The enchanted East Side
Journal Entry 5
September 27, 2014
Since last week I missed the train, I ended up going by myself to the High line. A task I never thought I would be able to complete (yes, I know it's very sad). However, when today rolled around I was actually excited to go on the train by myself! When I arrived a Penn Station at about 10:45 I found my classmates and we began our day. Today when we got off of the subway we arrived in East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem. To be honest, when I heard were going to East Harlem I wasn't sure what to expect. I was thinking it was going to be a dangerous place filled with violence. However, it turned out to be my ABSOLUTE favorite place so far! We walked through "El Barrio" which is an uptown neighborhood of Manhattan (NYE,161).
East Harlem is very different today than it was when it developed in the late 19th century. It is now one of the largest Latino communities in the country (NYE, 161). So, when we got off of the 6 train we arrived at 103rd street. After we crossed over fifth avenue, we took a walk through the Carver Houses. In the 1960's and 70's these large housing projects were the most dangerous sections of NYC. This area had the most poverty, unemployment, and crime in the entire city (NYE,162). These Carver Houses were housing projects that consisted of 13 buildings that were created for people who didn't have much money. The project is named after George Washington Carver whom was an African-American scientist (NYE, 162). This day was getting off to a depressing start, I was really hoping it would get more cheery.
When we left the projects, we made a right and walked half a block until we got to the Museum of the City of New York. The museum was located on 1220 Fifth Avenue, between 103rd and 104th street (NYE, 162). When we went inside, it was GORGEOUS! A huge chandelier hung down from the ceiling, and it was very high class. As we walked up the flights of stairs, there were quotes on the walls and photographs of NYC. It was cool, I really enjoyed reading the quotes, that were all extremely accurate about New Yorkers. Then we went into the secret room, and watch a short film about the history of New York through the years. After the movie, we explored some more of the Museum and headed to our next stop.
We left there, and walked about one block and we were at another Museum on the "Museum Mile" called "El Museo del Barrio" I was starving...so I quickly went into the cafe to grab an enchilada :), it was wonderful and not to mention, cheap! Anyway...back to the museum. So, Mike went an introduced some guy to us. His name was Lucas, and at first I thought he was very strange. However, he turned out to be AWESOME (but I'm getting ahead of myself). Let's rewind...here were are outside of the Museum with Lucas, he is going over his background with us. Then, we go inside the Museum to find very bright colors. The Museum was very cheery, and happy. Like I was saying earlier, I was really hoping this day would brighter, and guess what it did (LITERALLY). The aroma was delicious, like authentic food from Spain. The sound was happy and upbeat, and made me want to dance Salsa, and the sight, well the sight was beautiful. It was all sorts of bright/neon colors that just made you happy. After we explored this Museum we headed over to explore the streets of East Harlem. Walking through the streets was so beautiful, the art on the walls makes you just stop and stare. Whenever anyone stopped and listen to Luke, he would tell them to join in and tell us about their experience growing up in the East Harlem, and compare it to living here now. I thought this was really important, and a nice gesture. It was fascinating to hear opinions and life stories from strangers that grew up there. It's something you don't read in a textbook, It's real life stories. After we walked through, and looked at all the art on the streets, we headed over the the Museum of African Art. This museum was very different. Right before we left there, Luke recited a poem that he wrote on a subway. It brought me to tears, it was so deep, and meaningful. It really makes you think about people who have difficult lifestyles. Oh my gosh, I got so caught up in these Museums I forgot to discuss my yummy lunch. We went to El Aquila, where I had an amazing chicken taco for a pretty good price, we got to sit and relax for a bit.
We also went to Conservatory Garden, it was so beautiful, I felt like I was in France. This park was named for an 1898 greenhouse, which was torn down in 1934. The garden is divided into three distinct formal gardens, English, French and Italian style. It was really gorgeous (NYE, 150). Lastly, after this extremely long day, we went to Grand Central Terminal, another beautiful place. The architecture was so gorgeous, and the detail was unbelievable. Even the water fountains had so much detail in the designs. After we left Grand Central, we walked back to Penn, and on our way Mike showed us some cool buildings on Lexington Avenue like the Chrysler building, and the GE building and more! The day is over, and I'm extremely exhausted. I have to say that today was my absolute favorite and I would go back to East Harlem any day!!
September 27, 2014
Since last week I missed the train, I ended up going by myself to the High line. A task I never thought I would be able to complete (yes, I know it's very sad). However, when today rolled around I was actually excited to go on the train by myself! When I arrived a Penn Station at about 10:45 I found my classmates and we began our day. Today when we got off of the subway we arrived in East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem. To be honest, when I heard were going to East Harlem I wasn't sure what to expect. I was thinking it was going to be a dangerous place filled with violence. However, it turned out to be my ABSOLUTE favorite place so far! We walked through "El Barrio" which is an uptown neighborhood of Manhattan (NYE,161).
East Harlem is very different today than it was when it developed in the late 19th century. It is now one of the largest Latino communities in the country (NYE, 161). So, when we got off of the 6 train we arrived at 103rd street. After we crossed over fifth avenue, we took a walk through the Carver Houses. In the 1960's and 70's these large housing projects were the most dangerous sections of NYC. This area had the most poverty, unemployment, and crime in the entire city (NYE,162). These Carver Houses were housing projects that consisted of 13 buildings that were created for people who didn't have much money. The project is named after George Washington Carver whom was an African-American scientist (NYE, 162). This day was getting off to a depressing start, I was really hoping it would get more cheery.
When we left the projects, we made a right and walked half a block until we got to the Museum of the City of New York. The museum was located on 1220 Fifth Avenue, between 103rd and 104th street (NYE, 162). When we went inside, it was GORGEOUS! A huge chandelier hung down from the ceiling, and it was very high class. As we walked up the flights of stairs, there were quotes on the walls and photographs of NYC. It was cool, I really enjoyed reading the quotes, that were all extremely accurate about New Yorkers. Then we went into the secret room, and watch a short film about the history of New York through the years. After the movie, we explored some more of the Museum and headed to our next stop.
We left there, and walked about one block and we were at another Museum on the "Museum Mile" called "El Museo del Barrio" I was starving...so I quickly went into the cafe to grab an enchilada :), it was wonderful and not to mention, cheap! Anyway...back to the museum. So, Mike went an introduced some guy to us. His name was Lucas, and at first I thought he was very strange. However, he turned out to be AWESOME (but I'm getting ahead of myself). Let's rewind...here were are outside of the Museum with Lucas, he is going over his background with us. Then, we go inside the Museum to find very bright colors. The Museum was very cheery, and happy. Like I was saying earlier, I was really hoping this day would brighter, and guess what it did (LITERALLY). The aroma was delicious, like authentic food from Spain. The sound was happy and upbeat, and made me want to dance Salsa, and the sight, well the sight was beautiful. It was all sorts of bright/neon colors that just made you happy. After we explored this Museum we headed over to explore the streets of East Harlem. Walking through the streets was so beautiful, the art on the walls makes you just stop and stare. Whenever anyone stopped and listen to Luke, he would tell them to join in and tell us about their experience growing up in the East Harlem, and compare it to living here now. I thought this was really important, and a nice gesture. It was fascinating to hear opinions and life stories from strangers that grew up there. It's something you don't read in a textbook, It's real life stories. After we walked through, and looked at all the art on the streets, we headed over the the Museum of African Art. This museum was very different. Right before we left there, Luke recited a poem that he wrote on a subway. It brought me to tears, it was so deep, and meaningful. It really makes you think about people who have difficult lifestyles. Oh my gosh, I got so caught up in these Museums I forgot to discuss my yummy lunch. We went to El Aquila, where I had an amazing chicken taco for a pretty good price, we got to sit and relax for a bit.
We also went to Conservatory Garden, it was so beautiful, I felt like I was in France. This park was named for an 1898 greenhouse, which was torn down in 1934. The garden is divided into three distinct formal gardens, English, French and Italian style. It was really gorgeous (NYE, 150). Lastly, after this extremely long day, we went to Grand Central Terminal, another beautiful place. The architecture was so gorgeous, and the detail was unbelievable. Even the water fountains had so much detail in the designs. After we left Grand Central, we walked back to Penn, and on our way Mike showed us some cool buildings on Lexington Avenue like the Chrysler building, and the GE building and more! The day is over, and I'm extremely exhausted. I have to say that today was my absolute favorite and I would go back to East Harlem any day!!
The Wild Wild West
Journal #6
October 4, 2014
Whoa...Today was a LOOOONG day. I'm extremely tired and exhausted. We explored the Westside of Manhattan and we did a lot of walking. We didn't get many bathroom breaks either. I started out as rainy day...what else is new? Thankfully, it cleared up as the day went on, although the dampness was still in the air.
Anyway, we started our day at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). It was on 53rd street, MOMA is one of the most influential museums of modern art in the world (NYE, 120). Everything in this Museum hold an impressive collection of art from the 19th and 20th century (NYE, 120). The museum was so crowded, we waited so long to go inside. I don't know why it was so busy on such a rainy day, I guess it was just something to do instead of staying in the house. They were so strict, we had to wait online for about 30 minutes to check in out backpacks!
When walking through this museum, only one word came to mind...disturbing. Everything was very sexual and inappropriate, I felt uncomfortable the entire time and I could not wait to get out of there. I'm not sure how putting children in dangerous situations, and how a wall of pictures of penis's is art...but whatever floats your boat. One thing that really stuck in my mind was a fire place, but instead of fire logs, it was children's legs! Ugh, it was horrible. However, 47,000 people visited this museum, and it was a huge success. This museum attracts lovers of modern and contemporary art, they enjoy staying there for hours and really analyze the art (NYE, 122). Although, I didn't like that area of the museum I did enjoy the 4th and 5th floors better. These floors included works of art by famous painters including, Van Gough, Picasso, Duechamp and Matisse, and Monet. I got to see the original Starry Night! It was absolutely beautiful, although I never really understood what that painting actually depicts. Art is really up to your interpretation, that's why people who enjoy museums stay there for hours analyzing each painting and really putting their own story to it in their minds. After building up an appetite, we went to Yum Yum. Let me tell you...it was YUM YUM!!! I usually hate Thai food but it was amazing. I had the pineapple chicken fried rice. After dinner Mike suggested a cookie shop to us, but I had already ordered my $1 green tea ice cream!! This is my absolute favorite, however I wasn't loving it from Yum Yum. It's okay because I got to taste some of my friends cookie :).
After we finished eating we headed of the the General Grant National Memorial. Ulysses S. Grant was commander of the Union army during the Civil war and President of the United States from 1869-1877 (NYE, 171). When we were here there was a Wedding going on, it was beautiful and I couldn't help but stare. Anyway, back to some history about this gorgeous building. Unfortunately, Grant died of throat cancer in 1885. His body was temporarily buried in a brick tomb in Morningside Park. Grant was then buried in the new memorial after it was completed in 1897. His wife joined in the tomb next to him in 1902 (NYE, 171). The tomb was gorgeous, it was built of white granite and had a conical dome sitting above the square base. To me the Doric columns reminded me of a building one would see in Greece or Italy.
After we left the Tomb, we headed south along Riverside Drive past Riverside Church. It was so beautiful, the architecture was unbelievable detailed. This is the tallest church in the United State. It was built in 1927 by Alens Peltson and Collins, with help from John D. Rockerfeller Jr (NYE, 172). We continued on out journey east along 120th Street. This lead us to Morningside Park. The view was gorgeous, especially after the rain had cleared and the skies were blue. We visited Columbia University, another beautiful view. The University was so pretty from every single angle, I fell in love. Columbia University was the first college established in New York State and the fifth in the United States. It was first established in lower Manhattan in 1754 as King's College. After the Revolution, the name changed to Columbia. Many of the buildings in the school were Neoclassical, and very similar to the Panteon in Rome, especially the Library (NYE, 170).
When we left Columbia we headed over to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. This is the largest church in the united states, and the largest Gothic-style cathedral in the world. This Cathedral was built in response to the completion of St. Patrick's Cathedral in 1879 (NYE, 166). The two bronze doorways of the Cathedral were designed in 1927 - 1931 by Henry Wilson. The church was huge, and walking inside was so beautiful. I felt like it was a church you see in a movie scene.
We walked a lot today, and took in a lot of historical information. Almost too much to handle! It was an interesting class but I am exhausted. So I'm going straight to sleep tonight! Excited for next week in China Town!
October 4, 2014
Whoa...Today was a LOOOONG day. I'm extremely tired and exhausted. We explored the Westside of Manhattan and we did a lot of walking. We didn't get many bathroom breaks either. I started out as rainy day...what else is new? Thankfully, it cleared up as the day went on, although the dampness was still in the air.
Anyway, we started our day at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). It was on 53rd street, MOMA is one of the most influential museums of modern art in the world (NYE, 120). Everything in this Museum hold an impressive collection of art from the 19th and 20th century (NYE, 120). The museum was so crowded, we waited so long to go inside. I don't know why it was so busy on such a rainy day, I guess it was just something to do instead of staying in the house. They were so strict, we had to wait online for about 30 minutes to check in out backpacks!
When walking through this museum, only one word came to mind...disturbing. Everything was very sexual and inappropriate, I felt uncomfortable the entire time and I could not wait to get out of there. I'm not sure how putting children in dangerous situations, and how a wall of pictures of penis's is art...but whatever floats your boat. One thing that really stuck in my mind was a fire place, but instead of fire logs, it was children's legs! Ugh, it was horrible. However, 47,000 people visited this museum, and it was a huge success. This museum attracts lovers of modern and contemporary art, they enjoy staying there for hours and really analyze the art (NYE, 122). Although, I didn't like that area of the museum I did enjoy the 4th and 5th floors better. These floors included works of art by famous painters including, Van Gough, Picasso, Duechamp and Matisse, and Monet. I got to see the original Starry Night! It was absolutely beautiful, although I never really understood what that painting actually depicts. Art is really up to your interpretation, that's why people who enjoy museums stay there for hours analyzing each painting and really putting their own story to it in their minds. After building up an appetite, we went to Yum Yum. Let me tell you...it was YUM YUM!!! I usually hate Thai food but it was amazing. I had the pineapple chicken fried rice. After dinner Mike suggested a cookie shop to us, but I had already ordered my $1 green tea ice cream!! This is my absolute favorite, however I wasn't loving it from Yum Yum. It's okay because I got to taste some of my friends cookie :).
After we finished eating we headed of the the General Grant National Memorial. Ulysses S. Grant was commander of the Union army during the Civil war and President of the United States from 1869-1877 (NYE, 171). When we were here there was a Wedding going on, it was beautiful and I couldn't help but stare. Anyway, back to some history about this gorgeous building. Unfortunately, Grant died of throat cancer in 1885. His body was temporarily buried in a brick tomb in Morningside Park. Grant was then buried in the new memorial after it was completed in 1897. His wife joined in the tomb next to him in 1902 (NYE, 171). The tomb was gorgeous, it was built of white granite and had a conical dome sitting above the square base. To me the Doric columns reminded me of a building one would see in Greece or Italy.
After we left the Tomb, we headed south along Riverside Drive past Riverside Church. It was so beautiful, the architecture was unbelievable detailed. This is the tallest church in the United State. It was built in 1927 by Alens Peltson and Collins, with help from John D. Rockerfeller Jr (NYE, 172). We continued on out journey east along 120th Street. This lead us to Morningside Park. The view was gorgeous, especially after the rain had cleared and the skies were blue. We visited Columbia University, another beautiful view. The University was so pretty from every single angle, I fell in love. Columbia University was the first college established in New York State and the fifth in the United States. It was first established in lower Manhattan in 1754 as King's College. After the Revolution, the name changed to Columbia. Many of the buildings in the school were Neoclassical, and very similar to the Panteon in Rome, especially the Library (NYE, 170).
When we left Columbia we headed over to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. This is the largest church in the united states, and the largest Gothic-style cathedral in the world. This Cathedral was built in response to the completion of St. Patrick's Cathedral in 1879 (NYE, 166). The two bronze doorways of the Cathedral were designed in 1927 - 1931 by Henry Wilson. The church was huge, and walking inside was so beautiful. I felt like it was a church you see in a movie scene.
We walked a lot today, and took in a lot of historical information. Almost too much to handle! It was an interesting class but I am exhausted. So I'm going straight to sleep tonight! Excited for next week in China Town!
Lower East Side
Journal #7
October 18, 2014
I was extremely excited to wake up this morning! Since we missed last week due to the rain, I missed getting up to go to the city. I wanted to make sure I made the 7:45 train. Today we had class from 9am-4pm instead of 11am-7pm. I was extremely excited because now I could actually do something on a Saturday night besides fall right to sleep. It was a gorgeous day for a change. I was shocked it wasn't raining again.
Today, our first stop was the Tenement Museum. We had a tour of the fourth floor of the tenement itself on 97 Orchard Street. As I walked up the four flights of stairs, all I could think of was how tired the family must have been every time they had to enter or leave their home. Inside the tenement was very dark, old, and tiny. I felt very confined in each room I went into. The most sentimental area of the house in my opinion was the room where Agnes’ wake was held. As soon as I stepped foot in the room, high pitch sorrowful music began to play. I felt as if I was actually there on April 21, 1869. The window was open, and the fans were blowing, sending a chill throughout the room. The mirrors were covered and the rosary beads were hanging near the chair where Mrs. Moore would have been sitting. Everything was extremely realistic.
The Lower East Side Tenement Museum was filled with history. Being inside the museum made me feel very grateful for the century I live in today. Where there are proper medications, safe living conditions, and a surplus of food. It is unfortunate to look back and see the living conditions that these families dealt with. I couldn’t imagine carrying a child for 9 months to find that she has such a tragic death only 5 months after birth. This Museum has definitely changed my perspective on life. I recommend it to every one of all ages, and I think it is important to see.
After the museum, Mike split us up into groups, each group had a leader that lead us to all of our destinations. It wasn't too bad figuring things out by ourselves. Freddy was our group leader and he did a great job in not getting us lost. Walking through China Town can get confusing. Everything looks the same! Not to mention the smell...it wrecked of fish (YUCK). Anyway...we stopped in a supermarket and I purchases Matcha Green Tea powder! I was so excited because I've been trying to find this product for so long, and It's impossible to find. Then we went to Po Zhao Buddhist Temple. Although it was extremely tiny, it was gorgeous inside. When you first walk in you see a huge statue of Buddha, under him there were all of these pieces of paper folded with fortunes on them! After we left the temple, we went to get some ice cream. I tried the green tea ice cream but it tasted funky, so I just stuck to my favorite...Oreo. The ice cream was okay, and it was pricey. I wasn't very pleased.
After exploring China Town, it was time for LUNCH! We ate a Congee Village and had authentic Chinese food. The food wasn't as good as I was expecting it to be. Also, it was very limited. Basically, if you didn't act fast enough the food you actually wanted was already gone. That was kind of a disappointing part of my day. I was really looking forward to it also. After lunch was over, a few of us made a pit stop and went to Starbucks (which always brightens my day). Then, we walked north along Orchard street and made a right on Rivington Street (NYE, 66). We arrived at one of happiest places ever...A CANDY SHOP! It was called Economy Candy, when I walked inside I was over excited and did not know where to begin. Do you know how overwhelming candy can be?...Fun fact: This store was was first opened in 1937 by the Cohen family, who still owns it today (NYE, 66).
After the candy shop, we made a right onto Henry Street and arrived at 265 Henry Street. Here, we learned about the history of The Henry Street Settlement, which was founded by Lillian Wald. She was a 25 year-old student, studying nursing. She was disgusted by the living conditions in the Lower East Side, so in 1893 she founded the Nursers' settlement to bring nursing care,education and arts to the immigrant population of the community (NYE, 69).
The day had finally come to an end, and we headed for the subway. Unfortunately, we got a little bit lost getting home. I thought I was going to get home at about 4:30 that day, we ended up taking a 6 something train, and I got home around 7. It was the most frustrating part of my day. Not to mention, I got sick off of the Chinese food that night!
October 18, 2014
I was extremely excited to wake up this morning! Since we missed last week due to the rain, I missed getting up to go to the city. I wanted to make sure I made the 7:45 train. Today we had class from 9am-4pm instead of 11am-7pm. I was extremely excited because now I could actually do something on a Saturday night besides fall right to sleep. It was a gorgeous day for a change. I was shocked it wasn't raining again.
Today, our first stop was the Tenement Museum. We had a tour of the fourth floor of the tenement itself on 97 Orchard Street. As I walked up the four flights of stairs, all I could think of was how tired the family must have been every time they had to enter or leave their home. Inside the tenement was very dark, old, and tiny. I felt very confined in each room I went into. The most sentimental area of the house in my opinion was the room where Agnes’ wake was held. As soon as I stepped foot in the room, high pitch sorrowful music began to play. I felt as if I was actually there on April 21, 1869. The window was open, and the fans were blowing, sending a chill throughout the room. The mirrors were covered and the rosary beads were hanging near the chair where Mrs. Moore would have been sitting. Everything was extremely realistic.
The Lower East Side Tenement Museum was filled with history. Being inside the museum made me feel very grateful for the century I live in today. Where there are proper medications, safe living conditions, and a surplus of food. It is unfortunate to look back and see the living conditions that these families dealt with. I couldn’t imagine carrying a child for 9 months to find that she has such a tragic death only 5 months after birth. This Museum has definitely changed my perspective on life. I recommend it to every one of all ages, and I think it is important to see.
After the museum, Mike split us up into groups, each group had a leader that lead us to all of our destinations. It wasn't too bad figuring things out by ourselves. Freddy was our group leader and he did a great job in not getting us lost. Walking through China Town can get confusing. Everything looks the same! Not to mention the smell...it wrecked of fish (YUCK). Anyway...we stopped in a supermarket and I purchases Matcha Green Tea powder! I was so excited because I've been trying to find this product for so long, and It's impossible to find. Then we went to Po Zhao Buddhist Temple. Although it was extremely tiny, it was gorgeous inside. When you first walk in you see a huge statue of Buddha, under him there were all of these pieces of paper folded with fortunes on them! After we left the temple, we went to get some ice cream. I tried the green tea ice cream but it tasted funky, so I just stuck to my favorite...Oreo. The ice cream was okay, and it was pricey. I wasn't very pleased.
After exploring China Town, it was time for LUNCH! We ate a Congee Village and had authentic Chinese food. The food wasn't as good as I was expecting it to be. Also, it was very limited. Basically, if you didn't act fast enough the food you actually wanted was already gone. That was kind of a disappointing part of my day. I was really looking forward to it also. After lunch was over, a few of us made a pit stop and went to Starbucks (which always brightens my day). Then, we walked north along Orchard street and made a right on Rivington Street (NYE, 66). We arrived at one of happiest places ever...A CANDY SHOP! It was called Economy Candy, when I walked inside I was over excited and did not know where to begin. Do you know how overwhelming candy can be?...Fun fact: This store was was first opened in 1937 by the Cohen family, who still owns it today (NYE, 66).
After the candy shop, we made a right onto Henry Street and arrived at 265 Henry Street. Here, we learned about the history of The Henry Street Settlement, which was founded by Lillian Wald. She was a 25 year-old student, studying nursing. She was disgusted by the living conditions in the Lower East Side, so in 1893 she founded the Nursers' settlement to bring nursing care,education and arts to the immigrant population of the community (NYE, 69).
The day had finally come to an end, and we headed for the subway. Unfortunately, we got a little bit lost getting home. I thought I was going to get home at about 4:30 that day, we ended up taking a 6 something train, and I got home around 7. It was the most frustrating part of my day. Not to mention, I got sick off of the Chinese food that night!
Lower Manhattan
Journal #8
October 25, 2014
The day has finally come. I don't know if I'm happy or sad? It's bittersweet. I really enjoyed this course and I hate to see it end, however the only benefit to this is having Saturdays free to do school work. It's sad that I get excited about time to do school work. It's so difficult to manage classes Monday-Saturday with not a single day off, a job, and clinical work. So, today is the last day. Mike said he's going to let us out early so we can go to the Brooklyn Brewery! I'm so excited, I have never been there and I think it will be a fun way to end the class with all of my peers.
So the first we started our day walking around Battery Park. The first area we visited was Bowling Green Park, This park derives it's name from the game of bowls (NYE, 54). While walking through Battery Park we saw some really gorgeous views. We continued to walk south along Broadway and we made a left onto Bridge Street. We arrived at the Fraunces Tavern Museum. This museum is very historical, and it's considered one of Manhattan's oldest surviving buildings. Although it has been re-done many time due to natural disasters, it is still standing and hold so much history.
First we talked a lot about George Washington, and we saw many personal items that were used. This museum was not very interesting to me. Our tour guide was extremely into it and was very educated on the topic. However, it was just not my cup of tea. I'm much more interested in Art museums and the Tenement Museum. This museum was originally built in 1719 by the wealth merchant Stephan Delancy, it served as his home until 1730 when he moved uptown to an estate on what is now Delancy Street (NYE, 55).
We walked by the prominade with looked so much like the one in Brooklyn Heights, I kept saying, "didn't we go here already?" It was gorgeous and I took really great shots of the views. After we left it was time for lunch! I couldn't decide if I wanted to get $3 taco's or a kale salad for $9...I ended up choosing the salad because I had carbs for breakfast and I wanted to balance it out. It was a HEALTHY choice, however it came out to over 11 dollars and that's with out a drink! The salad was really yummy though, and gave me energy for the rest of day. Thank god for that because there was a lot of walking a head of me.
Next was the the 9/11 memorial, we all know what happened on that day. I'm sure it affects every single one of us in one way or another. I remember being in the car on my way to 3rd grade, when I heard someone on the radio talking about a plane crash. I didn't know what it was about but I my mom, did you hear about what happen in the City? When I got to school that day we had to sit underneath the desks, we were on lock down. The news on was on, and they kept showing the plane going into the building. That image is always in my head. It was a traumatizing experience for an 8 year old to see. I was lucky enough to not lose any loved ones that day. It was so sad to see some of my friends lose their fathers and their uncles. It's horrible that 2,977 people were killed that day(NYE,48). The memorial was gorgeous and all of names of people who lost their lives on engraved into it, it goes around in a square and has a water fall in the middle. Something I thought was really interesting at the museum was that people take a piece of paper and pencil and trace over the name. I thought that was sweet, and it made me cry when I saw some people doing it. We also saw the freedom tower, which is HUGE. It's the tallest building in the United States and the fourth tallest in the world (NYE,48)!
Since it was the last day, Mike said he would us out early, so we could explore Williamsburg. We walked over the bridge, and it took a while. The walk was beautiful. There was so much graffiti but it was pretty, and bright colors. When we got off the bridge we went the long was to get the Brooklyn Brewery. The views that we stopped at were worth it though. When we FINALLY arrived at the Brewery and there was huge line. We waiting online for about 20 minutes, and we were so tired we ended up leaving and going to some random bar down the road to get a $3 beer. It was an interesting day to say the least. I'm so glad I took this great, and I'm sad to see it end. On the bright side, this is my last journal!
October 25, 2014
The day has finally come. I don't know if I'm happy or sad? It's bittersweet. I really enjoyed this course and I hate to see it end, however the only benefit to this is having Saturdays free to do school work. It's sad that I get excited about time to do school work. It's so difficult to manage classes Monday-Saturday with not a single day off, a job, and clinical work. So, today is the last day. Mike said he's going to let us out early so we can go to the Brooklyn Brewery! I'm so excited, I have never been there and I think it will be a fun way to end the class with all of my peers.
So the first we started our day walking around Battery Park. The first area we visited was Bowling Green Park, This park derives it's name from the game of bowls (NYE, 54). While walking through Battery Park we saw some really gorgeous views. We continued to walk south along Broadway and we made a left onto Bridge Street. We arrived at the Fraunces Tavern Museum. This museum is very historical, and it's considered one of Manhattan's oldest surviving buildings. Although it has been re-done many time due to natural disasters, it is still standing and hold so much history.
First we talked a lot about George Washington, and we saw many personal items that were used. This museum was not very interesting to me. Our tour guide was extremely into it and was very educated on the topic. However, it was just not my cup of tea. I'm much more interested in Art museums and the Tenement Museum. This museum was originally built in 1719 by the wealth merchant Stephan Delancy, it served as his home until 1730 when he moved uptown to an estate on what is now Delancy Street (NYE, 55).
We walked by the prominade with looked so much like the one in Brooklyn Heights, I kept saying, "didn't we go here already?" It was gorgeous and I took really great shots of the views. After we left it was time for lunch! I couldn't decide if I wanted to get $3 taco's or a kale salad for $9...I ended up choosing the salad because I had carbs for breakfast and I wanted to balance it out. It was a HEALTHY choice, however it came out to over 11 dollars and that's with out a drink! The salad was really yummy though, and gave me energy for the rest of day. Thank god for that because there was a lot of walking a head of me.
Next was the the 9/11 memorial, we all know what happened on that day. I'm sure it affects every single one of us in one way or another. I remember being in the car on my way to 3rd grade, when I heard someone on the radio talking about a plane crash. I didn't know what it was about but I my mom, did you hear about what happen in the City? When I got to school that day we had to sit underneath the desks, we were on lock down. The news on was on, and they kept showing the plane going into the building. That image is always in my head. It was a traumatizing experience for an 8 year old to see. I was lucky enough to not lose any loved ones that day. It was so sad to see some of my friends lose their fathers and their uncles. It's horrible that 2,977 people were killed that day(NYE,48). The memorial was gorgeous and all of names of people who lost their lives on engraved into it, it goes around in a square and has a water fall in the middle. Something I thought was really interesting at the museum was that people take a piece of paper and pencil and trace over the name. I thought that was sweet, and it made me cry when I saw some people doing it. We also saw the freedom tower, which is HUGE. It's the tallest building in the United States and the fourth tallest in the world (NYE,48)!
Since it was the last day, Mike said he would us out early, so we could explore Williamsburg. We walked over the bridge, and it took a while. The walk was beautiful. There was so much graffiti but it was pretty, and bright colors. When we got off the bridge we went the long was to get the Brooklyn Brewery. The views that we stopped at were worth it though. When we FINALLY arrived at the Brewery and there was huge line. We waiting online for about 20 minutes, and we were so tired we ended up leaving and going to some random bar down the road to get a $3 beer. It was an interesting day to say the least. I'm so glad I took this great, and I'm sad to see it end. On the bright side, this is my last journal!
Final Impressions of NYC
After completing this course, I've never felt more educated. I am so happy I decided to take this class as opposed fulfilling my core requirement in a classroom setting. During this course, I traveled to so many wonderful places I would have never thought of going to on my own. As I said earlier, my favorite part of this course was visiting East Harlem. It a place I would love to visit again, and take a day trip with my friends or my family. I also really enjoyed the Tenement Museum, and learning about the immigrants. This is history I feel very educated on now, and it's something I really didn't know anything about before. Also, I feel more comfortable taking the trains and subways. I always used to just follow the family/friends whom ever I was with when I go to the city. Now, I can be the leader. I can go places on my own (of what I remember) and I can show others all of the exciting places I have visited. This course has really opened my eyes to various aspects. First, the history of New York City. I was not educated or even aware of how many historical events happened in New York City. Everything is so fascinating and interesting, especially since these events took place in my own state. The second aspect is becoming more independent. I feel as though this class really forced Independence upon me. Especially when I missed the train, that was really the day that I learned the most. I was miserable at the time being, but now I'm very glad it happened the way it did. This class was full of excitement, and I'm sad to see it end. This will not be the end of my journey in New York City. I have yet to explore the entire City!