East Harlem
Our fourth class was approaching and I happened to be extra excited for this one. I have heard so much about East Harlem and Central park that I was looking forward to experiencing it for myself. For starters, I hear about “ the projects” in movies, books, school, and parents but never actually got to see what in reality it was all about. I will admit some things I thought about were not true while others were pretty on point. To be honest I pictured it to be very “ghetto.” Now Central Park was something I was looking forward to most. I have walked around it, taken a horse carriage ride for about twenty seconds through a piece of it, but never actually walked it. I had much to look forward to for class four and I was truly excited.
We started the day off in East Harlem, which is also known as Spanish Harlem or El Barrio (ENY, 85). We got off the subway to absolute heat and lots of Mexican restaurants were the first things I saw! The neighborhood had been experiencing a wave of gentrification in recent years, has been home to several different ethnic communities since it was developed in the late 19th century (ENY, 85). This was very true because as we stopped in the shade to listen to Mike, I couldn’t help but notice all the different people around us. Mike and Don gave us the low down on how this place came to be the place it is today. I was so shocked to hear how East Harlem used to be a place where all rich people had once resided. It was crazy to me to see how much a community could truly change. I could not see at all Vanderbilt’s walking the streets of East Harlem now. East Harlem made the official change to “El Barrio after World War I. The mix of inhabitants in the area changed dramatically when an influx of Puerto Ricans arrived in East Harlem (ENY, 86). Having these immigrants come in meant all the Italian- Americans were out. Sadly, with immigrants comes crime. We learned how East Harlem became one of the most dangerous places to live during the 60’s and 70’s (ENY, 86). Its great to see how far it has come. I also loved the Tiffany and Co. room! How could I not?! The jewelry was breathtaking.
We finally learned about the ever so popular projects that I have heard about. We made a stop at the Carver Houses. When we got there I looked around and saw a school field trip taking place and all the little kids were singing as they crossed the street. There were people walking around walking dogs, talking and it seemed were just happy people. The Carver Houses are a housing project of 13 building that was created for low income residents of the neighborhood and complete in 1958 (ENY,86). Mike explained how there used to be much crime such as drug dealing, rape and so forth in this area because of the low income families going at each other. I had a feeling that would happen once he started telling us the story. Don’t let me forget, the project is named after George Washington Carver, an African American scientists, who developed hundreds of uses for the peanut, soybean, and sweet potato (ENY, 86).
We continued on our journey to the Museum of the City of New York. Mike explained how this is one of two museums dedicated to history of New York. Founded in 1923 and originally housed in Gracie Mansion, the museum moved to its current location on Fifth Ave in 1932, when the city offered the land between 103rd and 104th streets and paid for the museums Georgian Revival building (ENY,87) I was blown away by the inside of this museum. It would be my dream to have such a beautiful staircase as lovely as that one right when I walk through my front door. We watched “Timescapes” which I found to be very interesting documentary on New Yorks and its history. It showed me how Mike and Don really know their facts since everything they have been teaching us was on there!
Next, we met Luke! What a cool dude he was and so full of life. He performed a poem for us that had me hypnotized and blew me away. It inspired me to be just as happy as he is. He was our tour guide and pretty much knew everything there was to know about East Harlem. He was so proud of his community! It showed me how beautiful East Harlem really was and not because of the landscape, but its people. There was one place he brought us to that I loved and want to write about. Julia de Burgos Mosaic Mural was AMAZING!!!! I loved everything about it. This mural, created by local artist Manny Vega, celebrates achievements of the Puerto Rican poet and activist of women’s rights and Puerto Rican independence (ENY, 88) Luke was telling us that Manny tells people that what goes on this wall are people who you would want up there for everyone to see. He asked whom would we put up there and everyone shouted out loved ones names. It was really cool. I loved all the graffiti everywhere and how much it is appreciated by all of the people.
We went for lunch at El Paso and experienced what its like to watch the Brazil vs. Mexico game, in a Mexican restaurant. Let me tell you something, Mexicans absolutely love soccer! The restaurant was over flowing with people at 3 pm and drinks, food, horns and screams were all occurring. It was such a cool atmosphere and helped me get a feel of what their culture is all about.
Last but not least, CENTRAL PARK! This was what I had been looking forward to all day. We got to see such beautiful scenery as we walked the path and chatted away. We stopped at some pretty significant points. The IMAGINE circle was a place that I have been dying to go to! It felt so awesome to stand in the middle of it. I am a huge BEATLES fan so this was like a dream come true. Then came the depressing part, the Dakota. Although it is so beautiful, it comes with a sad story. This was the depressing part Mike said would make us cry. John Lennon had been shot right outside his apartment at the Dakota and it was a monumental moment in history. I stepped back as Mike told us the story and tried to picture the scene in my head. It brought chills up my spine. John Lennon was a legend and always will be !
Our fourth class was approaching and I happened to be extra excited for this one. I have heard so much about East Harlem and Central park that I was looking forward to experiencing it for myself. For starters, I hear about “ the projects” in movies, books, school, and parents but never actually got to see what in reality it was all about. I will admit some things I thought about were not true while others were pretty on point. To be honest I pictured it to be very “ghetto.” Now Central Park was something I was looking forward to most. I have walked around it, taken a horse carriage ride for about twenty seconds through a piece of it, but never actually walked it. I had much to look forward to for class four and I was truly excited.
We started the day off in East Harlem, which is also known as Spanish Harlem or El Barrio (ENY, 85). We got off the subway to absolute heat and lots of Mexican restaurants were the first things I saw! The neighborhood had been experiencing a wave of gentrification in recent years, has been home to several different ethnic communities since it was developed in the late 19th century (ENY, 85). This was very true because as we stopped in the shade to listen to Mike, I couldn’t help but notice all the different people around us. Mike and Don gave us the low down on how this place came to be the place it is today. I was so shocked to hear how East Harlem used to be a place where all rich people had once resided. It was crazy to me to see how much a community could truly change. I could not see at all Vanderbilt’s walking the streets of East Harlem now. East Harlem made the official change to “El Barrio after World War I. The mix of inhabitants in the area changed dramatically when an influx of Puerto Ricans arrived in East Harlem (ENY, 86). Having these immigrants come in meant all the Italian- Americans were out. Sadly, with immigrants comes crime. We learned how East Harlem became one of the most dangerous places to live during the 60’s and 70’s (ENY, 86). Its great to see how far it has come. I also loved the Tiffany and Co. room! How could I not?! The jewelry was breathtaking.
We finally learned about the ever so popular projects that I have heard about. We made a stop at the Carver Houses. When we got there I looked around and saw a school field trip taking place and all the little kids were singing as they crossed the street. There were people walking around walking dogs, talking and it seemed were just happy people. The Carver Houses are a housing project of 13 building that was created for low income residents of the neighborhood and complete in 1958 (ENY,86). Mike explained how there used to be much crime such as drug dealing, rape and so forth in this area because of the low income families going at each other. I had a feeling that would happen once he started telling us the story. Don’t let me forget, the project is named after George Washington Carver, an African American scientists, who developed hundreds of uses for the peanut, soybean, and sweet potato (ENY, 86).
We continued on our journey to the Museum of the City of New York. Mike explained how this is one of two museums dedicated to history of New York. Founded in 1923 and originally housed in Gracie Mansion, the museum moved to its current location on Fifth Ave in 1932, when the city offered the land between 103rd and 104th streets and paid for the museums Georgian Revival building (ENY,87) I was blown away by the inside of this museum. It would be my dream to have such a beautiful staircase as lovely as that one right when I walk through my front door. We watched “Timescapes” which I found to be very interesting documentary on New Yorks and its history. It showed me how Mike and Don really know their facts since everything they have been teaching us was on there!
Next, we met Luke! What a cool dude he was and so full of life. He performed a poem for us that had me hypnotized and blew me away. It inspired me to be just as happy as he is. He was our tour guide and pretty much knew everything there was to know about East Harlem. He was so proud of his community! It showed me how beautiful East Harlem really was and not because of the landscape, but its people. There was one place he brought us to that I loved and want to write about. Julia de Burgos Mosaic Mural was AMAZING!!!! I loved everything about it. This mural, created by local artist Manny Vega, celebrates achievements of the Puerto Rican poet and activist of women’s rights and Puerto Rican independence (ENY, 88) Luke was telling us that Manny tells people that what goes on this wall are people who you would want up there for everyone to see. He asked whom would we put up there and everyone shouted out loved ones names. It was really cool. I loved all the graffiti everywhere and how much it is appreciated by all of the people.
We went for lunch at El Paso and experienced what its like to watch the Brazil vs. Mexico game, in a Mexican restaurant. Let me tell you something, Mexicans absolutely love soccer! The restaurant was over flowing with people at 3 pm and drinks, food, horns and screams were all occurring. It was such a cool atmosphere and helped me get a feel of what their culture is all about.
Last but not least, CENTRAL PARK! This was what I had been looking forward to all day. We got to see such beautiful scenery as we walked the path and chatted away. We stopped at some pretty significant points. The IMAGINE circle was a place that I have been dying to go to! It felt so awesome to stand in the middle of it. I am a huge BEATLES fan so this was like a dream come true. Then came the depressing part, the Dakota. Although it is so beautiful, it comes with a sad story. This was the depressing part Mike said would make us cry. John Lennon had been shot right outside his apartment at the Dakota and it was a monumental moment in history. I stepped back as Mike told us the story and tried to picture the scene in my head. It brought chills up my spine. John Lennon was a legend and always will be !
Midtown Madness and Morning Side Heights
Today was quiet the adventure. Not only did we have a lovely day in the New York… we actually hiked! Well… you will understand what I mean later on but today was a total workout! We started the day at Penn Station and I was definetly excited. I knew we would be heading over to Times Sqaure and I was curious to see what we would be doing. I visit Times Sqaure a lot so I was eager to find out what around that area Mike and Don were going to show us!
We entered the busy streets of NYC as we exited 34th street. We were facing one of my favorite places MACYS! I love this Macys around Christmas time and all the decorations inside and outside. I make it a point to visit the beautiful window decorations they have every New Year. We made our way down 35th street and Broadway to Herald Square. Herald square which is actually a triangle, was named after the New York Herald which had headquarters located there from 1894-1921(ENY, pg. 32). Mike explaind how broadway was the oldest street in New York City! That amazed me! The entire length of Broadway runs 13 miles through Manhatted and the Bronx, and continues an additional 18 miles through Westchester county, terminating in Sleepy Hollow (ENY, pg. 32) I cannot believe that at all. I found it so interesting that a street can actually run for that long!
What I love most about being in the heart of Times Square are the people. You can truly find the most interesting people in the world along this area. The naked cowboy, scary men in smelly Disney character outfits, the options are endless. Its such a great entertainment and makes me love New York City even more for its uniqueness. We had arrived in Midtown. The fun was about to begin! I had no idea that the area we now call Times Square began as the farm of John Morin Scott, a New York general who served under George Washington during the American Revolution (ENY, pg 33) I cannot picture a farm being there for all this at all! The area was renamed Times Square in 1904 when The New York Times moved into a new skyscraper on 42nd street (ENY, pg 33) We made our way to the RCA building, which was renamed to the GE building located at 30 Rockefeller Center. My favorite part of this was NBC studios! I absolutely love NBC and especially JIMMY FALLON! I was so excited I bought a Jimmy Fallon mug for myself. The building was beautiful and I was beyond happy we got to go there. If only we got to meet someone famous or be on tv! That would’ve been the icing on the cake. We stopped to admire the mural within the building. This mural was not the original one created on this site. Rockefeller initially had hired the Mexican artist, Diego Rivera to create a monumental mural with the theme of “man’s new possibilities from his new understanding of material things” (ENY. pg.26)
We were finally off to the MoMA! I have been here a few times so this wasn’t much of an exciting experience. I still admired all the art work but was eager to move on. The core of MoMA’s collection is on the buildings fourth and fifth floors. The fifth floor contains works of paintings and sculptures from 1880-1940. The fourth floor is for those interesting in exploring the art of New York itself. (ENY, pg.39) I loved Jackson Pollock’s paintings the most. Pollock was known as the Jack the Dripper for the splatter paintings he made. He made the oil and enamel paint on canvas which truly struck my eye. Don had a lot of say about Pollock and was explaining to us that although this may look easy to make, it is not at all. The splatters were a brown and black mainly. Don explained how Pollock was an alcoholic and unfortunately it lead him to his death. I found it interesting how Don said this painting is self-referential. This means that your imagination puts whatever you want within this art.
The next artist I love to admire is Andy Warhol. My favorite piece of his is Gold Marilyn Monroe from 1962. He made this painting right after her death and it is truly beautiful. With a golden brown background and a painting of her face right in the middle, you can’t help but love it. I love how Marilyn is a pretty lavender shade with bright yellow hair. It helps show her bright personality. Andy Warhol is a mastermind in my opinion.
We were finally off to lunch. We were being treated for lunch by Molloy in Hells Kitchen. I have heard lots of things about Hells Kitchen so I was excited AND hungry! We got to the Thai Restaurant and it was time to relax. We played a game that quizzed us on everything we have learned so far. Nancy won the lucky bracelet! The food was so good!!! My favorite part was the steamed dumplings. Those things were unreal. I wish I had them right in front of me now! It was time to refuel and head back out and continue our adventure…
Next we met our tour guide in Morningside Heights. Originally called Vanderwater’s Heights, this area became prominent during the American Revolution at the site of the Battle of Harlem Heights, which was notable for being one of George Washington’s first victories during the war (ENY,pg 70). Our tour guide was a local and lived just around the block from where we had met with his wife. I was excited to explore this area and hear everything he knew!
OH MY GOD! I have zero words to describe how much the Cathedral of St. John the Divine blew me away. The largest church in the United States and the largest Gothic-style cathedral in the world, the cathedral has room for 3000 worshippers (ENY, pg 70) I ran up the steps to the inside of the church because I could only imagine how beautiful the inside was. There were magnificent looking dragons above your heads as you walked in. They had such color to them and reminded me of the dragon from the broadway play Wicked. I was in awe of everything around me. I immediately asked Mike if I could get married here but he said no, that there are parishes connected to the church that hold weddings. What a let down! Carissa and I went all around and it truly felt like we were Hogwarts. We sat down and admired the walls and windowns for as long as we could. I am definitely coming back here again!
Next, We were off to Columbia University. My bestfriends Dad graduated from here and told me it was a gorgeous campus so I was really excited. Columbia Univeristy was the first college established in New York State and the fifth in the United States (ENY, 72) The campus was beautiful. I can only imagine what it looks like during the semester when everyone is around. There is a large patch of grass that I imagine everyone lays on and studies for up and coming exams. The university was originally established in lower Manhatten in 1754 as King’s College and after the Revolution changed its name to Columbia (ENY,72) We ran up the many steps into the library. I am not going to lie the library did not blow me away as much as I had expected it too. I think because I was so impressed with the landscape and building itself, that I was shocked to find the inside kind of boring. We were planning on seeing St. Paul’s Chapel but there was an event being held. After trucking all the way there I was pretty sad. Its okay though because I was still thinking about how gorgeous of a campus Columbia really is. It pretty much blows Molloy away! SORRY!
Our next stop was Riverside Baptist Church. This happens to be the tallest church in the United States! I found that to be pretty cool. This Gothic Revival Church was built in 1927 by the architectural firm of Alens, Pelton and Collins with funds donated by John D. Rockerfeller JR. (ENY, 75) This church actually holds the largest bells in the United States. The single bell tower that is the church’s distinctive feature was based upon one of the towers of Notre Dame de Laon, also in France (ENY, 75) I thought that was a pretty cool fact we learned.
General Grant National Memorial was next on our list. The tomb is built of white granite and consists of a conical dome sitting in a square base. As you ascend the stairway to the memorial, you pass through a six Doric columns, leading into a portico, at the top of which are the words “ Let us have peace” (ENY,74). Although it was closed, the outside is truly remarkable. I find it interesting how they have the quote especially since I love quotes on everything!
We passed by the Riverside State Park. This narrow park is four miles long and runs from 72nd Street to 158th street along the Hudson River (ENY,74) It was actually very pretty! I enjoyed the walk a lot.
We made our last stop at the City College of New York. They were saying how gorgeous this campus was so I had high expectations! We walked up what felt like an actual mountain ahead of us. Carissa and I decided to jog up it since we had such a filling Thai meal! This campus is the first free public institution of higher education in the United States (ENY). There was a style of English Gothic Mike explained to us and it was so pretty! I had never even heard of this college before surprisingly so I am so happy I finally have!
Today was a long yet adventurous day. The class is coming to an end and although I don’t want it too, Im so excited for what we have planned next!
Today was quiet the adventure. Not only did we have a lovely day in the New York… we actually hiked! Well… you will understand what I mean later on but today was a total workout! We started the day at Penn Station and I was definetly excited. I knew we would be heading over to Times Sqaure and I was curious to see what we would be doing. I visit Times Sqaure a lot so I was eager to find out what around that area Mike and Don were going to show us!
We entered the busy streets of NYC as we exited 34th street. We were facing one of my favorite places MACYS! I love this Macys around Christmas time and all the decorations inside and outside. I make it a point to visit the beautiful window decorations they have every New Year. We made our way down 35th street and Broadway to Herald Square. Herald square which is actually a triangle, was named after the New York Herald which had headquarters located there from 1894-1921(ENY, pg. 32). Mike explaind how broadway was the oldest street in New York City! That amazed me! The entire length of Broadway runs 13 miles through Manhatted and the Bronx, and continues an additional 18 miles through Westchester county, terminating in Sleepy Hollow (ENY, pg. 32) I cannot believe that at all. I found it so interesting that a street can actually run for that long!
What I love most about being in the heart of Times Square are the people. You can truly find the most interesting people in the world along this area. The naked cowboy, scary men in smelly Disney character outfits, the options are endless. Its such a great entertainment and makes me love New York City even more for its uniqueness. We had arrived in Midtown. The fun was about to begin! I had no idea that the area we now call Times Square began as the farm of John Morin Scott, a New York general who served under George Washington during the American Revolution (ENY, pg 33) I cannot picture a farm being there for all this at all! The area was renamed Times Square in 1904 when The New York Times moved into a new skyscraper on 42nd street (ENY, pg 33) We made our way to the RCA building, which was renamed to the GE building located at 30 Rockefeller Center. My favorite part of this was NBC studios! I absolutely love NBC and especially JIMMY FALLON! I was so excited I bought a Jimmy Fallon mug for myself. The building was beautiful and I was beyond happy we got to go there. If only we got to meet someone famous or be on tv! That would’ve been the icing on the cake. We stopped to admire the mural within the building. This mural was not the original one created on this site. Rockefeller initially had hired the Mexican artist, Diego Rivera to create a monumental mural with the theme of “man’s new possibilities from his new understanding of material things” (ENY. pg.26)
We were finally off to the MoMA! I have been here a few times so this wasn’t much of an exciting experience. I still admired all the art work but was eager to move on. The core of MoMA’s collection is on the buildings fourth and fifth floors. The fifth floor contains works of paintings and sculptures from 1880-1940. The fourth floor is for those interesting in exploring the art of New York itself. (ENY, pg.39) I loved Jackson Pollock’s paintings the most. Pollock was known as the Jack the Dripper for the splatter paintings he made. He made the oil and enamel paint on canvas which truly struck my eye. Don had a lot of say about Pollock and was explaining to us that although this may look easy to make, it is not at all. The splatters were a brown and black mainly. Don explained how Pollock was an alcoholic and unfortunately it lead him to his death. I found it interesting how Don said this painting is self-referential. This means that your imagination puts whatever you want within this art.
The next artist I love to admire is Andy Warhol. My favorite piece of his is Gold Marilyn Monroe from 1962. He made this painting right after her death and it is truly beautiful. With a golden brown background and a painting of her face right in the middle, you can’t help but love it. I love how Marilyn is a pretty lavender shade with bright yellow hair. It helps show her bright personality. Andy Warhol is a mastermind in my opinion.
We were finally off to lunch. We were being treated for lunch by Molloy in Hells Kitchen. I have heard lots of things about Hells Kitchen so I was excited AND hungry! We got to the Thai Restaurant and it was time to relax. We played a game that quizzed us on everything we have learned so far. Nancy won the lucky bracelet! The food was so good!!! My favorite part was the steamed dumplings. Those things were unreal. I wish I had them right in front of me now! It was time to refuel and head back out and continue our adventure…
Next we met our tour guide in Morningside Heights. Originally called Vanderwater’s Heights, this area became prominent during the American Revolution at the site of the Battle of Harlem Heights, which was notable for being one of George Washington’s first victories during the war (ENY,pg 70). Our tour guide was a local and lived just around the block from where we had met with his wife. I was excited to explore this area and hear everything he knew!
OH MY GOD! I have zero words to describe how much the Cathedral of St. John the Divine blew me away. The largest church in the United States and the largest Gothic-style cathedral in the world, the cathedral has room for 3000 worshippers (ENY, pg 70) I ran up the steps to the inside of the church because I could only imagine how beautiful the inside was. There were magnificent looking dragons above your heads as you walked in. They had such color to them and reminded me of the dragon from the broadway play Wicked. I was in awe of everything around me. I immediately asked Mike if I could get married here but he said no, that there are parishes connected to the church that hold weddings. What a let down! Carissa and I went all around and it truly felt like we were Hogwarts. We sat down and admired the walls and windowns for as long as we could. I am definitely coming back here again!
Next, We were off to Columbia University. My bestfriends Dad graduated from here and told me it was a gorgeous campus so I was really excited. Columbia Univeristy was the first college established in New York State and the fifth in the United States (ENY, 72) The campus was beautiful. I can only imagine what it looks like during the semester when everyone is around. There is a large patch of grass that I imagine everyone lays on and studies for up and coming exams. The university was originally established in lower Manhatten in 1754 as King’s College and after the Revolution changed its name to Columbia (ENY,72) We ran up the many steps into the library. I am not going to lie the library did not blow me away as much as I had expected it too. I think because I was so impressed with the landscape and building itself, that I was shocked to find the inside kind of boring. We were planning on seeing St. Paul’s Chapel but there was an event being held. After trucking all the way there I was pretty sad. Its okay though because I was still thinking about how gorgeous of a campus Columbia really is. It pretty much blows Molloy away! SORRY!
Our next stop was Riverside Baptist Church. This happens to be the tallest church in the United States! I found that to be pretty cool. This Gothic Revival Church was built in 1927 by the architectural firm of Alens, Pelton and Collins with funds donated by John D. Rockerfeller JR. (ENY, 75) This church actually holds the largest bells in the United States. The single bell tower that is the church’s distinctive feature was based upon one of the towers of Notre Dame de Laon, also in France (ENY, 75) I thought that was a pretty cool fact we learned.
General Grant National Memorial was next on our list. The tomb is built of white granite and consists of a conical dome sitting in a square base. As you ascend the stairway to the memorial, you pass through a six Doric columns, leading into a portico, at the top of which are the words “ Let us have peace” (ENY,74). Although it was closed, the outside is truly remarkable. I find it interesting how they have the quote especially since I love quotes on everything!
We passed by the Riverside State Park. This narrow park is four miles long and runs from 72nd Street to 158th street along the Hudson River (ENY,74) It was actually very pretty! I enjoyed the walk a lot.
We made our last stop at the City College of New York. They were saying how gorgeous this campus was so I had high expectations! We walked up what felt like an actual mountain ahead of us. Carissa and I decided to jog up it since we had such a filling Thai meal! This campus is the first free public institution of higher education in the United States (ENY). There was a style of English Gothic Mike explained to us and it was so pretty! I had never even heard of this college before surprisingly so I am so happy I finally have!
Today was a long yet adventurous day. The class is coming to an end and although I don’t want it too, Im so excited for what we have planned next!
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan—that section of the island between New York Harbor to the south and City Hall to the north—is where it all began for the City of New York. (ENY, PDF) Which is exactly where it all began for us on our second to last day of this Gotham experience! I was looking forward to this class all month. I knew we would be going to the 9-11 memorial and that is something that has been on my list of things to do for months now. I was definitely nervous because I wasn’t sure just exactly how I would react to it but I was prepared to take on the day...with my planet smoothie in hand!
We took a visit over to City Hall! This was a big deal because Mike explained to us that you can never just casually stroll into this place! The mayor or other important people are always walking around so it’s under high security. I considered us lucky and after admiring the outside we got to take a tour inside. This is actually the third city hall we have had in New York. Completed in 1811, this is the oldest city hall in the United States. The style of exterior, undoubtedly due to Mangin’s influence, is French Renaissance. A central pavilion, leading to the buildings columned entrance portico, is flanked by two wings- the left of which houses the Mayor’s Office and the right the offices of the City Council (ENY, pdf). We made our way up the beautiful steps and stepped right into City Hall. The most gorgeous staircase I have ever seen was in front of us as we entered and I was blown away! I can only imagine what its like walking in everyday and this being your place of work. We walked up the stairs to the Governors Room. Our tour guide explained to us how this room is used now only for receptions, parties and what not. The pictures on the wall were so enormous! One thing I found really cool was that they had the actual desk George Washington had once used. We were not allowed to touch it but were able to get pretty close. It is also interesting to note that, for the same reason, the northern façade of the building was clad in cheaper brownstone rather than the expensive limestone and granite that covers the rest of the building (ENY,pdf)
We finally made our way to the 9/11-memorial sight. Before we made our way over to it we stopped at St. Pauls Chapel. As you enter the chapel, pay attention to its exquisite details- particularly the handcrafted woodwork by noted craftsmen Andrew Gautier and the gilded ornamental decoration over the altar by Pierre Charles L’Enfant, who designed the city of Washington, As you quickly notice, the chapel has become a memorial for those who have died at Ground Zero (ENY, pdf). That was definitely hard to see. As you looked at all the pictures I actually found my friends uncle who had lost his life in 9/11. It was crazy to see the equipment that had been found and other memorable items. I loved how amazing it was that this was the Chapel that housed tons of workers during the long days following the tragedy of 9/11.
On September 11th 2001, 19 terrorists affiliated with the Islamic extremist group al Qaeda hijacked four commercial airlines, crashing one into the Pentagon in Virginia and two into the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. The attack on the World Trade Center that day killed 2,977 victims making it the worst terrorist attack on American soil in the nations history (ENY,pdf) That day I sat in my 5th grade class and watched as teachers began meeting in hallways, children slowly started getting taken out of class and the entire environment of my school was destroyed. To go to the memorial was something I had not been able to really go to for a while. To stand back and listen to Mike talk to us, I envisioned the scene of what it must have been like that day and I had chills all over. We were able to walk around the N side and the S side of where the two towers stood and read all the names. The waterfall in the middle has no words for me to describe its beauty. Its something you cannot explain you must go there to see for yourself. Over 400 swamp white oak trees have been planted in the memorial. The only exception is the “Survivor Tree”- a Callery pear tree that was planted at the original World Trade Center Site in the 1970’s and which, though badly burned, managed to somehow survive the attacks (ENY, pdf)
We began our way to the next stop feeling a little disoriented but at the same time, I was able to see just how far we have come since that tragic day. Next stop was Governors Island. I have heard about this island briefly by friends who have gone to concerts there but that was about it. We took a quick ferry ride there and got to see tons of helicopters coming and going for tours that were being taken place. I HAD SO MUCH FUN!!!! This was probably one of the best times I have had during this course. We arrived at the island and lounged for a little on the grass. Mike and Don let us go free and we immediately rented bikes. It was such a great idea since we are always walking! The food was terrible but hey, the view made up for it! We biked along the water as we saw Lady Liberty, and the lovely NYC skyline! After, we swung on these cool tires they had and Mike was able to capture some awesome pictures of my friends and I. It was truly an awesome time!
We made a pitstop at Battery Park. Today, Battery Park is the largest recreational space in Lower Manhattan and is typically packed on weekdays with New York workers looking for a relatively peaceful place to eat lunch and on weekends with hordes of tourists heading to the Statue of Liberty (ENY, pdf). This park looked like a great place to have a lunch break or even meet a friend for coffee. Cool dancers were putting on this crazy show in the middle of the park where they did crazy flips over like 10 people and I of course had to join in on the madness! It was a great laugh and the guys were very talented!
Overall, today was a great day. Although a bit emotional at times, I truly enjoyed myself. Each class is making me realize how much I am going to miss this when it’s all over. I will be returning to all these spots we went to today at some point over the summer !
Lower Manhattan—that section of the island between New York Harbor to the south and City Hall to the north—is where it all began for the City of New York. (ENY, PDF) Which is exactly where it all began for us on our second to last day of this Gotham experience! I was looking forward to this class all month. I knew we would be going to the 9-11 memorial and that is something that has been on my list of things to do for months now. I was definitely nervous because I wasn’t sure just exactly how I would react to it but I was prepared to take on the day...with my planet smoothie in hand!
We took a visit over to City Hall! This was a big deal because Mike explained to us that you can never just casually stroll into this place! The mayor or other important people are always walking around so it’s under high security. I considered us lucky and after admiring the outside we got to take a tour inside. This is actually the third city hall we have had in New York. Completed in 1811, this is the oldest city hall in the United States. The style of exterior, undoubtedly due to Mangin’s influence, is French Renaissance. A central pavilion, leading to the buildings columned entrance portico, is flanked by two wings- the left of which houses the Mayor’s Office and the right the offices of the City Council (ENY, pdf). We made our way up the beautiful steps and stepped right into City Hall. The most gorgeous staircase I have ever seen was in front of us as we entered and I was blown away! I can only imagine what its like walking in everyday and this being your place of work. We walked up the stairs to the Governors Room. Our tour guide explained to us how this room is used now only for receptions, parties and what not. The pictures on the wall were so enormous! One thing I found really cool was that they had the actual desk George Washington had once used. We were not allowed to touch it but were able to get pretty close. It is also interesting to note that, for the same reason, the northern façade of the building was clad in cheaper brownstone rather than the expensive limestone and granite that covers the rest of the building (ENY,pdf)
We finally made our way to the 9/11-memorial sight. Before we made our way over to it we stopped at St. Pauls Chapel. As you enter the chapel, pay attention to its exquisite details- particularly the handcrafted woodwork by noted craftsmen Andrew Gautier and the gilded ornamental decoration over the altar by Pierre Charles L’Enfant, who designed the city of Washington, As you quickly notice, the chapel has become a memorial for those who have died at Ground Zero (ENY, pdf). That was definitely hard to see. As you looked at all the pictures I actually found my friends uncle who had lost his life in 9/11. It was crazy to see the equipment that had been found and other memorable items. I loved how amazing it was that this was the Chapel that housed tons of workers during the long days following the tragedy of 9/11.
On September 11th 2001, 19 terrorists affiliated with the Islamic extremist group al Qaeda hijacked four commercial airlines, crashing one into the Pentagon in Virginia and two into the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. The attack on the World Trade Center that day killed 2,977 victims making it the worst terrorist attack on American soil in the nations history (ENY,pdf) That day I sat in my 5th grade class and watched as teachers began meeting in hallways, children slowly started getting taken out of class and the entire environment of my school was destroyed. To go to the memorial was something I had not been able to really go to for a while. To stand back and listen to Mike talk to us, I envisioned the scene of what it must have been like that day and I had chills all over. We were able to walk around the N side and the S side of where the two towers stood and read all the names. The waterfall in the middle has no words for me to describe its beauty. Its something you cannot explain you must go there to see for yourself. Over 400 swamp white oak trees have been planted in the memorial. The only exception is the “Survivor Tree”- a Callery pear tree that was planted at the original World Trade Center Site in the 1970’s and which, though badly burned, managed to somehow survive the attacks (ENY, pdf)
We began our way to the next stop feeling a little disoriented but at the same time, I was able to see just how far we have come since that tragic day. Next stop was Governors Island. I have heard about this island briefly by friends who have gone to concerts there but that was about it. We took a quick ferry ride there and got to see tons of helicopters coming and going for tours that were being taken place. I HAD SO MUCH FUN!!!! This was probably one of the best times I have had during this course. We arrived at the island and lounged for a little on the grass. Mike and Don let us go free and we immediately rented bikes. It was such a great idea since we are always walking! The food was terrible but hey, the view made up for it! We biked along the water as we saw Lady Liberty, and the lovely NYC skyline! After, we swung on these cool tires they had and Mike was able to capture some awesome pictures of my friends and I. It was truly an awesome time!
We made a pitstop at Battery Park. Today, Battery Park is the largest recreational space in Lower Manhattan and is typically packed on weekdays with New York workers looking for a relatively peaceful place to eat lunch and on weekends with hordes of tourists heading to the Statue of Liberty (ENY, pdf). This park looked like a great place to have a lunch break or even meet a friend for coffee. Cool dancers were putting on this crazy show in the middle of the park where they did crazy flips over like 10 people and I of course had to join in on the madness! It was a great laugh and the guys were very talented!
Overall, today was a great day. Although a bit emotional at times, I truly enjoyed myself. Each class is making me realize how much I am going to miss this when it’s all over. I will be returning to all these spots we went to today at some point over the summer !
IMMIGRANT NEW YORK
Today was a bitter sweet. It was the last class of our Gotham adventure but although I was excited to be able to relax and have completed my summer class, I was truly going to miss it. I had begun getting so used to the routine of the class and seeing something new and exciting each day that I secretly didn’t want it to end. We were told we had to meet earlier than usual because we had an 11:30 meeting at the Tenement Museum. I grabbed my yummy Planet Smoother as per usual and got ready to take on the last day. I guess time really does fly when your having fun!
I had been to the Tenement Museum before with my mom so I had a sense of what I was about to see. I warned my friends about the no air conditioner rule so they knew what to expect! We met our tour guide outside the building and she was probably one of the most enthusiastic tour guides we have had. I actually appreciated her enthusiasm because it helped keep us really into it. As we made our way up the steps I was happy to see we weren’t visiting the same tenements I had gone to with my mom! We were told not to touch a single thing expect the banister to get up the stairs (THANKS) As I looked around I envisioned walking up these stairs as my own and entering the tenement as a resident. I really couldn’t because I can never imagine living that way… it seemed so surreal. As we entered our first tenement it was time to meet our first family whose life story we were about to venture on.
The first family we met was a German family. They suffered a tremendous loss when their youngest son out of 4 children, passed away. I asked if this maybe was the same family I had learned about with the tour from my mom because they too lost a child. Sadly, our tour guide explained that pretty much each family in this museum had lost a child because health issues were not as easy to maintain in their time. Also, the living conditions did not help at all. Our tour guide started explaining how the water situation worked. There was one source of water, all the way down on ground level that served for all tenements. That meant that if you wanted to wash your hands, wash your body, have a drink of water, you had to go stand on a line and then carry a bucket of water up flights of stairs. That blew my mind and gave me the chills. It made it seem so real as we stood in the actual apartments hearing these stories. The story of this German family continued as we learned how the mother had to begin to take care of the family all on her own. She was a talented dressmaker and would go to all other tenements in her building explaining how she can update all her clothes, dye them to the latest fashion and fix anything if needed. As time went on, she was able to make enough money to move herself to the Upper East Side along with her family. At the end we were shown all pictures of this family and the family members that followed after them! We saw the two great-great-great- grand children that are actually about our age that visit their family’s tenement museum often! We were saying how cool that must be to able to say this was where your family once lived!
Our second family was an Italian family. This specific family came to New York from Palermo, Sicily. They consisted of a husband and wife who were parents to two children. Their tenement had a little treat for us. Josephine who was one of the children had actually come to the tenement museum one day and walked in and simply said “ hey, I used to live here… want to hear my story?” The workers of the tenement museum were blown away. We listened to the recording of her interview they had and she truly sounded like one of the sweetest women. She was able to help them recreate the apartment as best as she could remember. They put the soap, dishrag and all other things in the exact places as she named in the interview. I found it interesting how we learned that her mother was never able to see her family again because they could not afford to send her to Italy to visit. She remembered her mother crying about how she missed her family. What Josephine did not realize at the time because she was so young was that the depression was happening and that’s why her father was always home, there was no jobs for him. I found her story to be so remarkable.
After all that we were split into groups. We ventured out into the streets of china town and were given a list of all things we had to try. We made our way to Mott Street and our group tried the pork bun. It was awesome! I figured t if Mike said it was amazing, I had to just give it a try and he was right. A lot of my group members took some home for their families. Next on the list was bubble tea. I tried Katie’s before to just see if I liked it and well… I didn’t. So I just didn’t even bother wasting my money on it. Everyone all around China town had bubble tea in their hand so I felt like I was missing out! We explored Canal Street where Brianna and I made our way to find her a new bag. We bargained with a few ladies and luckily for us… we won! Haha. Brianna got herself a nice knockoff Tory Burch bag for a quarter of retail price!
We rushed back for lunch at 2pm at a Chinese restaurant. Unfortunately, the food goes by so fast and Mike was on a budget so we couldn’t keep ordering more and more Sesame Chicken like we wanted too. I really wish we could’ve tried some dumplings and eggrolls because they were everyone’s favorites!
We had our final tour guide come meet us for our big last hoorah. We made our way to the First Settlement House on Eldridge Street. It was established all the way back to 1886! Jim explained how it was later renamed University Settlement and happens to be the 2nd Settlement house in the world! I thought that was actually pretty cool. We stopped at a really pretty Synagogue that had an Art Deco design by Emery Roth. The places Jim was taking us were actually beautiful places surrounded by the craziness of this area.
My favorite spot of all was The Economy Candy Store located at 108 Rivington Street. It was beyond delicious and felt like there was an endless amount of candy in this small place. I split a chocolate covered Oreo and chocolate covered graham cracker with Katie. Best idea we have ever had. Mike took funny pictures outside of the candy store of everyone eating their yummy candy!
Essex Street was our next stop Jim was taking us. Something I really enjoyed was the statue of Russian Lenin. For some reason it just really stood out to me. A large Jewish community ran this area I noticed and Jim explained how it was once the most densely populated area in the world! That is why the Williamsburg Bridge was built! (Fun fact!) Saint Mary’s church was built in 1815 and stands as the oldest Baptist Church and also the third oldest church in New York City. I found that to be pretty cool!
One thing I must say was that I found a new friend along the way. A beautiful butterfly rested on my backpack for a good portion of the tour. Everyone was so fascinated by it and I couldn’t even get the butterfly off if I wanted too! I definitely didn’t want it too at all. To me it was a sign that all my loved ones who aren’t here with me today are actually always watching in the most interesting ways! It was a great memory.
We even brought the butterfly with us into Saint Augustine Episcopal Church at 290 Henry Street. This church was built in 1829 and was once merged with Trinity Church. We hung out in there for a little and lit some candles if we wanted too. We ended our tour with the most breathtaking Synagogue in all the United States Jim explained. I stood there for a minute and just took it all in. It is a great place of worship for all people of that religion and they should feel truly blessed.
The day ended and we all said our goodbyes. Luckily, it wont be too long until the fall rolls around and we will all be seeing each other soon. A few of the girls stayed after to just sit back, relax, and talk about the amazing time that is the Gotham Experience.
Today was a bitter sweet. It was the last class of our Gotham adventure but although I was excited to be able to relax and have completed my summer class, I was truly going to miss it. I had begun getting so used to the routine of the class and seeing something new and exciting each day that I secretly didn’t want it to end. We were told we had to meet earlier than usual because we had an 11:30 meeting at the Tenement Museum. I grabbed my yummy Planet Smoother as per usual and got ready to take on the last day. I guess time really does fly when your having fun!
I had been to the Tenement Museum before with my mom so I had a sense of what I was about to see. I warned my friends about the no air conditioner rule so they knew what to expect! We met our tour guide outside the building and she was probably one of the most enthusiastic tour guides we have had. I actually appreciated her enthusiasm because it helped keep us really into it. As we made our way up the steps I was happy to see we weren’t visiting the same tenements I had gone to with my mom! We were told not to touch a single thing expect the banister to get up the stairs (THANKS) As I looked around I envisioned walking up these stairs as my own and entering the tenement as a resident. I really couldn’t because I can never imagine living that way… it seemed so surreal. As we entered our first tenement it was time to meet our first family whose life story we were about to venture on.
The first family we met was a German family. They suffered a tremendous loss when their youngest son out of 4 children, passed away. I asked if this maybe was the same family I had learned about with the tour from my mom because they too lost a child. Sadly, our tour guide explained that pretty much each family in this museum had lost a child because health issues were not as easy to maintain in their time. Also, the living conditions did not help at all. Our tour guide started explaining how the water situation worked. There was one source of water, all the way down on ground level that served for all tenements. That meant that if you wanted to wash your hands, wash your body, have a drink of water, you had to go stand on a line and then carry a bucket of water up flights of stairs. That blew my mind and gave me the chills. It made it seem so real as we stood in the actual apartments hearing these stories. The story of this German family continued as we learned how the mother had to begin to take care of the family all on her own. She was a talented dressmaker and would go to all other tenements in her building explaining how she can update all her clothes, dye them to the latest fashion and fix anything if needed. As time went on, she was able to make enough money to move herself to the Upper East Side along with her family. At the end we were shown all pictures of this family and the family members that followed after them! We saw the two great-great-great- grand children that are actually about our age that visit their family’s tenement museum often! We were saying how cool that must be to able to say this was where your family once lived!
Our second family was an Italian family. This specific family came to New York from Palermo, Sicily. They consisted of a husband and wife who were parents to two children. Their tenement had a little treat for us. Josephine who was one of the children had actually come to the tenement museum one day and walked in and simply said “ hey, I used to live here… want to hear my story?” The workers of the tenement museum were blown away. We listened to the recording of her interview they had and she truly sounded like one of the sweetest women. She was able to help them recreate the apartment as best as she could remember. They put the soap, dishrag and all other things in the exact places as she named in the interview. I found it interesting how we learned that her mother was never able to see her family again because they could not afford to send her to Italy to visit. She remembered her mother crying about how she missed her family. What Josephine did not realize at the time because she was so young was that the depression was happening and that’s why her father was always home, there was no jobs for him. I found her story to be so remarkable.
After all that we were split into groups. We ventured out into the streets of china town and were given a list of all things we had to try. We made our way to Mott Street and our group tried the pork bun. It was awesome! I figured t if Mike said it was amazing, I had to just give it a try and he was right. A lot of my group members took some home for their families. Next on the list was bubble tea. I tried Katie’s before to just see if I liked it and well… I didn’t. So I just didn’t even bother wasting my money on it. Everyone all around China town had bubble tea in their hand so I felt like I was missing out! We explored Canal Street where Brianna and I made our way to find her a new bag. We bargained with a few ladies and luckily for us… we won! Haha. Brianna got herself a nice knockoff Tory Burch bag for a quarter of retail price!
We rushed back for lunch at 2pm at a Chinese restaurant. Unfortunately, the food goes by so fast and Mike was on a budget so we couldn’t keep ordering more and more Sesame Chicken like we wanted too. I really wish we could’ve tried some dumplings and eggrolls because they were everyone’s favorites!
We had our final tour guide come meet us for our big last hoorah. We made our way to the First Settlement House on Eldridge Street. It was established all the way back to 1886! Jim explained how it was later renamed University Settlement and happens to be the 2nd Settlement house in the world! I thought that was actually pretty cool. We stopped at a really pretty Synagogue that had an Art Deco design by Emery Roth. The places Jim was taking us were actually beautiful places surrounded by the craziness of this area.
My favorite spot of all was The Economy Candy Store located at 108 Rivington Street. It was beyond delicious and felt like there was an endless amount of candy in this small place. I split a chocolate covered Oreo and chocolate covered graham cracker with Katie. Best idea we have ever had. Mike took funny pictures outside of the candy store of everyone eating their yummy candy!
Essex Street was our next stop Jim was taking us. Something I really enjoyed was the statue of Russian Lenin. For some reason it just really stood out to me. A large Jewish community ran this area I noticed and Jim explained how it was once the most densely populated area in the world! That is why the Williamsburg Bridge was built! (Fun fact!) Saint Mary’s church was built in 1815 and stands as the oldest Baptist Church and also the third oldest church in New York City. I found that to be pretty cool!
One thing I must say was that I found a new friend along the way. A beautiful butterfly rested on my backpack for a good portion of the tour. Everyone was so fascinated by it and I couldn’t even get the butterfly off if I wanted too! I definitely didn’t want it too at all. To me it was a sign that all my loved ones who aren’t here with me today are actually always watching in the most interesting ways! It was a great memory.
We even brought the butterfly with us into Saint Augustine Episcopal Church at 290 Henry Street. This church was built in 1829 and was once merged with Trinity Church. We hung out in there for a little and lit some candles if we wanted too. We ended our tour with the most breathtaking Synagogue in all the United States Jim explained. I stood there for a minute and just took it all in. It is a great place of worship for all people of that religion and they should feel truly blessed.
The day ended and we all said our goodbyes. Luckily, it wont be too long until the fall rolls around and we will all be seeing each other soon. A few of the girls stayed after to just sit back, relax, and talk about the amazing time that is the Gotham Experience.
Overall Experience
Overall this experience was truly one I will never forget. I promise that I am not just saying this because it sounds like something I am supposed to say. Everyday I woke up and had not one complaint about having to get into the city and be there for class (But, that’s not to say I did not complain during the day! Only because of the crazy amount of walking and depending upon the heat I may have complained extra amounts) I always knew I was in for something new each class and I was about to experience things I probably on my own would never do.
One thing that really puts a smile on my face each time is Coney Island. I truly had not laughed that hard in such a long time. To be able to ride the famous Cyclone with the people I had rode it with made the experience even better! We got to experience the great food; some great laughs and just relax. A second experience from this class that really sticks out is Governors Island/ 9-11 Memorial day. That class consisted of two experiences that really left an impact on me. Being down at ground zero took a lot and I was so glad I finally got down there. Also, Governors island was some of the most fun I have ever had. Between the bikes rides and the view the day couldn’t had been more perfect.
Mike and Don really helped make the experience the best it could be. I was so blown away by their intelligence that half the time I feel like I took it for granted. I should’ve asked more questions because now I see… they knew everything. I couldn’t have gotten luckier to have these two professors take me on this journey. Each day I went home with extremely sore feet yet some of the coolest memories I will ever make. My dad continues to say over and over “ This is the best 4,000 of my dollars Molloy has ever taken from me” and well… I couldn’t agree with him more. Thanks for 7 of the greatest classes I will ever take in my educational career!
Overall this experience was truly one I will never forget. I promise that I am not just saying this because it sounds like something I am supposed to say. Everyday I woke up and had not one complaint about having to get into the city and be there for class (But, that’s not to say I did not complain during the day! Only because of the crazy amount of walking and depending upon the heat I may have complained extra amounts) I always knew I was in for something new each class and I was about to experience things I probably on my own would never do.
One thing that really puts a smile on my face each time is Coney Island. I truly had not laughed that hard in such a long time. To be able to ride the famous Cyclone with the people I had rode it with made the experience even better! We got to experience the great food; some great laughs and just relax. A second experience from this class that really sticks out is Governors Island/ 9-11 Memorial day. That class consisted of two experiences that really left an impact on me. Being down at ground zero took a lot and I was so glad I finally got down there. Also, Governors island was some of the most fun I have ever had. Between the bikes rides and the view the day couldn’t had been more perfect.
Mike and Don really helped make the experience the best it could be. I was so blown away by their intelligence that half the time I feel like I took it for granted. I should’ve asked more questions because now I see… they knew everything. I couldn’t have gotten luckier to have these two professors take me on this journey. Each day I went home with extremely sore feet yet some of the coolest memories I will ever make. My dad continues to say over and over “ This is the best 4,000 of my dollars Molloy has ever taken from me” and well… I couldn’t agree with him more. Thanks for 7 of the greatest classes I will ever take in my educational career!