Journals 5-9
5. East Harlem/ Central Park
Today's class marked our half-way point in our journey throughout New York. When I think about how much I've learned about this great city already it never ceases to shock me that there is still so much Mike hasn't showed us. With that thought in mind I was ready to explore our next destination of Harlem to see what Mike has in store for us now. The beginning of our journey started in East Harlem at the Museum of the City of New York. East Harlem---also known as Spanish Harlem or, more colloquially, "El Barrio"--- is a uptown neighborhood of Manhattan, the boundaries of which are the Harlem River to the north, East 96th Street to the south, the East river to the east, and Fifth Avenue to the west. Today East Harlem has one of the largest Latino communities in the country, and, despite demographic changes, the neighborhood still retains its distinctively Latin flavor. (ENY,161) For the first time I was an hour late to join the class because of heavy delays on the 6 train but luckily by the time I had arrived at the museum the rest of the class was beginning to watch a documentary on the history and evolution of New York. I was able to catch the last few minutes of the documentary which emphasized all the history Mike has been telling us since our first class, it was interesting to see the facts Mike had told us with actual pictures pertaining to that time. After the documentary Mike guided the class to the next floor where there was an exhibit dedicated to the Gilded Age. As the name emphasizes, the exhibit had very lavish, expensive items that probably none of us could afford even during the 1800's. From clothing to jewelry and silverware you could see how the rich spent their money on extravagant items to show off their wealth and prosperity, just thinking about how expensive some of those items were made my wallet cry. After getting a view into the richer inhabitants of New York it was time to head to our next destination and learn about the inhabitants of East Harlem.
As I mentioned before, East Harlem has a very distinct Latin community which can be noticed almost anywhere. A clear representation of this culture can be seen in the museum called, "El Museo del Barrio" which was founded in 1969 in a public school classroom PS 125 by Puerto Rican activist from East Harlem, seeking to preserve their cultural heritage. Along with rotating special exhibits, the museum also possess an extensive collection of Latin American and Caribbean works of art, making it an important center for Latino culture in New York. (ENY,163) From the second you enter the museum doors you are immersed in Spanish culture with salsa music playing in the background and the sweet smell of native foods , such as rice and beans, wafting straight into your nose. Since I am of Spanish decent myself this place felt like I was at home, or in my grandmothers house, waiting for dinner to be served it is amazing how accurately thius museum displays the Latino culture as a whole. Once we got in we met our tour guide named Luke who would be guiding us through the streets of East Harlem in Mikes place. Luke is a very accomplished poet and also works for "El Museo" in order to share the rich Spanish culture that he is also apart of; even though he's originally from the Bronx he has spent all of his life on the streets of East Harlem which is why he was the perfect guide to show us around. Before he started showing us around he first made us stand in a circle to introduce ourselves and describe how we were feeling in one word, it was a nice way to lighten the mood and catch everyone's attention before we started. After introductions were done we walked through the streets of East Harlem, while Luke described the neighborhood and culture to us, and viewed various pieces of graffitti art that can be found anywhere. One piece we stopped and looked at was a scenery of winter with snowmen and the saying, " Become Your Dream" written to the side of it. Luke wanted to emphasize on this piece because it was created by a very famous local artist named Manny Vega who has his graffiti pieces of famous figures all over East Harlem.
After that we made our way to Lexington Avenue and 104th street to look at two more famous art works, one of them being a mural dedicated to Rev. Pedro Pietri. Born in Puerto Rico, Pietri was a lifelong resident of East Harlem, a community, activist, and the founder of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe which is where the mural can be seen on its wall. (ENY 163) Without even having to take another step, the mural titled " The Spirit of East Harlem" is clearly visible even though it is located across the street. Created by Hank Prussing in 1978, the massive mural captures the Latin influences on street life in East Harlem in the 1970's. Prior to painting this work, Prussing spent several days photographing people in El Barrio and some of these individuals ended up being incorporated into the work. (ENY,163) Once Luke was done describing these murals to us and their significance, we went right next to the Cafe where the Modesto "Tin" Flores Garden is located. Unfortunately the garden wasn't open when we arrived so we had to look at it through the gates, but even with this inhibitor we could still see the large mural on the back wall titled, "Soladares." The mural depicts Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos with their hands and hearts intertwined with the flags of their respective countries behind them. Created by Yasmin Hernandez in 2011, the mural is a tribute to the struggles of the Puerto Rican and Mexican inhabitants of East Harlem and the ties that bind these two communities together. (ENY,164) This is an important message due to most violence in areas like this being caused simply because of your race, the mural shows the need for unity in a community and not division simply because of your ethnicity. After looking at the garden we went into a gallery containing very abstract pieces of art, unfortunately we couldn't take pictures so the name has slipped from my memory but this was where Luke would perform one of his pieces of poetry for us. It was about a girl he saw on a subway singing while she was listening to music and how her spirit was noticed by everyone around her including Luke. In his verses he described how she looked, how she sounded and how everyone around her reacted it was truly a brilliant, captivating piece of poetry and I was truly glad to be able to experience it. Luke is a master of his craft and an impeccable human being that can capture the beauty of this world with his words which is something that I believe is very rare nowadays.Once Luke was finished with his poem it was time to visit our last destination in East Harlem, Justo Botanica. Justo Botanica is a store dedicated to selling religious artifacts and natural remedies for wellness, the owner Jorge Vargas has been in the store due to his family owning it for generations. Jorge is looked at as a leader in the East Harlem community and he is very proud to hold that role and help anyone who needs it, he's even had the opportunity to meet famous Spanish people who come to visit his shop such as Jennifer Lopez and Mark Anthony. After he was done speaking our East Harlem tour was over and I thanked both Luke and Jorge for sharing their time and experiences with us, it was really wonderful to learn about roots in my own culture that I didn't even know existed. I will never forget all that I have learned about my Latino culture and all the great pieces of my heritage that can be seen on any street in East Harlem. With our exploration done it was time for lunch which me and a few other of my classmates decided to enjoy some hand made tacos from El Paso Taqueria. They were very delicious and definitely a much needed reward after several hours of walking.
When we were finished with lunch we met back up with the rest of the class at El Museo in order to visit Central Park which was right across the street. We would start our exploration at the Vanderbilt Gate located on Fifth Avenue and 105th street. This impressive entryway to Central Park was made in Paris in 1894 and originally stood before the Vanderbilt Mansion on Fifth Avenue and 58th Street. (ENY,150) Once we passed through the Vanderbilt Gate, we were in the center of the parks 6 acre Conservatory Garden. This garden is the only formal garden in Central Park and is named for an 1898 greenhouse that once stood on the same site but was torn down in 1934. (ENY,151) Central Park is my favorite park but I spend most of my time in either the midtown section or the great lawn which is usually a busy area, when we entered the garden it felt to me as if we were no longer in Central Park. The peacefulness, and serenity of this garden takes your mind to a completely different place and you no longer feel like you are right in the middle of the busy New York streets. Upon entering the Garden from the Vanderbilt Gate, you'll find yourself in the central Italian garden, which contains a large lawn area surrounded by yew hedges. (ENY,151) I believe this setting and theme of this garden is what makes the transforming feeling of being in rural European garden so potent, its definitely a place I'm going to visit again with my friends when I get the opportunity. When we were done visiting the garden we took a mini stroll through other areas of the park in order to get to the train so we can head to Grand Central Terminal. When we got to Grand Central Terminal Mike led us to the main concourse which anyone can probably recognize from the many movies and TV shows displaying the station. The concourse is 275 feet long, more than the length of two football fields and yet despite its huge size it manages to convey grandeur and warmth at the same time. In the center of the concourse is the Grand Central information booth topped by its iconic four faced clock. Made of brass, the clock was designed by Henry Edward Bedford; the faces of the clock are made from opal glass. (ENY,134) Trying to compare Grand Central Terminal to Penn Station is a daunting task due the extravagant demeanor of Grand Central that Penn cannot even come close to copying. The features displayed in Grand Central cannot be found anywhere in Penn Station which is why everyone seems more in a rush to get out of Penn than Grand Central every time I visit. Once we soaked in all that Grand Central has to offer we made our way to the Chrysler Building. Considered by many to be the epitome of art deco style, the Chrysler Building is also one of the most elegant skyscrapers in the world . Originally commissioned by Walter P. Chrysler as a way to celebrate the automobile company that still bears his name, architect William Van Alen playfully made use of automobile motifs that called to mind the kind of hood ornaments that one would see on stylish cars of that period. (ENY,136) Although we were only able to enter the main corridor, the beauty of the building could already be seen with a large replica painting across the whole ceiling. After that Mike showed us around other architecturally famous buildings such as the Seagram Building and the St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church. The amount of famous architectural buildings located in Midtown is probably the most in any other part of the city which is something people don't realize and appreciate on any given day. Today's exploration delved us into two very different worlds, one of rich culture and the other of rich architecture, but both still located inside this same great city. I will always remember how easily anyone can see two different sides of this city by simply hopping on the train which is something I've taken for granted my entire life. Today's class really made me acknowledge how little I actually know about this city and how much I can eventually learn as long as I continue to explore.
Today's class marked our half-way point in our journey throughout New York. When I think about how much I've learned about this great city already it never ceases to shock me that there is still so much Mike hasn't showed us. With that thought in mind I was ready to explore our next destination of Harlem to see what Mike has in store for us now. The beginning of our journey started in East Harlem at the Museum of the City of New York. East Harlem---also known as Spanish Harlem or, more colloquially, "El Barrio"--- is a uptown neighborhood of Manhattan, the boundaries of which are the Harlem River to the north, East 96th Street to the south, the East river to the east, and Fifth Avenue to the west. Today East Harlem has one of the largest Latino communities in the country, and, despite demographic changes, the neighborhood still retains its distinctively Latin flavor. (ENY,161) For the first time I was an hour late to join the class because of heavy delays on the 6 train but luckily by the time I had arrived at the museum the rest of the class was beginning to watch a documentary on the history and evolution of New York. I was able to catch the last few minutes of the documentary which emphasized all the history Mike has been telling us since our first class, it was interesting to see the facts Mike had told us with actual pictures pertaining to that time. After the documentary Mike guided the class to the next floor where there was an exhibit dedicated to the Gilded Age. As the name emphasizes, the exhibit had very lavish, expensive items that probably none of us could afford even during the 1800's. From clothing to jewelry and silverware you could see how the rich spent their money on extravagant items to show off their wealth and prosperity, just thinking about how expensive some of those items were made my wallet cry. After getting a view into the richer inhabitants of New York it was time to head to our next destination and learn about the inhabitants of East Harlem.
As I mentioned before, East Harlem has a very distinct Latin community which can be noticed almost anywhere. A clear representation of this culture can be seen in the museum called, "El Museo del Barrio" which was founded in 1969 in a public school classroom PS 125 by Puerto Rican activist from East Harlem, seeking to preserve their cultural heritage. Along with rotating special exhibits, the museum also possess an extensive collection of Latin American and Caribbean works of art, making it an important center for Latino culture in New York. (ENY,163) From the second you enter the museum doors you are immersed in Spanish culture with salsa music playing in the background and the sweet smell of native foods , such as rice and beans, wafting straight into your nose. Since I am of Spanish decent myself this place felt like I was at home, or in my grandmothers house, waiting for dinner to be served it is amazing how accurately thius museum displays the Latino culture as a whole. Once we got in we met our tour guide named Luke who would be guiding us through the streets of East Harlem in Mikes place. Luke is a very accomplished poet and also works for "El Museo" in order to share the rich Spanish culture that he is also apart of; even though he's originally from the Bronx he has spent all of his life on the streets of East Harlem which is why he was the perfect guide to show us around. Before he started showing us around he first made us stand in a circle to introduce ourselves and describe how we were feeling in one word, it was a nice way to lighten the mood and catch everyone's attention before we started. After introductions were done we walked through the streets of East Harlem, while Luke described the neighborhood and culture to us, and viewed various pieces of graffitti art that can be found anywhere. One piece we stopped and looked at was a scenery of winter with snowmen and the saying, " Become Your Dream" written to the side of it. Luke wanted to emphasize on this piece because it was created by a very famous local artist named Manny Vega who has his graffiti pieces of famous figures all over East Harlem.
After that we made our way to Lexington Avenue and 104th street to look at two more famous art works, one of them being a mural dedicated to Rev. Pedro Pietri. Born in Puerto Rico, Pietri was a lifelong resident of East Harlem, a community, activist, and the founder of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe which is where the mural can be seen on its wall. (ENY 163) Without even having to take another step, the mural titled " The Spirit of East Harlem" is clearly visible even though it is located across the street. Created by Hank Prussing in 1978, the massive mural captures the Latin influences on street life in East Harlem in the 1970's. Prior to painting this work, Prussing spent several days photographing people in El Barrio and some of these individuals ended up being incorporated into the work. (ENY,163) Once Luke was done describing these murals to us and their significance, we went right next to the Cafe where the Modesto "Tin" Flores Garden is located. Unfortunately the garden wasn't open when we arrived so we had to look at it through the gates, but even with this inhibitor we could still see the large mural on the back wall titled, "Soladares." The mural depicts Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos with their hands and hearts intertwined with the flags of their respective countries behind them. Created by Yasmin Hernandez in 2011, the mural is a tribute to the struggles of the Puerto Rican and Mexican inhabitants of East Harlem and the ties that bind these two communities together. (ENY,164) This is an important message due to most violence in areas like this being caused simply because of your race, the mural shows the need for unity in a community and not division simply because of your ethnicity. After looking at the garden we went into a gallery containing very abstract pieces of art, unfortunately we couldn't take pictures so the name has slipped from my memory but this was where Luke would perform one of his pieces of poetry for us. It was about a girl he saw on a subway singing while she was listening to music and how her spirit was noticed by everyone around her including Luke. In his verses he described how she looked, how she sounded and how everyone around her reacted it was truly a brilliant, captivating piece of poetry and I was truly glad to be able to experience it. Luke is a master of his craft and an impeccable human being that can capture the beauty of this world with his words which is something that I believe is very rare nowadays.Once Luke was finished with his poem it was time to visit our last destination in East Harlem, Justo Botanica. Justo Botanica is a store dedicated to selling religious artifacts and natural remedies for wellness, the owner Jorge Vargas has been in the store due to his family owning it for generations. Jorge is looked at as a leader in the East Harlem community and he is very proud to hold that role and help anyone who needs it, he's even had the opportunity to meet famous Spanish people who come to visit his shop such as Jennifer Lopez and Mark Anthony. After he was done speaking our East Harlem tour was over and I thanked both Luke and Jorge for sharing their time and experiences with us, it was really wonderful to learn about roots in my own culture that I didn't even know existed. I will never forget all that I have learned about my Latino culture and all the great pieces of my heritage that can be seen on any street in East Harlem. With our exploration done it was time for lunch which me and a few other of my classmates decided to enjoy some hand made tacos from El Paso Taqueria. They were very delicious and definitely a much needed reward after several hours of walking.
When we were finished with lunch we met back up with the rest of the class at El Museo in order to visit Central Park which was right across the street. We would start our exploration at the Vanderbilt Gate located on Fifth Avenue and 105th street. This impressive entryway to Central Park was made in Paris in 1894 and originally stood before the Vanderbilt Mansion on Fifth Avenue and 58th Street. (ENY,150) Once we passed through the Vanderbilt Gate, we were in the center of the parks 6 acre Conservatory Garden. This garden is the only formal garden in Central Park and is named for an 1898 greenhouse that once stood on the same site but was torn down in 1934. (ENY,151) Central Park is my favorite park but I spend most of my time in either the midtown section or the great lawn which is usually a busy area, when we entered the garden it felt to me as if we were no longer in Central Park. The peacefulness, and serenity of this garden takes your mind to a completely different place and you no longer feel like you are right in the middle of the busy New York streets. Upon entering the Garden from the Vanderbilt Gate, you'll find yourself in the central Italian garden, which contains a large lawn area surrounded by yew hedges. (ENY,151) I believe this setting and theme of this garden is what makes the transforming feeling of being in rural European garden so potent, its definitely a place I'm going to visit again with my friends when I get the opportunity. When we were done visiting the garden we took a mini stroll through other areas of the park in order to get to the train so we can head to Grand Central Terminal. When we got to Grand Central Terminal Mike led us to the main concourse which anyone can probably recognize from the many movies and TV shows displaying the station. The concourse is 275 feet long, more than the length of two football fields and yet despite its huge size it manages to convey grandeur and warmth at the same time. In the center of the concourse is the Grand Central information booth topped by its iconic four faced clock. Made of brass, the clock was designed by Henry Edward Bedford; the faces of the clock are made from opal glass. (ENY,134) Trying to compare Grand Central Terminal to Penn Station is a daunting task due the extravagant demeanor of Grand Central that Penn cannot even come close to copying. The features displayed in Grand Central cannot be found anywhere in Penn Station which is why everyone seems more in a rush to get out of Penn than Grand Central every time I visit. Once we soaked in all that Grand Central has to offer we made our way to the Chrysler Building. Considered by many to be the epitome of art deco style, the Chrysler Building is also one of the most elegant skyscrapers in the world . Originally commissioned by Walter P. Chrysler as a way to celebrate the automobile company that still bears his name, architect William Van Alen playfully made use of automobile motifs that called to mind the kind of hood ornaments that one would see on stylish cars of that period. (ENY,136) Although we were only able to enter the main corridor, the beauty of the building could already be seen with a large replica painting across the whole ceiling. After that Mike showed us around other architecturally famous buildings such as the Seagram Building and the St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church. The amount of famous architectural buildings located in Midtown is probably the most in any other part of the city which is something people don't realize and appreciate on any given day. Today's exploration delved us into two very different worlds, one of rich culture and the other of rich architecture, but both still located inside this same great city. I will always remember how easily anyone can see two different sides of this city by simply hopping on the train which is something I've taken for granted my entire life. Today's class really made me acknowledge how little I actually know about this city and how much I can eventually learn as long as I continue to explore.
6. MOMA/ Morningside Heights
On Saturday, October 4th we experienced our first class with terrible weather conditions, rain had been pouring down from moment I woke up to meet the class and continued throughout almost the whole day. Since Mike knew it was very severe weather outside he decided to deviate from his original plans and start at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) as our first destination. We took the train from Penn Station to 6th ave and only had to walk one or two blocks before finding ourselves at the entrance to MOMA on 3rd street. One of the most important and influential musesums of modern at in the world, MOMA houses an impressive collection of important works of art from the 19th and 20th centuries. (ENY,121) When we arrived it was extremely crowded due to the weather and many tourists were waiting in line to see the magnificent art MOMA has to offer. After waiting for almost an hour on the coat check line we entered the museum and proceeded to our first exhibit created by Robert Gober. It was titled, The Heart is Not a Metaphor and it displayed probably the weirdest assortment of art I've ever witnessed in my life. From videos of deer heads being cut in half, to walls covered in male genitalia the exhibit seemed to make people leave more confused rather than understanding of Roberts artistic message. I personally thought that these works was another situation in which the word "art" was a term used loosely and the word "freakshow" would be a better representation of what I viewed. After seeing this exhibit I was ready to explore what the rest of MOMA has to offer in hopes of seeing world renowned pieces of work I had never seen before.
My hopes were filled when we visited the fifth floor of the museum which contains works of paintings and sculptures from 1880-1940. The exhibit includes important works by Van Gogh, Picasso, Duchamp, Monet, and Matisse. (ENY,122) The piece Mike showed us first was the Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh, as everyone knows it is one of the most famous paintings in existence and is absolutely amazing to see. This extremely beautiful and famous painting has been sitting in this museum in my own city and I had no idea, it is definitely one of the best works MOMA has to offer. Once we were done viewing the Starry Night Mike allowed us to roam the museum for some time and enjoy whatever exhibits we personally desired, I started exploring on the same floor as Van Gogh in the Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Gallery. In this gallery I saw a work from another largely famous artist Pablo Picasso, it was an abstract painting of different shapes and colors which is a form of art I really enjoy. After that I walked into another exhibit dedicated to Dada art movement which was launched in 1916 in response to the violence of World War I. Favoring chance, spontaneity, and irreverence, and often wielding scissors and glue instead of brushes and paint, Dada artists explored collage, photomontage, and performance, exploding typical concepts of how art should be made and viewed and what materials could be used. All these characteristics were clearly present when viewing the pieces of artwork in this room, from a hanging shovel to a abstract color of collage the art in this exhibit was very unique and unlike anything else on this floor of the museum. The next exhibit displayed another widely famous piece of artwork created by Salvador Dali, the Persistence of Memory which depicts several clocks melting in a rural landscape. My first reaction was shock from how small the painting was, it seemed to only be the size of a piece of copy paper and yet so much detail can be seen when its enlarged. I had always viewed the painting in an enlarged state which is why when I finally saw it in person I was shocked by its actual size. In the same exhibit laid another famous artists work, Pablo Picasso this was due to them both being Spanish artists. My favorite piece created by Pablo is titled Girl Before a Mirror which abstractly portrays what seems to be a pregnant woman viewing herself in a mirror. I like this piece because of its vibrant colors and what seems to be a chaotic set of attributes but when closely examined you can see the extreme detail and precision placed in the painting. The final piece of work I viewed on this floor was Monet's Water Lilies, which he created in a studio near his house in 1915. The large scale of this painting is what shocked me the most; the separate canvas' that make up the entire painting stretch's across an entire wall of the museum which was probably at least 60 feet in length. Overall, I had no idea so many historical pieces of art were sitting together in one museum only a train ride away from my house, after viewing many of these pieces of art in movies and school it was definitely a great experience to view them in real life. Since Mike gave us a time limit I made sure to save enough time in order to go down one floor and view artwork by one of my favorite artists Andy Warhol. Andy was an artist during the era of "Pop Art" in which artists presented a challenge to traditions of fine art by including imagery from popular culture such as advertising, news, and television. I had never viewed any of his work in person so this was definitely one of my main goals when visiting MOMA to experience his work first hand. The first piece of work that is automatically noticeable the second you walk into the exhibit is the Campbell's Soup Cans, the portraits are on thirty-two separate canvases hung on the wall. Each portrait corresponds to the varieties of soup sold by the Campbell Soup Company in 1962 when Andy first created them. Another piece in the exhibit I enjoyed is Before and After which depicts a woman at first with a seemingly large nose then a picture,right beside of it, of the same woman with a seemingly normal sized nose. This to me showed the beginning of an era where it was popular to look more like famous people than to be proud of ones actual God given appearance. Once I was done viewing Warhol's work I made my way through the rest of the exhibit to the exit in order to rejoin the class. I was not expecting MOMA to be such a wonderful museum full of unique and special pieces of artwork, it was definitely an awesome way to spend a rainy day in the city.
After touring MOMA it was time for lunch which Mike was going to pay for us today. The cuisine we would be dining on was Thai, another type of cuisine I had yet to try in my lifetime. Many of my classmates had tried Thai food already and said it was delicious so I was ready to give it a try for myself. Luckily the rain had stopped so we walked from MOMA to the restaurant named Yum Yum Bangkok apparently they are well known for their food and have several restaurants throughout the area. Before it was time to eat Mike had us play his great gotham trivia game in order to win a bracelet from Justo Botanica that we visited last week, apparently the bracelet would bring good luck which was a nice incentive to try and win it. I was in the running for getting the bracelet by getting three questions right but was beaten by two of my classmates who got four questions right, unfortunately ill have to head back to East Harlem for a bracelet of my own. After the trivia game was over our food came out and through my classmates and Mikes recommendation I order flat noodles with beef mixed in soy sauce. It was very delicious and I enjoyed it much more than the Indian cuisine Mike treated us to on our very first class. It was around 3:30p.m. when lunchtime was over and we proceeded to head towards Times Square in order to catch the train towards Morningside Heights. As we walked through Times Square we passed the famous Madame Tussauds wax museum along with other famous city sights and proceeded to the entrance for the 1 train. We got off the 1 at Columbia University in order to begin our tour of Morningside Heights; before taking a visit through Colombia we first stopped at General Grant National Memorial building. This large, classically proportioned mausoleum honors Ulysses S. Grant the Civil War General who saved the nation from dissolution and the president who worked to usher in a new era of peace and equality for all Americans. Inside the mausoleum Ulysses and his wife Julia rest in red granite coffins in an open crypt in the center of a circular gallery. It was designed by architect John Duncan, rising to an imposing 150 feet from a bluff overlooking the Hudson River, it took 12 years to build and remains the largest mausoleum in North America. It was quite amazing to see such a beautiful dedication to the memorial of a man who made great changes in the United States and is very deserving of an honorable resting place. Once we we were done viewing Grants tomb we headed across the street to Riverside Church, the tallest church in the United States. This Gothic Revival Church was built in 1927 by architectural firm Alens, Pelton and Collins with funds donated by John D. Rockerfeller, Jr. (ENY,172) The outside of the Church immediately catches your attention with detailed sculptures of saints and other figures carved into the main entrance walls, its amazing how detailed and clearly visible every figure on the wall actually is. Unfortunately a wedding was taking place during our visit so were only able to admire the architecture of the Church from the outside. Our next stop on our tour of Morningside Heights would be Columbia University, the first college established in New York State and the fifth in the United States. The university was originally established in Lower Manhattan in 1754 as King's college and after the Revolution change its name to Columbia.(ENY,169) We stopped in the center of Columbia's campus to admire the Low Memorial Library which was the first and most recognizable structure built on the campus. The statue in front of the library is the bronze Alma Mater, the symbol of the university. Designed by Daniel Chester French in 1903, the figure of Alma Mater sits on a throne draped in academic attire with a crown of laurel on her head. In her lap she holds a book signifying knowledge and hidden under the folds of her gown is an owl, the symbol of wisdom. (ENY,170) The myth around Columbia is if you find the owl hidden and rub its stomach one day you will marry a Columbia student and become rich, so of course all the girls in the class made sure to take their time and rub the owl as much as possible. After admiring the library we took a walk a little further into Columbia to see St. Paul's Chapel. It was the first building on Columbia's campus not designed by Mckim, Mead, and White and it was modeled after the Church of Santa Croce in Florence. (ENY,170) We then walked through the inner pathways of Columbia seeing various sculptures and open areas where anyone can spend some time and admire the beauty this campus has to offer. The scenery and serenity of this campus is something I will never forget and would definitely enjoy visiting again to spend some time on a relaxing day.
Our final stop of the day would be at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. We were able to reach the cathedral rather quickly by walking through Columbia's campus and ending on the other side on Amsterdam Avenue where the cathedral is located. Before entering the cathedral we stopped at the Children's Sculpture Garden which is just to the right of the Cathedral. In the center of this garden is the Peace Fountain sculpted by Gregg Wyatt to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Episcopalian Diocese of New York. The 40 foot high statue, which shows the archangel Michael vanquishing Satan, depicts the triumph of good over evil. The spiraling pedestal of the fountain is formed in the shape of the double helix of DNA. (ENY,168) The fountain and garden overall is amazingly crafted and is just a small taste of beauty that can be seen at St. John the Divine. Before entering the Cathedral we learned some interesting facts such as it being the largest church in the United States and the largest Gothic-style cathedral in the world, and the Cathedral has room for 3000 worshippers and spans a length of over 600 feet. (ENY,167) Construction on the Cathedral was halted at the start of World War II and has been continuing sporadically since then, at its present time its considered to be only two-thirds finished and is estimated that it would take at least 100 years and more than $100 million to complete it according to the original plans set by Ralph Adams Cram. After walking into the Cathedral and discovering how massive it actually is it makes sense that these numbers are predicted just to complete it, it literally feels like your walking into a stadium or arena. From the back the people standing at the front altar look like they are two city blocks away and the ceilings are so high just trying to look all the way up hurts your neck. When walking further in above your head are two giant metal structures which seemed to me like dragons and they are filled with lights and fans which seem to keep people cool during summer days. Once we reached the altar we passed several statues of historic figures, including St. Paul, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington as well as a stone block representing the 20th century, containing images of Gandhi, Albert Einstein, and Martin Luther King. This Cathedral is definitely the most impressive I have ever seen in my life, and if Im still alive at the time of its completion I can only imagine what beauty and magnificence it will hold. Todays class was definitely one of the more enjoyable and memorable ones we have had full of rich architecture and culture that was not only surprising but mind blowing as well. Morningside Heights and MOMA is definitely a New York destination everyone should experience at least once in their life.,
On Saturday, October 4th we experienced our first class with terrible weather conditions, rain had been pouring down from moment I woke up to meet the class and continued throughout almost the whole day. Since Mike knew it was very severe weather outside he decided to deviate from his original plans and start at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) as our first destination. We took the train from Penn Station to 6th ave and only had to walk one or two blocks before finding ourselves at the entrance to MOMA on 3rd street. One of the most important and influential musesums of modern at in the world, MOMA houses an impressive collection of important works of art from the 19th and 20th centuries. (ENY,121) When we arrived it was extremely crowded due to the weather and many tourists were waiting in line to see the magnificent art MOMA has to offer. After waiting for almost an hour on the coat check line we entered the museum and proceeded to our first exhibit created by Robert Gober. It was titled, The Heart is Not a Metaphor and it displayed probably the weirdest assortment of art I've ever witnessed in my life. From videos of deer heads being cut in half, to walls covered in male genitalia the exhibit seemed to make people leave more confused rather than understanding of Roberts artistic message. I personally thought that these works was another situation in which the word "art" was a term used loosely and the word "freakshow" would be a better representation of what I viewed. After seeing this exhibit I was ready to explore what the rest of MOMA has to offer in hopes of seeing world renowned pieces of work I had never seen before.
My hopes were filled when we visited the fifth floor of the museum which contains works of paintings and sculptures from 1880-1940. The exhibit includes important works by Van Gogh, Picasso, Duchamp, Monet, and Matisse. (ENY,122) The piece Mike showed us first was the Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh, as everyone knows it is one of the most famous paintings in existence and is absolutely amazing to see. This extremely beautiful and famous painting has been sitting in this museum in my own city and I had no idea, it is definitely one of the best works MOMA has to offer. Once we were done viewing the Starry Night Mike allowed us to roam the museum for some time and enjoy whatever exhibits we personally desired, I started exploring on the same floor as Van Gogh in the Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Gallery. In this gallery I saw a work from another largely famous artist Pablo Picasso, it was an abstract painting of different shapes and colors which is a form of art I really enjoy. After that I walked into another exhibit dedicated to Dada art movement which was launched in 1916 in response to the violence of World War I. Favoring chance, spontaneity, and irreverence, and often wielding scissors and glue instead of brushes and paint, Dada artists explored collage, photomontage, and performance, exploding typical concepts of how art should be made and viewed and what materials could be used. All these characteristics were clearly present when viewing the pieces of artwork in this room, from a hanging shovel to a abstract color of collage the art in this exhibit was very unique and unlike anything else on this floor of the museum. The next exhibit displayed another widely famous piece of artwork created by Salvador Dali, the Persistence of Memory which depicts several clocks melting in a rural landscape. My first reaction was shock from how small the painting was, it seemed to only be the size of a piece of copy paper and yet so much detail can be seen when its enlarged. I had always viewed the painting in an enlarged state which is why when I finally saw it in person I was shocked by its actual size. In the same exhibit laid another famous artists work, Pablo Picasso this was due to them both being Spanish artists. My favorite piece created by Pablo is titled Girl Before a Mirror which abstractly portrays what seems to be a pregnant woman viewing herself in a mirror. I like this piece because of its vibrant colors and what seems to be a chaotic set of attributes but when closely examined you can see the extreme detail and precision placed in the painting. The final piece of work I viewed on this floor was Monet's Water Lilies, which he created in a studio near his house in 1915. The large scale of this painting is what shocked me the most; the separate canvas' that make up the entire painting stretch's across an entire wall of the museum which was probably at least 60 feet in length. Overall, I had no idea so many historical pieces of art were sitting together in one museum only a train ride away from my house, after viewing many of these pieces of art in movies and school it was definitely a great experience to view them in real life. Since Mike gave us a time limit I made sure to save enough time in order to go down one floor and view artwork by one of my favorite artists Andy Warhol. Andy was an artist during the era of "Pop Art" in which artists presented a challenge to traditions of fine art by including imagery from popular culture such as advertising, news, and television. I had never viewed any of his work in person so this was definitely one of my main goals when visiting MOMA to experience his work first hand. The first piece of work that is automatically noticeable the second you walk into the exhibit is the Campbell's Soup Cans, the portraits are on thirty-two separate canvases hung on the wall. Each portrait corresponds to the varieties of soup sold by the Campbell Soup Company in 1962 when Andy first created them. Another piece in the exhibit I enjoyed is Before and After which depicts a woman at first with a seemingly large nose then a picture,right beside of it, of the same woman with a seemingly normal sized nose. This to me showed the beginning of an era where it was popular to look more like famous people than to be proud of ones actual God given appearance. Once I was done viewing Warhol's work I made my way through the rest of the exhibit to the exit in order to rejoin the class. I was not expecting MOMA to be such a wonderful museum full of unique and special pieces of artwork, it was definitely an awesome way to spend a rainy day in the city.
After touring MOMA it was time for lunch which Mike was going to pay for us today. The cuisine we would be dining on was Thai, another type of cuisine I had yet to try in my lifetime. Many of my classmates had tried Thai food already and said it was delicious so I was ready to give it a try for myself. Luckily the rain had stopped so we walked from MOMA to the restaurant named Yum Yum Bangkok apparently they are well known for their food and have several restaurants throughout the area. Before it was time to eat Mike had us play his great gotham trivia game in order to win a bracelet from Justo Botanica that we visited last week, apparently the bracelet would bring good luck which was a nice incentive to try and win it. I was in the running for getting the bracelet by getting three questions right but was beaten by two of my classmates who got four questions right, unfortunately ill have to head back to East Harlem for a bracelet of my own. After the trivia game was over our food came out and through my classmates and Mikes recommendation I order flat noodles with beef mixed in soy sauce. It was very delicious and I enjoyed it much more than the Indian cuisine Mike treated us to on our very first class. It was around 3:30p.m. when lunchtime was over and we proceeded to head towards Times Square in order to catch the train towards Morningside Heights. As we walked through Times Square we passed the famous Madame Tussauds wax museum along with other famous city sights and proceeded to the entrance for the 1 train. We got off the 1 at Columbia University in order to begin our tour of Morningside Heights; before taking a visit through Colombia we first stopped at General Grant National Memorial building. This large, classically proportioned mausoleum honors Ulysses S. Grant the Civil War General who saved the nation from dissolution and the president who worked to usher in a new era of peace and equality for all Americans. Inside the mausoleum Ulysses and his wife Julia rest in red granite coffins in an open crypt in the center of a circular gallery. It was designed by architect John Duncan, rising to an imposing 150 feet from a bluff overlooking the Hudson River, it took 12 years to build and remains the largest mausoleum in North America. It was quite amazing to see such a beautiful dedication to the memorial of a man who made great changes in the United States and is very deserving of an honorable resting place. Once we we were done viewing Grants tomb we headed across the street to Riverside Church, the tallest church in the United States. This Gothic Revival Church was built in 1927 by architectural firm Alens, Pelton and Collins with funds donated by John D. Rockerfeller, Jr. (ENY,172) The outside of the Church immediately catches your attention with detailed sculptures of saints and other figures carved into the main entrance walls, its amazing how detailed and clearly visible every figure on the wall actually is. Unfortunately a wedding was taking place during our visit so were only able to admire the architecture of the Church from the outside. Our next stop on our tour of Morningside Heights would be Columbia University, the first college established in New York State and the fifth in the United States. The university was originally established in Lower Manhattan in 1754 as King's college and after the Revolution change its name to Columbia.(ENY,169) We stopped in the center of Columbia's campus to admire the Low Memorial Library which was the first and most recognizable structure built on the campus. The statue in front of the library is the bronze Alma Mater, the symbol of the university. Designed by Daniel Chester French in 1903, the figure of Alma Mater sits on a throne draped in academic attire with a crown of laurel on her head. In her lap she holds a book signifying knowledge and hidden under the folds of her gown is an owl, the symbol of wisdom. (ENY,170) The myth around Columbia is if you find the owl hidden and rub its stomach one day you will marry a Columbia student and become rich, so of course all the girls in the class made sure to take their time and rub the owl as much as possible. After admiring the library we took a walk a little further into Columbia to see St. Paul's Chapel. It was the first building on Columbia's campus not designed by Mckim, Mead, and White and it was modeled after the Church of Santa Croce in Florence. (ENY,170) We then walked through the inner pathways of Columbia seeing various sculptures and open areas where anyone can spend some time and admire the beauty this campus has to offer. The scenery and serenity of this campus is something I will never forget and would definitely enjoy visiting again to spend some time on a relaxing day.
Our final stop of the day would be at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. We were able to reach the cathedral rather quickly by walking through Columbia's campus and ending on the other side on Amsterdam Avenue where the cathedral is located. Before entering the cathedral we stopped at the Children's Sculpture Garden which is just to the right of the Cathedral. In the center of this garden is the Peace Fountain sculpted by Gregg Wyatt to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Episcopalian Diocese of New York. The 40 foot high statue, which shows the archangel Michael vanquishing Satan, depicts the triumph of good over evil. The spiraling pedestal of the fountain is formed in the shape of the double helix of DNA. (ENY,168) The fountain and garden overall is amazingly crafted and is just a small taste of beauty that can be seen at St. John the Divine. Before entering the Cathedral we learned some interesting facts such as it being the largest church in the United States and the largest Gothic-style cathedral in the world, and the Cathedral has room for 3000 worshippers and spans a length of over 600 feet. (ENY,167) Construction on the Cathedral was halted at the start of World War II and has been continuing sporadically since then, at its present time its considered to be only two-thirds finished and is estimated that it would take at least 100 years and more than $100 million to complete it according to the original plans set by Ralph Adams Cram. After walking into the Cathedral and discovering how massive it actually is it makes sense that these numbers are predicted just to complete it, it literally feels like your walking into a stadium or arena. From the back the people standing at the front altar look like they are two city blocks away and the ceilings are so high just trying to look all the way up hurts your neck. When walking further in above your head are two giant metal structures which seemed to me like dragons and they are filled with lights and fans which seem to keep people cool during summer days. Once we reached the altar we passed several statues of historic figures, including St. Paul, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington as well as a stone block representing the 20th century, containing images of Gandhi, Albert Einstein, and Martin Luther King. This Cathedral is definitely the most impressive I have ever seen in my life, and if Im still alive at the time of its completion I can only imagine what beauty and magnificence it will hold. Todays class was definitely one of the more enjoyable and memorable ones we have had full of rich architecture and culture that was not only surprising but mind blowing as well. Morningside Heights and MOMA is definitely a New York destination everyone should experience at least once in their life.,
7. Lower East Side/Chinatown
On Saturday October 18th we would proceed to our second to last adventure throughout New York, to think that we are just one week shy from our journey being over is something I didn't expect to be saying so quickly. Today would've been our last class if heavy rain on last Saturday the 13th didn't happen which forced Mike to cancel class. Even though it would've been our last class I was grateful Mike cancelled last week because the rain had been extremely intense all morning long. However I ran into a different problem on our newly scheduled day because I had forgotten class was going to start two hours early at 9 a.m. The reason class was starting early was so we could make an appointment at the Tenement Museum in the lower East side by the Williamsburg bridge, I ended up arriving at the museum an hour and a half late which made me miss a little bit of the beginning of the tour. The Lower East Side Tenement Museum provides a fascinating glimpse into the life of the immigrant family who lived in this building during the mid-19th century. During its almost 80 year history, the tenement was home to an estimated 7,000 from over 20 countries--the majority coming from Ireland, Germany, Italy, and Eastern Europe. The museum itself was founded in 1988 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994. (ENY,67) I was able to make for the majority of it in which the tour guide showed us artifacts founded in the tenement grounds years ago. These artifacts were actual items the tenants had used in the 19th century for everyday use such as lice combs, wooden toothbrushes, and glass bottles for shampoo. After being shown these artifacts our tour guide brought us to the outside of the tenement to the backyard where the outdoor water pump and bathrooms were located. Here the tour guide told us that the artifacts found were originally excavated here due to this are being the main place where waste and garbage of all kind were disposed of. The bathrooms were simply a little shack with separate doors lined up against the yard wall with a hole for a person to sit and take care of God's natural business. The water pump was located directly in the middle of the yard and the tour guide showed us how on days designated as "cleaning day" the families in the tenement would line up, as the mother would pass a pal of water just taken from the pump, and clean both themselves and their clothing with it. It was easier to do this than create a tub inside the home due to the many stairs and heavy buckets of water that they would've been forced to carry back and forth several times. The way these newly found New Yorkers were forced to live was quite sad and unsanitary in many aspects, it really makes you realize how far society and technology in the world has come to create a healthier, easier lifestyle for everyone.
Once our tour of the museum was done Mike made us split into several groups, the purpose for this was to make us create our own journey through the city without Mikes guidance. Once we were split into groups Mike handed every group a set of directions which would lead us through Chinatown, a community that engulfs most of the Lower East Side. The point was for us to follow the directions ourselves and observe Chinatown however we saw fit while noting some impressive landmarks Mike wanted us to see along the way. For my group I was designated leader and on that note we set off in our exploration, starting by walking west along Delancey Street we passed many bikers and longboarders due to this area having many bike lanes that are frequently used. After walking down Delancey Street we reached Kenmare street where there was a promotion for free coffee at a newly opened Cafe Bustello right on the corner, we decided to stop in and were able to get free coffee along with some free snacks which was enjoyable. Five to ten minutes passed and we proceeded back on track with Mikes directions by walking down Kenmare and making a left on Canal street, immediately after we made this turn we were in the heart of Chinatown. This was clearly obvious due to the flood of Asian people walking the streets visiting the local shops that all had signs mainly written in Chinese with tiny english translations on only a handful of them. The smell of garbage, fish, poultry, and Asian spices engulfed my nostrils and it wasn't surprising because I've visited Chinatown many times before, with that said the smell is still something I find very unpleasant about Chinatown along with its extremely crowded streets. My groupmates wanted to stop inside one store just to see the atmosphere so we decided to stop at a market called New Kam Man, which was pretty much a supermarket, clothing store, and home essentials store all into one. There was three floors each dedicated to the sections I just mentioned and only Chinese products were available for sale. I was very surprised to see whats usually separated into several small stores be turned into a mega market full of almost anything you could need or think of. The front of the market even had ducks for sale along with Chinese herbs and medicines right next to it, it was definitely the most interesting part of the market in my opinion. After we were done exploring the market we visited our first landmark Mike had designated for us, the Eastern States Buddhist Temple of America. Located on Mott Street the temple has an assortment of Buddha statues along with a shrine that people can kneel upon and pray at. My group and I walked in and explored the various trinkets and statues available to buy, some we quite elegant while others were on the strange side but overall it was a nice shop in tribute to a unique man and religion. After we left the temple we proceeded to Bayard street which contains an assortment of Chinese food shops. The ones Mike recommended us to visit were all located on this block and the girls in my group wanted to visit the Chinatown Ice Cream factory specifically. While the girls indulged in some Chinese treats I visited a little shop next door that had many figurines that looked like they were made to celebrate Chinese New year; there were banners, posters, kimono dragons and other typical figurines one would see during any Chinese parade. I was considering buying one but the prices were a little too high for my liking, once the girls got their ice cream we walked only a few doors down to see another place Mike labeled for us called Vivi Bubble Tea . Bubble Tea is a kind of tea that contains tapioca balls inside of it and many people seem to enjoy, I on the other hand am not a fan of it so we only admired it from the outside which had a Homer Simpson figurine sitting outside. Once we were done it was time to head back to Allen street for lunch which would be at Congee Village and our last meal provided by Mike. While walking back we were on Bowery which allowed us to pass the Manhattan Bridge, we did not stop because there was heavy traffic and we needed to get back in time for lunch. Overall the journey through Chinatown was an interesting one but its not exactly a part of the city I enjoy very much, the overcrowded, narrow and gloomy streets is what turns me away from wanting to spend much time there.
Now it was time for lunch at Congee Village which had a unique set up I never experienced before, the tables were a large round center with benches for everyone to sit around. The food would be placed in the center of the table and was able to be spun in order for it to reach everyone at the table without having to stretch across or be passed around. The meal was pretty plain to me and not very exciting compared to the Thai and Indian cuisine we had in previous classes. Even though it was still free and a decent meal so I was satisfied with what was provided. Once we were done with lunch Mike passed the tour over to Jim, a guide and friend of Mikes, to give us a tour of the rest of Lower East Side. The first place we stopped was Economy Candy, which is a candy store with almost any type of sweet you can think of. The store continues to be run by the Cohen family who first opened it in 1937 and it will most certainly satisfy anyones sweet tooth no matter how large. (ENY,67) Just a block away is the Essex Street Market which the class visited earlier but I missed due to my lateness. The market has a variety of interesting food stalls to appeal to jus about everyone from basic fruits and vegetables to premium meats and imported cheeses. (ENY,67) Once we passed the market we made our way closer to the Williamsburg Bridge to explore the buildings surrounding it such as the Bialystoker Synagogue. The synagogue was founded in 1865 by Jews who came from the town of Bialystock in Poland. Merging with another congregation from Poland, the enlarged congregation purchased the Willett Street Methodist Episcopal Church and converted it into a synagogue. (ENY,68) We could not go into the building unfortunately but the outside as notable due to the Manhattan schist it was built out of. The next building we visited was the Henry Street Settlement which was founded by Lillian Wald in 1893. Lillian who was a 25 year old nursing student at the time was appalled by the conditions that she encountered on the Lower East side while volunteering to teach classes on home health care to immigrant women;she founded the nurses settlement to bring nursing care, education and arts to the immigrant population of the community.(ENY,69) Our last building of exploration is located on Eldridge Street and is also a synagogue, the Eldridge Street Synagogue is the only building on the block that does not contain Chinese writing on it. Although the synagogue today is located in Chinatown,when it was built, this area was heavily Jewish with street signs written in Yiddish. It was built in 1887 and was the first synagogue in New York built by Eastern European Jews, with Moorish and Gothic influences. (ENY,71) The lower east side is a place dedicated and populated by the many immigrants who fled their counties to New York for prosperity. This can be seen by the many conflicting buildings representing a certain race that occupied that area at one point or another in history, personally I feel as if there is too much going on in this area of the city. Although it is wonderful to see the many influences that affected this area, the sense of overcrowding and constant clashes of culture make it the part of the city I enjoy the least.
On Saturday October 18th we would proceed to our second to last adventure throughout New York, to think that we are just one week shy from our journey being over is something I didn't expect to be saying so quickly. Today would've been our last class if heavy rain on last Saturday the 13th didn't happen which forced Mike to cancel class. Even though it would've been our last class I was grateful Mike cancelled last week because the rain had been extremely intense all morning long. However I ran into a different problem on our newly scheduled day because I had forgotten class was going to start two hours early at 9 a.m. The reason class was starting early was so we could make an appointment at the Tenement Museum in the lower East side by the Williamsburg bridge, I ended up arriving at the museum an hour and a half late which made me miss a little bit of the beginning of the tour. The Lower East Side Tenement Museum provides a fascinating glimpse into the life of the immigrant family who lived in this building during the mid-19th century. During its almost 80 year history, the tenement was home to an estimated 7,000 from over 20 countries--the majority coming from Ireland, Germany, Italy, and Eastern Europe. The museum itself was founded in 1988 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994. (ENY,67) I was able to make for the majority of it in which the tour guide showed us artifacts founded in the tenement grounds years ago. These artifacts were actual items the tenants had used in the 19th century for everyday use such as lice combs, wooden toothbrushes, and glass bottles for shampoo. After being shown these artifacts our tour guide brought us to the outside of the tenement to the backyard where the outdoor water pump and bathrooms were located. Here the tour guide told us that the artifacts found were originally excavated here due to this are being the main place where waste and garbage of all kind were disposed of. The bathrooms were simply a little shack with separate doors lined up against the yard wall with a hole for a person to sit and take care of God's natural business. The water pump was located directly in the middle of the yard and the tour guide showed us how on days designated as "cleaning day" the families in the tenement would line up, as the mother would pass a pal of water just taken from the pump, and clean both themselves and their clothing with it. It was easier to do this than create a tub inside the home due to the many stairs and heavy buckets of water that they would've been forced to carry back and forth several times. The way these newly found New Yorkers were forced to live was quite sad and unsanitary in many aspects, it really makes you realize how far society and technology in the world has come to create a healthier, easier lifestyle for everyone.
Once our tour of the museum was done Mike made us split into several groups, the purpose for this was to make us create our own journey through the city without Mikes guidance. Once we were split into groups Mike handed every group a set of directions which would lead us through Chinatown, a community that engulfs most of the Lower East Side. The point was for us to follow the directions ourselves and observe Chinatown however we saw fit while noting some impressive landmarks Mike wanted us to see along the way. For my group I was designated leader and on that note we set off in our exploration, starting by walking west along Delancey Street we passed many bikers and longboarders due to this area having many bike lanes that are frequently used. After walking down Delancey Street we reached Kenmare street where there was a promotion for free coffee at a newly opened Cafe Bustello right on the corner, we decided to stop in and were able to get free coffee along with some free snacks which was enjoyable. Five to ten minutes passed and we proceeded back on track with Mikes directions by walking down Kenmare and making a left on Canal street, immediately after we made this turn we were in the heart of Chinatown. This was clearly obvious due to the flood of Asian people walking the streets visiting the local shops that all had signs mainly written in Chinese with tiny english translations on only a handful of them. The smell of garbage, fish, poultry, and Asian spices engulfed my nostrils and it wasn't surprising because I've visited Chinatown many times before, with that said the smell is still something I find very unpleasant about Chinatown along with its extremely crowded streets. My groupmates wanted to stop inside one store just to see the atmosphere so we decided to stop at a market called New Kam Man, which was pretty much a supermarket, clothing store, and home essentials store all into one. There was three floors each dedicated to the sections I just mentioned and only Chinese products were available for sale. I was very surprised to see whats usually separated into several small stores be turned into a mega market full of almost anything you could need or think of. The front of the market even had ducks for sale along with Chinese herbs and medicines right next to it, it was definitely the most interesting part of the market in my opinion. After we were done exploring the market we visited our first landmark Mike had designated for us, the Eastern States Buddhist Temple of America. Located on Mott Street the temple has an assortment of Buddha statues along with a shrine that people can kneel upon and pray at. My group and I walked in and explored the various trinkets and statues available to buy, some we quite elegant while others were on the strange side but overall it was a nice shop in tribute to a unique man and religion. After we left the temple we proceeded to Bayard street which contains an assortment of Chinese food shops. The ones Mike recommended us to visit were all located on this block and the girls in my group wanted to visit the Chinatown Ice Cream factory specifically. While the girls indulged in some Chinese treats I visited a little shop next door that had many figurines that looked like they were made to celebrate Chinese New year; there were banners, posters, kimono dragons and other typical figurines one would see during any Chinese parade. I was considering buying one but the prices were a little too high for my liking, once the girls got their ice cream we walked only a few doors down to see another place Mike labeled for us called Vivi Bubble Tea . Bubble Tea is a kind of tea that contains tapioca balls inside of it and many people seem to enjoy, I on the other hand am not a fan of it so we only admired it from the outside which had a Homer Simpson figurine sitting outside. Once we were done it was time to head back to Allen street for lunch which would be at Congee Village and our last meal provided by Mike. While walking back we were on Bowery which allowed us to pass the Manhattan Bridge, we did not stop because there was heavy traffic and we needed to get back in time for lunch. Overall the journey through Chinatown was an interesting one but its not exactly a part of the city I enjoy very much, the overcrowded, narrow and gloomy streets is what turns me away from wanting to spend much time there.
Now it was time for lunch at Congee Village which had a unique set up I never experienced before, the tables were a large round center with benches for everyone to sit around. The food would be placed in the center of the table and was able to be spun in order for it to reach everyone at the table without having to stretch across or be passed around. The meal was pretty plain to me and not very exciting compared to the Thai and Indian cuisine we had in previous classes. Even though it was still free and a decent meal so I was satisfied with what was provided. Once we were done with lunch Mike passed the tour over to Jim, a guide and friend of Mikes, to give us a tour of the rest of Lower East Side. The first place we stopped was Economy Candy, which is a candy store with almost any type of sweet you can think of. The store continues to be run by the Cohen family who first opened it in 1937 and it will most certainly satisfy anyones sweet tooth no matter how large. (ENY,67) Just a block away is the Essex Street Market which the class visited earlier but I missed due to my lateness. The market has a variety of interesting food stalls to appeal to jus about everyone from basic fruits and vegetables to premium meats and imported cheeses. (ENY,67) Once we passed the market we made our way closer to the Williamsburg Bridge to explore the buildings surrounding it such as the Bialystoker Synagogue. The synagogue was founded in 1865 by Jews who came from the town of Bialystock in Poland. Merging with another congregation from Poland, the enlarged congregation purchased the Willett Street Methodist Episcopal Church and converted it into a synagogue. (ENY,68) We could not go into the building unfortunately but the outside as notable due to the Manhattan schist it was built out of. The next building we visited was the Henry Street Settlement which was founded by Lillian Wald in 1893. Lillian who was a 25 year old nursing student at the time was appalled by the conditions that she encountered on the Lower East side while volunteering to teach classes on home health care to immigrant women;she founded the nurses settlement to bring nursing care, education and arts to the immigrant population of the community.(ENY,69) Our last building of exploration is located on Eldridge Street and is also a synagogue, the Eldridge Street Synagogue is the only building on the block that does not contain Chinese writing on it. Although the synagogue today is located in Chinatown,when it was built, this area was heavily Jewish with street signs written in Yiddish. It was built in 1887 and was the first synagogue in New York built by Eastern European Jews, with Moorish and Gothic influences. (ENY,71) The lower east side is a place dedicated and populated by the many immigrants who fled their counties to New York for prosperity. This can be seen by the many conflicting buildings representing a certain race that occupied that area at one point or another in history, personally I feel as if there is too much going on in this area of the city. Although it is wonderful to see the many influences that affected this area, the sense of overcrowding and constant clashes of culture make it the part of the city I enjoy the least.
8. Lower Manhattan
Todays class marks the end of our journey throughout this great city I've lived in for so long. Our last exploration of New York City will be in Lower Manhattan, where it all began when the Dutch established its first colony of Nieuw Amsterdam in 1624. Once home to purely dutch, then British, and finally Americans to create the city known as New York Lower Manhattan was the center of what has grown into the great city we now know today. The area we would start today is known as Battery Park City which was all built upon a landfill. The neighborhood known as Battery Park City didn't exist prior to 1976. Until the late 1950's the area was filled with piers upon which long-shoremen loaded and unloaded the contents of ships coming to New York City from around the world. By the 1960's,however, most of the piers had become abandoned and dilapidated, with freight companies opting to relocate to larger piers in place like New Jersey. The idea to create Battery Park City was the inspiration of Governor Nelson Rockefeller, who called for a new 90-acre planned community to be built near the city's financial district. (ENY,60) With this idea came its creation and now Battery Park City is home to the elite workers of the financial services industry who have to merely take a short walk to be in the center of the Financial District. We stopped at Robert Wagner Park, which was named after Robert Wagner who was mayor of New York from 1954-1965. This park provides an amazing view of the Hudson River where you can see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island from a distance. It is an extremely breathtaking view which attracts many people to sit on the grass and soak in the amazing landscape that New York was first established around. We then walked further to an area formally known as just Battery Park due to the battery of canons that the British kept there from 1683-1687 to protect the harbor. Battery Park is the largest recreational space in Lower Manhattan and is typically packed on weekdays with New York workers looking for a relatively peaceful place to eat lunch and on weekends with hordes of tourists heading to the Statue of Liberty. (ENY,56) Since it was Saturday the tourists were in full effect standing on a line that seemed to be longer than the entire park itself waiting to get on a ferry to the Statue of Liberty. The purpose of coming to this busy section was to visit Castle Clinton which is considered the heart of Battery Park geographically and historically, and is named after New York Mayor Dewitt Clinton. Originally called the West Battery, the brownstone fort was built by John McComb Jr. and Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Williams in 1811 as a defense against British invasion. The fort was actually built in New York Harbor and stood in about 35 feet of water, to reach the fort one had to cross a wooden causeway with a drawbridge. In 1870 the area between Castle Clinton and the original shoreline around State Street was filled in to create Battery Park, and the castle then became a part of Manhattan Island. (ENY,56) The castle then took a turn in 1855 when it was used as an immigration depot to assist people upon their arrival in the UNited States and to protect them from being preyed upon by unsavory elements of New York society. During the five years that it served in this form eight million immigrants arrived in New York through its doors. (ENY,56) Not far from Castle Clinton is Luis Sanguino's 1973 statue, "The Immigrants"dedicated to the eight million people who passed through Castle Clinton when it served as the City's immigration depot station. The anguished poses of the figures in the statue , including a freed African slave, a priest, a worker, and an Eastern European Jew, point to the struggles that most immigrants faced as they began their new life in America. (ENY,56) Being at this part of the city and seeing all these landmarks, that encompass a generation that brought about the New York I know today, made me feel a sense of respect and gratitude to all the people who cam here before in hoes of having a better life. They came to New York with just a dream of prosperity and they fought and clawed their way through the city to survive. Without these people who came here first New York would not be such a prosperous place to live in and this city would not be where it is today.
When our exploration of Battery Park was finished we proceeded to the Fraunces Tavern Museum located just a few blocks away from Battery Park. The building is considered to be one of the most historical sights in lower Manhattan due to the fact that George Washington held a farewell dinner for the officers of his army on December 4,1783 when the British evacuation of New York was finished. Today, the ground floor is used as a restaurant while the upper floors have become a museum with interesting period rooms and exhibits on colonial life in New York. (ENY,55) We entered the building and proceeded to the top floor to see an exhibit containing various memorabilia and artifacts of the Revolution. The most interesting artifact was the diary of Washington's men who was the first spy to ever exist in warfare, his name was Benjamin Tallmadge and was obviously a spy for the Americans and Washington during the Revolution. His diary is the only recorded account of what happened in the tavern during Washington's dinner and it discusses how Washington gave a heartfelt speech that almost left his men in tears. Without this diary no one would've actually known of the events that occurred that day which is why its such a magnificent piece of history. We then went into a room labeled the "flag room" due to the many flags that had ben used and created during the Revolution since Betsy Ross' interpretation was not yet created. The flags displayed various colors and phrases to show their pride and resilience when entering battle, my favorite flag was one simply saying "Liberty or Death" which encompasses how strongly these men were fighting to gain their freedom they rightfully deserved. We then walked into the lower floor which was where the private dining hall was located and where Washington held his dinner in which he gave his farewell speech to his men while dining on some of his favorite meals. The room has a recreation of what the room would've looked like during that period but they unfortunately do not know exactly how the room was set up or where Washington was seated in the room. Even though it was not exact the general portrayal was accurate and you cant help but feel how intimate the setting must've been when Washington brought his men here. This was probably one of my favorite museums of our entire adventure since artifacts and stories of war really interest me.
Our next stop would be the Financial District which is the heart and soul of New York's commerce and finance. In the 19th century, this area, with its proximity to the City's most active port, was where most of the nations largest banks and corporations had their headquarters. (ENY,47) We first stopped at what is now the National Museum of the American Indian in order to take a quick rest and listen to Mike discuss some historical facts of the financial district and the buildings built in it. The building itself has amazing Greek revival architecture with mind-blowing detailed statues representing each of the seven continents of the world. Each statue has defining characteristics that lets you know which continent it represents such as North Americas statue having lady liberty on it. Next Mike brought us to the middle of Broadway to see probably the most recognizable figure of the Financial district, the Charging Bull. The statue was created by New York City artist Arthuro Di Modica right after what was called Black Monday, October 19,1987, when financial markets were in the worst panic in years. In an act of guerilla art, on the night of December 15, 1989 Di Modica and his friends hauled the statue on a flatbed truck and surreptitiously left it in front of the New York Stock Exchange. (ENY,53) When it was going to be taken away public outcry forced the city to move it to its current location and left it there due to its massive popularity. The bull is way more detailed than I imagined and its an amazing piece of art which makes sense why people wanted it to be kept.
Once we were done we headed to one of the most important sights of the Financial District, the 9-11 Memorial and Museum. Everyone knows the fated day that took down the two most noticeable buildings in New York, world trade center 1 and 2, and this memorial is placed directly where both towers stood as the tallest buildings in New York before the attack. At 110 stories each, the buildings were home to 430 companies with 35,000 workers form around the world and the memorial remembers the 2,977 workers from this building that were killed during the attack. The 9-11 memorial, which opened in 2011, was the result of a competition launched by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation in 2003. From 5,201 submissions, a 13 member jury selected a design by architects Michael Arad and Peter Walker that was called "Reflecting Absence." The memorial consists of two one acre pools set in the footprints of the original twin towers. Thirty foot waterfalls, the largest manmade waterfalls in the United States, descend into the pools draining into a center void. The names of the victims of the 9-11 attacks are inscribed in bronze around the edge of the waterfalls. (ENY, 48-49) For me the memorial provided an assortment of feelings from remembrance, to sadness, and eventually irritation due to the many tourists simply posing and taking pictures while their children ran in circles throwing rocks at each other. This was one of the greatest tragedies to ever occur on American soil and for it to just be turned into basically an enlarged tourist attraction was something that simply disgusted me. The memorial is beautiful and the thought behind it was significantly made but yet again we see society turning something that should be a place of reflection into a money making tourist attraction, it is quite shameful in my opinion. Once we were done viewing the memorial it was time to visit St. Pauls Chapel the current memorial to those who die during 9-11. Although it was directly across the street from the World Trade Center, the chapel miraculously survived the attacks without even a broken window. (ENY,47) After the attack, St. Paul's served as a place of rest and relief for rescue workers at Ground Zero and also where people would place missing posters of their loved ones just in case they were found in the rubble of the towers. Once we exited the church Mike had us view his favorite building from afar because we didnt have time to go and explore it. The building mentioned is the Municipal Building and it is one of the largest governmental buildings in the world. The building is currently home to thirteen municipal agencies of the City of New York and until 2009 housed the Manhattan Marriage Bureau, where 18,000 people were married each year in the buildings second floor chapel. (ENY,42) Mikes favorite attribute of the building is Adolph Weinman's 20 foot tall gilded statue "Civic Fame." It is the third largest statue in New York City and displays a barefoot female figure standing while balancing on a cooper ball and in her left hand she holds a five-pointed crown, symbolizing the five boroughs. To end our journey we made our way to the Tweed Courthouse which we stopped briefly during our exploration of Brooklyn before crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. This time we sat on the steps where Mike and Lee revealed some of its history before telling us our journey had come to an end. It was quite shocking to realize that it was over and our exploration through the entire city was complete, it seems like I received a lifetimes worth of knowledge and exploration of this city that I thought I knew so much about. In the end, the class was an experience I'll never forget and I will always appreciate the endless beauty this great city has to offer.
Todays class marks the end of our journey throughout this great city I've lived in for so long. Our last exploration of New York City will be in Lower Manhattan, where it all began when the Dutch established its first colony of Nieuw Amsterdam in 1624. Once home to purely dutch, then British, and finally Americans to create the city known as New York Lower Manhattan was the center of what has grown into the great city we now know today. The area we would start today is known as Battery Park City which was all built upon a landfill. The neighborhood known as Battery Park City didn't exist prior to 1976. Until the late 1950's the area was filled with piers upon which long-shoremen loaded and unloaded the contents of ships coming to New York City from around the world. By the 1960's,however, most of the piers had become abandoned and dilapidated, with freight companies opting to relocate to larger piers in place like New Jersey. The idea to create Battery Park City was the inspiration of Governor Nelson Rockefeller, who called for a new 90-acre planned community to be built near the city's financial district. (ENY,60) With this idea came its creation and now Battery Park City is home to the elite workers of the financial services industry who have to merely take a short walk to be in the center of the Financial District. We stopped at Robert Wagner Park, which was named after Robert Wagner who was mayor of New York from 1954-1965. This park provides an amazing view of the Hudson River where you can see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island from a distance. It is an extremely breathtaking view which attracts many people to sit on the grass and soak in the amazing landscape that New York was first established around. We then walked further to an area formally known as just Battery Park due to the battery of canons that the British kept there from 1683-1687 to protect the harbor. Battery Park is the largest recreational space in Lower Manhattan and is typically packed on weekdays with New York workers looking for a relatively peaceful place to eat lunch and on weekends with hordes of tourists heading to the Statue of Liberty. (ENY,56) Since it was Saturday the tourists were in full effect standing on a line that seemed to be longer than the entire park itself waiting to get on a ferry to the Statue of Liberty. The purpose of coming to this busy section was to visit Castle Clinton which is considered the heart of Battery Park geographically and historically, and is named after New York Mayor Dewitt Clinton. Originally called the West Battery, the brownstone fort was built by John McComb Jr. and Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Williams in 1811 as a defense against British invasion. The fort was actually built in New York Harbor and stood in about 35 feet of water, to reach the fort one had to cross a wooden causeway with a drawbridge. In 1870 the area between Castle Clinton and the original shoreline around State Street was filled in to create Battery Park, and the castle then became a part of Manhattan Island. (ENY,56) The castle then took a turn in 1855 when it was used as an immigration depot to assist people upon their arrival in the UNited States and to protect them from being preyed upon by unsavory elements of New York society. During the five years that it served in this form eight million immigrants arrived in New York through its doors. (ENY,56) Not far from Castle Clinton is Luis Sanguino's 1973 statue, "The Immigrants"dedicated to the eight million people who passed through Castle Clinton when it served as the City's immigration depot station. The anguished poses of the figures in the statue , including a freed African slave, a priest, a worker, and an Eastern European Jew, point to the struggles that most immigrants faced as they began their new life in America. (ENY,56) Being at this part of the city and seeing all these landmarks, that encompass a generation that brought about the New York I know today, made me feel a sense of respect and gratitude to all the people who cam here before in hoes of having a better life. They came to New York with just a dream of prosperity and they fought and clawed their way through the city to survive. Without these people who came here first New York would not be such a prosperous place to live in and this city would not be where it is today.
When our exploration of Battery Park was finished we proceeded to the Fraunces Tavern Museum located just a few blocks away from Battery Park. The building is considered to be one of the most historical sights in lower Manhattan due to the fact that George Washington held a farewell dinner for the officers of his army on December 4,1783 when the British evacuation of New York was finished. Today, the ground floor is used as a restaurant while the upper floors have become a museum with interesting period rooms and exhibits on colonial life in New York. (ENY,55) We entered the building and proceeded to the top floor to see an exhibit containing various memorabilia and artifacts of the Revolution. The most interesting artifact was the diary of Washington's men who was the first spy to ever exist in warfare, his name was Benjamin Tallmadge and was obviously a spy for the Americans and Washington during the Revolution. His diary is the only recorded account of what happened in the tavern during Washington's dinner and it discusses how Washington gave a heartfelt speech that almost left his men in tears. Without this diary no one would've actually known of the events that occurred that day which is why its such a magnificent piece of history. We then went into a room labeled the "flag room" due to the many flags that had ben used and created during the Revolution since Betsy Ross' interpretation was not yet created. The flags displayed various colors and phrases to show their pride and resilience when entering battle, my favorite flag was one simply saying "Liberty or Death" which encompasses how strongly these men were fighting to gain their freedom they rightfully deserved. We then walked into the lower floor which was where the private dining hall was located and where Washington held his dinner in which he gave his farewell speech to his men while dining on some of his favorite meals. The room has a recreation of what the room would've looked like during that period but they unfortunately do not know exactly how the room was set up or where Washington was seated in the room. Even though it was not exact the general portrayal was accurate and you cant help but feel how intimate the setting must've been when Washington brought his men here. This was probably one of my favorite museums of our entire adventure since artifacts and stories of war really interest me.
Our next stop would be the Financial District which is the heart and soul of New York's commerce and finance. In the 19th century, this area, with its proximity to the City's most active port, was where most of the nations largest banks and corporations had their headquarters. (ENY,47) We first stopped at what is now the National Museum of the American Indian in order to take a quick rest and listen to Mike discuss some historical facts of the financial district and the buildings built in it. The building itself has amazing Greek revival architecture with mind-blowing detailed statues representing each of the seven continents of the world. Each statue has defining characteristics that lets you know which continent it represents such as North Americas statue having lady liberty on it. Next Mike brought us to the middle of Broadway to see probably the most recognizable figure of the Financial district, the Charging Bull. The statue was created by New York City artist Arthuro Di Modica right after what was called Black Monday, October 19,1987, when financial markets were in the worst panic in years. In an act of guerilla art, on the night of December 15, 1989 Di Modica and his friends hauled the statue on a flatbed truck and surreptitiously left it in front of the New York Stock Exchange. (ENY,53) When it was going to be taken away public outcry forced the city to move it to its current location and left it there due to its massive popularity. The bull is way more detailed than I imagined and its an amazing piece of art which makes sense why people wanted it to be kept.
Once we were done we headed to one of the most important sights of the Financial District, the 9-11 Memorial and Museum. Everyone knows the fated day that took down the two most noticeable buildings in New York, world trade center 1 and 2, and this memorial is placed directly where both towers stood as the tallest buildings in New York before the attack. At 110 stories each, the buildings were home to 430 companies with 35,000 workers form around the world and the memorial remembers the 2,977 workers from this building that were killed during the attack. The 9-11 memorial, which opened in 2011, was the result of a competition launched by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation in 2003. From 5,201 submissions, a 13 member jury selected a design by architects Michael Arad and Peter Walker that was called "Reflecting Absence." The memorial consists of two one acre pools set in the footprints of the original twin towers. Thirty foot waterfalls, the largest manmade waterfalls in the United States, descend into the pools draining into a center void. The names of the victims of the 9-11 attacks are inscribed in bronze around the edge of the waterfalls. (ENY, 48-49) For me the memorial provided an assortment of feelings from remembrance, to sadness, and eventually irritation due to the many tourists simply posing and taking pictures while their children ran in circles throwing rocks at each other. This was one of the greatest tragedies to ever occur on American soil and for it to just be turned into basically an enlarged tourist attraction was something that simply disgusted me. The memorial is beautiful and the thought behind it was significantly made but yet again we see society turning something that should be a place of reflection into a money making tourist attraction, it is quite shameful in my opinion. Once we were done viewing the memorial it was time to visit St. Pauls Chapel the current memorial to those who die during 9-11. Although it was directly across the street from the World Trade Center, the chapel miraculously survived the attacks without even a broken window. (ENY,47) After the attack, St. Paul's served as a place of rest and relief for rescue workers at Ground Zero and also where people would place missing posters of their loved ones just in case they were found in the rubble of the towers. Once we exited the church Mike had us view his favorite building from afar because we didnt have time to go and explore it. The building mentioned is the Municipal Building and it is one of the largest governmental buildings in the world. The building is currently home to thirteen municipal agencies of the City of New York and until 2009 housed the Manhattan Marriage Bureau, where 18,000 people were married each year in the buildings second floor chapel. (ENY,42) Mikes favorite attribute of the building is Adolph Weinman's 20 foot tall gilded statue "Civic Fame." It is the third largest statue in New York City and displays a barefoot female figure standing while balancing on a cooper ball and in her left hand she holds a five-pointed crown, symbolizing the five boroughs. To end our journey we made our way to the Tweed Courthouse which we stopped briefly during our exploration of Brooklyn before crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. This time we sat on the steps where Mike and Lee revealed some of its history before telling us our journey had come to an end. It was quite shocking to realize that it was over and our exploration through the entire city was complete, it seems like I received a lifetimes worth of knowledge and exploration of this city that I thought I knew so much about. In the end, the class was an experience I'll never forget and I will always appreciate the endless beauty this great city has to offer.
9. Reflections on my journey
At the beginning of this class I was interested in seeing a few new sights of the city I had not seen before. What I didnt know was how much hidden history and culture there actually is in the city that I've either walked by or seen on many occasions when riding my longboard through certain areas. It was quite amazing to realize how much the city has grown in just a short amount of time and there are many places a person can go to reflect on the past successes that made this great city what it is today. In any section of the city you can gain an immense amount of knowledge and background as to what happened there just by visiting a certain museum or building. There are many places I newly discovered during this class and are definitely worth taking a second visit in the future when I'm in the exploring mood. Some of my favorite places visited were the Museum of Moving Image, Columbia University, MOMA, and Battery Park City. Hopefully one day I can bring my friends or family to these places so they can be just as surprised as I was in discovering a new part of the city they have never seen before. I always feel that it is important to know more about the world we live in and to appreciate all the people who worked hard to make it what it is today, this class definitely provided that knowledge on a constant basis which is why I feel like our long days of exploring were well worth it. For people who don't know much about this great city or think they know a decent amount this class will definitely give them a whole new perspective which is exactly what it did for me.
At the beginning of this class I was interested in seeing a few new sights of the city I had not seen before. What I didnt know was how much hidden history and culture there actually is in the city that I've either walked by or seen on many occasions when riding my longboard through certain areas. It was quite amazing to realize how much the city has grown in just a short amount of time and there are many places a person can go to reflect on the past successes that made this great city what it is today. In any section of the city you can gain an immense amount of knowledge and background as to what happened there just by visiting a certain museum or building. There are many places I newly discovered during this class and are definitely worth taking a second visit in the future when I'm in the exploring mood. Some of my favorite places visited were the Museum of Moving Image, Columbia University, MOMA, and Battery Park City. Hopefully one day I can bring my friends or family to these places so they can be just as surprised as I was in discovering a new part of the city they have never seen before. I always feel that it is important to know more about the world we live in and to appreciate all the people who worked hard to make it what it is today, this class definitely provided that knowledge on a constant basis which is why I feel like our long days of exploring were well worth it. For people who don't know much about this great city or think they know a decent amount this class will definitely give them a whole new perspective which is exactly what it did for me.