Journals 1-4
1. Impressions of NYC
When I think about ways to describe how I feel about New York City its always a wide variety of emotions that simply cant be described by one word. From excitement, to fear, to downright confusion living in a city where so much diversity converges on an everyday basis causes little room for dull moments to happen. Living in the borough of Queens my entire life has given me the opportunity to explore many places and sights by having easy access to the A train subway line which is only two blocks away from my house and brings you right into the heart of Manhattan. As a kid I never really was a fan of exploring Manhattan because of the overcrowded streets and overall hectic and rushed pace that Manhattan always seems to have. This caused me to spend most of my time in the boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn. My favorite place to go to in Brooklyn was McCarren park with my grandmother which was only a short distance walk from her apartment. I would spend hours in the park playing with other children in the sprinklers,swings or any other activity we could think of that day.Where I live in Queens the famous Aqueduct Racetrack is located right across the street from my house, this meant I got to spend most of my childhood listening to horse races and visiting the annual fair they had every summer. Without even having to hop on a train or take a bus I was already exposed to so many wonderful experiences that were waiting for me right at my doorstep.
My favorite part of Queens, where I continue to visit frequently til this day, is Jackson Heights and Long Island City. The reason for this is because my Dad owns a business located on Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights and most days me and my family would walk around visiting the small shops and restaurants that are located all throughout that area. My love for Long Island City follows me til this very day because of the piers that are located right at the end of Long Island City. On a beautiful summer day me and my friends will take our long-boards and take the twenty to thirty minute trip to the piers where we can lay on the grass and watch the sunset over the Manhattan skyline. It is a sight that never seems to get old as the sun goes down and the skyscrapers turn on their lights to welcome the crazy nightlife Manhattan has to offer.
Like I said before, as a kid Manhattan used to scare me but now I welcome all its constant chaos with open arms. Whether its Central Park, Downtown, Uptown, or Times Square there isn't many streets my long-board wheels haven't skated. My favorite route to take starts at 59th street Columbus Circle, right next to central park, where I proceed to go all the way Downtown to the Williamsburg Bridge. This route takes me through my favorite places in Manhattan which include Times Square and Astor place. Overall I've had a good look into this magnificent city I live in but the desire to see more and know more never fades away. Hopefully by the end of this journey ill see and experience things I have never tried before.
When I think about ways to describe how I feel about New York City its always a wide variety of emotions that simply cant be described by one word. From excitement, to fear, to downright confusion living in a city where so much diversity converges on an everyday basis causes little room for dull moments to happen. Living in the borough of Queens my entire life has given me the opportunity to explore many places and sights by having easy access to the A train subway line which is only two blocks away from my house and brings you right into the heart of Manhattan. As a kid I never really was a fan of exploring Manhattan because of the overcrowded streets and overall hectic and rushed pace that Manhattan always seems to have. This caused me to spend most of my time in the boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn. My favorite place to go to in Brooklyn was McCarren park with my grandmother which was only a short distance walk from her apartment. I would spend hours in the park playing with other children in the sprinklers,swings or any other activity we could think of that day.Where I live in Queens the famous Aqueduct Racetrack is located right across the street from my house, this meant I got to spend most of my childhood listening to horse races and visiting the annual fair they had every summer. Without even having to hop on a train or take a bus I was already exposed to so many wonderful experiences that were waiting for me right at my doorstep.
My favorite part of Queens, where I continue to visit frequently til this day, is Jackson Heights and Long Island City. The reason for this is because my Dad owns a business located on Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights and most days me and my family would walk around visiting the small shops and restaurants that are located all throughout that area. My love for Long Island City follows me til this very day because of the piers that are located right at the end of Long Island City. On a beautiful summer day me and my friends will take our long-boards and take the twenty to thirty minute trip to the piers where we can lay on the grass and watch the sunset over the Manhattan skyline. It is a sight that never seems to get old as the sun goes down and the skyscrapers turn on their lights to welcome the crazy nightlife Manhattan has to offer.
Like I said before, as a kid Manhattan used to scare me but now I welcome all its constant chaos with open arms. Whether its Central Park, Downtown, Uptown, or Times Square there isn't many streets my long-board wheels haven't skated. My favorite route to take starts at 59th street Columbus Circle, right next to central park, where I proceed to go all the way Downtown to the Williamsburg Bridge. This route takes me through my favorite places in Manhattan which include Times Square and Astor place. Overall I've had a good look into this magnificent city I live in but the desire to see more and know more never fades away. Hopefully by the end of this journey ill see and experience things I have never tried before.
2. Queens
Our first official adventure in the exploration of New York began on Saturday, September 6th in Queens. Since Queens is my home borough I was able to make my way to the location point in Flushing Meadows Park without having to first make my way to Penn Station in order to meet the rest of the class. By 10:30 a.m. I left my fathers workplace in Jackson Heights on my long-board and arrived at the meeting point directly in front of the U.S. open entrance which was also in full effect that day. The wait for Mike and the rest of my classmates was a tedious one because I was very excited to start my exploration of the many hidden gems my home borough has to offer. As I waited I watched thousands of people flow through the Willets point train station, in order to make their way to the U.S. open stadium, in hopes that one of them would be Mike and my classmates so our day could finally begin. Sure enough my prayers were answered at around 11:30 when Mike and the rest of the class crossed the wooden bridge and down into the U.S. open entrance where I met them and we proceeded to walk around the entrance to get to our first destination of Flushing Meadows Park.
Before we made our way to the heart of the park Mike sat us down to give us a brief history and some interesting facts of this historical park that I had never known before. Flushing Meadows Park is the fourth largest of New York's public park and is even larger in size than Central Park in Manhattan. (ENY,217) This fact caught me by surprise because Central Park is my favorite park that I frequently visit and I had no idea there was an even larger park located in my own neighborhood. Another interesting fact Mike proceeded to tell us was that in the 1920's the area of the park was originally an ash dump, named the Corona Ash Dump, in which ashes from coal-burning furnaces, horse manure, and garbage were brought. The area was later cleared by Parks Commissioner Robert Moses in the 1930's in order to accommodate the worlds fair that was planned to take place in 1939-1940. (ENY,217) With this information we proceeded to walk deeper into the park to the center where the famous Unisphere is located. At 12 stories high, 120 feet in diameter, and weighing 900,000 pounds, the sphere is the largest globe structure in the world in fact it is so large the globe can be seen when driving on the Grand Central Parkway. (ENY,218) Since the U.S. open was in commence the sphere had its water display running which only occurs on special occasions and the cool mist it proivded was a godsend since the temperature that day was over 90 degrees due to the humidity.
After taking a few pictures, and enjoying the cool mist we then entered the Queens Museum of Art which is located only a few steps away from the Unisphere. Entering the Queens Museum was a very pleasant escape from the heat, which me and my classmates definitely needed, and also was where we learned a couple new facts about New York and the worlds fair. It was conceived as an art museum for the borough of Queens and focuses primarily on 20th century and contemporary art with an emphasis on global diversity. The highlight of the museum is the Panorama of the city of New York, which was created for the World's Fair. Covering more than 9,335 square feet and containing more than 895,000 buildings, the Panorama was built to a scale of 1 inch to 100 feet and includes every building ever constructed in New York constructed before 1992. (ENY,221) Due to this being my first time ever visiting the Queens Museum seeing the Panorama was definitely a surprising treat. The attention to detail and sheer magnitude of size would leave anyone in utter shock, I could not believe how accurately the portrayal of the boroughs and buildings the Panorama actually was. It is so accurate that you can almost pinpoint exactly where your own home is located as if you are viewing it on Google maps off a computer. Our next stop on the tour was in a different room from the Panorama where a model of New York watersheds is displayed. Although the model wasn't scaled to size, like the Panorama, it showed us how we receive the billions of gallons of water that is crucial in keeping our city alive and thriving everyday. After we were done viewing all the wonders the Queens Museum had to offer, it was time to hop on the 7 train to reach our next destination which was Jackson Heights.
As we rode the train Mike proceeded to tell us the that the 7 train has been nicknamed the "International Express" because its route takes passengers through some of the most ethnically diverse communities in North America. (ENY,215) This was a very clear fact when we finally arrived at our stop, which was 74th Street-Broadway, where we ended up in the heart of an area in Jackson Heights labeled as "Little India". The name clearly let us know that the dominant race in this area was Indian and this is where we would stop for our first free meal of our journey. I was very surprised to find out this was where we would be having our lunch since my fathers place of work is located only two blocks away on 76th street and Roosevelt Avenue. Even though I have visited this area very frequently I never took part in the Indian culture and cuisine this little area had to offer. My first ever taste of India cuisine would be at a diner named Jackson Diner which had a buffet of all types of Indian cuisine, with an open mind and an empty stomach I took my plate and served a platter of different items I had never seen before. Although it was a little spicy for my liking the meal overall was quite delicious and my favorite items were definitely the chicken and tiny potato bites with some sort of meat inside. Once I was done with my meal I decided to take a quick visit to my fathers place of work just to stay a quick hello and let him know how my day went so far. He was surprised to hear that I had tried Indian cuisine for the first time and even considered taking a taste for himself one day. With our lunch finished it was time to head to our last destination on our tour of Queens which was located in Astoria.
In order to get there we rode on the R train to Steinway street in order to visit the Museum of Moving Image located on 35th Avenue. This museum celebrates the history and art of movie-making and is considered the most popular tourist attraction in Queens due to its large collection of film artifacts. (ENY,225) Once we entered I knew this would be my favorite stop on our trip through Queens since I am a big fan of movies and find the process of creating movies very interesting. After a quick session of background information provided by Mike I proceeded to the top floor of the museum where I was able to view the animation of Chuck Jones. I was very excited about this because some of my favorite cartoons and cartoon characters were created by Chuck Jones, such as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. As I roamed the rooms dedicated to his creations I was able to see rough sketches that started the creation of these memorable characters and even hear audio clips containing excerpts of Chuck Jones discussing music, and sound effects within his cartoons. An interesting interactive component of the museum I found in the room next to the Chuck Jones area was an audio player that showed the effect different types of music had on a scene in a film. What it did was allow a person to view a scene clip from a movie with different types of music that triggered different kinds of moods. It was interesting to hear and see how one type of music could make a scene more dramatic while another style of music made a scene more relaxed and euphoric. Once I was done with this floor I proceeded to make my way to the next lower floor where there was a display of movie outfits from several classic films that I've always enjoyed. In the display you could see clothes worn by actors such as Robin Williams in the movies Mork & Mindy and Mrs. Doubtfire and Eddie Murphy in the film Beverly Hills Cop II. Next to this display there was another unique display of action figures, comic books, and other sorts of fan memorabilia from famous movies such as Star Trek and Star Wars. My last favorite item in the Museum was a tiny replica movie theater that had an old Egyptian theme to it, it was amazing to see a theater with such great detail to its theme which is extremely different to the bland movie theaters we have today.
After our museum visit was over it was time to head to the train and part ways to end our journey throughout Queens. We had intended to end in Long Island City where the piers facing the East River are but Mike decided it was a better idea to call it a day due the extreme heat we were forced to face all day. Personally I was very grateful for this decision because some of my close friends live in Astoria and I was able to part ways with the class instead of heading all the way back to Penn Station. Even though it was a long, hot, strenuous day I was beyond shocked at how much I learned about my own home borough in just one day. This exploration through Queens taught me many things I never knew before and has made me even more excited to finish our journey throughout the rest of this wonderful city.
Our first official adventure in the exploration of New York began on Saturday, September 6th in Queens. Since Queens is my home borough I was able to make my way to the location point in Flushing Meadows Park without having to first make my way to Penn Station in order to meet the rest of the class. By 10:30 a.m. I left my fathers workplace in Jackson Heights on my long-board and arrived at the meeting point directly in front of the U.S. open entrance which was also in full effect that day. The wait for Mike and the rest of my classmates was a tedious one because I was very excited to start my exploration of the many hidden gems my home borough has to offer. As I waited I watched thousands of people flow through the Willets point train station, in order to make their way to the U.S. open stadium, in hopes that one of them would be Mike and my classmates so our day could finally begin. Sure enough my prayers were answered at around 11:30 when Mike and the rest of the class crossed the wooden bridge and down into the U.S. open entrance where I met them and we proceeded to walk around the entrance to get to our first destination of Flushing Meadows Park.
Before we made our way to the heart of the park Mike sat us down to give us a brief history and some interesting facts of this historical park that I had never known before. Flushing Meadows Park is the fourth largest of New York's public park and is even larger in size than Central Park in Manhattan. (ENY,217) This fact caught me by surprise because Central Park is my favorite park that I frequently visit and I had no idea there was an even larger park located in my own neighborhood. Another interesting fact Mike proceeded to tell us was that in the 1920's the area of the park was originally an ash dump, named the Corona Ash Dump, in which ashes from coal-burning furnaces, horse manure, and garbage were brought. The area was later cleared by Parks Commissioner Robert Moses in the 1930's in order to accommodate the worlds fair that was planned to take place in 1939-1940. (ENY,217) With this information we proceeded to walk deeper into the park to the center where the famous Unisphere is located. At 12 stories high, 120 feet in diameter, and weighing 900,000 pounds, the sphere is the largest globe structure in the world in fact it is so large the globe can be seen when driving on the Grand Central Parkway. (ENY,218) Since the U.S. open was in commence the sphere had its water display running which only occurs on special occasions and the cool mist it proivded was a godsend since the temperature that day was over 90 degrees due to the humidity.
After taking a few pictures, and enjoying the cool mist we then entered the Queens Museum of Art which is located only a few steps away from the Unisphere. Entering the Queens Museum was a very pleasant escape from the heat, which me and my classmates definitely needed, and also was where we learned a couple new facts about New York and the worlds fair. It was conceived as an art museum for the borough of Queens and focuses primarily on 20th century and contemporary art with an emphasis on global diversity. The highlight of the museum is the Panorama of the city of New York, which was created for the World's Fair. Covering more than 9,335 square feet and containing more than 895,000 buildings, the Panorama was built to a scale of 1 inch to 100 feet and includes every building ever constructed in New York constructed before 1992. (ENY,221) Due to this being my first time ever visiting the Queens Museum seeing the Panorama was definitely a surprising treat. The attention to detail and sheer magnitude of size would leave anyone in utter shock, I could not believe how accurately the portrayal of the boroughs and buildings the Panorama actually was. It is so accurate that you can almost pinpoint exactly where your own home is located as if you are viewing it on Google maps off a computer. Our next stop on the tour was in a different room from the Panorama where a model of New York watersheds is displayed. Although the model wasn't scaled to size, like the Panorama, it showed us how we receive the billions of gallons of water that is crucial in keeping our city alive and thriving everyday. After we were done viewing all the wonders the Queens Museum had to offer, it was time to hop on the 7 train to reach our next destination which was Jackson Heights.
As we rode the train Mike proceeded to tell us the that the 7 train has been nicknamed the "International Express" because its route takes passengers through some of the most ethnically diverse communities in North America. (ENY,215) This was a very clear fact when we finally arrived at our stop, which was 74th Street-Broadway, where we ended up in the heart of an area in Jackson Heights labeled as "Little India". The name clearly let us know that the dominant race in this area was Indian and this is where we would stop for our first free meal of our journey. I was very surprised to find out this was where we would be having our lunch since my fathers place of work is located only two blocks away on 76th street and Roosevelt Avenue. Even though I have visited this area very frequently I never took part in the Indian culture and cuisine this little area had to offer. My first ever taste of India cuisine would be at a diner named Jackson Diner which had a buffet of all types of Indian cuisine, with an open mind and an empty stomach I took my plate and served a platter of different items I had never seen before. Although it was a little spicy for my liking the meal overall was quite delicious and my favorite items were definitely the chicken and tiny potato bites with some sort of meat inside. Once I was done with my meal I decided to take a quick visit to my fathers place of work just to stay a quick hello and let him know how my day went so far. He was surprised to hear that I had tried Indian cuisine for the first time and even considered taking a taste for himself one day. With our lunch finished it was time to head to our last destination on our tour of Queens which was located in Astoria.
In order to get there we rode on the R train to Steinway street in order to visit the Museum of Moving Image located on 35th Avenue. This museum celebrates the history and art of movie-making and is considered the most popular tourist attraction in Queens due to its large collection of film artifacts. (ENY,225) Once we entered I knew this would be my favorite stop on our trip through Queens since I am a big fan of movies and find the process of creating movies very interesting. After a quick session of background information provided by Mike I proceeded to the top floor of the museum where I was able to view the animation of Chuck Jones. I was very excited about this because some of my favorite cartoons and cartoon characters were created by Chuck Jones, such as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. As I roamed the rooms dedicated to his creations I was able to see rough sketches that started the creation of these memorable characters and even hear audio clips containing excerpts of Chuck Jones discussing music, and sound effects within his cartoons. An interesting interactive component of the museum I found in the room next to the Chuck Jones area was an audio player that showed the effect different types of music had on a scene in a film. What it did was allow a person to view a scene clip from a movie with different types of music that triggered different kinds of moods. It was interesting to hear and see how one type of music could make a scene more dramatic while another style of music made a scene more relaxed and euphoric. Once I was done with this floor I proceeded to make my way to the next lower floor where there was a display of movie outfits from several classic films that I've always enjoyed. In the display you could see clothes worn by actors such as Robin Williams in the movies Mork & Mindy and Mrs. Doubtfire and Eddie Murphy in the film Beverly Hills Cop II. Next to this display there was another unique display of action figures, comic books, and other sorts of fan memorabilia from famous movies such as Star Trek and Star Wars. My last favorite item in the Museum was a tiny replica movie theater that had an old Egyptian theme to it, it was amazing to see a theater with such great detail to its theme which is extremely different to the bland movie theaters we have today.
After our museum visit was over it was time to head to the train and part ways to end our journey throughout Queens. We had intended to end in Long Island City where the piers facing the East River are but Mike decided it was a better idea to call it a day due the extreme heat we were forced to face all day. Personally I was very grateful for this decision because some of my close friends live in Astoria and I was able to part ways with the class instead of heading all the way back to Penn Station. Even though it was a long, hot, strenuous day I was beyond shocked at how much I learned about my own home borough in just one day. This exploration through Queens taught me many things I never knew before and has made me even more excited to finish our journey throughout the rest of this wonderful city.
3. Brooklyn
Today we began our second stop in our New York City adventure in the borough of Brooklyn. My day began a little different than our first adventure in Queens due to the fact that I had to go to Penn Station to meet the rest of the class. It was a rainy beginning to the day so I figured it was best to meet the class at Penn Station rather than trudging through the streets of Brooklyn on my own in order to find them. Once the entire class was gathered at our meeting spot Mike told us that due to the fear of excessive rain we wouldn't be visiting Coney Island today. I was a little disappointed in the decision because Coney Island had always been one of my favorite places growing up as a kid due to the rides and boardwalk games located right next to the beach. After that news Mike reassured us our day would still be full of wonderful sites and told us about our first destination the Brooklyn Bridge. In 1883 the Brooklyn Bridge was completed, strengthening the ties between Brooklyn and Manhattan. Now that Manhattan and Brooklyn were physically connected, there were those on both sides of the east River who thought it was time to join these two regions politically as well. As a result, the modern city of New York was born in 1898, when Brooklyn joined with Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island to become the five boroughs of New York City. (ENY,192) It was ironic to hear that literally a bridge is what finally bridged the gap between Brooklyn and the rest of the boroughs to create the New York City as a whole we now know today.
We began walking the bridge from the Manhattan side to make our way to Brooklyn, on this side the entrance to the bridge was flooded with tourists trying to make their way across the bridge just like we were. As we walked the bridge we could see the massive amounts of metal crafted together to create this bridge and it was hard to believe that men built this with their bare hands and such limited technology hundreds of years ago. The bridge was completed in 1883 and is the oldest suspension bridge in the United States, it took six hundred workers fourteen years to complete and it cost 320 million in today's dollars. (ENY,208.) Mike stopped us at the center of the bridge to point out the neo-gothic architectural style of the stone tower that keeps the bridge together in the middle. On this stone tower you can see a very large stone tablet which had the names of the bridge engineers John Roebling and Washington Roebling. The reason why I mention this is because of the very unique story behind these designers which Mike proceeded to tell us. Both John and Washington Roebling obtained serious injuries while engineering the Brooklyn Bridge, one of which caused the death of John. John Roebling died of gang green when his foot was crushed by a docking ferry, this accident then led Washington Roebling's takeover, which was Johns son. He then also became incapacitated while working on the bridge due to decompression sickness which caused him to hand over the main supervising duties to his wife Emily. (ENY,208.) Fortunately Emily was able to survive to see the bridges completion and she was even the first one to ever cross the bridge before its opening day, even though it was intended for President Chester A. Arthur to be the first to cross it. After this interesting piece of information we walked our way over the East River into Brooklyn, on our walk across the bridge we could see many lock,s symbolizing peoples love for each other, place all across the gates of the bridge. One of my favorite locks on the bridge had an angry bird plush attached to it, showing that people still put locks on it even til this day.
After we made it over the bridge into Brooklyn we proceeded to walk along the streets next to the East River where we made a stop at an ice cream shop so Mike could take some portraits and the class could get a little bit of rest in. A s the rest of the class enjoyed some ice cream I went next door to the bakery shop where I a delicious chocolate chip, brownie, and walnut cookie. After this quick break we continued to walk along the East River to the tip of Brooklyn Bridge Park. At this part of the park we got to see Jane's Carousel and have a wonderful view across the water to Manhattan where the freedom tower is clearly visible. Its also located right between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridge which is another beautiful sight to soak in. This section of the park is located in the area called DUMBO,an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. The neighborhood of Dumbo is located between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges and continues west from the Manhattan Bridge to the Vinegar Hill area.(ENY,207) After I took a stroll around the area I got a chance to stop and charge my phone at a free solar powered charging station while families enjoyed the park and carousel only a few feet away. The next part of our Brooklyn trip brought us to one of the most architecturally rich neighborhoods in New York, Brooklyn Heights. The architectural richness of Brooklyn Houses is so prominent that the neighborhood was one of the first in the City to be protected by New York's 1965 Landmarks Preservation Law. (ENY 201) Here is where Mike showed us some of the first town houses made of brownstone which is no longer used to build houses today. Today the Brownstones that you see in places like Brooklyn Heights are worth many millions of dollars and are highly desirable because of their distinctive look. The reason why the material is no longer used is because brown sandstone is considered one of the worst stone ever quarried since it is quite soft and prone to crumbling. (ENY,205) We also got a view of the rest of Brooklyn Bridge Park which has amazing new facilities such as several tennis courts, basketball courts, and a roller rink. We then passed by several landmarks one of them being the Plymouth Church, this was where Henry Ward Beecher helped slaves by giving them shelter or safety if they were fugitives.
Our next and final stop would be the Brooklyn Historical Society. Founded in 1863 by Henry Pierrepont as the Long Island Historical Society (renamed in 1985), this organization has served as a museum, library, and educational center for the study of Brooklyn. The society's headquarters were designed by George Post from 1878-1881 in renaissance level style.(ENY, 205) It was a great relief to be at our final stop of Brooklyn because at around lunchtime severe rain started to come down making the walk very wet and unpleasant. Once we entered the building and dried off a bit we were right in the middle of an exhibit that had some historical pictures and artifacts from Brooklyn in the 1800's. This room was rather interesting because they had screens that worked on a pully system and when you pulled on a string a new fact of history would present itself on the screen. After entertaining ourselves with this pully system our tour guide brought us to the basment of the building which contained many abstract paintings and this is where she shared information on the buildings history just like I mentioned before. After a brief history lesson we made our way to the second floor which contained the Othmer Library, this was my favorite attraction of the building because everything in the library had been preserved since its origin. It was definitely the most beautiful library I had ever seen and I even got the chance to look through an original book which was a directory for all the people living in Brooklyn during 1842. The thought that this book was something that was used in 1842 and is still in existence now was something I felt to be quite amazing. At the final floor in the historical society there is a clay sculpture of a woman named Sally Maria Diggs. Sally was seen as an important figure in Brooklyn's history because she was a slave who then became freed by Henry Ward Beecher. With her new found freedom Sally spent her life helping slaves, and others like her in Brooklyn, so that they can live prosperous lives. When our tour of the Brooklyn Historical Society was over we made our way to Brooklyn Borough Hall which is only a few blocks away. The Hall was built from 1845-1848 by Gamaliel King, a carpenter and grocer, and it served as the city hall of the independent city of Brooklyn until 1898, when Brooklyn merged with New York. (ENY,203) Brooklyn Borough Hall is considered one of New York's finest Greek Revival structures and was built to celebrate the spirit of the Jeffersonian common man. (ENY, 203) After this final piece of information our adventure into the streets of Brooklyn had come to an end. In the end I learned a lot of historical facts and culture that originated in Brooklyn, a borough I believed to not have much historical substance. This journey opened my eyes to the many things I have yet to learn about this great city, and I know next week my knowledge will grow even more.
Today we began our second stop in our New York City adventure in the borough of Brooklyn. My day began a little different than our first adventure in Queens due to the fact that I had to go to Penn Station to meet the rest of the class. It was a rainy beginning to the day so I figured it was best to meet the class at Penn Station rather than trudging through the streets of Brooklyn on my own in order to find them. Once the entire class was gathered at our meeting spot Mike told us that due to the fear of excessive rain we wouldn't be visiting Coney Island today. I was a little disappointed in the decision because Coney Island had always been one of my favorite places growing up as a kid due to the rides and boardwalk games located right next to the beach. After that news Mike reassured us our day would still be full of wonderful sites and told us about our first destination the Brooklyn Bridge. In 1883 the Brooklyn Bridge was completed, strengthening the ties between Brooklyn and Manhattan. Now that Manhattan and Brooklyn were physically connected, there were those on both sides of the east River who thought it was time to join these two regions politically as well. As a result, the modern city of New York was born in 1898, when Brooklyn joined with Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island to become the five boroughs of New York City. (ENY,192) It was ironic to hear that literally a bridge is what finally bridged the gap between Brooklyn and the rest of the boroughs to create the New York City as a whole we now know today.
We began walking the bridge from the Manhattan side to make our way to Brooklyn, on this side the entrance to the bridge was flooded with tourists trying to make their way across the bridge just like we were. As we walked the bridge we could see the massive amounts of metal crafted together to create this bridge and it was hard to believe that men built this with their bare hands and such limited technology hundreds of years ago. The bridge was completed in 1883 and is the oldest suspension bridge in the United States, it took six hundred workers fourteen years to complete and it cost 320 million in today's dollars. (ENY,208.) Mike stopped us at the center of the bridge to point out the neo-gothic architectural style of the stone tower that keeps the bridge together in the middle. On this stone tower you can see a very large stone tablet which had the names of the bridge engineers John Roebling and Washington Roebling. The reason why I mention this is because of the very unique story behind these designers which Mike proceeded to tell us. Both John and Washington Roebling obtained serious injuries while engineering the Brooklyn Bridge, one of which caused the death of John. John Roebling died of gang green when his foot was crushed by a docking ferry, this accident then led Washington Roebling's takeover, which was Johns son. He then also became incapacitated while working on the bridge due to decompression sickness which caused him to hand over the main supervising duties to his wife Emily. (ENY,208.) Fortunately Emily was able to survive to see the bridges completion and she was even the first one to ever cross the bridge before its opening day, even though it was intended for President Chester A. Arthur to be the first to cross it. After this interesting piece of information we walked our way over the East River into Brooklyn, on our walk across the bridge we could see many lock,s symbolizing peoples love for each other, place all across the gates of the bridge. One of my favorite locks on the bridge had an angry bird plush attached to it, showing that people still put locks on it even til this day.
After we made it over the bridge into Brooklyn we proceeded to walk along the streets next to the East River where we made a stop at an ice cream shop so Mike could take some portraits and the class could get a little bit of rest in. A s the rest of the class enjoyed some ice cream I went next door to the bakery shop where I a delicious chocolate chip, brownie, and walnut cookie. After this quick break we continued to walk along the East River to the tip of Brooklyn Bridge Park. At this part of the park we got to see Jane's Carousel and have a wonderful view across the water to Manhattan where the freedom tower is clearly visible. Its also located right between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridge which is another beautiful sight to soak in. This section of the park is located in the area called DUMBO,an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. The neighborhood of Dumbo is located between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges and continues west from the Manhattan Bridge to the Vinegar Hill area.(ENY,207) After I took a stroll around the area I got a chance to stop and charge my phone at a free solar powered charging station while families enjoyed the park and carousel only a few feet away. The next part of our Brooklyn trip brought us to one of the most architecturally rich neighborhoods in New York, Brooklyn Heights. The architectural richness of Brooklyn Houses is so prominent that the neighborhood was one of the first in the City to be protected by New York's 1965 Landmarks Preservation Law. (ENY 201) Here is where Mike showed us some of the first town houses made of brownstone which is no longer used to build houses today. Today the Brownstones that you see in places like Brooklyn Heights are worth many millions of dollars and are highly desirable because of their distinctive look. The reason why the material is no longer used is because brown sandstone is considered one of the worst stone ever quarried since it is quite soft and prone to crumbling. (ENY,205) We also got a view of the rest of Brooklyn Bridge Park which has amazing new facilities such as several tennis courts, basketball courts, and a roller rink. We then passed by several landmarks one of them being the Plymouth Church, this was where Henry Ward Beecher helped slaves by giving them shelter or safety if they were fugitives.
Our next and final stop would be the Brooklyn Historical Society. Founded in 1863 by Henry Pierrepont as the Long Island Historical Society (renamed in 1985), this organization has served as a museum, library, and educational center for the study of Brooklyn. The society's headquarters were designed by George Post from 1878-1881 in renaissance level style.(ENY, 205) It was a great relief to be at our final stop of Brooklyn because at around lunchtime severe rain started to come down making the walk very wet and unpleasant. Once we entered the building and dried off a bit we were right in the middle of an exhibit that had some historical pictures and artifacts from Brooklyn in the 1800's. This room was rather interesting because they had screens that worked on a pully system and when you pulled on a string a new fact of history would present itself on the screen. After entertaining ourselves with this pully system our tour guide brought us to the basment of the building which contained many abstract paintings and this is where she shared information on the buildings history just like I mentioned before. After a brief history lesson we made our way to the second floor which contained the Othmer Library, this was my favorite attraction of the building because everything in the library had been preserved since its origin. It was definitely the most beautiful library I had ever seen and I even got the chance to look through an original book which was a directory for all the people living in Brooklyn during 1842. The thought that this book was something that was used in 1842 and is still in existence now was something I felt to be quite amazing. At the final floor in the historical society there is a clay sculpture of a woman named Sally Maria Diggs. Sally was seen as an important figure in Brooklyn's history because she was a slave who then became freed by Henry Ward Beecher. With her new found freedom Sally spent her life helping slaves, and others like her in Brooklyn, so that they can live prosperous lives. When our tour of the Brooklyn Historical Society was over we made our way to Brooklyn Borough Hall which is only a few blocks away. The Hall was built from 1845-1848 by Gamaliel King, a carpenter and grocer, and it served as the city hall of the independent city of Brooklyn until 1898, when Brooklyn merged with New York. (ENY,203) Brooklyn Borough Hall is considered one of New York's finest Greek Revival structures and was built to celebrate the spirit of the Jeffersonian common man. (ENY, 203) After this final piece of information our adventure into the streets of Brooklyn had come to an end. In the end I learned a lot of historical facts and culture that originated in Brooklyn, a borough I believed to not have much historical substance. This journey opened my eyes to the many things I have yet to learn about this great city, and I know next week my knowledge will grow even more.
4. The Village
On Saturday September 20th I began my journey into New York as a different person. Now the reason I say this is because on my first two journey's throughout New York I was still considered underage but on September 19th I celebrated my 21st birthday. Now I can venture into the city I have called home for 21 years as a legal adult and experience everything it has to offer with no restrictions, which is something I had been waiting to do for a really long time. My first discoveries as a new-found 21 year old would take place in Chelsea and the Village on this Saturday, two places I didn't know very much about. My explorations started a little later than the rest of the class due to my celebrations the night before which made me miss the train I needed to catch that would've brought me to Penn Station on time. This set back was only minor and I was able to meet with the rest of the class in front of Madison Square Garden where we began our journey for the day. Here is where we observed the amazing architecture of the James A. Farley Post Office which embodied the Greek revival architecture that many buildings were made to portray at that time. The reason why this building has Greek architectural roots was because it was built to match the grandeur of Pennsylvania Station (Penn Station) which also had the same roots. Soon the building will turn into an extension of Penn Station and will be called Moynihan Station to help relieve the heavy track that occurs inside Penn on a daily basis.
Once this was over we proceeded to walk towards the neighborhood of Chelsea. The neighborhood of Chelsea takes its name from the former estate of British army captain Thomas Clark, who purchased 94 acres of land along the Hudson in 1750 and named it after his London neighborhood. (ENY, 83) In the 1990's Chelsea took a dramatic change, to form it into the neighborhood its known today, when SoHo began to become so fashionable that art galleries located there could no longer afford the exorbitant rents they were being charged. Nearby Chelsea, on the other hand, with its numerous underutilized garages and huge warehouses, was a bargain by comparison. The result was that hundreds of galleries began to open in Chelsea, turning it into a prestigious center of the New York art world. (ENY, 84) Before diving into the rich art culture Chelsea is most famous for it is important to know about Chelsea's main tourist attraction the High Line. In the mid-19th century, a street level freight line ran through the heart of Chelsea to transport produce through the city, the existence of a train line on crowded city streets led to numerous fatalities. Soon 10th Avenue, the avenue on which the line ran, came to be known as "Death Avenue”; in response to this problem in the 1930's the New York Central Railroad had the line elevated 30 feet above the street but it fell out of use in the 1980's. (ENY, 84) The high line would be threatened with demolition but before that happened a non-profit community group was formed in 1999 to save the structure and transformed it into an elevated park. Now the high line can be seen as a native New Yorker and tourist hit, where people can enjoy beautiful plants and manmade landscapes that bring a sense of serenity in such a hectic city. Certain parts of the high line tend to get packed due to the tourist attraction but once you get passed that a tranquil place to read a book or enjoy the sunset is what you can find here on a daily basis. Once we took in the natural beauty the high line had to offer it was time to absorb some man made beauty hiding in many art galleries throughout Chelsea. Since the High Line runs along 10th avenue you can descend from any of its staircases to visit art galleries. The first gallery we visited is called Pace and features art created by David Hockney, an artist who currently has a large fan base that follows him and his works. The name he chose for the exhibit is The Arrival of Spring and it contains iPad prints, charcoal drawings, and a video installation depicting the gradual change from winter to spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire. This would be my favorite exhibit we saw that day due to the rich colors and serene landscapes depicted by Hockney. I enjoy artwork that looks at the world in an abstract way which is why this exhibit was my favorite; also there was a large portrait of a block containing small shops. After closer examination of the portrait I relaxed the picture depicted a street of shops that is very close to my home! I was amazed to see the streets and shops I pass so frequently being presented as a beautiful piece of art work by Hockney and it is something I will never forget. The next two galleries we visited created by Annie Morris and Nick Cave which contained very abstract pieces of work that easily capture attention from its viewers. Annie Morris’s' exhibit presented sculptures of large clay balls standing in perfect balance while Cave's work seemed to be a dedication to dog lovers. Both exhibits were unique and something you don’t see every day but I didn’t have much interest in them. The final gallery we visited was the Mike Weiss Gallery; this gallery was displaying the works of Tom Fruin. This was second favorite gallery due to the craftsmanship you can see in all the pieces displayed. This gallery also had a set of swings that man of our classmates decided to take a quick ride on. After soaking in the art of Chelsea it was time to look at some architecture. One of the most prominent buildings we stopped to view was the St. Peters Episcopal Church, designed by Clement Moore this Gothic Revival church was completed in 1836 as a replacement for the community's earlier Greek Revival church. (ENY, 87) Unfortunately we could not enter the church so we were limited to enjoying it from the outside.
After our tour of Chelsea we began our long walk to the Village, the area known as Greenwich Village, or simply "the Village" is one of the most delightful residential areas of New York. It's filled with elegant row houses on peaceful tree-lined streets, has some of the city's coziest bookstores and cafes, and has a vibrant nightlife that appeals to people of all ages. (ENY, 88) Our first stop would actually be in the West Village, where a series of famous buildings can be found, at the Jefferson Market Library. The building originally served as a courthouse for the local community when it was completed in 1877 and is one of the few High Victorian Gothic style buildings remaining in Manhattan. (ENY, 90) Here is where Mike told us the story "The Crime of the Century" that occurred in 1906 when Harry K. Thaw was put on trial for the murder of New Yorks celebrated architect Stanford White. In this courthouse Thaw was declared to be insane and sent to an asylum where he remained until 1915. (ENY, 91) Once Mike finished telling us this unique story we then walked to a building located on Christopher Street and Grove Street. On these streets, The Federal-style Northern Dispensary was built in 1831 by local citizens to provide health care for the poor; it was called this because when it was built it was located in what was then the northern part of the City. After a quick look at this building we made our way down Christopher Street to the Stonewall Inn. The Stonewall is considered one of the most important historical sites connected with the gay rights movement in the United States and is now a national historical monument. The event that occurred at the Stonewall Inn ultimately provided the spark that ignited the cause of gay liberation, creating a mass movement aimed at the promotion of equal rights for gays and lesbians. (ENY, 92) Once we learned about the rich history all these buildings had to offer it was time to explore, in my opinion the most famous part of the village, Washington Square Park. The land where the park is located was purchased by the city of New York in 1797 to serve as a potter's field, a place to bury unknown or indigent people. (ENY, 95) The park we now know today was preserved by Jane Jacobs who had to fight Robert Moses in the 1950's for its preservation. The most famous feature of the park is certainly the Washington Square arch, designed by Stanford White the 70 foot high triumphal arch was modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and dedicated to the centennial of George Washington's inauguration. (ENY, 95) From sunrise to sunset you can see people congregated in the park enjoying the beauty it has to offer. As we were enjoying the sights ourselves a wedding was happening right underneath the arch which was something I had never seen happen before.
Finishing our tour of Washington Square Park led us to our next stop Cafe Wha? this is where music legends such as Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix performed in the 1960’s. This is also where we would take a break for lunch and I enjoyed one of my favorite city meals, dollar pizza. Mike and Lee also decided to have dollar pizza and we sat together for a few moments discussing the class and our adventures which was something I wasn't used to doing with Professors. I enjoyed that little conversation because I felt the barrier between student and teacher disappear and we just talked like three normal New Yorker's on any given day.
When lunch was done it was time to take another long walk to the East Village where we would visit the Merchant's House Museum. The Merchants House is a wonderfully preserved Federal-style house, filled with period furnishings and decorations. (ENY, 99) Seabury Tredwell lived in the house with his wife, eight children, four servants and an assortment of relatives till his death in 1865. The bed in which he died on is actually the same bed still in the house along with many other original items that are still on display today. It was amazing to see such preservation of extremely old items that were commonplace during their time, and really does give you perspective on how everyday life was actually lived by these people hundreds of years ago. Next we saw a building that completely contrasts the Merchants House, the building at 41 Cooper Square. This building is only a few hundred feet away from the merchant’s house but depicts a completely different type of architecture known as post-modern architecture. The inside is even more extravagant with a large stairway and bold framework that catches your attention right away. The clash between old and new architecture is so prevalent with these two buildings which is why you feel like you’re traveling through time when you visit both. Our final destination in the village would be the area known as Astor/ St. Marks place; here you can find an abundance of cool and trendy stores where the "cool" people spent their time in the 60's. It is still known as the cooler part of the village due to its inexpensive dining options and shops that are still in existence today. We would make our first stop in the area at La Plaza Cultural, a garden that was created in 1976 by local residents who took over an abandoned city lot that had been overflowing with rubble and trash. (ENY, 106) It was nice to see an area dedicated to getting away from the hectic atmosphere the city provides every second of the day, the ability of people to come together and create something beautiful is always special and deserves appreciation. Our final stop of the village would be Tompkins Square Park. The park is most famous for the many riots, revolts, and social protests that constantly took place since its creation in 1834. The most famous riot in the park took place in the summer of 1988, when New York city police attempted to clear the park of the homeless men and women camped out in it. (ENY, 107) Currently, you can see all of the parks grass areas caged with fences to prevent large crowds from congregating in the park but if you can get yourself over the fence you can enjoy a nice rest on the grassy lawn. With this walk through the park our Village journey had come to an end and I made my way back to the center of St. marks place to enjoy some more dollar pizza and a quick look at some shops before hopping on the train and heading home. It was a very long day but what I appreciated most about our travels through the village was the ability to see the transformation of old New York into the modern New York I know today. Being able to see where and how all these great combinations of art and culture grew from is what I’ll remember most about the Village from now on.
On Saturday September 20th I began my journey into New York as a different person. Now the reason I say this is because on my first two journey's throughout New York I was still considered underage but on September 19th I celebrated my 21st birthday. Now I can venture into the city I have called home for 21 years as a legal adult and experience everything it has to offer with no restrictions, which is something I had been waiting to do for a really long time. My first discoveries as a new-found 21 year old would take place in Chelsea and the Village on this Saturday, two places I didn't know very much about. My explorations started a little later than the rest of the class due to my celebrations the night before which made me miss the train I needed to catch that would've brought me to Penn Station on time. This set back was only minor and I was able to meet with the rest of the class in front of Madison Square Garden where we began our journey for the day. Here is where we observed the amazing architecture of the James A. Farley Post Office which embodied the Greek revival architecture that many buildings were made to portray at that time. The reason why this building has Greek architectural roots was because it was built to match the grandeur of Pennsylvania Station (Penn Station) which also had the same roots. Soon the building will turn into an extension of Penn Station and will be called Moynihan Station to help relieve the heavy track that occurs inside Penn on a daily basis.
Once this was over we proceeded to walk towards the neighborhood of Chelsea. The neighborhood of Chelsea takes its name from the former estate of British army captain Thomas Clark, who purchased 94 acres of land along the Hudson in 1750 and named it after his London neighborhood. (ENY, 83) In the 1990's Chelsea took a dramatic change, to form it into the neighborhood its known today, when SoHo began to become so fashionable that art galleries located there could no longer afford the exorbitant rents they were being charged. Nearby Chelsea, on the other hand, with its numerous underutilized garages and huge warehouses, was a bargain by comparison. The result was that hundreds of galleries began to open in Chelsea, turning it into a prestigious center of the New York art world. (ENY, 84) Before diving into the rich art culture Chelsea is most famous for it is important to know about Chelsea's main tourist attraction the High Line. In the mid-19th century, a street level freight line ran through the heart of Chelsea to transport produce through the city, the existence of a train line on crowded city streets led to numerous fatalities. Soon 10th Avenue, the avenue on which the line ran, came to be known as "Death Avenue”; in response to this problem in the 1930's the New York Central Railroad had the line elevated 30 feet above the street but it fell out of use in the 1980's. (ENY, 84) The high line would be threatened with demolition but before that happened a non-profit community group was formed in 1999 to save the structure and transformed it into an elevated park. Now the high line can be seen as a native New Yorker and tourist hit, where people can enjoy beautiful plants and manmade landscapes that bring a sense of serenity in such a hectic city. Certain parts of the high line tend to get packed due to the tourist attraction but once you get passed that a tranquil place to read a book or enjoy the sunset is what you can find here on a daily basis. Once we took in the natural beauty the high line had to offer it was time to absorb some man made beauty hiding in many art galleries throughout Chelsea. Since the High Line runs along 10th avenue you can descend from any of its staircases to visit art galleries. The first gallery we visited is called Pace and features art created by David Hockney, an artist who currently has a large fan base that follows him and his works. The name he chose for the exhibit is The Arrival of Spring and it contains iPad prints, charcoal drawings, and a video installation depicting the gradual change from winter to spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire. This would be my favorite exhibit we saw that day due to the rich colors and serene landscapes depicted by Hockney. I enjoy artwork that looks at the world in an abstract way which is why this exhibit was my favorite; also there was a large portrait of a block containing small shops. After closer examination of the portrait I relaxed the picture depicted a street of shops that is very close to my home! I was amazed to see the streets and shops I pass so frequently being presented as a beautiful piece of art work by Hockney and it is something I will never forget. The next two galleries we visited created by Annie Morris and Nick Cave which contained very abstract pieces of work that easily capture attention from its viewers. Annie Morris’s' exhibit presented sculptures of large clay balls standing in perfect balance while Cave's work seemed to be a dedication to dog lovers. Both exhibits were unique and something you don’t see every day but I didn’t have much interest in them. The final gallery we visited was the Mike Weiss Gallery; this gallery was displaying the works of Tom Fruin. This was second favorite gallery due to the craftsmanship you can see in all the pieces displayed. This gallery also had a set of swings that man of our classmates decided to take a quick ride on. After soaking in the art of Chelsea it was time to look at some architecture. One of the most prominent buildings we stopped to view was the St. Peters Episcopal Church, designed by Clement Moore this Gothic Revival church was completed in 1836 as a replacement for the community's earlier Greek Revival church. (ENY, 87) Unfortunately we could not enter the church so we were limited to enjoying it from the outside.
After our tour of Chelsea we began our long walk to the Village, the area known as Greenwich Village, or simply "the Village" is one of the most delightful residential areas of New York. It's filled with elegant row houses on peaceful tree-lined streets, has some of the city's coziest bookstores and cafes, and has a vibrant nightlife that appeals to people of all ages. (ENY, 88) Our first stop would actually be in the West Village, where a series of famous buildings can be found, at the Jefferson Market Library. The building originally served as a courthouse for the local community when it was completed in 1877 and is one of the few High Victorian Gothic style buildings remaining in Manhattan. (ENY, 90) Here is where Mike told us the story "The Crime of the Century" that occurred in 1906 when Harry K. Thaw was put on trial for the murder of New Yorks celebrated architect Stanford White. In this courthouse Thaw was declared to be insane and sent to an asylum where he remained until 1915. (ENY, 91) Once Mike finished telling us this unique story we then walked to a building located on Christopher Street and Grove Street. On these streets, The Federal-style Northern Dispensary was built in 1831 by local citizens to provide health care for the poor; it was called this because when it was built it was located in what was then the northern part of the City. After a quick look at this building we made our way down Christopher Street to the Stonewall Inn. The Stonewall is considered one of the most important historical sites connected with the gay rights movement in the United States and is now a national historical monument. The event that occurred at the Stonewall Inn ultimately provided the spark that ignited the cause of gay liberation, creating a mass movement aimed at the promotion of equal rights for gays and lesbians. (ENY, 92) Once we learned about the rich history all these buildings had to offer it was time to explore, in my opinion the most famous part of the village, Washington Square Park. The land where the park is located was purchased by the city of New York in 1797 to serve as a potter's field, a place to bury unknown or indigent people. (ENY, 95) The park we now know today was preserved by Jane Jacobs who had to fight Robert Moses in the 1950's for its preservation. The most famous feature of the park is certainly the Washington Square arch, designed by Stanford White the 70 foot high triumphal arch was modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and dedicated to the centennial of George Washington's inauguration. (ENY, 95) From sunrise to sunset you can see people congregated in the park enjoying the beauty it has to offer. As we were enjoying the sights ourselves a wedding was happening right underneath the arch which was something I had never seen happen before.
Finishing our tour of Washington Square Park led us to our next stop Cafe Wha? this is where music legends such as Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix performed in the 1960’s. This is also where we would take a break for lunch and I enjoyed one of my favorite city meals, dollar pizza. Mike and Lee also decided to have dollar pizza and we sat together for a few moments discussing the class and our adventures which was something I wasn't used to doing with Professors. I enjoyed that little conversation because I felt the barrier between student and teacher disappear and we just talked like three normal New Yorker's on any given day.
When lunch was done it was time to take another long walk to the East Village where we would visit the Merchant's House Museum. The Merchants House is a wonderfully preserved Federal-style house, filled with period furnishings and decorations. (ENY, 99) Seabury Tredwell lived in the house with his wife, eight children, four servants and an assortment of relatives till his death in 1865. The bed in which he died on is actually the same bed still in the house along with many other original items that are still on display today. It was amazing to see such preservation of extremely old items that were commonplace during their time, and really does give you perspective on how everyday life was actually lived by these people hundreds of years ago. Next we saw a building that completely contrasts the Merchants House, the building at 41 Cooper Square. This building is only a few hundred feet away from the merchant’s house but depicts a completely different type of architecture known as post-modern architecture. The inside is even more extravagant with a large stairway and bold framework that catches your attention right away. The clash between old and new architecture is so prevalent with these two buildings which is why you feel like you’re traveling through time when you visit both. Our final destination in the village would be the area known as Astor/ St. Marks place; here you can find an abundance of cool and trendy stores where the "cool" people spent their time in the 60's. It is still known as the cooler part of the village due to its inexpensive dining options and shops that are still in existence today. We would make our first stop in the area at La Plaza Cultural, a garden that was created in 1976 by local residents who took over an abandoned city lot that had been overflowing with rubble and trash. (ENY, 106) It was nice to see an area dedicated to getting away from the hectic atmosphere the city provides every second of the day, the ability of people to come together and create something beautiful is always special and deserves appreciation. Our final stop of the village would be Tompkins Square Park. The park is most famous for the many riots, revolts, and social protests that constantly took place since its creation in 1834. The most famous riot in the park took place in the summer of 1988, when New York city police attempted to clear the park of the homeless men and women camped out in it. (ENY, 107) Currently, you can see all of the parks grass areas caged with fences to prevent large crowds from congregating in the park but if you can get yourself over the fence you can enjoy a nice rest on the grassy lawn. With this walk through the park our Village journey had come to an end and I made my way back to the center of St. marks place to enjoy some more dollar pizza and a quick look at some shops before hopping on the train and heading home. It was a very long day but what I appreciated most about our travels through the village was the ability to see the transformation of old New York into the modern New York I know today. Being able to see where and how all these great combinations of art and culture grew from is what I’ll remember most about the Village from now on.