Impressions of new york
Growing up I never realized that New York City was just a hop, skip and a jump away from home. It's really in my backyard. I have never taken full advantage of all the things that our great city has to offer mainly because of all the stereotypes that you hear. I can't deny it either, many of them I actually believed. The people are rude, the traffic is ridiculous, the streets are dirty, the subways smell, the list goes on and on.
Aside from these stereotypes I've been to numerous parts of the New York throughout my life, but many of the "tourist" sites I visited were when I was younger and in elementary school. As a child traveling in the car going over the bridges it was amazing to see the statue of liberty, even if it was so small. Eventually I was able to see it up close and personal, man is she BIG! I've also been to Ellis Island, where I was able to find some relatives on the wall. I've attended parades and feasts and watched countless Broadway shows. I've even attended tours at the MET just for fun. I'll be honest though, I've never walked through Central Park, nor do I know how to navigate my way through the countless streets of NYC.
Not only is the city in my backyard its neighboring boroughs are too. I live in Franklin Square which is literally next to queens yet the furthest I have ever traveled into queens is Bellerose, and that's not far at all. I've only seen things like Coney Island and World's Fair in passing. Of course I've been to a Mets game before but I wouldn't consider that visiting Queens. Same thing goes for the Bronx. I've driven through it, and been to Yankee Stadium but never really stopped to take a look around.
When I think of New York not only do stereotypes and history come to mind but pop culture too. There are numerous songs, movies and books all about New York City. One of my favorites is A Bronx Tale. Frank Sinatra himself said it, "If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere!" Well, I think I'm ready to take on the city and all it has to offer me, as long as I don't get lost!
Aside from these stereotypes I've been to numerous parts of the New York throughout my life, but many of the "tourist" sites I visited were when I was younger and in elementary school. As a child traveling in the car going over the bridges it was amazing to see the statue of liberty, even if it was so small. Eventually I was able to see it up close and personal, man is she BIG! I've also been to Ellis Island, where I was able to find some relatives on the wall. I've attended parades and feasts and watched countless Broadway shows. I've even attended tours at the MET just for fun. I'll be honest though, I've never walked through Central Park, nor do I know how to navigate my way through the countless streets of NYC.
Not only is the city in my backyard its neighboring boroughs are too. I live in Franklin Square which is literally next to queens yet the furthest I have ever traveled into queens is Bellerose, and that's not far at all. I've only seen things like Coney Island and World's Fair in passing. Of course I've been to a Mets game before but I wouldn't consider that visiting Queens. Same thing goes for the Bronx. I've driven through it, and been to Yankee Stadium but never really stopped to take a look around.
When I think of New York not only do stereotypes and history come to mind but pop culture too. There are numerous songs, movies and books all about New York City. One of my favorites is A Bronx Tale. Frank Sinatra himself said it, "If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere!" Well, I think I'm ready to take on the city and all it has to offer me, as long as I don't get lost!
7.10.13 ~ Quizotic queens
Today was our first class. I have to say, I really thought that I was going to be tired by the time I got home. Well, I was wrong. It was a long day, jammed packed with so many things that I've never seen before.
Our day started off in Penn Station like Dr. Russo said. No later than 11:05 a.m. we were on our way. First stop on our agenda, The New York City Public Library. After 8 years of intense building, the libraries doors finally opened to the public in May of 1911. It was known as the peoples place of triumph and glory. Outside the library sit 2 lions. 1 guards the north side of the library and one guards the south side. In the 1930s Fiorello LaGuardia gave the lions a new nickname, Patience and Fortitude. He felt these were the qualities New Yorkers would need to get through the Great Depression. Dr. Russo led us to the Rose Reading Room in the Library where we each took a seat and wrote our own haiku. The rose reading room is the size of a football field.
After our visit to the library we continued our adventure to Grand Central Terminal, which I actually always thought was Grand Central Station. Oops! This was my first time ever being inside the terminal. WOW! What a site to see. This year the station celebrates its 100th anniversary. It is the largest train station in the world. In the 1950's the automobile changed the way people traveled. They were no longer using trains to get to places. With the help from Robert Moses, it was easy to travel by car everywhere and trains were not as popular. In 1960's the original Penn Station was destroyed and redesigned (by Julies Uncle), and Grand Central was next. Jackie Onassis Kennedy prevented the demolition of the terminal and had it preserved and New York City historical site. There are a million things that are super cool inside the terminal too. The "whispering gallery" is on the Grand Central Terminal dining level in front of the Oyster Bar & Restaurant. Here, the the low arches can cause a whisper to sound like a shout. To test it out, you and a friend will have to stand in opposite corners of the large arched entryway, face the corner and whisper. Your friend should be able to hear your voice as if you were right next to them. Pretty cool right? There's more!!!!!!!!! There's a secret tunnel underneath all of the terminal. It's called track 61, and was used by FDR. It has a secret freight elevator the size of his train car that would take the entire train car straight up the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. Unfortunately you can't see this elevator anymore because it's welded shut. In the 1960's track 61 was also the spot for Andy Warhol's Underground parties, so I guess it's not such a secret anymore.
Speaking of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, that was the next stop on our trip. Let me tell you this hotel is no ordinary hotel. It's one of New York's Luxury hotels built in an art-deco style. Even the lobby bathrooms are upscale. I mentioned earlier that FDR stayed here but so have a million other famous people. Gangsters Frank Costello and Charles "Lucky" Luciano once lived here. Even Marilyn Monroe lived here at one point. It was the investigation site for the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 & has been featured in numerous motion pictures.
Continuing on after the hotel, I was forced into facing one of my biggest fears. We rode the Air-tram to Roosevelt Island. Going up was the hard part, coming down was easier. Professor Hey even told me he was afraid of heights, so I'm proud of us both! Roosevelt Island is home to the FDR Four Freedoms Park which is a tribute to the life and work of FDR. President Roosevelt delivered a speech that shaped this nation, now known as the Four Freedoms speech. He looked forward to a world founded on four human freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. This park honors all of those freedoms, and what a beautiful view it has. Located in the middle of the East River one side of the park has an amazing view of the 59th Street bridge and lower Manhattan and on the other side has a view of Queens and Long Island City.
Our day started off in Penn Station like Dr. Russo said. No later than 11:05 a.m. we were on our way. First stop on our agenda, The New York City Public Library. After 8 years of intense building, the libraries doors finally opened to the public in May of 1911. It was known as the peoples place of triumph and glory. Outside the library sit 2 lions. 1 guards the north side of the library and one guards the south side. In the 1930s Fiorello LaGuardia gave the lions a new nickname, Patience and Fortitude. He felt these were the qualities New Yorkers would need to get through the Great Depression. Dr. Russo led us to the Rose Reading Room in the Library where we each took a seat and wrote our own haiku. The rose reading room is the size of a football field.
After our visit to the library we continued our adventure to Grand Central Terminal, which I actually always thought was Grand Central Station. Oops! This was my first time ever being inside the terminal. WOW! What a site to see. This year the station celebrates its 100th anniversary. It is the largest train station in the world. In the 1950's the automobile changed the way people traveled. They were no longer using trains to get to places. With the help from Robert Moses, it was easy to travel by car everywhere and trains were not as popular. In 1960's the original Penn Station was destroyed and redesigned (by Julies Uncle), and Grand Central was next. Jackie Onassis Kennedy prevented the demolition of the terminal and had it preserved and New York City historical site. There are a million things that are super cool inside the terminal too. The "whispering gallery" is on the Grand Central Terminal dining level in front of the Oyster Bar & Restaurant. Here, the the low arches can cause a whisper to sound like a shout. To test it out, you and a friend will have to stand in opposite corners of the large arched entryway, face the corner and whisper. Your friend should be able to hear your voice as if you were right next to them. Pretty cool right? There's more!!!!!!!!! There's a secret tunnel underneath all of the terminal. It's called track 61, and was used by FDR. It has a secret freight elevator the size of his train car that would take the entire train car straight up the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. Unfortunately you can't see this elevator anymore because it's welded shut. In the 1960's track 61 was also the spot for Andy Warhol's Underground parties, so I guess it's not such a secret anymore.
Speaking of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, that was the next stop on our trip. Let me tell you this hotel is no ordinary hotel. It's one of New York's Luxury hotels built in an art-deco style. Even the lobby bathrooms are upscale. I mentioned earlier that FDR stayed here but so have a million other famous people. Gangsters Frank Costello and Charles "Lucky" Luciano once lived here. Even Marilyn Monroe lived here at one point. It was the investigation site for the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 & has been featured in numerous motion pictures.
Continuing on after the hotel, I was forced into facing one of my biggest fears. We rode the Air-tram to Roosevelt Island. Going up was the hard part, coming down was easier. Professor Hey even told me he was afraid of heights, so I'm proud of us both! Roosevelt Island is home to the FDR Four Freedoms Park which is a tribute to the life and work of FDR. President Roosevelt delivered a speech that shaped this nation, now known as the Four Freedoms speech. He looked forward to a world founded on four human freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. This park honors all of those freedoms, and what a beautiful view it has. Located in the middle of the East River one side of the park has an amazing view of the 59th Street bridge and lower Manhattan and on the other side has a view of Queens and Long Island City.
_ We then took the subway (thank god, because I didn't want to take the
air tram again) to Jackson Heights. Dr. Russo told us it's also called
"Little India". Here the Professors treated us to and Indian buffet
lunch and the Famous Jackson Diner. This was my first encounter with
Indian food. I promised myself I would try it and I did! I was so
proud of myself, even though I was told i was playing it safe.
After an interesting lunch we headed over to Astoria where the topic of gentrification came into play. Astoria is the definition of that. It's an up and coming area with diverse amount of people. Astoria is home of Kaufman studios where tons and tons of movies and t.v. shows have been filmed. We had a chance to visit the Museum of the Moving Image. This by far was one of my favorite stops of the day. This museum is dedicated to the evolution of movies, t.v, video games and more. A very interesting museum!
Finally we took the subway to Long Island City. Now I know I said before that Astoria was the definition of gentrification, but I take it back. Long Island City goes from a slum neighborhood on the east side to an amazing, beautiful and expensive neighborhood on the west side. This all happens with in a matter of 5 blocks too. This is truly a diverse and interesting area.
Here my friends is where my favorite part of the day is! Even thought Dr. Russo wanted us to see PS1 MoMa, they were closed. That was okay with me because I got to see something better. Something an Art Major at Molloy College would NEVER dream of! Before I knew it I was standing inside the 5pointz. It's an outdoor graffiti exhibit, the only one of its kind. The name 5Pointz signifies the 5 boroughs coming together as one but, because of its reputation as an epicenter of the graffiti scene, the area has actually united graffiti artists from across the world. Over the past decade, this AWESOME graffiti-covered warehouse has attracted several hip-hop and R&B artists. On any given day, you can expect to find famous artists, musicians, deejays, rappers, and B-boys (break dancers), filmmakers, photographers, and entire tour buses full of admirers (like myself) soaking in the more than 350 murals. The gallery curator is graffiti veteran Jonathan Cohen, best known by his signature tag, “Meres One.” His goal is to convert the art covered building into a graffiti art museum. This guy definatly knows how to paint too. He managed to create a 3-D mural on one of the walls using only one point perspective. Now that's what I call talent. One of the artists on scene named Zack, a.k.a. "Zerk" was nice enough to talk to us about this amazing place and its purpose. This landmark is in danger of being knocked down so they can build apartment buildings in its place. This actually really makes me sad. All I can say is I'm so glad that I was able to see this before something like that can happen.
We ended the class 5 blocks down on the opposite side of the East River from where we started. We took a break on the piers in Gantry State Park. It was amazing too see that they were able to preserve these original gantries. This park was named for the massive cranes, known as gantries, that were used to load and unload that used the spur track to the main LIRR tracks. From there goods could be transported to the Island or over the Hell Gate Bridge to northern New York and New England.
I ended my day with a packed train ride on the 7 train to Woodside with a few friends. This was a good adventure, some of us had no idea what we were doing (by some I mean me). All in all It was a super interesting day filled with tons of information and exciting facts. I've learned so many things about Queens that I probably would have never known about if I didn't take this class. I can't wait to see what Brooklyn has to offer.
After an interesting lunch we headed over to Astoria where the topic of gentrification came into play. Astoria is the definition of that. It's an up and coming area with diverse amount of people. Astoria is home of Kaufman studios where tons and tons of movies and t.v. shows have been filmed. We had a chance to visit the Museum of the Moving Image. This by far was one of my favorite stops of the day. This museum is dedicated to the evolution of movies, t.v, video games and more. A very interesting museum!
Finally we took the subway to Long Island City. Now I know I said before that Astoria was the definition of gentrification, but I take it back. Long Island City goes from a slum neighborhood on the east side to an amazing, beautiful and expensive neighborhood on the west side. This all happens with in a matter of 5 blocks too. This is truly a diverse and interesting area.
Here my friends is where my favorite part of the day is! Even thought Dr. Russo wanted us to see PS1 MoMa, they were closed. That was okay with me because I got to see something better. Something an Art Major at Molloy College would NEVER dream of! Before I knew it I was standing inside the 5pointz. It's an outdoor graffiti exhibit, the only one of its kind. The name 5Pointz signifies the 5 boroughs coming together as one but, because of its reputation as an epicenter of the graffiti scene, the area has actually united graffiti artists from across the world. Over the past decade, this AWESOME graffiti-covered warehouse has attracted several hip-hop and R&B artists. On any given day, you can expect to find famous artists, musicians, deejays, rappers, and B-boys (break dancers), filmmakers, photographers, and entire tour buses full of admirers (like myself) soaking in the more than 350 murals. The gallery curator is graffiti veteran Jonathan Cohen, best known by his signature tag, “Meres One.” His goal is to convert the art covered building into a graffiti art museum. This guy definatly knows how to paint too. He managed to create a 3-D mural on one of the walls using only one point perspective. Now that's what I call talent. One of the artists on scene named Zack, a.k.a. "Zerk" was nice enough to talk to us about this amazing place and its purpose. This landmark is in danger of being knocked down so they can build apartment buildings in its place. This actually really makes me sad. All I can say is I'm so glad that I was able to see this before something like that can happen.
We ended the class 5 blocks down on the opposite side of the East River from where we started. We took a break on the piers in Gantry State Park. It was amazing too see that they were able to preserve these original gantries. This park was named for the massive cranes, known as gantries, that were used to load and unload that used the spur track to the main LIRR tracks. From there goods could be transported to the Island or over the Hell Gate Bridge to northern New York and New England.
I ended my day with a packed train ride on the 7 train to Woodside with a few friends. This was a good adventure, some of us had no idea what we were doing (by some I mean me). All in all It was a super interesting day filled with tons of information and exciting facts. I've learned so many things about Queens that I probably would have never known about if I didn't take this class. I can't wait to see what Brooklyn has to offer.
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Bodacious brooklyn ~ 7.12.13
Okay, the second class was by far much more tiring than the first. When I got home I was literally asleep within 30 min. The day started off as usual, I met Julie on the train and we made our way into the city. This time instead of Starbucks (because the line was WAY long), we found the closet thing to a diner, and they had decent food too! We also found Amanda!!!!! After a bathroom run we found the rest of our class at our usual meeting spot. Right on schedule we headed out to Coney Island!!! Now I haven't been to Coney Island since I was 6. Obviously at that age everything is bigger because your small. |
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A little history for you, Coney Island is the most famous American beach fronts on the east coast. At first only the wealthy were able to reach Coney Island by a road covered in broken seashells. Before the rides and attractions, Coney Island had a series of beautiful hotels on the water. At this time Coney Island was known for mischievous behavior and if you hung around here you were pretty much up to no good. Coney Island at first, consisted of Sea Lion Park which opened in 1845. It was created by a man named Paul Boyton. It was an aquatic themed park with performing sea lions and a ride similar to log flume water ride of today. Well his idea gave someone else an idea to open another park nearby.
George Tilyou opened Steeplechase Park a few years later. His idea came from the horse racing and gambling from the 3 race tracks in the area. Brooklyn at this time was also known as the racing capital of the world. Anyway, Steeplechase park consisted of people dressed like clowns (some were actually park goers) tormenting each other. There was a ride called "The Steeplechase" (a version which is still there today) where riders would sit on a life size horse and ride along a track as if they were in the horse race themselves. Eventually Steeplechase Park burnt down (which was also very common at Coney Island) and Tilyou actually sold tickets to people to see the burnt down park. He made enough money to rebuild. Sounds crazy right?
Tilyou died in 1914, and his sons were the ones to continue on with the park. The park almost closed in 1966, when Fred Trump, who wanted to build high rises on the land, threw a party to destroy the park. People received bricks to throw through the glass windows of the Pavilion of Fun. Obviously the high rises were never built. Where they were supposed to be built was actually turned into the Brooklyn Cyclones’ baseball stadium, which opened in 2001.
Finally 2 other parks opened. Luna Park which featured attractions like a simulated space ship ride, a visit underwater to see mermaids, a trip to the north pole and performing elephants like Topsy, who was just featured in The Daily News. What really catches my attention is Dr. Martin Couney’s Infant Incubators where guests could view premature babies cared for in the facility, for 25 cents. To me that's just strange. Just like the others before Luna Park burnt down in 1946. There was another park called Dreamland that was built in 1904. Dreamland burnt down in 1911. The fire was so bad that it could be seen from Manhattan! Coney Island is always changing. When cars and home air conditioners were introduced to the public people stopped going to the beach. When Robert Moses built the parkways to Jones Beach people went there instead. I had really high expectations for Coney Island. The weather was poopy so that didn't help! For some reason I remembered it being nicer, but like Mike told us Coney Island is ALWAYS changing. Don't get we wrong I enjoyed my time there. It was nice to see what everyone's always been talking about and hey, I got some darn good Nathans for lunch. Don't worry Coney Island wasn't the only place we visited.
We headed out from Coney Island and ventured to Jay Street in Brooklyn, where we walked a few blocks. Now I thought we were walking to another subway station when we turned the corner. NOPE, it was the NY Transit Museum. This place was pretty cool considering it was an actual 1936 subway station that was never finished. Katherine was our tour guide. Mike told us to look interested and not bored, but to be honest nothing about this exhibit was boring. Katherine walked us through the exhibit called Steel, Stone and Backbone which was given this name because that's what made the subway systems.
In 1900 the construction started for the subway system. Why did we need a subway? Well because it was a way to distribute the population. A majority of New York's population was living in lower Manhattan at this time. People lived where the jobs were because there was no easy way to commute except for walking. In 1827 the Omnibuses were introduced and the first form of public transportation. They held 12 people and were pulled by horses. In the 1830's the Street Car was introduced. This was the same concept as the Omni Bus but it held 25 people and rode along a sunken track in the road. By 1900 there were over 200,000 public transportation horses. These horses were also using the bathroom in the streets. So NY at this time was pretty gross!!! There was also no Sanitation Department either. In the 1860's elevated steam locomotive trains were introduced. You'd think this was a great idea, but people started to complain that the soot from the train was making NY dirtier. These trains were also exposed to all types of weather conditions because they were above ground. In 1888, NY experienced the WORST blizzard in American History. Over 50 inches of snow fell in just 3 days. There was so much snow that the trains couldn't even push through it and 15,000 people were stuck on these elevated trains. Well all of these issues made people think, Hey why not put trains underground! Around this time is when all of NY's power lines go underground too. In 1904 the first branch of the subway was built. Deep rock mining, dynamite, air pressured power drills and pick axes were used to created the tunnels. Most the ruble was transported to islands to prevent erosion. There was also people who were called Sandhogs who worked on created the tunnels underwater. These tunnels are literally under the floor of the river. They started in an airlock chamber to adjust their bodies to the pressure above them. They could only work for 2-3 hours before it was too hot for them. The subways that were built on land were built using the cut and cover method (self explanatory). The people who worked on these tunnels were usually immigrants (Irish & Italian) & African Americans. They were also seen as replaceable. There was no such thing as workers comp back then.
This museum was super interesting because downstairs from the exhibit they have REAL trains. It's the evolution of the subway down there. Way cool!!!!! If you've never been here before I suggest planning a trip!
George Tilyou opened Steeplechase Park a few years later. His idea came from the horse racing and gambling from the 3 race tracks in the area. Brooklyn at this time was also known as the racing capital of the world. Anyway, Steeplechase park consisted of people dressed like clowns (some were actually park goers) tormenting each other. There was a ride called "The Steeplechase" (a version which is still there today) where riders would sit on a life size horse and ride along a track as if they were in the horse race themselves. Eventually Steeplechase Park burnt down (which was also very common at Coney Island) and Tilyou actually sold tickets to people to see the burnt down park. He made enough money to rebuild. Sounds crazy right?
Tilyou died in 1914, and his sons were the ones to continue on with the park. The park almost closed in 1966, when Fred Trump, who wanted to build high rises on the land, threw a party to destroy the park. People received bricks to throw through the glass windows of the Pavilion of Fun. Obviously the high rises were never built. Where they were supposed to be built was actually turned into the Brooklyn Cyclones’ baseball stadium, which opened in 2001.
Finally 2 other parks opened. Luna Park which featured attractions like a simulated space ship ride, a visit underwater to see mermaids, a trip to the north pole and performing elephants like Topsy, who was just featured in The Daily News. What really catches my attention is Dr. Martin Couney’s Infant Incubators where guests could view premature babies cared for in the facility, for 25 cents. To me that's just strange. Just like the others before Luna Park burnt down in 1946. There was another park called Dreamland that was built in 1904. Dreamland burnt down in 1911. The fire was so bad that it could be seen from Manhattan! Coney Island is always changing. When cars and home air conditioners were introduced to the public people stopped going to the beach. When Robert Moses built the parkways to Jones Beach people went there instead. I had really high expectations for Coney Island. The weather was poopy so that didn't help! For some reason I remembered it being nicer, but like Mike told us Coney Island is ALWAYS changing. Don't get we wrong I enjoyed my time there. It was nice to see what everyone's always been talking about and hey, I got some darn good Nathans for lunch. Don't worry Coney Island wasn't the only place we visited.
We headed out from Coney Island and ventured to Jay Street in Brooklyn, where we walked a few blocks. Now I thought we were walking to another subway station when we turned the corner. NOPE, it was the NY Transit Museum. This place was pretty cool considering it was an actual 1936 subway station that was never finished. Katherine was our tour guide. Mike told us to look interested and not bored, but to be honest nothing about this exhibit was boring. Katherine walked us through the exhibit called Steel, Stone and Backbone which was given this name because that's what made the subway systems.
In 1900 the construction started for the subway system. Why did we need a subway? Well because it was a way to distribute the population. A majority of New York's population was living in lower Manhattan at this time. People lived where the jobs were because there was no easy way to commute except for walking. In 1827 the Omnibuses were introduced and the first form of public transportation. They held 12 people and were pulled by horses. In the 1830's the Street Car was introduced. This was the same concept as the Omni Bus but it held 25 people and rode along a sunken track in the road. By 1900 there were over 200,000 public transportation horses. These horses were also using the bathroom in the streets. So NY at this time was pretty gross!!! There was also no Sanitation Department either. In the 1860's elevated steam locomotive trains were introduced. You'd think this was a great idea, but people started to complain that the soot from the train was making NY dirtier. These trains were also exposed to all types of weather conditions because they were above ground. In 1888, NY experienced the WORST blizzard in American History. Over 50 inches of snow fell in just 3 days. There was so much snow that the trains couldn't even push through it and 15,000 people were stuck on these elevated trains. Well all of these issues made people think, Hey why not put trains underground! Around this time is when all of NY's power lines go underground too. In 1904 the first branch of the subway was built. Deep rock mining, dynamite, air pressured power drills and pick axes were used to created the tunnels. Most the ruble was transported to islands to prevent erosion. There was also people who were called Sandhogs who worked on created the tunnels underwater. These tunnels are literally under the floor of the river. They started in an airlock chamber to adjust their bodies to the pressure above them. They could only work for 2-3 hours before it was too hot for them. The subways that were built on land were built using the cut and cover method (self explanatory). The people who worked on these tunnels were usually immigrants (Irish & Italian) & African Americans. They were also seen as replaceable. There was no such thing as workers comp back then.
This museum was super interesting because downstairs from the exhibit they have REAL trains. It's the evolution of the subway down there. Way cool!!!!! If you've never been here before I suggest planning a trip!
After the museum we continued to walk around Brooklyn Heights. Beautiful area by the way! We visited the Brooklyn trust building which is now a modern day bank (wasn't allowed to take any pictures because of that reason). Brooklyn Heights is known for it's great writers and Mike was kind enough to walk us to a few places where the homes of some writers were. This area is also FULL of brownstones. Its basically the only kind of home around. These are beautiful homes and you can tell they hold up well.
We then found ourselves standing at the exact spot where George Washington led his troops away from invasion. A few steps further and I was standing on the Brooklyn Bridge Promenade! WOW! That's all I can say! This "boardwalk" is AMAZING! What a view (check out my picture slide show).
In the 1880's the construction for the Brooklyn Bridge started by a man named John Roebling. His idea was connect the 2 cities and make the commute easier. Before the bridge was built the only way across the East River was by ferry, and like the elevated trains, they were exposed to weather conditions. Well John had gangrene when his foot was crushed by a boat and his son Washington took over the work. Well Washington contracted caissons disease and his wife Emily took it over. She was responsible for the construction of the bridge. Emily would ride back and forth from the bridge to her home to relay messages to Washington. Emily was the first one to cross the bridge in 1883 when it was finished.
We walked the promenade and Mike took some beautiful portraits of us!!! At this point it really started to rain! Before we climbed the steps to walk to the bridge we stopped at Jacques Torres Chocolate. I'm almost positive that I had the best ice cream of my life here (I still have to try Gay guys ice cream too). Real mint ice cream made with spearmint and real dark chocolate chunks YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!
So after ice cream we walked the rest of the way to the Brooklyn Bridge when it REALLY started raining. Mike told us that we could walk the bridge at our own pace and once we did we were done. Well this is also when I realized that I needed to catch a 7:11 p.m. train if I wanted to be home before 10 p.m. So I climbed the steps and started my journey across the bridge. I'll admit I ran more than I walked. I am proud of myself though. I figured out which subway to take all on my own. Julia, Kelsey, Diana and I all got on the 4,5,6 and got off at 33rd, walked (ran) a few blocks and made it to Penn Station with 5 min to spare. Pretty good right?
All in all Brooklyn was beautiful. When Mike asked us which one we liked better, Brooklyn or Queens, I was completely honest. Queens was more interesting than Brooklyn but Brooklyn was so much nicer to look at it.
We then found ourselves standing at the exact spot where George Washington led his troops away from invasion. A few steps further and I was standing on the Brooklyn Bridge Promenade! WOW! That's all I can say! This "boardwalk" is AMAZING! What a view (check out my picture slide show).
In the 1880's the construction for the Brooklyn Bridge started by a man named John Roebling. His idea was connect the 2 cities and make the commute easier. Before the bridge was built the only way across the East River was by ferry, and like the elevated trains, they were exposed to weather conditions. Well John had gangrene when his foot was crushed by a boat and his son Washington took over the work. Well Washington contracted caissons disease and his wife Emily took it over. She was responsible for the construction of the bridge. Emily would ride back and forth from the bridge to her home to relay messages to Washington. Emily was the first one to cross the bridge in 1883 when it was finished.
We walked the promenade and Mike took some beautiful portraits of us!!! At this point it really started to rain! Before we climbed the steps to walk to the bridge we stopped at Jacques Torres Chocolate. I'm almost positive that I had the best ice cream of my life here (I still have to try Gay guys ice cream too). Real mint ice cream made with spearmint and real dark chocolate chunks YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!
So after ice cream we walked the rest of the way to the Brooklyn Bridge when it REALLY started raining. Mike told us that we could walk the bridge at our own pace and once we did we were done. Well this is also when I realized that I needed to catch a 7:11 p.m. train if I wanted to be home before 10 p.m. So I climbed the steps and started my journey across the bridge. I'll admit I ran more than I walked. I am proud of myself though. I figured out which subway to take all on my own. Julia, Kelsey, Diana and I all got on the 4,5,6 and got off at 33rd, walked (ran) a few blocks and made it to Penn Station with 5 min to spare. Pretty good right?
All in all Brooklyn was beautiful. When Mike asked us which one we liked better, Brooklyn or Queens, I was completely honest. Queens was more interesting than Brooklyn but Brooklyn was so much nicer to look at it.
A tale of three villages ~ 7.17.13
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The day started off as usual, Julie and I met on the train and ventured into Penn. We stopped at the diner for breakfast where we found Amanda, and then the 3 of us went to play inside Kmart before class started.
We met our Professors and took the 1 train to Greenwich Village. While we were waiting for train there were some drummers down in the subway playing some really awesome drum beats. Naturally I started dancing, and I spotted a few others across the subway who were joining in the fun too! I must say, she had some EXCELLENT moves! As soon as we got off the train there was a beautiful view of the Freedom Tower (check my photos). I think Mike was a little sideways today too. He couldn't seem to figure out which direction to go! Once he figured that out we found ourselves walking down Bedford Street where we stopped to take a look at 75 1/2, the narrowest home. I guess that's where the 1/2 comes from. When continued down Christopher Street into the heart of the gay community! |
We walked through Christopher Park, where there are 2 sets of statues dedicated to the men and women who liberated the gay community! We continued on and passed by The Stonewall Inn where in the summer of 1969, the police became very aggressive towards the gay community and a lesbian punched a cop. This sparked a riot that lasted days and naturally was given the name the Stonewall Riots.
We continued our journey and passed by the Northern Dispensary, which in its day gave free medical care to the poor. As we approached Gay St. (given its name for the family who resided here not because a gay community lives here) it was full of Federal Style houses. They were simple and elegant. At one time this street was also home to a speakeasy called the Pirates Den!
As the day got hotter, it seemed like the walking got longer. Eventually we were standing at Washington Square Park, which is in the heart of Greenwich Village. In 1895, Standford White built the arches, which are dedicated to George Washington's inauguration. After a brief history lesson about the arches we strolled through the Washington Mews, which at one point were the horse stables for the wealthy. Today they are carriage houses.
Our next stop was the Merchant House Museum. Inside we had a guided tour through the life of Seabury & Eliza Tredwell, whose family lived in this exact home for over 100 years. The home is intact with the original furnishings except for the parlor room sofas. The home was built in 1832 and sold to Seabury in 1835. At one point a total of 17 people were living in this home at once. At that time this area was still considered the "suburbs". In 1936 this home became a museum. We were guided into Eliza's bedroom, complete with two beds, a bathing area, vanity, mirror and sitting chairs. This would have been a dressing area for Eliza and her friends if she was entertaining. I learned that there were two beds in her room because back then women gave birth in the home, and if their child was sick this is where the mother would nurse them back to health.
We walked through what I thought was a closet, but it led to Seabury's room. His room too was complete with bed, sitting chairs, fireplace and mirrors. In the later years this was also known to be Gertrude's room, and we were also told this is where she died. Another reason for two beds. Eliza's room was meant for "hanging out", Seabury's room was simple and plain mainly because he wouldn't have spent much time there.
Both of these rooms were located on the second floor. The third floor which wasn't open would have been where the children's bedrooms were. We climbed all the way to the fourth floor to take a glimpse at the servants room. Which housed 2 servants per room. After we beat the heat of the upper levels we moved down into the parlor rooms. I learned that front parlor was used for entertaining and the back parlor was for formal dining. Both parlors are done in Greek revival style meaning that they mimicked one another. Another fun fact I learned here was that they used mirrors and prisms to light up the room! Down in the basement we saw the family room where the ceilings were 8ft high as compared to the floors upstairs that were 12ft ceilings. This was great to have in the winter because it kept the heat in. This room would have been where the children learned, where they ate meals and just lounged around. The kitchen was also in the basement, which I thought was odd, but hey it's 1835 right? The kitchen was the servants domain. This is where they would have spent all their time. Finally we took a quick glimpse of the garden which stretched narrowly from the back of the house.
We continued our journey and passed by the Northern Dispensary, which in its day gave free medical care to the poor. As we approached Gay St. (given its name for the family who resided here not because a gay community lives here) it was full of Federal Style houses. They were simple and elegant. At one time this street was also home to a speakeasy called the Pirates Den!
As the day got hotter, it seemed like the walking got longer. Eventually we were standing at Washington Square Park, which is in the heart of Greenwich Village. In 1895, Standford White built the arches, which are dedicated to George Washington's inauguration. After a brief history lesson about the arches we strolled through the Washington Mews, which at one point were the horse stables for the wealthy. Today they are carriage houses.
Our next stop was the Merchant House Museum. Inside we had a guided tour through the life of Seabury & Eliza Tredwell, whose family lived in this exact home for over 100 years. The home is intact with the original furnishings except for the parlor room sofas. The home was built in 1832 and sold to Seabury in 1835. At one point a total of 17 people were living in this home at once. At that time this area was still considered the "suburbs". In 1936 this home became a museum. We were guided into Eliza's bedroom, complete with two beds, a bathing area, vanity, mirror and sitting chairs. This would have been a dressing area for Eliza and her friends if she was entertaining. I learned that there were two beds in her room because back then women gave birth in the home, and if their child was sick this is where the mother would nurse them back to health.
We walked through what I thought was a closet, but it led to Seabury's room. His room too was complete with bed, sitting chairs, fireplace and mirrors. In the later years this was also known to be Gertrude's room, and we were also told this is where she died. Another reason for two beds. Eliza's room was meant for "hanging out", Seabury's room was simple and plain mainly because he wouldn't have spent much time there.
Both of these rooms were located on the second floor. The third floor which wasn't open would have been where the children's bedrooms were. We climbed all the way to the fourth floor to take a glimpse at the servants room. Which housed 2 servants per room. After we beat the heat of the upper levels we moved down into the parlor rooms. I learned that front parlor was used for entertaining and the back parlor was for formal dining. Both parlors are done in Greek revival style meaning that they mimicked one another. Another fun fact I learned here was that they used mirrors and prisms to light up the room! Down in the basement we saw the family room where the ceilings were 8ft high as compared to the floors upstairs that were 12ft ceilings. This was great to have in the winter because it kept the heat in. This room would have been where the children learned, where they ate meals and just lounged around. The kitchen was also in the basement, which I thought was odd, but hey it's 1835 right? The kitchen was the servants domain. This is where they would have spent all their time. Finally we took a quick glimpse of the garden which stretched narrowly from the back of the house.
It was finally time for lunch, so Julia, Emily and I headed out for some pizza and some AC! After lunch I was still feeling the heat and it seemed like a 7-11 appeared out of no where. So I bought myself a Slurpee and placed it where I thought it would cool me down the most!
After lunch we headed to a place that Mike thought was interesting, St. Mark's on the Bowery. This church is actually the grave site of Peter Stuyvesant.
By this time of the day it was extremely HOT. I don't really remember the walk but we ended up in the East Village. Here we walked through Tompkins Square Park, where I was told if I were to walk through here in the 80's I'd be dead. We also visited the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space. The purpose of the museum is to celebrate the local activists who transformed abandoned buildings and vacant lots into vibrant community spaces and gardens. Here is where we all met Bill. Bill seemed a little strange off the bat, but I later learned that he was one of these activists who transformed the neighborhood. Bill had been around the area since 1979, so he knew a lot. What I understood from Bill was that, in the 70's landowners gave up on their buildings and left. Community activists, like Bill, took over these buildings and created the gardens around the area. These newly inhabited buildings were called squats. They were popping up all over the area. In the 80's the city tried to take back all the buildings and the police went after the squats. They took them by force if they had too. In May of 1995, they had to use a tank and men with snipers to get the people inside the 13th St. squat out. Today, only 11 original squats are left. Bill was also able to show us the inside of one of the gardens. They truly are beautiful, and it's a wonderful community area.
Bill also gave us a lot of information. None of which I was able to retain. I remember bits and pieces of it but nothing in full. It's a same too because I know what he was saying was meaningful to him. I personally think it was just too damn hot to be standing in the street listening to a 30 min speech about a building. Thankfully, Mike cut Bills speech short and we were on our way back to Penn!
After lunch we headed to a place that Mike thought was interesting, St. Mark's on the Bowery. This church is actually the grave site of Peter Stuyvesant.
By this time of the day it was extremely HOT. I don't really remember the walk but we ended up in the East Village. Here we walked through Tompkins Square Park, where I was told if I were to walk through here in the 80's I'd be dead. We also visited the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space. The purpose of the museum is to celebrate the local activists who transformed abandoned buildings and vacant lots into vibrant community spaces and gardens. Here is where we all met Bill. Bill seemed a little strange off the bat, but I later learned that he was one of these activists who transformed the neighborhood. Bill had been around the area since 1979, so he knew a lot. What I understood from Bill was that, in the 70's landowners gave up on their buildings and left. Community activists, like Bill, took over these buildings and created the gardens around the area. These newly inhabited buildings were called squats. They were popping up all over the area. In the 80's the city tried to take back all the buildings and the police went after the squats. They took them by force if they had too. In May of 1995, they had to use a tank and men with snipers to get the people inside the 13th St. squat out. Today, only 11 original squats are left. Bill was also able to show us the inside of one of the gardens. They truly are beautiful, and it's a wonderful community area.
Bill also gave us a lot of information. None of which I was able to retain. I remember bits and pieces of it but nothing in full. It's a same too because I know what he was saying was meaningful to him. I personally think it was just too damn hot to be standing in the street listening to a 30 min speech about a building. Thankfully, Mike cut Bills speech short and we were on our way back to Penn!