to design this park. Being that he was so opposed to slavery and inequality, he imagined a place where anyone and everyone could go no matter what their status, color, or race was (BG, 284). It was fascinating to see a particular pond in Central Park. It took some deep searching through my memory, but I did remember this pond to be a scene in the movie, "Stuart Little". We then came across another pond or lake, which included boats and such. Often, sailboats and ducks or swans are seen in this pond (BG, 285). While walking along Central Park East, we came in contact with one of our next stops, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Little did we know, we got there fifteen minutes before closing (whoops)! We were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the "punk" part of the museum. This part of the museum offered views of many different clothing styles related to the punk style. This museum includes 2,200 works of art in the department of European paintings (BG, 327). It amazes me how many different types of art work this museum holds! It holds from Greek and Roman to the arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas and even more (BG, 327-334)!
Our last stop of the day was the Strawberry Fields. The best part about this is my friend Katie, who is in our class actually thought there were strawberries in this field (haha)! The Strawberry Fields is a major site associated with John Lennon. John Lennon was assassinated nearby in the courtyard of the Dakota apartments in 1980 (BG, 290). "Strawberry Fields Forever" was one of Lennon's most popular songs. The word, "imagine" is engraved into part of the pavement (a mosaic, which was from Pompeii and a gift from Naples, Italy) in the Strawberry Fields. "Imagine" is the title of another one of Lennon's famous songs (BG, 292). While we were walking through the Strawberry Fields, we came across the man who places the roses and/or flowers on the mosaic every single day. He explained to us his reasoning behind it and how much he valued John Lennon. I think it is so nice to see the values of others and their passions. This man makes it clear to every single person he crosses paths with that John Lennon will always and forever be his hero.
After exploring the Strawberry Fields, we walked for a bit more then headed back to the subway. I caught a train back to Penn Station then caught the LIRR from Penn Station to Baldwin. I thought today was a great day. It was very interesting and I learned a lot!
After departing from Penn Station, we caught the Times Square Shuttle (which I've never taken before) over to Grand Central Station (which I've never been to before)! We then made our way to the 6 train to make it to East Harlem. I have to admit, being in Harlem terrified me a bit! I am not quite sure if I am being stereotypical but I was keeping my eye on each and every item I brought with me. We first headed to the Museum of the City of New York. We each got to explore the museum a little before we all gathered together. I found many different artifacts such as many different styles of clothing. I found the clothing styles to be fascinating. I then entered into a room that consisted of artifacts such as police shields, badges, and economic figures. I got a kick out of (laugh) a poster/picture that talked about food stamps and welfare. It spoke about people who are being supported by others and yet still complain they are not getting enough - what more could you ask for if you are living off of welfare and doing what you please (which is not working)?! Afterwards, we all gathered together as a class to watch a historic film on the beautiful city of New York. I found it quite interesting that New York City's population is eight million and counting.
After visiting the Museum of the City of New York, we were guided by an extremely knowledgable tour guide around East or "Spanish" Harlem. He shared many bits of information that captured my attention. He first asked for each of our names and one word to describe ourself (which I thought showed appreciation on a personal level). We were given information about a particular community garden that had many figures, statues, and/or fountains. The particular object that stood out to me most was the fountain that represented the fallopian tubes in a woman (maybe because I am a biology major, but that fascinated me). Our tour guide, Luke, showed us many different murals and graffiti walls. He explained that the graffiti walls are not simply just graffiti, but a form of art. People have the time of their lives creating this type of art. Luke made me realize there are millions of different types of art. He is an artist himself. He is a poet. Poetry is considered a type of art. He shows his passion towards his poetry deeply. He was nice enough to share a poem with all of us (which was great)! I would most definitely recommend Luke for others to be guided around East Harlem.
After our guided tour, I was excited to have our lunch break and try some food in East Harlem! My friends and I went to a Mexican restaurant where most of us either got a quesidilla or a burrito (very yummy)! After lunch, we all set out on our adventure to explore the beautiful Central Park (which I have never been to, either)! It was interesting to find out the motive that drove Frederick Law Olmstead to design this park. Being that he was so opposed to slavery and inequality, he imagined a place where anyone and everyone could go no matter what their status, color, or race was (BG, 284). It was fascinating to see a particular pond in Central Park. It took some deep searching through my memory, but I did remember this pond to be a scene in the movie, "Stuart Little". We then came across another pond or lake, which included boats and such. Often, sailboats and ducks or swans are seen in this pond (BG, 285). While walking along Central Park East, we came in contact with one of our next stops, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Little did we know, we got there fifteen minutes before closing (whoops)! We were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the "punk" part of the museum. This part of the museum offered views of many different clothing styles related to the punk style. This museum includes 2,200 works of art in the department of European paintings (BG, 327). It amazes me how many different types of art work this museum holds! It holds from Greek and Roman to the arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas and even more (BG, 327-334)!
Our last stop of the day was the Strawberry Fields. The best part about this is my friend Katie, who is in our class actually thought there were strawberries in this field (haha)! The Strawberry Fields is a major site associated with John Lennon. John Lennon was assassinated nearby in the courtyard of the Dakota apartments in 1980 (BG, 290). "Strawberry Fields Forever" was one of Lennon's most popular songs. The word, "imagine" is engraved into part of the pavement (a mosaic, which was from Pompeii and a gift from Naples, Italy) in the Strawberry Fields. "Imagine" is the title of another one of Lennon's famous songs (BG, 292). While we were walking through the Strawberry Fields, we came across the man who places the roses and/or flowers on the mosaic every single day. He explained to us his reasoning behind it and how much he valued John Lennon. I think it is so nice to see the values of others and their passions. This man makes it clear to every single person he crosses paths with that John Lennon will always and forever be his hero.
After exploring the Strawberry Fields, we walked for a bit more then headed back to the subway. I caught a train back to Penn Station then caught the LIRR from Penn Station to Baldwin. I thought today was a great day. It was very interesting and I learned a lot!