Journals 1
Impressions of NY
After living on Long Island nearly my entire life it's hard to believe how unfamiliar with New York City I am. The most popular city in the country only a train ride away and yet I hardly visit. People come from all over the world to see this city. I'm hoping once my familiarity with the city increases after this class I will visit more often. New York City is a beautiful place. One of the qualities of the city that I like best is the diversity. New York City is the home of unique groups of people. There is a place for everyone to fit in. It amazes me how much there is to see. So much of it is unknown territory to me. What I have seen are places like times square, the empire state building, and the statue of liberty. I know there is much more that I have not discovered that is definitely worth seeing. When I think of New York City I think of crowded streets filled with locals and tourists. I think of people expressing themselves and their talents. Musicians playing on the streets and on the subways. I must add that New York City is the place for shopping!
After living on Long Island nearly my entire life it's hard to believe how unfamiliar with New York City I am. The most popular city in the country only a train ride away and yet I hardly visit. People come from all over the world to see this city. I'm hoping once my familiarity with the city increases after this class I will visit more often. New York City is a beautiful place. One of the qualities of the city that I like best is the diversity. New York City is the home of unique groups of people. There is a place for everyone to fit in. It amazes me how much there is to see. So much of it is unknown territory to me. What I have seen are places like times square, the empire state building, and the statue of liberty. I know there is much more that I have not discovered that is definitely worth seeing. When I think of New York City I think of crowded streets filled with locals and tourists. I think of people expressing themselves and their talents. Musicians playing on the streets and on the subways. I must add that New York City is the place for shopping!
Journal 1: Queens
I enjoyed my experience of our first class very much. I am glad we visited Grand Central Terminal, because I had never been there before. It was nice to see in person what I have seen in movies. I was amazed at how different it is from Penn Station. It had a calmer atmosphere and looked more pleasant inside and out. I learned a lot about the different structures of buildings, such as the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building. The weather cleared up just as we were going to see the wonderful views near the East River. The view of the Queensboro (59th St.) bridge was excellent from the tram to Roosevelt Island. I liked how we were able to see the Pepsi-cola sign from two different perspectives on each side of the East River. "Once regarded as an eyesore the sign has become an informal East River landmark and symbol of Long Island City's industrial past" (ENY, 149). I think the Pepsi-cola sign is a great landmark with an interesting story behind it. Like I said before, one thing I like about NYC is the diversity. "In fact, Queens is the most ethnically diverse county in the United States with over half of its residents born outside of the United States" (ENY, 135). I enjoyed the Indian restaurant we went to for lunch in "Little India". It was great to try new foods of a different culture and it was delicious! One of the things I learned is about gentrification. The sights we saw were examples of how gentrification is taking place. "Although Queens remains a borough of mostly residential neighborhoods, the gentrification process that has taken place in Manhattan and Brooklyn is slowly starting to impact this borough as well" (ENY, 136).
I enjoyed my experience of our first class very much. I am glad we visited Grand Central Terminal, because I had never been there before. It was nice to see in person what I have seen in movies. I was amazed at how different it is from Penn Station. It had a calmer atmosphere and looked more pleasant inside and out. I learned a lot about the different structures of buildings, such as the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building. The weather cleared up just as we were going to see the wonderful views near the East River. The view of the Queensboro (59th St.) bridge was excellent from the tram to Roosevelt Island. I liked how we were able to see the Pepsi-cola sign from two different perspectives on each side of the East River. "Once regarded as an eyesore the sign has become an informal East River landmark and symbol of Long Island City's industrial past" (ENY, 149). I think the Pepsi-cola sign is a great landmark with an interesting story behind it. Like I said before, one thing I like about NYC is the diversity. "In fact, Queens is the most ethnically diverse county in the United States with over half of its residents born outside of the United States" (ENY, 135). I enjoyed the Indian restaurant we went to for lunch in "Little India". It was great to try new foods of a different culture and it was delicious! One of the things I learned is about gentrification. The sights we saw were examples of how gentrification is taking place. "Although Queens remains a borough of mostly residential neighborhoods, the gentrification process that has taken place in Manhattan and Brooklyn is slowly starting to impact this borough as well" (ENY, 136).
Journal 2: Brooklyn
My first impression of Coney Island was how run-down it looked. This is not what I expected. I thought Coney Island would be this lively place, but most of the places here were closed. Lunch at Grimaldi's was excellent and I felt like a kid again riding the Cyclone and eating cotton candy. "As you walk along the Boardwalk, you can't miss one of the great icons of Coney Island-the 85 foot tall Cyclone, the wooden rollercoaster at Luna Park that has been thrilling adventure-seekers since 1927" (ENY, 117). I couldn't believe how long the Cyclone has been standing, and almost didn't want to know, as I got on the ride. Luckily, I survived this ancient ride and had a lot of fun. I would have regretted not going on. "With 468 operating stations, the New York City Subway system is the most extensive public transportation system in the world" (ENY, 124). While visiting The Transit Museum I was amazed at how the subway systems were created and how much hard work was put into them. I liked seeing all of the different styles of subway cars used in the past. Brooklyn Heights was a much calmer and relaxed atmosphere compared to Manhattan. "Today Brooklyn Heights is one of New York's most exclusive and desirable neighborhoods, with homes often selling for millions of dollars. I could definitely see why so many people would want to live in Brooklyn Heights. It is a beautiful place. "With 2.5 million people, Brooklyn (officially referred to as Kings County) is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs as well as being the second most densely populated county in the United States (after Manhattan). In fact if it were an independent city, Brooklyn would rank as the third most populous city in the United States" (ENY, 113). I never knew how populated Brooklyn is, so it was interesting to learn all of this. What enjoyed the most about Brooklyn was walking over the Brooklyn bridge. The views were great and I really like the style of the bridge.
My first impression of Coney Island was how run-down it looked. This is not what I expected. I thought Coney Island would be this lively place, but most of the places here were closed. Lunch at Grimaldi's was excellent and I felt like a kid again riding the Cyclone and eating cotton candy. "As you walk along the Boardwalk, you can't miss one of the great icons of Coney Island-the 85 foot tall Cyclone, the wooden rollercoaster at Luna Park that has been thrilling adventure-seekers since 1927" (ENY, 117). I couldn't believe how long the Cyclone has been standing, and almost didn't want to know, as I got on the ride. Luckily, I survived this ancient ride and had a lot of fun. I would have regretted not going on. "With 468 operating stations, the New York City Subway system is the most extensive public transportation system in the world" (ENY, 124). While visiting The Transit Museum I was amazed at how the subway systems were created and how much hard work was put into them. I liked seeing all of the different styles of subway cars used in the past. Brooklyn Heights was a much calmer and relaxed atmosphere compared to Manhattan. "Today Brooklyn Heights is one of New York's most exclusive and desirable neighborhoods, with homes often selling for millions of dollars. I could definitely see why so many people would want to live in Brooklyn Heights. It is a beautiful place. "With 2.5 million people, Brooklyn (officially referred to as Kings County) is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs as well as being the second most densely populated county in the United States (after Manhattan). In fact if it were an independent city, Brooklyn would rank as the third most populous city in the United States" (ENY, 113). I never knew how populated Brooklyn is, so it was interesting to learn all of this. What enjoyed the most about Brooklyn was walking over the Brooklyn bridge. The views were great and I really like the style of the bridge.
Journal 3: The Village
"What Chelsea is primarily known for is its numerous art galleries, showcasing some of the world's most prominent contemporary art" (ENY, 93).While art gallery hopping in Chelsea I learned a lot about different types of art. The first couple of art galleries we went to had pieces that I would have never thought would be art. As I was looking at each piece I tried to imagine what the artist was feeling or thinking when they created it. I thought about how each piece made me feel. In one art gallery images and words were projected onto round balls hanging from the ceiling. I had never seen technology used like that in art pieces. In another art gallery there was an air conditioner dripping water onto a frying pan. With each drip you heard a sizzle. I was surprised to see something like that exhibited in an art gallery. It seems anyone without artistic talent could have put that together. One art piece I found amazing was huge and looked like it was made out of wood. It was not wood, but looked that way because of the way the artist layered the paint. Another piece I liked had vibrant colors in it with a lot going on. After visiting these galleries I learned about types of art I never knew existed. Visiting the Merchant's House Museum gave a me a good idea of how the upper middle class lived in the early 19th century. "The Merchant's house is a wonderfully preserved Federal-syle house, filled with period furnishings and decorations" (ENY).
"What Chelsea is primarily known for is its numerous art galleries, showcasing some of the world's most prominent contemporary art" (ENY, 93).While art gallery hopping in Chelsea I learned a lot about different types of art. The first couple of art galleries we went to had pieces that I would have never thought would be art. As I was looking at each piece I tried to imagine what the artist was feeling or thinking when they created it. I thought about how each piece made me feel. In one art gallery images and words were projected onto round balls hanging from the ceiling. I had never seen technology used like that in art pieces. In another art gallery there was an air conditioner dripping water onto a frying pan. With each drip you heard a sizzle. I was surprised to see something like that exhibited in an art gallery. It seems anyone without artistic talent could have put that together. One art piece I found amazing was huge and looked like it was made out of wood. It was not wood, but looked that way because of the way the artist layered the paint. Another piece I liked had vibrant colors in it with a lot going on. After visiting these galleries I learned about types of art I never knew existed. Visiting the Merchant's House Museum gave a me a good idea of how the upper middle class lived in the early 19th century. "The Merchant's house is a wonderfully preserved Federal-syle house, filled with period furnishings and decorations" (ENY).