Journals 2
Journal 4: East Harlem
Before entering East Harlem I expected it to be a bad area. Although it was once a bad area it is now nice. "The poverty of these new immigrants and the building of large housing projects that concentrated crime led to East Harlem becoming one of the most dangerous sections of New York City during the 1960s and 70s. At that time the area had the highest rates of poverty, unemployment, and crime in the city" (ENY, 86). The people in the neighborhood were friendly and you could tell how much they love living in East Harlem. The first place we stopped was at the Carver Houses. It was interesting to learn why these were made and what problems they caused. They were created for low income residents. The film "Timescapes" we watched at the Museum of the City of New York was excellent. The film was interesting and full of information. It was a great reinforcement of what we have already learned so far in this class. I especially liked the exhibit with the graffiti murals. It showed a form of art that I usually don't think twice of when I see it on the streets. "An influx of immigrants from Mexico, the Caribbean and China in the 1980s and 90s have added to the multicultural mix of East Harlem" (ENY, 86). For lunch I tried a Caribbean restaurant which was very good. Central Park was beautiful. I have been there before, but I have never seen some of the parts we walked through. Central Park is a great place for New Yorkers to escape the noise and traffic of the city. Everyone needs a place like this to go to to take their mind off things and relax. My favorite part of Central Park was the turtle pond. There were so many turtles. I would definitely go back. When I do come back I also want to go for a canoe ride in the lake. It looked like a lot of fun. We finished the day in Strawberry fields. I had been there before, but this time I learned more about what happened to John Lennon and where he lived.
Before entering East Harlem I expected it to be a bad area. Although it was once a bad area it is now nice. "The poverty of these new immigrants and the building of large housing projects that concentrated crime led to East Harlem becoming one of the most dangerous sections of New York City during the 1960s and 70s. At that time the area had the highest rates of poverty, unemployment, and crime in the city" (ENY, 86). The people in the neighborhood were friendly and you could tell how much they love living in East Harlem. The first place we stopped was at the Carver Houses. It was interesting to learn why these were made and what problems they caused. They were created for low income residents. The film "Timescapes" we watched at the Museum of the City of New York was excellent. The film was interesting and full of information. It was a great reinforcement of what we have already learned so far in this class. I especially liked the exhibit with the graffiti murals. It showed a form of art that I usually don't think twice of when I see it on the streets. "An influx of immigrants from Mexico, the Caribbean and China in the 1980s and 90s have added to the multicultural mix of East Harlem" (ENY, 86). For lunch I tried a Caribbean restaurant which was very good. Central Park was beautiful. I have been there before, but I have never seen some of the parts we walked through. Central Park is a great place for New Yorkers to escape the noise and traffic of the city. Everyone needs a place like this to go to to take their mind off things and relax. My favorite part of Central Park was the turtle pond. There were so many turtles. I would definitely go back. When I do come back I also want to go for a canoe ride in the lake. It looked like a lot of fun. We finished the day in Strawberry fields. I had been there before, but this time I learned more about what happened to John Lennon and where he lived.
Journal 5: Morningside Heights
We started the day walking through times square. I have been there many times, but this time I learned how it got its name. Next we went into NBC studios. It was really cool to see the place where many great shows are made, such as Saturday Night Live. At The Museum of Modern Art my favorite piece of art was a painting of the American flag by Jasper Johns. He created this in 1954. He used oil paints and if you looked closely you could see newspaper used in the painting. The painting appeared to be lumpy and smeared. In the painting description it says Jasper dreamt that he painted a large American flag. The next morning he got up and went out to buy the materials needed to begin. This included three canvases that he mounted on plywood, strips of newspaper, and encaustic paint. Another pice I really liked was called Canyon by Robert Rauschenberg. It was created in 1959. What I really liked about it was the 3D eagle that looked as if it were flying towards you. What is so amazing about this eagle is that it is real. The materials used for this painting were oil, pencil, metal, photograph, fabric, wood, canvas, buttons, mirror, taxidermied eagle, cardboard, pillow, and paint tube. Some of the paintings were so plain it was hard to believe they were worth so much money and considered art. Being at Columbia University was such a different feeling than being at Molloy. The library was its own building and was huge. I would probably get lost if I went to school there. This was the first college established in New York State and the fifth in the United States. The buildings at CUNY were beautiful. Each building had so much detail. We visited the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. "The largest church in the United States and the largest Gothic-style cathedral in the world, the Cathedral has room for 3000 worshippers and spans a length of over 600 feet" (ENY, 70). Walking into the church I was amazed at how big it was. There were so many chapels. I couldn't imagine that place being filled with people. The Riverside church was the most beautiful church I've ever seen, on the outside. The inside was not impressive in my opinion. This is the tallest church in the United States.
We started the day walking through times square. I have been there many times, but this time I learned how it got its name. Next we went into NBC studios. It was really cool to see the place where many great shows are made, such as Saturday Night Live. At The Museum of Modern Art my favorite piece of art was a painting of the American flag by Jasper Johns. He created this in 1954. He used oil paints and if you looked closely you could see newspaper used in the painting. The painting appeared to be lumpy and smeared. In the painting description it says Jasper dreamt that he painted a large American flag. The next morning he got up and went out to buy the materials needed to begin. This included three canvases that he mounted on plywood, strips of newspaper, and encaustic paint. Another pice I really liked was called Canyon by Robert Rauschenberg. It was created in 1959. What I really liked about it was the 3D eagle that looked as if it were flying towards you. What is so amazing about this eagle is that it is real. The materials used for this painting were oil, pencil, metal, photograph, fabric, wood, canvas, buttons, mirror, taxidermied eagle, cardboard, pillow, and paint tube. Some of the paintings were so plain it was hard to believe they were worth so much money and considered art. Being at Columbia University was such a different feeling than being at Molloy. The library was its own building and was huge. I would probably get lost if I went to school there. This was the first college established in New York State and the fifth in the United States. The buildings at CUNY were beautiful. Each building had so much detail. We visited the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. "The largest church in the United States and the largest Gothic-style cathedral in the world, the Cathedral has room for 3000 worshippers and spans a length of over 600 feet" (ENY, 70). Walking into the church I was amazed at how big it was. There were so many chapels. I couldn't imagine that place being filled with people. The Riverside church was the most beautiful church I've ever seen, on the outside. The inside was not impressive in my opinion. This is the tallest church in the United States.
Journal 6: Lower Manhattan
This was my favorite day so far. It amazed me how long St. Paul's Chapel has been standing. "It is the oldest surviving church in Manhattan as well as the oldest building in continuous use in New York City" (ENY). I finally got the chance to visit the freedom tower after wanting to have gone for a while. It was amazing. I really liked how shiny the building looked. The memorial waterfalls were beautiful. These are the largest man made waterfalls in the country. I could stand there all day listening to the peaceful sound of the waterfalls. It is another great place for New Yorkers to escape the hectic, loud city streets. "The Twin Towers were the largest buildings in New York City for almost forty years- and the tallest buildings in the world until the Sears Tower in Chicago was completed in 1973- the Twin Towers had become symbols of the city's economic might and its role as the center for global capitalism" (ENY). It was a great experience visiting City Hall. I especially liked how we were able to see the desk used by George Washington when he was president. There was so much history in City Hall. Another interesting thing we saw was the Trinity Root. On September 11, 2001, debris from the collapsing World Trade Center towers struck a large sycamore tree that had stood for nearly half a century in the churchyard of St. Paul's Chapel. When the dust settled the uprooted tree was found lying on a narrow path in the yard. It had fallen, without disturbing any of the historic tombstones or the Chapel. This uprooted tree is now a sculpture covered in bronze. I had a great time at Governors Island. The surrey was a lot of fun and a great workout. The view from the island was nice with the freedom tower and statue of liberty and the background. My favorite part of the island was definitely Hammock Grove. I didn't want to get up from that comfortable hammock. It was so relaxing.
This was my favorite day so far. It amazed me how long St. Paul's Chapel has been standing. "It is the oldest surviving church in Manhattan as well as the oldest building in continuous use in New York City" (ENY). I finally got the chance to visit the freedom tower after wanting to have gone for a while. It was amazing. I really liked how shiny the building looked. The memorial waterfalls were beautiful. These are the largest man made waterfalls in the country. I could stand there all day listening to the peaceful sound of the waterfalls. It is another great place for New Yorkers to escape the hectic, loud city streets. "The Twin Towers were the largest buildings in New York City for almost forty years- and the tallest buildings in the world until the Sears Tower in Chicago was completed in 1973- the Twin Towers had become symbols of the city's economic might and its role as the center for global capitalism" (ENY). It was a great experience visiting City Hall. I especially liked how we were able to see the desk used by George Washington when he was president. There was so much history in City Hall. Another interesting thing we saw was the Trinity Root. On September 11, 2001, debris from the collapsing World Trade Center towers struck a large sycamore tree that had stood for nearly half a century in the churchyard of St. Paul's Chapel. When the dust settled the uprooted tree was found lying on a narrow path in the yard. It had fallen, without disturbing any of the historic tombstones or the Chapel. This uprooted tree is now a sculpture covered in bronze. I had a great time at Governors Island. The surrey was a lot of fun and a great workout. The view from the island was nice with the freedom tower and statue of liberty and the background. My favorite part of the island was definitely Hammock Grove. I didn't want to get up from that comfortable hammock. It was so relaxing.
Journal 7: Chinatown
I learned a lot at the Tenement Museum. It was interesting to see how people lived in these conditions and hear their stories that have been passed on. We were able to see two different tenements that two different families lived in. These tenements were home to 7,000 immigrants over the years. Both were very small and you could imagine how crammed it would be with a whole family living here. The first tenement didn't have any lights or bathroom. There were only three small rooms. A bedroom, kitchen and parlor. There was no water source in the tenement, so the mother would have to use a bucket to get water and bring it upstairs several times a day. The water would be used for daily activities, such as drinking, bathing, washing dishes, and cleaning laundry.Since there were only three small rooms they had to be used for many purposes. The kitchen would have to be a bedroom for a kid and the parlor would have to be a workshop where the mother made dresses. The second tenement was of a later time when there was running water inside, gas powered lights, and an indoor bathroom. The bathroom was shared by the entire floor. There was a window in between the kitchen and parlor to let the heat out from the coal powered oven. To pass time the father would play card games with his children. Walking through Chinatown made me think how amazing it is how they have their own little town full with their culture. The have the food they would eat in China and the clothes they would wear. I bought some exotic fruit while I was there. I bought dragonfruit, guava, and lychee. After class was over we walked across the Williamsburg bridge. It is cool how they have lanes for cars, bikes walkers, and a subway train that goes across. There was graffiti all over, giving it a very different appearance than the Brooklyn bridge. I had my eye on the million dollar homes in Williamsburg. They almost looked like hotels. Williamsburg seems like a great place for young people to live. There are a lot of cool places to go there.
I learned a lot at the Tenement Museum. It was interesting to see how people lived in these conditions and hear their stories that have been passed on. We were able to see two different tenements that two different families lived in. These tenements were home to 7,000 immigrants over the years. Both were very small and you could imagine how crammed it would be with a whole family living here. The first tenement didn't have any lights or bathroom. There were only three small rooms. A bedroom, kitchen and parlor. There was no water source in the tenement, so the mother would have to use a bucket to get water and bring it upstairs several times a day. The water would be used for daily activities, such as drinking, bathing, washing dishes, and cleaning laundry.Since there were only three small rooms they had to be used for many purposes. The kitchen would have to be a bedroom for a kid and the parlor would have to be a workshop where the mother made dresses. The second tenement was of a later time when there was running water inside, gas powered lights, and an indoor bathroom. The bathroom was shared by the entire floor. There was a window in between the kitchen and parlor to let the heat out from the coal powered oven. To pass time the father would play card games with his children. Walking through Chinatown made me think how amazing it is how they have their own little town full with their culture. The have the food they would eat in China and the clothes they would wear. I bought some exotic fruit while I was there. I bought dragonfruit, guava, and lychee. After class was over we walked across the Williamsburg bridge. It is cool how they have lanes for cars, bikes walkers, and a subway train that goes across. There was graffiti all over, giving it a very different appearance than the Brooklyn bridge. I had my eye on the million dollar homes in Williamsburg. They almost looked like hotels. Williamsburg seems like a great place for young people to live. There are a lot of cool places to go there.
Conclusion
From this experience I have learned so much about New York City. My perceptions have changed. I never realized how much history can be found here. It is fascinating how much there is to see in New York City. Although I do not ever see myself living in the city, I will definitely be visiting more often. I know there is so much to explore.
From this experience I have learned so much about New York City. My perceptions have changed. I never realized how much history can be found here. It is fascinating how much there is to see in New York City. Although I do not ever see myself living in the city, I will definitely be visiting more often. I know there is so much to explore.