Class #4: The Wild Westside

Today our day began with an exploration of the Westside of Manhattan. We almost immediately left Penn Station at the designated time 11:05. First on our stop we went to Broadway where the city has given the pedestrians a nice place to sit in the street without being disturbed by cars. These pedestrian zones were created so that the people in the buildings surrounding them would have a safe place to walk and sit.

            At 42^nd Street we arrived at Times Square. Mike continued to tell us that Times Square was not a great place to be in the 60’s and 70’s. It became a popular spot for drug use and prostitution. With the help of Mayor Giuliani and his administration the area was cleaned up and now has become a central hub for the city; making this spot a popular one visited by millions of tourists every year. From here we walked through the G.E. Building, home of NBC Studios.

            At NBC Studios we got a guided tour of the place. It started with about a five minute video of how NBC Studios came to be. After about 30 seconds of NBC history, the video concentrated on promoting NBC’s shows. Filled with propaganda, the film showed famous actors starring in shows from many different shows that NBC is in charge of. Although I like most of the shows they brainwashed into watching I thought this was a little over the top.

            After the video we proceeded through NBC studios going up and down the floors getting tours of the different studios that make NBC what it is today. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures during this tour because some of the things we saw they did not want getting out into the public. We got to see the Dr. Oz show and although it seems big on television the whole set can only seat 159 people.

            After eating lunch we hopped on the subway and took the 2 or 3 down to Harlem, which is undergoing major gentrification. We passed by the Studio Museum in Harlem which a museum for African American artists all over the world at different stages in their career. “The works here are inspired and influenced by black culture as it embraces 19^th and 20^th century African American art, 20^th century Caribbean and African art and traditional African art (BG, 440). We met up with someone who gave us a walking tour of the Mount Morris Historical District. This part of Harlem was filled with magnificent churches and brownstones from the 19^th century. Our tour guide proceeded to tell us the many famous spots in Harlem such as the Lenox Lounge where many movie stars have been. He even pointed out the Apollo Theatre which we did not go into but we were able to pass by it. George Keister was responsible for designing the Apollo Theatre in 1913. When it originally opened it and was a whites only theatre. “However in 1934, under new management the amateur nights began which has helped to launch the career of many artists such as Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross and Ella Fitzgerald” (BG, 440).

            The tour guide finished his tour but decided to stick with us as we walked through Morningside Park. This is located at 120^th street in Harlem. There was a beautiful flight of stairs that we all climbed up which lead us to Morningside Heights, a section of Manhattan. After walking through the park, we walked to the Grant Memorial where General Grant’s life and accomplishments are recognized. “General Grant was the commander in chief of the Union Armies in the Civil War and was also the president between 1868-1876” (BG, 434).