Class #3 The Enchanting Eastside

Class #3 The Enchanting Eastside

            When I got out of bed this morning and looked outside I saw that there were clouds outside. By the time I got on the train it was raining and humid out which is an awful combination in my opinion because not only do you get wet but you sweat as well. I brought my umbrella and I’m happy I did because it rained all day and our instructors warned us not to complain because we were going everywhere on the agenda, rain or shine.

            Our first stop today was at the New York Public Library. Mike informed us that the lions in the front of the library are famous. Mayor La Guardia named them Patience and Fortitude. Patience was to represent the south side and Fortitude was to represent the north side. “He gave them these names for the struggling public during the Depression “(BG, 208). The library is famous for many different artists and writers going there to do their work. “The library mounts brilliant exhibitions on literary, artistic, and historical subjects in Gottesman Hall on the ground floor and also upstairs in the smaller galleries” (BG, 207). We got to sit down at the multitude of tables and think of a haiku. I came up with two and here they are:

In the library

We sit and ponder our thoughts

Like writers we are

Escaping our thoughts

Studious people all over

Drowning in their thoughts

            After the library we went to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.  Although there was a lot of construction going on in the Church we were still able to awe in its beauty. After reading the Blue Guide I learned that the church bought the property intending for it to be a burial ground. Unfortunately the land was too rocky for a burial ground so in “1850 Archbishop John Hughes announced his intention to build a new Cathedral on the site.” (BG 254) The Church was as magnificent and beautiful today as it was in the pictures I looked up on the internet from when it was first built. As we walked into the Church I noticed that there was 12:30 mass going on and I felt bad for disturbing the congregation and the priest but this was not an opportunity I wanted to pass up. I quietly walked around the Church taking pictures and reading what I could before scurrying out of the Church after receiving some nasty looks for taking pictures while Mass was going on.

            Next on the tour was 53^rd street. On this street there were many different stores including Tiffany and Co. and FAO Schwarz. Mike kindly let us walk around FAO Schwarz. FAO Schwarz is known worldwide as being the greatest and most expensive toy store in the country.  As I walked around I could imagine a child walking around the store wanting every item the store has to offer. There was something for everybody, and even as a 21 year old I found the area that I loved, LEGO. As a child I grew up on Legos and loved seeing what they had to offer children now a day. I found a Lego batman and a Lego Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean.  

            We quickly made a pit stop from our tour and walked into the Plaza hotel. “The Plaza, one of the city’s most famous hotels, was upscale when it opened in 1907; a hundred years later it reopened after a $400 million makeover…” (BG 530). This is one of the most expensive hotels in the city but, on the other hand Mike informed us that the food is actually priced reasonably.

            Our next stop on our tour was Central Park. At this point everybody in the class was wet and uncomfortable but we kept going strong. The park was created in 1856 so that the people who lived in the city could escape the ugliness of the city. They wanted something completely different and now New Yorkers can find that only a few blocks away. There are millions of people in the park on a daily basis.  The Central Park Conservancy is responsible for taking care of the park. It is “a not-for-profit group that maintains the park and keeps it up to date and clean” (BG, 281).We also saw the Belvedere Castle. Although we got a little separated from the group at one point, it was fascinating to find out the history of the castle. Finally it was time for lunch and for lunch we chose Dallas BBQ.

            The last stop on our tour was the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  This is known as the largest museum in the world with different exhibits going in and out all year round.  According to the Blue Guide there are over two million objects (BG 326). As a class we took interest in Jackson Pollock. His style was taking a huge canvas and splashing layers of paint all over. When looking at a Pollock painting we are supposed to look for emotion, power or rawness in the painting and in our selves. By looking closely we can see that there is an order and a balance to everything he does.  Damien suggested that we just take a chance on his work instead of merely writing it off because we thought it was something a four year old could do. He informed us that scientists have actually taken young children to see if they could imitate Pollock and they were unsuccessful.

Class #2 Bodacious Brooklyn

Class #2 Bodacious Brooklyn

           

         As I awoke for class today I was excited because I knew that we would be doing to Coney Island. My friend Tim Dombrowski told me that this was one of his favorite classes so naturally I couldn’t wait to see what he was so excited about. I was also a little worried about this class because Mike said that we had to be prepared for a lot of walking (approximately 8 miles worth). And although I am a runner Mike informed me many times that running and walking are not the same thing.

            We met in Penn station as usual and walked one block down to the subway where we got on the Q train. We sat on the Q train for about twenty two stops until we finally reached Coney Island. Recently Coney Island has had some difficulty with its property.  The City of New York came up with a development plan that would completely remodel the area. As we approached the park Mike and Damien stopped and talked to us about the park itself. They even pointed out the first ever famous Nathan’s hotdog stand.

           

Coney Island comes from the Dutch, “who named it Konijn Eiland after the rabbits they found there” (BG 492) .  It originally was its own island but it was filled in to become a part of the land. Originally Coney Island was a beautiful recreational area for New Yorkers. They would come to Coney Island for recreational activities. During the 70’s the area really became really rundown and crime ridden. The beach was dirty, the water was polluted, and crime rate was up. Since then Coney Island has undergone quite a revival since then. The water and beach are now both kept clean.

“Coney Island is no longer the empire of the nickel, the great populist playground, where anyone who could afford the subway could bathe in the Atlantic and enjoy a midway with rides and sideshows.” (BG 491) This area is undergoing a process called gentrification. This is “the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). This is currently being fought because the New Yorkers who can afford Coney Island do not want to lose a recreational area so close to home. Waterfront land in New York can go for an outstanding amount of money. The plan is to build high rise apartments, hotels, and to really make it a place where wealthy people would like to go. This, however is controversial because Coney Island has always been the place you go for grungy fun, such as the freak show. This is what makes Coney Island fun, it is part of its history. This whole area might be redeveloped and it might look completely different in 10 years.

            After wandering around Coney Island for a bit and soaking up the experience we made our way back to the city in the F train. We stopped at Brooklyn Heights and explored the transit museum. We learned how the subway was built and all the effort that was put into making the subway, which thousands of people use every day. I was able to tie this trip into Grand central Expressway from the first class. Mike told us then that Robert Moses was considered great for making all of the major highways that are all over New York and Long Island. But, with a closer look at Robert Moses’ work you will see that mass transportation is the way major cities are being built now, not highways and expressways. Simply put Robert Moses was wrong in thinking that individual transportation is the best, most efficient way to travel.

            Finally after the Transit museum where we saw about a hundred different subway cars we made our way to the Brooklyn Bridge. “When the Brooklyn Bridge opened on May 25, 1883 it was justly considered one of the world’s greatest wonders.” (BG 464) Before the Brooklyn Bridge ever existed anyone wishing to cross the East River had to take the Fulton Ferry. The Brooklyn Bridge stands as one of the greatest engineering achievements of the 19th century. One very important aspect of this bridge is that pedestrians are able to cross with relative ease and little interaction with street traffic. The design of the bridge allows pedestrians to cross the bridge on the top, above the streets that the cars travel on.

        

Post #1 Quixotic Queens

Post #1 Quixotic Queens

            As I awoke for my first day of class I read the blog site telling us to be prepared for a very long day, as we were covering a very large part of Queens. I got off the 10:40 train and anxiously awaited for the other students to arrive. After meeting up with the class and getting the breakdown of what we were going to do today we set off for our first subway ride, taking the E train to Roosevelt Avenue and then getting aboard the #7 elevated train from Times Square to Willet's Point/ Shea Stadium. This was a very nice stop for me on the first day because I have been a lifelong Mets fan. Although some people might not have appreciated that we were only a few paces away from the home of the New York Mets, I did. Walking by Citi Field and the U. S. Open Stadium, I felt as if I was attending one of these events. This stop was not intended for the Mets, however.

            This stop is considered the gateway to Flushing Meadow Park. Soon after, we arrived at the iconic Unisphere, which is the symbol of the 1964 Worlds Fair. Mike informed us that the World’s Fair was a way for the people of New York to experience foods, and cultures from all over the world. “Robert Moses converted the marsh lands into the grounds for the 1939-40 World’s Fair…”(BG 497) After stopping to discuss the role of the World's Fair in the history of New York, we then went onto the Queens Museum for a tour. Once here we saw the Panoroma which is an architectural model of the whole city of New York which includes every building in the five boroughs built before 1992.

            The Panoroma is updated every five years or so but private companies can pay for their building to be replaced if the model of their building changes. For instance, Citi field was there instead of She Stadium because the Mets paid them to change the exhibit. On the other hand the World Trades Center buildings still stand in the exhibit, which I found odd. I felt like somebody, anybody would pay to get them taken down because that was a big part of our history as the State of New york and I feel like it would be the right thing to do.

            Next on our tour we stopped in Jackson Heights for an Indian buffet lunch which Mike and Damien treated us to. I have never had Indian food like that before so it was definitely an experience for me. We learned that Jackson Heights has become a birth place of ethnic diversity in the City. There are Korean, Chinese Indian and all other cultures in Jackson Heights.

            Shortly after lunch we headed to the Queens Museum of the Moving Image. This was my favorite part of the day. We saw all the different types of cameras that were used throughout the years, the different costumes worn by famous stars, and the unique devices that make movies and shows today work. Also found in this museum were old video game systems such as the original Frogger.

            Unfortunately our day was cut short because of bad weather so we were not able to go to Long Island City. Most of this part is outside and the only real way to enjoy it would be in nice weather. Maybe if we are lucky we will be able to visit it another day on another adventure.

My Expectations

                As I prepare for my Gotham Experience class I begin to realize that my expectations for this class are very high. I took a class like this over the fall of my freshman year with Mike Russo, Don Hazelit, and Damien Hey and it completely blew me away.  I experienced life in New York City like I never have before. The reason I am taking the CORE class over the summer is because I was told that this class is just as interesting as the one I took freshman year. We would visit different parts of the city, learn along the way and experience new things along the way.

            As a Long Island kid I feel as though I have been deprived from all of the things that New York City has to offer. I have only been into the city on a couple of occasions when I was little, which I cannot remember and a couple of times in high school. Even then the high school trips were just to Madison Square Garden so I did not even leave Penn Station.

            When I think of the city I think of a variety of people, cultures, religions and entertainment. Anything you want can surely be found in less than five blocks from wherever you are. The sights are also what come to me when I think of New York City. I think of the beautiful bridges, Central Park, and the Manhattan skyline.

            I recently went out and purchased the Blue Guide: New York edition by Carol von Pressentin Wright. Looking through the book I noticed that almost everything in the city of New York is mentioned in this book. Not only is everything mentioned, but everything sound really great and makes me want to visit the sites mentioned. I know that that is not possible, especially for a class that only meats a couple times a week for three to four weeks but I have faith in Mike and Damien that they will show us the most interesting  things and keep us entertained.

            By the end of this course I want to have a better knowledge of What New York City has to offer. I want to be able to know how to take the subway, and know which train goes where. I want to be able to lead my family or friends to any spot in the city and take them there with ease. If for some reason I cannot do that I would like to be able to at least hold a conversation with someone about the city without sounding like a complete fool.