journal 1: Entry 1
June 5th- My very first day entering N.Y. on my own. My day started, I was a bundle of nerves waiting on the tracks in Mineola waiting for my train to take me to Penn Station. Naturally a bus was stuck on the tracks in Hicksville which caused my train to be delayed indefinitely. I learned very quickly that the assumption New Yorkers are not nice people is a very poor one. A kind business man stayed with me and showed me how to get on another train until I reached my destination. I found my group, got twenty- five bucks on my metro card and off we went in Midtown Manhattan.
Starting in Penn Station it's name given by the developers Pennsylania Railroad (eny). I learned that this was not the orginal Penn Station. The orginal Penn Station seemed to be a more luxurious setting fit to welcome guests with a wow entrance. This Penn Station was an environment that was crowded, busy, smelly and dirty.
Next on the list we stopped to visit Grand Central. In contrast to Penn Station it gives you a sophistacated and traditional welcome feeling as soon as you enter. A classical ticket booth displaying brass, traditional lighting with a wide open decorative ceiling that screams welcome to New York. I was happy to hear that time and money had been spent here to recover the damage from the steam of old trians and cigar smoke. The ceiling depicts an astrological sign from the Gods perspective looking down.
Moving on we stood below the famous Chrysler Building. Architecture done by William Van Alen (eny). This building was built by the Chrysler automobile company finished by the 1930's. The decor of the building depicts hoods from automobiles and a stainless steel sunburst pattern. For a short time the Chrysler building was known as the biggest building in New York. We entered the building to find the ceilings decorated as a car manufacturing assembly line and beautiful African wood carvings. We were informed this building is said to have the prettiest elevators but wasn't allowed to view.
Moving onward we briefly saw the Daily News Building. The buildings artchiteture represents what is known as art deco design including it's flat roof. We entered the building to find the largest indoor revolving world globe.
The GE building is a beautiful art decco pattern which displays electric current throughout the exterior along with a clock. We were told this building is suppose to have the most beautiful lobby. Although it is a pretty lobby I personally was not wowed.
Now on the other hand I was very wowed at the next stop. The Waldorf Astoria a magnificant display of eloquent design. This hotel was completed in 1931 (eny). The displays spoke to me as if I could invision the dinning room set and fancy china with important guests sitting around the table eating a divine menu. I had the pleasure of using the ladies room here, every guest has their own personal bathroom.
Walking along midtown we past Barts Church. This was an opportunity to learn about and compare the architecture of various buildings. I learned how the orginal design for buildings was straight up and then restrictions were past that forced architecture to change the design pattern as a set back, in order to allow light inbetween the blocks. Some buildings presented this feature in reverse by building large courtyards and then building upwards. We also were able to locate buildings with post modern art which is reconized by its use of metal, glass and slanting roofs. I realized that on the occasions I have been in the city with family I walk past these buildings all the time and never really appreciated these features mainly because I never look up.
Reaching our next stop the Roosevelt Island Tram. I have never been on this before. The view was awesome. I also was never to Roosevelt Island. I really wasn't sure what to expect. When we arrived it appeared lush and abandoned. We recieved a quick lesson on how to remember the bridges (BMW) and enjoyed the view of the 59th street bridge. I learned a new word gentrification and learned that this was the definition of an undesirable poor area that upper middle class or wealthy people migrated into bringing the area out of an undesirable to desirable place to live. As a result the cost of living goes up causing the less fortunate to be pushed out due to cost of living. This was also home to the first pathological studies. I was very intrigued as a nurse to learn we stood where the old Small Pox hospital was. A shell of what looked like a beautiful building and home to the first school for nurses in the USA. This island homed psychiatric patients and a penetetry. Walking onward we entered the Four Freedoms Park designed to appear like a boat a walkway of trees leading to a huge sculpture of FDR. The view was on the water over looking midtown, the area we just left.
On the subway and off to Jackson Heights. This area had changed alot since I was a child. Now populated with a large Indian Population evident by the countless shops selling cultural garb and cuisine. We had the pleasure of eating in the Jackson Diner. I ate everything, even the goat and enjoyed every bite. The time here was short but the purpose made of our visit.
On the subway and off to Astoria. An area near and dear to me, arriving on steinway street I had to hold back the swells in my eyes as childhood memories of my dear nanny came rushing in my head. I once walked steinway on a regular occasion with her shopping and eating lunch together and then back to 14th street. This particular area I was not familiar with. We entered the Museum of the Moving Image. Another first for me. It was a really cool place showcasing old fashion microphones, telephones, televisions and how entertainment was broadcasted. The museum featured props from custumes, makeup, hair and showed how they transform actors into scary performers. I especially loved looking at the old paraphernalia from childhood television shows and movies.
Back on the train and off to Long Island City. Another first and probably last the MOMAPS1. This was a subdivision of MOMA and school of art. Unfortunately this is not the kind of art that interests me. I am a more traditional person but its always interesting to see what makes other tick.
We ended our day near the Pepsi sign in a park over looking the city. After ten miles of walking it was glorious to sit in the lush grass. We spoke about what everyone thought. Then we walked to the nearest train stations and we all went on our way. A great first day I can't believe what I learned and I have lived in New York my whole life.
June 5th- My very first day entering N.Y. on my own. My day started, I was a bundle of nerves waiting on the tracks in Mineola waiting for my train to take me to Penn Station. Naturally a bus was stuck on the tracks in Hicksville which caused my train to be delayed indefinitely. I learned very quickly that the assumption New Yorkers are not nice people is a very poor one. A kind business man stayed with me and showed me how to get on another train until I reached my destination. I found my group, got twenty- five bucks on my metro card and off we went in Midtown Manhattan.
Starting in Penn Station it's name given by the developers Pennsylania Railroad (eny). I learned that this was not the orginal Penn Station. The orginal Penn Station seemed to be a more luxurious setting fit to welcome guests with a wow entrance. This Penn Station was an environment that was crowded, busy, smelly and dirty.
Next on the list we stopped to visit Grand Central. In contrast to Penn Station it gives you a sophistacated and traditional welcome feeling as soon as you enter. A classical ticket booth displaying brass, traditional lighting with a wide open decorative ceiling that screams welcome to New York. I was happy to hear that time and money had been spent here to recover the damage from the steam of old trians and cigar smoke. The ceiling depicts an astrological sign from the Gods perspective looking down.
Moving on we stood below the famous Chrysler Building. Architecture done by William Van Alen (eny). This building was built by the Chrysler automobile company finished by the 1930's. The decor of the building depicts hoods from automobiles and a stainless steel sunburst pattern. For a short time the Chrysler building was known as the biggest building in New York. We entered the building to find the ceilings decorated as a car manufacturing assembly line and beautiful African wood carvings. We were informed this building is said to have the prettiest elevators but wasn't allowed to view.
Moving onward we briefly saw the Daily News Building. The buildings artchiteture represents what is known as art deco design including it's flat roof. We entered the building to find the largest indoor revolving world globe.
The GE building is a beautiful art decco pattern which displays electric current throughout the exterior along with a clock. We were told this building is suppose to have the most beautiful lobby. Although it is a pretty lobby I personally was not wowed.
Now on the other hand I was very wowed at the next stop. The Waldorf Astoria a magnificant display of eloquent design. This hotel was completed in 1931 (eny). The displays spoke to me as if I could invision the dinning room set and fancy china with important guests sitting around the table eating a divine menu. I had the pleasure of using the ladies room here, every guest has their own personal bathroom.
Walking along midtown we past Barts Church. This was an opportunity to learn about and compare the architecture of various buildings. I learned how the orginal design for buildings was straight up and then restrictions were past that forced architecture to change the design pattern as a set back, in order to allow light inbetween the blocks. Some buildings presented this feature in reverse by building large courtyards and then building upwards. We also were able to locate buildings with post modern art which is reconized by its use of metal, glass and slanting roofs. I realized that on the occasions I have been in the city with family I walk past these buildings all the time and never really appreciated these features mainly because I never look up.
Reaching our next stop the Roosevelt Island Tram. I have never been on this before. The view was awesome. I also was never to Roosevelt Island. I really wasn't sure what to expect. When we arrived it appeared lush and abandoned. We recieved a quick lesson on how to remember the bridges (BMW) and enjoyed the view of the 59th street bridge. I learned a new word gentrification and learned that this was the definition of an undesirable poor area that upper middle class or wealthy people migrated into bringing the area out of an undesirable to desirable place to live. As a result the cost of living goes up causing the less fortunate to be pushed out due to cost of living. This was also home to the first pathological studies. I was very intrigued as a nurse to learn we stood where the old Small Pox hospital was. A shell of what looked like a beautiful building and home to the first school for nurses in the USA. This island homed psychiatric patients and a penetetry. Walking onward we entered the Four Freedoms Park designed to appear like a boat a walkway of trees leading to a huge sculpture of FDR. The view was on the water over looking midtown, the area we just left.
On the subway and off to Jackson Heights. This area had changed alot since I was a child. Now populated with a large Indian Population evident by the countless shops selling cultural garb and cuisine. We had the pleasure of eating in the Jackson Diner. I ate everything, even the goat and enjoyed every bite. The time here was short but the purpose made of our visit.
On the subway and off to Astoria. An area near and dear to me, arriving on steinway street I had to hold back the swells in my eyes as childhood memories of my dear nanny came rushing in my head. I once walked steinway on a regular occasion with her shopping and eating lunch together and then back to 14th street. This particular area I was not familiar with. We entered the Museum of the Moving Image. Another first for me. It was a really cool place showcasing old fashion microphones, telephones, televisions and how entertainment was broadcasted. The museum featured props from custumes, makeup, hair and showed how they transform actors into scary performers. I especially loved looking at the old paraphernalia from childhood television shows and movies.
Back on the train and off to Long Island City. Another first and probably last the MOMAPS1. This was a subdivision of MOMA and school of art. Unfortunately this is not the kind of art that interests me. I am a more traditional person but its always interesting to see what makes other tick.
We ended our day near the Pepsi sign in a park over looking the city. After ten miles of walking it was glorious to sit in the lush grass. We spoke about what everyone thought. Then we walked to the nearest train stations and we all went on our way. A great first day I can't believe what I learned and I have lived in New York my whole life.
Photos Journal Entry 1
Journal Entry 2 - 6/10/14
Starting in Penn Station we hopped on the F train heading to Brooklyn. It was a long train ride in about an hour. Once we arrived I learned the Dutch were the first settlers. The name derived from the Dutch providence of Breuckelen (eny). This is also during the American Revolution where the Battle of Brooklyn was fought, Kings County. I also learned that Brooklyn is one of the most populous boroughs in N.Y. In 1883 the Brooklyn Bridge was complete 9 (eny). In addition in 1903 the Manhattan bridge and in 1909 the Manhattan bridge which resulted in the consolidation of N.Y. In the 1920’s there was a trend of upper middle class and middle class moving into suburbia, which caused the neighborhood to turn undesirable. Remarkably the area has made a huge turn around making Brooklyn a desirable place to live.
Onward we walk to Coney Island the home of the cyclone rollercoaster. The British named it Coney Island a translation of rabbit. (Eny). I have never been to this area before and was surprised at my findings. I didn’t expect to see such a clean area. Heavily populated with a Jewish culture, many school trips walked the streets. The people all seemed to be having a good time walking the boardwalk and eating the many food choices available. The scene from the boardwalk was beautiful and it reminded me very much of Atlantic City. I walked around the block for a glimpse of all the rides, storefronts and housing. I was shocked to see how close the homes was the amusement park, I would imagine it would be noisy and full of lights in the evening hours and a beautiful view at the same time. I sat down with my fellow nursing peers and enjoyed a corn dog and fries from the original Nathans Hot Dog store. It was tasty and the atmosphere was a pleasure.
Back on the train we arrive in Brooklyn Heights going down the stairs at Schermerhorn Street and Boerum Place to enter the Transit Museum. The museum was refurbished in 1930’s and opened in 1976 (eny). A history of how the NYC mass transit evolved. I enjoyed this part of the tour, learning about how weather was a main drive for an underground subway system. It was cool to see how steam engines transferred to electric. I also enjoyed walking from car to car and identifying the changes to the cars to meet the needs of the people. The old cars had old fashion spinning fans, wicker seats with mostly walking space, handles over head. The thing I enjoyed most was looking up at the advertisements. I saw things I remembered from my past and the evolution of marketing at products I still use today. Everything except the seats seemed much more sturdy then todays cars and had a lot of character compared to today. I loved the turn styles very classy.
We got back to the surface and walked a few blocks to the Brooklyn Borough Hall. This once was the original city hall, known as the oldest public building in Brooklyn, (eny). We admired the Neoclassical building, which represents that America is “every-mans home”.
We continued walking the streets of Brooklyn admiring the brownstone and spoke about gentrification of this area. The prices of these homes are in the millions. We stopped at the Church of St. Ann and the Holy Trinity and compared the architectural differences between the art deco design verses the neoclassical gothic. We entered the old Brooklyn Trust Company Building now Chase Bank. It was a scene out of the movies with its marble and brass decor all around. The ceiling was just beautifully designed in an Italian Renaissance style (eny).
Continuing onto Montaview Street, the shopping area of this neighborhood. We stopped at the Brooklyn Historical Society. The Historical Society building designed by George Post represents a renaissance revival style (eny). The sculptures on the building feature Columbus, and Ben Franklin. We also saw some new architectural building known as Federal style.
Passing through the Montague Terrace the place where George Washington and his generals made the decision to ship across the river to Manhattan. We walk to Brooklyn Park and admire the view. We can see parks, and homes over looking the water. We enter the section of Brooklyn near the Bridge known as Dumbo where we get to see a beautiful restored Carousel built in 1922 (eny). We entered an area that allowed a view of all three bridges and people placed locks on the fences to celebrate there love.
We stopped at this great ice shop that had interesting flavors. I had a large cone with one scoop of wicked flavor (a chocolate ice cream with anchote chiles mixed in) and a scoop of vanilla to tone down the heat. It was delicious.
The last part of the trip was this great walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. The Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge was complete in 1883 by the Roebling family (eny). This is the oldest suspension bridge in the USA. Many workers developed Caissons illness during its production leaving many disabled and dead. It was a lovely walk over the bridge. I couldn’t believe how many people were walking over it and commuting via bike to and from. After I walked across I headed to the subway and then to Penn Station.
Starting in Penn Station we hopped on the F train heading to Brooklyn. It was a long train ride in about an hour. Once we arrived I learned the Dutch were the first settlers. The name derived from the Dutch providence of Breuckelen (eny). This is also during the American Revolution where the Battle of Brooklyn was fought, Kings County. I also learned that Brooklyn is one of the most populous boroughs in N.Y. In 1883 the Brooklyn Bridge was complete 9 (eny). In addition in 1903 the Manhattan bridge and in 1909 the Manhattan bridge which resulted in the consolidation of N.Y. In the 1920’s there was a trend of upper middle class and middle class moving into suburbia, which caused the neighborhood to turn undesirable. Remarkably the area has made a huge turn around making Brooklyn a desirable place to live.
Onward we walk to Coney Island the home of the cyclone rollercoaster. The British named it Coney Island a translation of rabbit. (Eny). I have never been to this area before and was surprised at my findings. I didn’t expect to see such a clean area. Heavily populated with a Jewish culture, many school trips walked the streets. The people all seemed to be having a good time walking the boardwalk and eating the many food choices available. The scene from the boardwalk was beautiful and it reminded me very much of Atlantic City. I walked around the block for a glimpse of all the rides, storefronts and housing. I was shocked to see how close the homes was the amusement park, I would imagine it would be noisy and full of lights in the evening hours and a beautiful view at the same time. I sat down with my fellow nursing peers and enjoyed a corn dog and fries from the original Nathans Hot Dog store. It was tasty and the atmosphere was a pleasure.
Back on the train we arrive in Brooklyn Heights going down the stairs at Schermerhorn Street and Boerum Place to enter the Transit Museum. The museum was refurbished in 1930’s and opened in 1976 (eny). A history of how the NYC mass transit evolved. I enjoyed this part of the tour, learning about how weather was a main drive for an underground subway system. It was cool to see how steam engines transferred to electric. I also enjoyed walking from car to car and identifying the changes to the cars to meet the needs of the people. The old cars had old fashion spinning fans, wicker seats with mostly walking space, handles over head. The thing I enjoyed most was looking up at the advertisements. I saw things I remembered from my past and the evolution of marketing at products I still use today. Everything except the seats seemed much more sturdy then todays cars and had a lot of character compared to today. I loved the turn styles very classy.
We got back to the surface and walked a few blocks to the Brooklyn Borough Hall. This once was the original city hall, known as the oldest public building in Brooklyn, (eny). We admired the Neoclassical building, which represents that America is “every-mans home”.
We continued walking the streets of Brooklyn admiring the brownstone and spoke about gentrification of this area. The prices of these homes are in the millions. We stopped at the Church of St. Ann and the Holy Trinity and compared the architectural differences between the art deco design verses the neoclassical gothic. We entered the old Brooklyn Trust Company Building now Chase Bank. It was a scene out of the movies with its marble and brass decor all around. The ceiling was just beautifully designed in an Italian Renaissance style (eny).
Continuing onto Montaview Street, the shopping area of this neighborhood. We stopped at the Brooklyn Historical Society. The Historical Society building designed by George Post represents a renaissance revival style (eny). The sculptures on the building feature Columbus, and Ben Franklin. We also saw some new architectural building known as Federal style.
Passing through the Montague Terrace the place where George Washington and his generals made the decision to ship across the river to Manhattan. We walk to Brooklyn Park and admire the view. We can see parks, and homes over looking the water. We enter the section of Brooklyn near the Bridge known as Dumbo where we get to see a beautiful restored Carousel built in 1922 (eny). We entered an area that allowed a view of all three bridges and people placed locks on the fences to celebrate there love.
We stopped at this great ice shop that had interesting flavors. I had a large cone with one scoop of wicked flavor (a chocolate ice cream with anchote chiles mixed in) and a scoop of vanilla to tone down the heat. It was delicious.
The last part of the trip was this great walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. The Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge was complete in 1883 by the Roebling family (eny). This is the oldest suspension bridge in the USA. Many workers developed Caissons illness during its production leaving many disabled and dead. It was a lovely walk over the bridge. I couldn’t believe how many people were walking over it and commuting via bike to and from. After I walked across I headed to the subway and then to Penn Station.
Journal Entry 3 6-12-14
Starting out in the Chelsea area we stood where the poet Clement Clark Moore wrote the story of “Twas the Night Before Christmas”. This area is mostly industrial, with booming residential buildings going up everywhere. In the mid 19 century a freight train ran through this area, which resulted in numerous fatalities. These lines were raised up thirty feet so people could walk the streets safely. However, shortly afterward there was no need for this railroad. This area was left to fall for two decades; it was going to be removed when a nonprofit group came in and made it into beautiful gardens (eny). It was really cool to see that the old railroad tracks were incorporated into the gardens and made into chair rollers. Through out I enjoyed the many kinds of plants and trees that were grown here. In between the flowers you could occasionally see a piece of artwork.
Then we headed on the street and stopped in to see some interesting artwork in the galleries. I have never been to an art gallery before and found some of the work interesting. Art isn’t really a hobby for me. Some of the art didn’t make sense to me or elicit any kind of emotion. We did go to one gallery that was quite explicit and I did find it to lack class in its presentation. To each his own is all I have to say about that. Don did teach us the proper ediquit for gallery viewing and explained how the business works which I did find interesting.
After the galleries we headed back to the high line and entered the meat packing area. This area once consisted of slaughter houses (eny). Today it is home to many restaurants, bars, and clothing stores.
We walked past the Jefferson Market Garden and library. I learned how this was where a courthouse stood that persacuted Harry K. Thaw for the murder of Stanford White.
Next the Northern Dispensary a federal style building that is shaped like a triangle. This was a facility that provided healthcare to the poor (eny). Edgar Allen Poe was treated in this facility that cool.
Although we didn’t get to see the Stonewall Inn I received an educational lesson about its importance. This was where the gay rights movement took place when a riot that lasted six days broke out resulting in equality for gays and lesbians (eny).
We walked down Bleeker Street, stopped by a place by the named Eve’s hangout. This tea room was a hangout for lesbian men weren’t welcome. The owner Eva Kotchever was sent back to Poland (eny). She later died in a concentration camp.
Continuing on we stopped at a place called Café’ Wha? This area was interesting with a variety of shops, tattoo parlors and eateries. Breaking for lunch my fellow nursing students and I headed to Pub 1849 where I enjoyed a large steak, yummy!
After lunch we headed to Merchant’s House Museum. This was really cool. This is a Federal Style house this was left to allow people to see how upper class families of that would have lived. I really enjoyed the story about the family and looking at all the antique furniture. It was amazing how many articles of clothing they had to show.
The tour we had also included a few ghost stories.
Next stop Washington Park. We learned that back in the day it was a place for public hangings. This is also a monumental time in history when Robert Moses lost the battle to knock down this park in order to make a highway (eny). This was also a time when the park was a vehicle for drug dealings and gangs. Now this area is beautiful with a large fountain. Exiting the park we saw what is known as row houses, mostly owned by NYU now. We also got to see the Washington Mews, which were the old carriage houses.
We entered the area known as NOHO. We walked past the old Cooper Union where I learned Abraham Lincoln gave his famous talks. Crossing the street we entered the newer Cooper Union School and entered the building. The first is brick and very traditional in nature. The newer building is very modern with a lot of glass. I learned the elevator doesn’t take you all the way to the top floors; you have to walk. The inside staircases are in an unusual design.
We walked past the Chapel Church where Peter Styvesant lies buried.
We received a lesson about the house in the area how the building we dilapidated and the government didn’t want to invest in money to the area. The people began rebuilding (known as squatters) the homes and then the government came in and claimed it was their property. After many lost their properties some did get to purchase it for a dollar a piece. This story is told in the musical Rent.
Final stop; The Big Gay Ice Cream Shop. I thoroughly enjoyed my Bea Arthur ice cream cone. It was a tasty vanilla cone with duce de leche and smashed vanilla wafers. Totally hit the spot before I had to walk a long way to Penn Station. I felt even less guilty when I ran the last four blocks to make the train.
Starting out in the Chelsea area we stood where the poet Clement Clark Moore wrote the story of “Twas the Night Before Christmas”. This area is mostly industrial, with booming residential buildings going up everywhere. In the mid 19 century a freight train ran through this area, which resulted in numerous fatalities. These lines were raised up thirty feet so people could walk the streets safely. However, shortly afterward there was no need for this railroad. This area was left to fall for two decades; it was going to be removed when a nonprofit group came in and made it into beautiful gardens (eny). It was really cool to see that the old railroad tracks were incorporated into the gardens and made into chair rollers. Through out I enjoyed the many kinds of plants and trees that were grown here. In between the flowers you could occasionally see a piece of artwork.
Then we headed on the street and stopped in to see some interesting artwork in the galleries. I have never been to an art gallery before and found some of the work interesting. Art isn’t really a hobby for me. Some of the art didn’t make sense to me or elicit any kind of emotion. We did go to one gallery that was quite explicit and I did find it to lack class in its presentation. To each his own is all I have to say about that. Don did teach us the proper ediquit for gallery viewing and explained how the business works which I did find interesting.
After the galleries we headed back to the high line and entered the meat packing area. This area once consisted of slaughter houses (eny). Today it is home to many restaurants, bars, and clothing stores.
We walked past the Jefferson Market Garden and library. I learned how this was where a courthouse stood that persacuted Harry K. Thaw for the murder of Stanford White.
Next the Northern Dispensary a federal style building that is shaped like a triangle. This was a facility that provided healthcare to the poor (eny). Edgar Allen Poe was treated in this facility that cool.
Although we didn’t get to see the Stonewall Inn I received an educational lesson about its importance. This was where the gay rights movement took place when a riot that lasted six days broke out resulting in equality for gays and lesbians (eny).
We walked down Bleeker Street, stopped by a place by the named Eve’s hangout. This tea room was a hangout for lesbian men weren’t welcome. The owner Eva Kotchever was sent back to Poland (eny). She later died in a concentration camp.
Continuing on we stopped at a place called Café’ Wha? This area was interesting with a variety of shops, tattoo parlors and eateries. Breaking for lunch my fellow nursing students and I headed to Pub 1849 where I enjoyed a large steak, yummy!
After lunch we headed to Merchant’s House Museum. This was really cool. This is a Federal Style house this was left to allow people to see how upper class families of that would have lived. I really enjoyed the story about the family and looking at all the antique furniture. It was amazing how many articles of clothing they had to show.
The tour we had also included a few ghost stories.
Next stop Washington Park. We learned that back in the day it was a place for public hangings. This is also a monumental time in history when Robert Moses lost the battle to knock down this park in order to make a highway (eny). This was also a time when the park was a vehicle for drug dealings and gangs. Now this area is beautiful with a large fountain. Exiting the park we saw what is known as row houses, mostly owned by NYU now. We also got to see the Washington Mews, which were the old carriage houses.
We entered the area known as NOHO. We walked past the old Cooper Union where I learned Abraham Lincoln gave his famous talks. Crossing the street we entered the newer Cooper Union School and entered the building. The first is brick and very traditional in nature. The newer building is very modern with a lot of glass. I learned the elevator doesn’t take you all the way to the top floors; you have to walk. The inside staircases are in an unusual design.
We walked past the Chapel Church where Peter Styvesant lies buried.
We received a lesson about the house in the area how the building we dilapidated and the government didn’t want to invest in money to the area. The people began rebuilding (known as squatters) the homes and then the government came in and claimed it was their property. After many lost their properties some did get to purchase it for a dollar a piece. This story is told in the musical Rent.
Final stop; The Big Gay Ice Cream Shop. I thoroughly enjoyed my Bea Arthur ice cream cone. It was a tasty vanilla cone with duce de leche and smashed vanilla wafers. Totally hit the spot before I had to walk a long way to Penn Station. I felt even less guilty when I ran the last four blocks to make the train.