Journal 1
Impressions of New York
When I think about Manhattan, I think of the capital of the world. Manhattan has some of the most expensive real estate in the world. the New York times quoted, the average sale price of an apartment in Manhattan at 1.45 millions dollars. when I think of Manhattan I think of wealth, and a tourist attraction that people from all overt the world come to experience. I think of the many buildings that represent the various styles of architecture that are throughout Manhattan. I think about Madison Square Garden where the Knicks, Rangers compete against other teams to determine which team will prevail. I think about the theaters and the many times I have attended a play and after had dinner at a restaurant that charged me to much money for the food and yet I gladly pay my tab. when I think of Manhattan I think about Central Park and the horses pulling the carriages throughout the Park. I think about Symphony Hall and my dream to one day attend a function there. I think about the ambience of Manhattan and the people constantly moving with the yellow cabs jockeying for passengers. I think about how alive it is flowing with the wave of people. when I think about Manhattan I think about the city that never sleeps but I am glad that I live in Queens New York.
Quixotic Queens
7/10/13
Today was our first of class. I did not know what to expect. I was anxious and excited at the same time. I got on the 10: 08 am LIRR to Pen Station. I arrived at Pen Station at 10:31 am. I looked around to see if I knew any familiar faces. I stood there for about 15 minutes then I saw Christina, she was in two of my previous nursing classes last semester. we hugged we were happy to see each other. I felt a little better now that I knew somebody that will be part of the group. Around 10:50 almost everybody showed up. Prof Mike map out the plan for the day. Definitely it will be lot of walking and a lot of places to visit. We have a long day ahead.
Our first stop was the New York Library built in 1911. Mike told us that the two lions statues in front of the building were Patience and Fortitude. They were
named by Mayor La Guardia during the great depression. Above the entrance they were six figures allegorical : History, Romance, Religion, Poetry, Drama, and philosophy. (BG pg.208). when we got inside the building I was amazed by the paintings on the walls. The ceiling in the Library was spectacular. There were a lot of people doing different things like reading, on the internet, taking pictures, or just walking around. We were allowed to go in the main room where we stat down for five minutes and wrote a NYC Haiku.
The following stop was the Grand Central. I had seen it in so many movies. seeing it in person was impressive. Grand Central is not an ordinary train station, it has high vaulted decorated ceiling with historic décor. it is a gorgeous building with art deco designs. It is full of life with so many people moving about. Grand Central was opened in 1913. it is one of New York busiest terminals. The travelers can find a variety of shops and restaurants. (BG pg. 229). Grand Central Station is cleaner then Penn Station. The architecture is beautiful, the ornate chandelier, the beautiful clock with four figures, and marble steps add a classic touch to the building. The Grand Central terminal is not to far from the Chrysler Building.
Next destination was Roosevelt Island. We walked to 59th street. On our way to the Island we stopped in front of the Seagram Building. We went to the gorgeous Waldrorf Astoria Hotel. We saw pictures of the rich and famous people and artists who stayed there. Among them was a picture of the beautiful Lena Horne in a red dress. That was a very nice hotel. On my way out I wondered how much would it cost me to stay there for one night? We continued our journey to 60th street where we got on the tram air. We crossed the East River and landed on the other side which was Roosevelt Island. That was pretty amazing. We walked for a long time.It seems like It was about two mile long of just land. We passed an old scary building that used be a small pox hospital. when we reach to the site where a huge head of Franklin D. Roosevelt was located, we took pictures, sat down and enjoyed the beautiful view.
We walked the long strip back toward the subway were we got on the train to Jackson Heights. We were all excited by the thought of having lunch soon. Mike had prepare us about the type food that we will have for lunch. It was going to be Indian food, buffet style. The name of the Indian Restaurant was Jackson Diner. I never had Indian food before. On my way to the restaurant I was wondering if the food was going to be spicy. I can not eat spicy food. When we got there some of the tables were reserved for us. We did not have to wait to be sited. Nice touch Mike! I had a little bit of everything in my plate because I wanted to taste everything that they had on the buffet menu. Everything was delicious. I really enjoyed the food and I was so happy that it was not spicy.
The next stop was the wow factor of my day. After lunch we walked through little India. We got on the R train to Steinway St and walked to the museum of the moving image. The building where we were in was part of the apartment studio Astoria complex which was a processing lab film. They would move the film material to various photo chemicals in order to develop it and moving it to anything else for the film material to be edited together and watch it in the theaters. Right across the street was the complex Astoria studio where recently Men in Black 3 was produced, Sesame street still film there, The Cosby Show was also filmed there. In the 1980's that's when the museum displayed the history of all kind of film. The museum of the movie image was one of the first museum that focus on the presentation of video game history. On the second floor they have the display of arcade games, old TV console. I changed a dollar for quarters of the museum movie image. I played the Pac Man game and Pong on Donkey Kong with a friend. It was a lot of fun. There were a lot of old cool stuff there that you can interact with. This was pretty amazing. They had a lot of items from many popular movies and TV shows. I enjoyed looking at the costumes. The dress, headdress, and shoes wore by Queen Latifah as Matron Mama in Chicago(2002). The Suit worn by Don Johnson as detective James Crocket during the 1984 - 1985. Season of Miami Vice (1984-!990) just to name a few. The movie making section was amazing. The stages of the make up reconstruction of Jim Carey in the Movie Mask 1994 was very interesting. There were a lot of amazing set designs. I learned about audio and there was a lot of microphones and different cameras, TV and film equipment. that you can use and pretend that you are making your own movie. There are a lot of interactive cool stuff there. I did not know what to expect when I went to the museum of the moving image. The museum is Worth visiting. I will definitely go back with my son. I am sure that he will like it very much.
We went to Long Island City next. We stopped at MoMA PS1, which was the city's first public school until 1963. The public school was closed in 1997 due to low attendance. PS1 was turn into a warehouse. After three years the building was reopened, this time as a Contemporary Art Center. (BG pg. 261). Unfortunately, the building was closed when we got there after 5:30 pm. I heard that the museum is very interesting. I will go back during business hours. After our brief stop in front of PS1 we headed across the street to a place called 5Pointz. The name 5Pointz symbolizes the five boroughs coming together as one. This is a place where different graffiti artists come to experience themselves through arts. On our way we stopped to a little art gallery which was not what I was expected. Anyway, I have seeing graffiti on walls before but never to that level. We meet two young artists who were working on a project. One of them was nice, he stopped what he was working on and talk to us. He said that right now they are trying to shut them down and demolish the building in order to built some expensive condominiums. We assigned the petition to stop the turning of the building into condominiums. He said that there is one side of the building that the graffiti only stay for two weeks. Another artists will come and paint over somebody else graffiti. There is another part of the building call the production side where the graffiti can stay on the walls for over a year. It was very impressive, those artists are very creative and talented.
After Long Island City we headed west to the East river. We went to side where the Coca-Cola sign was located. We sat there and took some pictures, enjoyed the view and nice breeze. From there we can see the Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park which we visited earlier that day. The class ended after that last stopped. Everybody was happy to go home. I went back to Penn station were I bought a peak ticket to Jamaica Station. I did not know that off peak ticket started after 8:00 pm. I paid almost $10.00 for the ticket.
It was a long and hot day, at lot of walking but it was worth every drops of sweat. I realized that there is a lot that I did not know about New York. Even thought the class requires a lot of walking and paper work I am glad that I choose it. In one day I learned so much history about Manhattan and Queens. I visit so many interesting and beautiful places that I had no idea existed. It was a great day.
Today was our first of class. I did not know what to expect. I was anxious and excited at the same time. I got on the 10: 08 am LIRR to Pen Station. I arrived at Pen Station at 10:31 am. I looked around to see if I knew any familiar faces. I stood there for about 15 minutes then I saw Christina, she was in two of my previous nursing classes last semester. we hugged we were happy to see each other. I felt a little better now that I knew somebody that will be part of the group. Around 10:50 almost everybody showed up. Prof Mike map out the plan for the day. Definitely it will be lot of walking and a lot of places to visit. We have a long day ahead.
Our first stop was the New York Library built in 1911. Mike told us that the two lions statues in front of the building were Patience and Fortitude. They were
named by Mayor La Guardia during the great depression. Above the entrance they were six figures allegorical : History, Romance, Religion, Poetry, Drama, and philosophy. (BG pg.208). when we got inside the building I was amazed by the paintings on the walls. The ceiling in the Library was spectacular. There were a lot of people doing different things like reading, on the internet, taking pictures, or just walking around. We were allowed to go in the main room where we stat down for five minutes and wrote a NYC Haiku.
The following stop was the Grand Central. I had seen it in so many movies. seeing it in person was impressive. Grand Central is not an ordinary train station, it has high vaulted decorated ceiling with historic décor. it is a gorgeous building with art deco designs. It is full of life with so many people moving about. Grand Central was opened in 1913. it is one of New York busiest terminals. The travelers can find a variety of shops and restaurants. (BG pg. 229). Grand Central Station is cleaner then Penn Station. The architecture is beautiful, the ornate chandelier, the beautiful clock with four figures, and marble steps add a classic touch to the building. The Grand Central terminal is not to far from the Chrysler Building.
Next destination was Roosevelt Island. We walked to 59th street. On our way to the Island we stopped in front of the Seagram Building. We went to the gorgeous Waldrorf Astoria Hotel. We saw pictures of the rich and famous people and artists who stayed there. Among them was a picture of the beautiful Lena Horne in a red dress. That was a very nice hotel. On my way out I wondered how much would it cost me to stay there for one night? We continued our journey to 60th street where we got on the tram air. We crossed the East River and landed on the other side which was Roosevelt Island. That was pretty amazing. We walked for a long time.It seems like It was about two mile long of just land. We passed an old scary building that used be a small pox hospital. when we reach to the site where a huge head of Franklin D. Roosevelt was located, we took pictures, sat down and enjoyed the beautiful view.
We walked the long strip back toward the subway were we got on the train to Jackson Heights. We were all excited by the thought of having lunch soon. Mike had prepare us about the type food that we will have for lunch. It was going to be Indian food, buffet style. The name of the Indian Restaurant was Jackson Diner. I never had Indian food before. On my way to the restaurant I was wondering if the food was going to be spicy. I can not eat spicy food. When we got there some of the tables were reserved for us. We did not have to wait to be sited. Nice touch Mike! I had a little bit of everything in my plate because I wanted to taste everything that they had on the buffet menu. Everything was delicious. I really enjoyed the food and I was so happy that it was not spicy.
The next stop was the wow factor of my day. After lunch we walked through little India. We got on the R train to Steinway St and walked to the museum of the moving image. The building where we were in was part of the apartment studio Astoria complex which was a processing lab film. They would move the film material to various photo chemicals in order to develop it and moving it to anything else for the film material to be edited together and watch it in the theaters. Right across the street was the complex Astoria studio where recently Men in Black 3 was produced, Sesame street still film there, The Cosby Show was also filmed there. In the 1980's that's when the museum displayed the history of all kind of film. The museum of the movie image was one of the first museum that focus on the presentation of video game history. On the second floor they have the display of arcade games, old TV console. I changed a dollar for quarters of the museum movie image. I played the Pac Man game and Pong on Donkey Kong with a friend. It was a lot of fun. There were a lot of old cool stuff there that you can interact with. This was pretty amazing. They had a lot of items from many popular movies and TV shows. I enjoyed looking at the costumes. The dress, headdress, and shoes wore by Queen Latifah as Matron Mama in Chicago(2002). The Suit worn by Don Johnson as detective James Crocket during the 1984 - 1985. Season of Miami Vice (1984-!990) just to name a few. The movie making section was amazing. The stages of the make up reconstruction of Jim Carey in the Movie Mask 1994 was very interesting. There were a lot of amazing set designs. I learned about audio and there was a lot of microphones and different cameras, TV and film equipment. that you can use and pretend that you are making your own movie. There are a lot of interactive cool stuff there. I did not know what to expect when I went to the museum of the moving image. The museum is Worth visiting. I will definitely go back with my son. I am sure that he will like it very much.
We went to Long Island City next. We stopped at MoMA PS1, which was the city's first public school until 1963. The public school was closed in 1997 due to low attendance. PS1 was turn into a warehouse. After three years the building was reopened, this time as a Contemporary Art Center. (BG pg. 261). Unfortunately, the building was closed when we got there after 5:30 pm. I heard that the museum is very interesting. I will go back during business hours. After our brief stop in front of PS1 we headed across the street to a place called 5Pointz. The name 5Pointz symbolizes the five boroughs coming together as one. This is a place where different graffiti artists come to experience themselves through arts. On our way we stopped to a little art gallery which was not what I was expected. Anyway, I have seeing graffiti on walls before but never to that level. We meet two young artists who were working on a project. One of them was nice, he stopped what he was working on and talk to us. He said that right now they are trying to shut them down and demolish the building in order to built some expensive condominiums. We assigned the petition to stop the turning of the building into condominiums. He said that there is one side of the building that the graffiti only stay for two weeks. Another artists will come and paint over somebody else graffiti. There is another part of the building call the production side where the graffiti can stay on the walls for over a year. It was very impressive, those artists are very creative and talented.
After Long Island City we headed west to the East river. We went to side where the Coca-Cola sign was located. We sat there and took some pictures, enjoyed the view and nice breeze. From there we can see the Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park which we visited earlier that day. The class ended after that last stopped. Everybody was happy to go home. I went back to Penn station were I bought a peak ticket to Jamaica Station. I did not know that off peak ticket started after 8:00 pm. I paid almost $10.00 for the ticket.
It was a long and hot day, at lot of walking but it was worth every drops of sweat. I realized that there is a lot that I did not know about New York. Even thought the class requires a lot of walking and paper work I am glad that I choose it. In one day I learned so much history about Manhattan and Queens. I visit so many interesting and beautiful places that I had no idea existed. It was a great day.
Bodacious Brooklyn
7/12/2013
Today was our second class. I got to Penn Station around 10:30 am. I went to Kmart to browse around. When I looked at the time it was already 10:55. I rushed that the escalator, to the restroom, because I did not want to be left back and try to catch with the group. By the time I met with the group it was 10:59. Mike was taking attendance. He said: you were at Kmart earlier? I said yes and smile. After he mapped out our day, we headed out to the subway station were we took the D train from Manhattan to Coney Island. The train ride was long maybe about 45 minutes. It was a nice and relaxing ride.
When we had finally arrived at Coney Island we gathered around Mike and he talked about the history of Coney Island. We learned that Coney Island is not really an Island but a Peninsula. It is joined to the mainland by a landfill. In the early 1800's it was settled by the Dutch and they decided to call it Konjin Eiland after the rabbits they found there. (BG pg. 492).
The first time I went to Coney Island was in 1998. My girlfriends came up from Florida and Canada to visit. I took them there were they had a good time.
Mike told us that we had one hour to do whatever we wanted to. When I got there I was a little bit disappointed. Coney Island did not look the same, for some reason the place looked so much different from what I remembered. My friend and I we walked around, took some pictures, but we did not get on any rides. Nobody was on the famous Cyclone which is a landmark of Coney Island. We stopped at Nathan's for lunch. The lines were long and the service very slow. I ordered a chicken sandwich and lemonade, my friend ordered a hotdog and cheese fries. We sat down on a bench by the beach and had lunch. Time went by very quickly. we gathered around at 1:20 pm. at the meeting spot. We took the F train to Jay street. When we got off the train it started raining a little bit.
Our next destination was The Transit Museum. The museum is a real subway station. As you enter the station there is a ticket booth, a gift shop, and passageway detailing the history of how the subway was built. They have a lot of pictures of the workers who helped build the tunnels, their wages, and different challenges that they had to go through while building the subway. A collection of some of the tools that they used, the antique turnstiles and a collection of subway tokens throughout history were also on display. The New York Transit Museum is a two level subterranean museum. It is located in an unused subway station. (BG, pg.468). Our tour guide was Catherine. she was nice and very knowledgeable. She told us that the subway station was built in 1936. The station was never completed, it becomes a museum. One of the workers named Marshall Maybe survived a tunnel blow out. The work was very dangerous and challenging. They had to built the tunnel underneath the river. They have to stay in the chamber for fifteen minutes. The second level was a nice surprise. They have a variety of antique subway cars on the rails. Each of them had a description. The money train was very interesting. All the old trains were preserved well and nicely kept. The museum is a great place to learn about the history of the city of New York and the subway system.
Today was our second class. I got to Penn Station around 10:30 am. I went to Kmart to browse around. When I looked at the time it was already 10:55. I rushed that the escalator, to the restroom, because I did not want to be left back and try to catch with the group. By the time I met with the group it was 10:59. Mike was taking attendance. He said: you were at Kmart earlier? I said yes and smile. After he mapped out our day, we headed out to the subway station were we took the D train from Manhattan to Coney Island. The train ride was long maybe about 45 minutes. It was a nice and relaxing ride.
When we had finally arrived at Coney Island we gathered around Mike and he talked about the history of Coney Island. We learned that Coney Island is not really an Island but a Peninsula. It is joined to the mainland by a landfill. In the early 1800's it was settled by the Dutch and they decided to call it Konjin Eiland after the rabbits they found there. (BG pg. 492).
The first time I went to Coney Island was in 1998. My girlfriends came up from Florida and Canada to visit. I took them there were they had a good time.
Mike told us that we had one hour to do whatever we wanted to. When I got there I was a little bit disappointed. Coney Island did not look the same, for some reason the place looked so much different from what I remembered. My friend and I we walked around, took some pictures, but we did not get on any rides. Nobody was on the famous Cyclone which is a landmark of Coney Island. We stopped at Nathan's for lunch. The lines were long and the service very slow. I ordered a chicken sandwich and lemonade, my friend ordered a hotdog and cheese fries. We sat down on a bench by the beach and had lunch. Time went by very quickly. we gathered around at 1:20 pm. at the meeting spot. We took the F train to Jay street. When we got off the train it started raining a little bit.
Our next destination was The Transit Museum. The museum is a real subway station. As you enter the station there is a ticket booth, a gift shop, and passageway detailing the history of how the subway was built. They have a lot of pictures of the workers who helped build the tunnels, their wages, and different challenges that they had to go through while building the subway. A collection of some of the tools that they used, the antique turnstiles and a collection of subway tokens throughout history were also on display. The New York Transit Museum is a two level subterranean museum. It is located in an unused subway station. (BG, pg.468). Our tour guide was Catherine. she was nice and very knowledgeable. She told us that the subway station was built in 1936. The station was never completed, it becomes a museum. One of the workers named Marshall Maybe survived a tunnel blow out. The work was very dangerous and challenging. They had to built the tunnel underneath the river. They have to stay in the chamber for fifteen minutes. The second level was a nice surprise. They have a variety of antique subway cars on the rails. Each of them had a description. The money train was very interesting. All the old trains were preserved well and nicely kept. The museum is a great place to learn about the history of the city of New York and the subway system.
After the museum we took a walk through Brooklyn Heights. It was still raining. Mike asked us if we wanted to end our day and go home. We said no because we did not want to have to make up the class. We learned that Brooklyn borough hall was built between 1846 and 1851, it is Brooklyn's oldest public building. As we walked through Brooklyn Heights, Mike pointed out some very beautiful buildings. The architecture style of the buildings was neoclassical and gothic. We walked through a nice building which houses a chase bank. The area was known for its beautiful churches and banks. On the façade of the Brooklyn Historical Society we saw the Terra-cotta heads of a native American, the busts Johann Gutenberg, Benjamin Franklin. (BG. pg,472.)
We continued our journey down the East river. The apartments in that area are very expensive. Mayor Bloomberg decided to build a park down below. It is a good idea because the place was very unattractive, and it was just a waste. I can not wait to see the finish product. I am sure it will be a nice park where children and people of all ages will be able to enjoy. We walked through pier 1. We saw a lot locks that people had put on the gate for various sentimental reason. We stopped and to take pictures at a old historic building. A bride and a groom were also at the site taking pictures. There were a huge Carousel near by, Christina and I got on for a few rounds. It was quiet relaxing. After that stop we made our way to the famous Jacques Torres where we were delighted to have some delicious ice cream. I had one scoop of mocha. It was so good that I said to myself that I should have ordered two scoops. we learned that Jacques Torres was the same company that made the chocolate for The I Love Lucy Show, when Lucy was shoving chocolate in her mouth by the handful. I love that show.
Our last stop for the day was the Famous Brooklyn Bridge. On our way to the bridge it started raining. It was my fist time walking the Brooklyn Bridge. I was excited but by the same token I would rather walk the bridge on a nice sunny day where I can better enjoy the view. I almost got run over by a cyclist and the guy scream at me. Mike told us that it was ok to go home and gave us direction to the nearest train station. He said that because we walk the Brooklyn Bridge in the rain, we have ten points in the book of live. I taught that was funny. How about your grade book Mike? How much will we get? I took the E train home.
It was another great day and fun day. Even though it was a hot humid and raining day, don't forget a lot of walking, I enjoyed every minute. I learned a great deal about Brooklyn. There were a lot of places in Brooklyn that I did not know existed. Brooklyn is Beautiful!
We continued our journey down the East river. The apartments in that area are very expensive. Mayor Bloomberg decided to build a park down below. It is a good idea because the place was very unattractive, and it was just a waste. I can not wait to see the finish product. I am sure it will be a nice park where children and people of all ages will be able to enjoy. We walked through pier 1. We saw a lot locks that people had put on the gate for various sentimental reason. We stopped and to take pictures at a old historic building. A bride and a groom were also at the site taking pictures. There were a huge Carousel near by, Christina and I got on for a few rounds. It was quiet relaxing. After that stop we made our way to the famous Jacques Torres where we were delighted to have some delicious ice cream. I had one scoop of mocha. It was so good that I said to myself that I should have ordered two scoops. we learned that Jacques Torres was the same company that made the chocolate for The I Love Lucy Show, when Lucy was shoving chocolate in her mouth by the handful. I love that show.
Our last stop for the day was the Famous Brooklyn Bridge. On our way to the bridge it started raining. It was my fist time walking the Brooklyn Bridge. I was excited but by the same token I would rather walk the bridge on a nice sunny day where I can better enjoy the view. I almost got run over by a cyclist and the guy scream at me. Mike told us that it was ok to go home and gave us direction to the nearest train station. He said that because we walk the Brooklyn Bridge in the rain, we have ten points in the book of live. I taught that was funny. How about your grade book Mike? How much will we get? I took the E train home.
It was another great day and fun day. Even though it was a hot humid and raining day, don't forget a lot of walking, I enjoyed every minute. I learned a great deal about Brooklyn. There were a lot of places in Brooklyn that I did not know existed. Brooklyn is Beautiful!
A tale of three Villages
7/17/2013
Before I left this morning I checked the weather. It is going to be 95 degrees very hot and humid. I arrived at Penn Station around 10:15. I decided to have breakfast at Mc Donald's. We gathered around and waited for Mike to arrive. Our destination was the Three Villages. I usually hear different stories about The Villages but I did not know much about the history. I was very excited to start our journey through the Villages.
We walked toward the subway station. We got on the number 1 train and got off at Canal street. As I was going up the stair I could tell that it was already hot outside. We walked toward the Greenwich village. I noticed that the streets were very narrow. Mike told us that the buildings in the area were built symmetrically to the next building, the architectural style of the building is different from Long Island because the buildings are not identical there. We saw the most narrow house in the city. The address was 75 1/2 Bedford street.(BG. pg, 141). I thought that was funny that the house did not have a whole number. We learned that Edna St Vincent Millay once lived there from 1892 to 1950. We headed toward Christopher street. We stopped in front of The Art of NY State Community but it was closed. We gathered around Mike. He told us that Christopher street was known to be one of the most gay populated area of the city. In Dutch time people were not allow to be openly gay. They were persecuted, beaten and killed for been gay. We stopped at Christopher Park we saw the Gay Liberation Monument, which symbolized the right to be openly gay. As we were walking we passed by the famous Stonewall Inn. We learned that the Stonewall Inn was owned by the Mafia. It was known to be popular among the gay community. In 1969 the police raid the bar a lot of people were arrested and hospitalized. That event lead to the gay liberation movement, and the fight for lesbian and gay rights.
We walk through gay street, toward Washington square park. The sign does not have anything to do with the gay community. It just happened that the street was named after the family who once lived there. Washington Square Park is considered a historic park, a river used to run through there. Robert Moses who was the master builder of mid 20th century New York City; wanted to run an expressway through the park. We were told that in the 1970's if you wanted to buy any kind of drugs Washington Square Park was the place to be. We walked down Washington square north and fifth avenue where a lot of people live. They pay a lot of money for their houses. We passed La Lanterna di Vittorio between West 3rd street and Macdougd street. Bleecker street and Macdougd are in the center of the village where prostitution, drugs, and lot of other stuff used take place in the 1950's. We saw a store name Peculer Beer where people can find any kind of beer from all over the world.
After our visit to Washington Square our next stop was The Merchant's House of New York. Our guide tour was Emily. She was a very nice young lady. She started our tour downstairs in the family room. She told us that the house was built in 1832 by Joseph Brewster Know as the Bond street area. The area was considered as an exclusive residential suburb for rich people who wanted a quiet place to live and be away from the busy street of lower Manhattan. In 1835, Joseph Brewster sold the house to Seabury Tredwell who was a hardware merchant and his wife Eliza. They moved in with their seven children. In 1840 Eliza gave birth to her eight child named Gertrude. The neighborhood has changed over the years and a lot people left the area for more beautiful houses. Seabury, his wife and the children remained in the house. Gertrude never Got married, she died in the house in 1933. In 1936 the house was open to the public as a museum. The house has all the original furniture and personal belongings of the Tredwell. In the family room was where the Tredwells would have their meals if they did not have any guests over. They had a plat warmer in the room that would able them to eat on a warm plate. They spent time together, reading. The wall color in the room was from the 1850's. The rug in the room was replica of the original one that they used to have in the formal dining room. We walked to the kitchen it was nice everything was kept the same except for the sink and washer. The Trewells had four Irish servants, their day would start a 4 am. The Trewells were fortunate to have running water because they were wealthy people. The servants had to walk up 90 stairs to bring the bucket of water. Everyday the servants has to struggles with rats, mice and roaches in order to keep them away from the food. There were three different bells in the kitchen and the servants knew which room to go to and they must answer to it promptly. The first floor was very elaborated with Greek revival style interior décor. Eliza had social obligations. If a neighbor came to visit she had to return the favor. They will go to each other's house back and forth. If they had guests over, the family will eat in the dinning room. Eliza would take a bath in her room in cold water without soap which was beneficial for her health. They had some of her under garments on display in her room. The kids had their own rooms. if one of them was sick, the servant would bring the child to Eliza's bedroom where she would take care of the sick child. Seabury died in his bed in 1965. His wife and him had separate bedroom. When somebody is near death a family member would sit in the room and watch for 24 hours and keep a journal. When the person expired all the mirrors in the house is covered with black drapery as a sign of mourning. They thought that if they look in the mirror they may see the image of the death person looking back at them. The ceremony would take place in the house. Any social life was not allowed. The widow has to mourn the death of her spouse for 24 months. For men it was different because they had to go back to work. Eliza died in the same room in 1909. Emily the tour guide told us that The merchant's house is considered Manhattan most haunted house. In the 1930's people has reported some ghost activities. In November they usually have ghost exhibition in the merchant's house for Halloween. I would love to see that.
We went to lunch. I was glad to finally sit down in a cool place and have meal. It was" burning up" in the Merchant's House. I had chipotle, brown rice, red beans, salsa ,and grilled chicken. It was delicious. I enjoyed it. After lunch we met at 3:15 in front of Khyber Pass restaurant. We headed toward the East village. We stopped at St Marks church but it was closed. Our next stop was the gay ice cream parlor. It was very tiny. The cashier and the servers were friendly. I had a regular vanilla ice cream corn for $5.06 which I thought was over price. I did not have the famous salty pimp ice cream but I hear that it was good. We walked pass Tompkins Square park to our next destination which was the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space. (MoRUS) reclaimed space and makes it green. When we got there, the museum was not opened. After about 10 minutes April opened the museum gate for us. Mike had already paid for our tour. Bill which was our tour guide was late. We waited about 15 to 20 minutes. When Bill Got there he took us affront of the 9th street community garden park. It was founded in 1978 and it is maintained by neighborhood volunteers through Green Tumb. Green Tumb is an organization that help the community transformed vacant properties into beautiful gardens. Bill pointed out a building where squatters uses to live. From 1970's to 1980's C-squat was the last remaining squat. They would transform abandoned buildings into their habitat. The police would kick them out of some the buildings. Bill took us to the La Plaza Cultural. We went in the garden where we saw compost, he explained the procedure on how recycled materials are turned into soil that allowed people to grow plants in the garden. In the Garden they had two different murals. one represented the people of Guatemala and the other one Nicaragua. The murals were there since the 1980's. We stopped across the street from the Christodora house . It was built for the community use. In the !960's the building was vacant and was taking over by the black panters. in 1970's the building was turn over into apartments. We sat in front of St Brigitte church. The church was build in 1948. Father George would cook a lot of food and bring it over to the park and feed the poor. He was arrested. They had a campaign to save the church. We stopped a front the last garden which was the Lower east side Ecology Center Garden. People had to take turn sleeping in a cocky just in case the police will come to evicted the building.
The tour was long. Bill talked a lot about different topics. I was hot and sweaty, I tried hard to pay attention to what he was saying. After the tour we headed south. Some students went back to Penn station. Two of my friends and I took the F train to Forest hills and then transfer to the E train. Overall it was a good sweaty day. I really enjoyed the villages especially the tour and the history of the Merchant's house.
Before I left this morning I checked the weather. It is going to be 95 degrees very hot and humid. I arrived at Penn Station around 10:15. I decided to have breakfast at Mc Donald's. We gathered around and waited for Mike to arrive. Our destination was the Three Villages. I usually hear different stories about The Villages but I did not know much about the history. I was very excited to start our journey through the Villages.
We walked toward the subway station. We got on the number 1 train and got off at Canal street. As I was going up the stair I could tell that it was already hot outside. We walked toward the Greenwich village. I noticed that the streets were very narrow. Mike told us that the buildings in the area were built symmetrically to the next building, the architectural style of the building is different from Long Island because the buildings are not identical there. We saw the most narrow house in the city. The address was 75 1/2 Bedford street.(BG. pg, 141). I thought that was funny that the house did not have a whole number. We learned that Edna St Vincent Millay once lived there from 1892 to 1950. We headed toward Christopher street. We stopped in front of The Art of NY State Community but it was closed. We gathered around Mike. He told us that Christopher street was known to be one of the most gay populated area of the city. In Dutch time people were not allow to be openly gay. They were persecuted, beaten and killed for been gay. We stopped at Christopher Park we saw the Gay Liberation Monument, which symbolized the right to be openly gay. As we were walking we passed by the famous Stonewall Inn. We learned that the Stonewall Inn was owned by the Mafia. It was known to be popular among the gay community. In 1969 the police raid the bar a lot of people were arrested and hospitalized. That event lead to the gay liberation movement, and the fight for lesbian and gay rights.
We walk through gay street, toward Washington square park. The sign does not have anything to do with the gay community. It just happened that the street was named after the family who once lived there. Washington Square Park is considered a historic park, a river used to run through there. Robert Moses who was the master builder of mid 20th century New York City; wanted to run an expressway through the park. We were told that in the 1970's if you wanted to buy any kind of drugs Washington Square Park was the place to be. We walked down Washington square north and fifth avenue where a lot of people live. They pay a lot of money for their houses. We passed La Lanterna di Vittorio between West 3rd street and Macdougd street. Bleecker street and Macdougd are in the center of the village where prostitution, drugs, and lot of other stuff used take place in the 1950's. We saw a store name Peculer Beer where people can find any kind of beer from all over the world.
After our visit to Washington Square our next stop was The Merchant's House of New York. Our guide tour was Emily. She was a very nice young lady. She started our tour downstairs in the family room. She told us that the house was built in 1832 by Joseph Brewster Know as the Bond street area. The area was considered as an exclusive residential suburb for rich people who wanted a quiet place to live and be away from the busy street of lower Manhattan. In 1835, Joseph Brewster sold the house to Seabury Tredwell who was a hardware merchant and his wife Eliza. They moved in with their seven children. In 1840 Eliza gave birth to her eight child named Gertrude. The neighborhood has changed over the years and a lot people left the area for more beautiful houses. Seabury, his wife and the children remained in the house. Gertrude never Got married, she died in the house in 1933. In 1936 the house was open to the public as a museum. The house has all the original furniture and personal belongings of the Tredwell. In the family room was where the Tredwells would have their meals if they did not have any guests over. They had a plat warmer in the room that would able them to eat on a warm plate. They spent time together, reading. The wall color in the room was from the 1850's. The rug in the room was replica of the original one that they used to have in the formal dining room. We walked to the kitchen it was nice everything was kept the same except for the sink and washer. The Trewells had four Irish servants, their day would start a 4 am. The Trewells were fortunate to have running water because they were wealthy people. The servants had to walk up 90 stairs to bring the bucket of water. Everyday the servants has to struggles with rats, mice and roaches in order to keep them away from the food. There were three different bells in the kitchen and the servants knew which room to go to and they must answer to it promptly. The first floor was very elaborated with Greek revival style interior décor. Eliza had social obligations. If a neighbor came to visit she had to return the favor. They will go to each other's house back and forth. If they had guests over, the family will eat in the dinning room. Eliza would take a bath in her room in cold water without soap which was beneficial for her health. They had some of her under garments on display in her room. The kids had their own rooms. if one of them was sick, the servant would bring the child to Eliza's bedroom where she would take care of the sick child. Seabury died in his bed in 1965. His wife and him had separate bedroom. When somebody is near death a family member would sit in the room and watch for 24 hours and keep a journal. When the person expired all the mirrors in the house is covered with black drapery as a sign of mourning. They thought that if they look in the mirror they may see the image of the death person looking back at them. The ceremony would take place in the house. Any social life was not allowed. The widow has to mourn the death of her spouse for 24 months. For men it was different because they had to go back to work. Eliza died in the same room in 1909. Emily the tour guide told us that The merchant's house is considered Manhattan most haunted house. In the 1930's people has reported some ghost activities. In November they usually have ghost exhibition in the merchant's house for Halloween. I would love to see that.
We went to lunch. I was glad to finally sit down in a cool place and have meal. It was" burning up" in the Merchant's House. I had chipotle, brown rice, red beans, salsa ,and grilled chicken. It was delicious. I enjoyed it. After lunch we met at 3:15 in front of Khyber Pass restaurant. We headed toward the East village. We stopped at St Marks church but it was closed. Our next stop was the gay ice cream parlor. It was very tiny. The cashier and the servers were friendly. I had a regular vanilla ice cream corn for $5.06 which I thought was over price. I did not have the famous salty pimp ice cream but I hear that it was good. We walked pass Tompkins Square park to our next destination which was the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space. (MoRUS) reclaimed space and makes it green. When we got there, the museum was not opened. After about 10 minutes April opened the museum gate for us. Mike had already paid for our tour. Bill which was our tour guide was late. We waited about 15 to 20 minutes. When Bill Got there he took us affront of the 9th street community garden park. It was founded in 1978 and it is maintained by neighborhood volunteers through Green Tumb. Green Tumb is an organization that help the community transformed vacant properties into beautiful gardens. Bill pointed out a building where squatters uses to live. From 1970's to 1980's C-squat was the last remaining squat. They would transform abandoned buildings into their habitat. The police would kick them out of some the buildings. Bill took us to the La Plaza Cultural. We went in the garden where we saw compost, he explained the procedure on how recycled materials are turned into soil that allowed people to grow plants in the garden. In the Garden they had two different murals. one represented the people of Guatemala and the other one Nicaragua. The murals were there since the 1980's. We stopped across the street from the Christodora house . It was built for the community use. In the !960's the building was vacant and was taking over by the black panters. in 1970's the building was turn over into apartments. We sat in front of St Brigitte church. The church was build in 1948. Father George would cook a lot of food and bring it over to the park and feed the poor. He was arrested. They had a campaign to save the church. We stopped a front the last garden which was the Lower east side Ecology Center Garden. People had to take turn sleeping in a cocky just in case the police will come to evicted the building.
The tour was long. Bill talked a lot about different topics. I was hot and sweaty, I tried hard to pay attention to what he was saying. After the tour we headed south. Some students went back to Penn station. Two of my friends and I took the F train to Forest hills and then transfer to the E train. Overall it was a good sweaty day. I really enjoyed the villages especially the tour and the history of the Merchant's house.
East of the Park
7/19/2013
Today the weather is going to be 97degrees, it will feel like 107, hot and sticky. I was at Penn Station at 10:30 am. We gathered around and waited for Mike. He told us briefly about the places that we were going to visit. We got on the number 2 train to 42nd street Time Square, we took the Shuttle to Grand Central Station and finally we transferred to the 6 train uptown to 103 street and Lexington avenue.
Our journey today started at East Harlem. Mike talked about the history of East Harlem also known as Spanish Harlem and El Barrio. Harlem has the largest Latino communities in New York City. The Population is mostly Puerto Ricans, Dominican and Mexican Population are on the rise. There is a lot of Italian restaurants because most of them did not live East Harlem, as well as Puerto Rican and Mexican food. We walked through a little tunnel on 104 Street, we saw a lot of projects housing that was built in the 1960's. We arrived at the Museum of the City of New York. We went to the first floor where they had the display of Micro houses. Those houses when they are build, they will be about 5000 to 8000 square feet. They will be built for young people in college or after graduating looking for a place to stay. The concept was interesting. We went to see the fashion of the 70's and 80's.The designer Stephen Burrows has a passion for bold color, his creations are made to move with the wearer. I liked some of pieces , I can see myself wearing some them. We went to see a movie about the history of New York. It was about 20 minutes long. I found it very informative. I was not born in the USA, there is a lot that I don't know about New York. In the movie they talked about The native environment before 1609, the Colonial City 1624 to 1783. I learned that the Hudson River was the main entrance to Manhattan. They also talked about the City of Strangers 1823 to 1865. In the 1840's NY became the biggest industrial center of the country because factories was being built along Manhattan and Brooklyn. They talked about the African Americans in Harlem 1920's, the Harlem Renaissance; The Regional City 1945 to 1975, Robert Moses started building highways, expressways throughout the Bronx, Harlem, Brooklyn and Queens; The Renaissance 1975 to 2001 where across the five boroughs people started renovated the historic buildings. The movie really put it all together and made me realize what the country had experienced as a nation.
After the movie we walk on 106 street and 5th avenue called the Museum Miles. We arrived at the El Barrio Museum where we met our tour guide. We were split into two groups. Her name was Beverly she gave us the tour of the Spanish Harlem. We walked on 104 street to a huge mural on Lexington avenue. The people in it are representing people in the community. The mural symbolize love, family, friendship, community. The mural was created by Mani Vaga in 1973 to represent the spirit of Harlem. We stopped at the Modesto Garden where we saw another mural of Frida and Julia created in 2011. They symbolize the union of the Puerto Rican and Mexican community. There is a sense of proud in that mural. As we walked through the community we saw many murals made of mosaics on the walls of the buildings. They were nice and very colorful. We also saw a mural of the late Latina singer Celia Cruz. I used to listen to some of her songs. We went to a local Botanica store on Lexington avenue. The owner of the store told us that the business was in the family since 1930. The store is base on hope and old fashion remedies. He said that hope is what we live on for a better job, better life. He also said that people will come to the store looking for answers to their love life, to boost their business sale, giving thanks. he said that he is a tarot reader and a spiritual reader, it has being pass down from generation to generation. People come to him for his guidance on all kind of problems. He said that we have to keep an open mind to in order to live freely. Beverly ended the tour in front of the cultural center which was the public school 72 to see a decorated wall with graffiti. We met up with the group and it was time was lunch. I had Spanish food, Yellow rice with red beans, yucca, and chicken. The food was good and inexpensive.
After lunch we met at the El Barrio Museum. We walked to the Conservatory Garden. We sat down in the park and talked about our experiences through out the course, our impressions of New York, our like and dislike about the places that we visited. We walked through the park. The scenery was beautiful, but it was very hot and humid. We walked on 5th avenue and museum miles to the Metropolitan museum. On our way to the museum some of us saw somebody got hit by a yellow cab. The guy fail down to the ground and got up very quickly and bang on the car widow, screaming at the cab driver. His girlfriend took a picture of the taxi driver and the license plate as he drove off. That was crazy. We made it to the museum where we paid $2.00 each. We went to the second floor where we saw the Punk Fashion. it was very interesting. Some of the clothes were made with news papers, plastic bags, scotch tape. Some were very weird looking. We saw the Facsimile of CBGB bathroom, New York, late 1070's. It was very dirty. They had a mannequin halfway dress giving the middle finger. I thought that was funny. We saw some paintings by Andy Warhol. American 1928-1987. He painted the picture of Mona Lisa. Acrylic and silkscreen on canvas. We also saw a portrait of Marilyn Monroe also painted by Andy Warhol 1967. They were very interesting Painting.
My friends and I we visited the Arts of Africa. They had a lot of interesting pieces. The Senufo Face Mask was interesting. Small finely carved face masks are worn at funerals by members of Poro, the Senufo men's society. The masks feature a delicate oval face. The leg like forms at the base of the face resemble the traditional hairstyle worn by Senufo women. The masks also honor deceased Senufo elders with their grace and beauty , and complement the aggressive male character of Senufo helmet masks. The feathers and animal horns attached to it are unusual and enhanced the mask's power to combat negative forces in the community. Face Mask : Senufo 19th -20th century.
The Maya Censer is a large ceramic censers used as temple furnishings in the tropical forest of the Maya lowlands. The censers in the form of seated figures often represent persons of high rank. In temple the censers were placed on the impressive stairways that supported the sacred buildings. Smoke, which was an integral element of all sacred ceremonies, incense burned with them. The incense was burned in a large bowl beneath the figure. After our tour in Africa Western Sudan we met with the rest of the group. It was time to go home.
We walked to the subway Station and got on the train. We split up because some the students were going to a karaoke bar with Mike. Two of my friends and I went home. I was tired, sweaty. I just wanted to go home and take a shower. East of the Park journey was very interesting. I learned a lot about East Harlem. The trip to the Metropolitan Museum was my favorite. There is so much to see there. I will definitely go back. I will need to spend a whole day there to be able to take it all in. The museum is so rich with history room after room. It is just amazing, and inexpensive.