Journal 1
Impressions of New York
New York City is the greatest city in the world. Many people come from all over the world just to catch sight of what we experience on just a short train ride. New York City is a place for adventure and endless opportunities. I love going to the city myself, when I have a plan that is. I find myself "lost" in a sense every time I am visiting. The overcrowded streets and shops at times can be overwhelming. Going to broadway shows, concerts, museums, and out to dinner are always a great time, but I want to know more. Being an Art Education major, I enjoy going to museums as often as I can. I've been to the MOMA numerous times, but each time I see something I have not seen previously, it fascinates me.
When I think of New York City I think of a huge group of people moving quickly to their destination, and knowing exactly where that destination is. Many people in business attire moving from place to place due to their career. During the holidays the city is always a fun place to be. Seeing the huge Christmas Tree decorated with lights top to bottom and going iceskating is something I always look forward to. Gathering with family and friends, taking pictures, and making memories is also what the city reminds me of. To me the city is just a fun happy place to be, while also going on a new adventure each and every time.
I want to experience more than the average city visitor, and I have not yet had a chance to do so. I simply do not know my way around, with the exception of a few places. With this class experience I hope to gain the knowledge of this wonderful city; not only so I can find my way around, but to know the ins and outs of the amazing New York City!
When I think of New York City I think of a huge group of people moving quickly to their destination, and knowing exactly where that destination is. Many people in business attire moving from place to place due to their career. During the holidays the city is always a fun place to be. Seeing the huge Christmas Tree decorated with lights top to bottom and going iceskating is something I always look forward to. Gathering with family and friends, taking pictures, and making memories is also what the city reminds me of. To me the city is just a fun happy place to be, while also going on a new adventure each and every time.
I want to experience more than the average city visitor, and I have not yet had a chance to do so. I simply do not know my way around, with the exception of a few places. With this class experience I hope to gain the knowledge of this wonderful city; not only so I can find my way around, but to know the ins and outs of the amazing New York City!
Quixotic Queens
Today was our first time meeting as a class! I was so exited to being this adventure. I took a 9:28am train from Merillon Avenue into Penn Station. It only took about a half our to arrive into the city, but I wanted to be early to get what I needed to begin this class. I purchased a metro card and also a smoothie at Planet Smoothie which is amazing! Our first stop was Bryant Park. I have never been there before, but I really enjoyed it. It was the perfect place to sit and read a book or just relax, as many people were doing. There was big open space of green grass, a few small cafes, and areas set up for children to play mini golf and reading areas with books (Blue Guide, p. 209).
Today was our first time meeting as a class! I was so exited to being this adventure. I took a 9:28am train from Merillon Avenue into Penn Station. It only took about a half our to arrive into the city, but I wanted to be early to get what I needed to begin this class. I purchased a metro card and also a smoothie at Planet Smoothie which is amazing! Our first stop was Bryant Park. I have never been there before, but I really enjoyed it. It was the perfect place to sit and read a book or just relax, as many people were doing. There was big open space of green grass, a few small cafes, and areas set up for children to play mini golf and reading areas with books (Blue Guide, p. 209).
Our next stop was the New York Public Library. I have walked passed this library so many times, but never thought to walk in. Just by looking at the outside you can imagine how amazing the inside is. The ceilings to floors are filled with incredible details. The elegant beauty is a neoclassical style. This Greek style was commonly used from the 1890s to the 1920s. I learned the lions outside on both the left and right of the library were renamed several times throughout history. During the Great Depression they were renamed to Patience and Fortitude for obvious reasons (Blue Guide, p. 207). On our journey to Queens we also stopped into Grand Central Terminal. Many people, including myself, referred to this terminal as "Grand Central Station". I also learned that this term is incorrect because Grand Central Terminal is in fact a "terminal". This is the largest terminal in the world and was build in 1913. This year happens to be the 100th year anniversary! This establishment was built for the use of underground trains rather than earlier trains that needed coal to operate. On the ceiling that have been restored are astrological signs from God's point of view. Another interesting fact I learned was Jackie Onassis was responsible for Grand Central Terminal still remaining where it is today. She raised money for it to become a historical piece of New York City that can never be touched. At this time many individuals were newly using cars as transportation, therefore many believed the terminal was no longer needed; although Jackie Onassis disagreed (Blue Guide, p. 228-229).
Now off to Queens! First we took an air tram to Roosevelt Island, where I also have never been before. On Roosevelt Island is the location of Four Freedoms Park which was another nice place to relax with wide open space. Walking through the island were several old run down buildings, some being held together by structures. One of the buildings was used as a facility to treat small pox and then later became the first nursing school. Then, we took a subway to Astoria where we visited the Museum of the Moving Image. In the museum were all props and costumes used in movies and television shows. I saw Mrs. Doubtfire's face mask, The Mask, Lamb Chop Puppet, and many other props that were used. My favorite part was the Breaking Bad exhibit! I was upset I was not allowed to get pictures, but still so exciting to see. Also in Astoria is the Kaufman Astoria Studios where many popular television shows and also movies have been, and are still being filmed (Blue Guide, p. 499). Next, we stopped at my favorite place we saw all day which was 5pointz. 5pointz was a huge building where graffiti artists are allowed to create their work right on the outside of the building. The amazing part about it is that your work can be painted right over with someone else's work within the next few days. The artist's don't mind though, they just seemed happy with being able to have the chance to display their work. An artist was there working on one of his pieces and he said some artists have been painting at 5pointz since the 1970s! That's incredible! Long Island City was our last stop, and I was extremely tired at this point. Long Island City is composed of many new and expensive apartment homes, but also with smaller less appealing homes as well. The areas that are older and more run down will also soon be built up, which many people are waiting for (Blue Guide, p. 495). The view from the end of Long Island City was just beautiful as the sun was setting. I would most defiantly visit there again. Now is it almost 7pm and I am beat. I took a subway back to Penn Station and was exhausted. As I sat on the train (happy to be sitting) I relflected on everything I saw that day. Although I was tired, I was also happy to know I got the chance to experience it all and learned many facts I did not know about New York City and Queens.
Bodacious Brooklyn
And we are off to Brooklyn! Our first stop was Coney Island. We took a subway from the city, which took a lot longer then we expected. Finally after an hour and forty-five minute subway ride we arrived at Coney Island. We did not to get to spend much time there, but luckily I have been there numerous times. Unfortunately the rides were not opening being it was after Labor Day, but of corse I stopped at the original Nathan's for a hotdog and cheese fries! Coney Island is actually not an island, but has been amazing amusement area since the 1920s. This area near the water is changing due to gentrification. This area will soon be large area of apartment buildings and hotels.
And we are off to Brooklyn! Our first stop was Coney Island. We took a subway from the city, which took a lot longer then we expected. Finally after an hour and forty-five minute subway ride we arrived at Coney Island. We did not to get to spend much time there, but luckily I have been there numerous times. Unfortunately the rides were not opening being it was after Labor Day, but of corse I stopped at the original Nathan's for a hotdog and cheese fries! Coney Island is actually not an island, but has been amazing amusement area since the 1920s. This area near the water is changing due to gentrification. This area will soon be large area of apartment buildings and hotels.
Our next stop was the New York Transit Museum. This museum was built is 1936 and is built inside an actual subway tunnel. This museum was only supposed to be open for about two months, but it was such a success they remained open. The workers during this time were called "sandhogs" and that names still remains today. These workers did not get paid much more then a few dollars a day and received no job security. These workers were responsible for building the tunnels for the subway cars to travel through. Between the heat and pressure these men were exposed to, many of them would become ill and be replaced by another worker. My favorite part of this museum was the old train cars they had at the lowest level. It was so interesting to go inside the old train cars and see what they use to look like. There were even old advertisement ads in the trains (Blue Guide, p. 468).
Walking along through Brooklyn Heights we saw many beautiful brown stone buildings famous writers lived in during the 1950s because they could not afford to live in New York City. I learned that the original brown stone buildings used brown stones from Connecticut. In 2011 the establishment closed that would distribute the stones, so it is extremely hard to get them now. The newer brown stone buildings we see today are actually just brown cement (Blue Guide, p. 466). The final sight of our day was walking over the Brooklyn Bridge. I was really surprised as to how many people were walking and bike riding over the bridge. I have never walked over the bridge before, but i would do it again (Blue Guide, p. 464). The view was amazing! After that we went our separate ways. Very tired and off to Penn Station on my way home and reflecting on all the things I saw that day.
A Tale of Three Villages
Off to the Villages! I have never been to this part of the city, but I have heard nothing but great things. There are so many places to eat and just hang out on MacDougal Street and Bleeker Street (Blue Guide, p. 138-139). The White Horse Tavern located in West Village was built in the 1880s and was a popular place for Irish immigrants to come after work (Blue Guide, p. 143). The Villages also has the largest gay community in the world. This is because when the Gay Liberation Movement was taking place, this area was able to get away with the most under cover issues. At many times the mob would pay off the police during this time to allow these gay individuals into the bars they had established during the late 1960s. The Stonewall Inn was one of these places located in Greenwich Village (Blue Guide, p. 130). The photo on the left is located in Christopher Park. This park also has multiple other statues that are associated with the Gay Rights Movement (Blue Guide, 130).
Then we went to the Merchants' House Museum. This museum was an actual house build in 1832. The home along with the furniture in it has been preserved over the years. This house included a family room, kitchen, several bedrooms, and a parlor floor. The family room was located in the lowest level and was where the family would spend most of their time. The servants bedrooms were located at the highest level of the house and was very small. In the parlor room the mother of the home would meet with guests and talk. We learned on the tour there was a huge rat problem during that time and the people had to be very careful of disease (Blue Guide, p. 158). I found it interesting that in the kitchen there were bells that were wired throughout the house to call the family members. I was really glad I went to this museum because I never would have found it.
Our last stop was the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space. This museum was really interesting. In the late 1970s there were many people would go into lots where buildings have been torn down and recreate the lot into a garden. New York City does not have open gardens to just sit and relax or watch a live show, so these have really benefited the city. The vegetables planted and small details really allow the visitors to take a step back from the busy city. It was nice to see something like this in the middle of the buildings within the city.
East of the Park
Our first stop of the day was to the Museum of the City of New York located on the Museum Mile. There were large scale paintings in the museum of sights in Central Park . These paintings were very interesting to view because later in the day we would be walking through Central Park. Viewing these picture gave me something to expect. We also watched a short film in this museum. The film was very informative about New York City from the time it came together until about September 11th (Blue Guide, p. 365). The film could have been updated to include todays information. One aspect of the film that remained with me was the building of the Robert Moses Parkway. Many New Yorkers were unhappy with this because the parkway went right through cities. In the museum there was also a small exhibit of several events that occurred in New York City. I found the women working to be very interesting. During the early 1900s immigrents from many different countries were moving to New York. A popular for a women during this time was to work in the garment district. These women would sew clothing together for hours to make a living. The working conditions were very poor and the women would have to work long hours. That must have been really hard work!
Our next stop was El Museo Del Barrio, meaning the museum of the neighborhood in spanish. This museum was established in 1969 and was started in a school system to inform the neighborhood about the large spanish community that lived there. This was a huge success so the museum was moved to its current location on Museum Mile, along with many other museums (Blue Guide, p. 365-366). Our tour guide walked us through near by streets and I learned many new things about the area. This area was known as "Spanish Harlem" because of the large spanish population. On several of the buildings we stopped to look at the artwork that was created there. One building was painted with people of the neighborhood on it, doing everyday activities. This showed how close the neighbors of the community were. Another artwork we saw was a mosaic, this was my favorite. This Spirit Mosaic showed a map of Manhattan on the women represented. This mosaic along with another one done in a similar spanish style are the newest additions to the building art in this area.
Next we walked through Central Park. This was a long walk I was not expecting. We did not walk directly through the park, but we basically walked in a zig zag to get to the other side. There were so many people in the park running, walking, and just relaxing. From viewing the picture from the first museum we visited this day I had a clear picture of what the park would look like. Many people laying under trees and reading, and even napping (Blue Guide, p. 279). Finally after being exhausted from walking through the park was got to stop and the famous FAO Schwarz. This is literally the most amazing toy store in the world. Everything from candy to gigantic toys of every shape and kind can be found there. It was fun to end here and to sit, relax, and eat some candy too! I will be going back there my next visit to the city.