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Journal Entry 4 6/17/14
Heading into East Harlem (Spanish Harlem), I was able to identify the Carver Houses, which are the buildings that surround the area also known as the projects/section 8 housing. These homes were architected by Robert Moses (ENY ). I must say I was surprised by how well kept the area was. The streets were very clean and I felt safe, despite the past history this area was known for. I did get a quick lesson on how the area has changed over various ethnic groups from the Italians to the Caribbean to the African American and now the mostly Latino Community. I learned a new word “Nuyoricans”, which is a term to describe the new generation of Puerto Ricans in this area. This area did have a time where the rumors I heard were in fact true. During the 1960’s and 1970’s this area was subject to robberies, drug dealings, teen pregnancy, car thieves, and substance abuse. I also learned how putting all the low economic individuals in a concentrated area is bad for the economy. By mixing the socioeconomic individuals it teaches the poor how to live and inspire them to lead an educational and prosperous lifestyle. We proceeded to walk the museum of New York City. I really enjoyed this visit. I love the history of New York and watching the evolution of how things came to be. I really enjoyed the video and realized I never knew until now how the Erie Canal came to be. I received another educational lesson on the upper floor on how the elite individuals or also known as the “Gilded” lived. I was able to see exhibits of the china, jewelry, and art. Then we headed down to the first floor where we were able to view Graffiti artist Wong. It was amazing to see all the work. It was really cool and I would say was truly gifted. I was sad to learn that he died at a young age. Outside we met our tour guide Luke, a character to say the least. He walked us through various areas of East Harlem. Luke spoke the words of meaning of almost every painting or art mosaic on behalf of the artists. Luke explained just like many other areas we have toured this area is too subject to gentrification. I learned this area of Harlem is home to Salsa music and the Panthers. I also learned that is was the Panthers who started the breakfast program for the lower income families. Luke explained how this particular area once was so bad the sanitation department washed its hands of it and refused to come pick up the trash. Then one day the people of this area pickup the garbage in the middle of the night and dumped it all in the middle of 5th Ave; this was known as the Garbage Offensive. Walking along the streets we saw a mural of Pedro Pietri, a Puerto Rican Reverend who resided in East Harlem. He was known as a community activist and the founder of the Nuyorican Poets Café’ (ENY). We stopped into a bookstore the owner a Puerto Rican friend to Luke. The story was funded by individuals whom donated $40,000 dollars to the owner since the bank refused to loan her money towards its opening. The bookstore only sells books from individuals with a Puerto Rican history. I also saw the mural of “Spirit of East Harlem”. This mural depicted the street life in East Harlem in the 1970’s. Next a garden called “Modesto Tin Flores Garden”. This once vacant garbage filled lot turned over into a beautiful garden by East Harlem resident Ernesto Tin Flores (ENY). The main theme in this garden is women. The center of the garden is a fountain called “Seed of Growth”, which is a sculpture of fallopian tubes. Along the back wall is a large painting by the name “Soldares”. Depicting the portraits of the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos connected by a vein to their hearts. It also shows fetuses from both women, which represents the babies they lost. The entire theme of the garden celebrates women fertility Walking along Lexington Ave I then saw the Mural by Manny Vega called Julia de Burgos Mosaic. This was a beautiful mosaic that took up the whole wall. It tells the story of Puerto Rican poet and activist for women’s right and Puerto Rican independence. Then we headed to another friend of Luke’s who owned and operated a store that sells many herbal medicines and religious statues from Puerto Rico. Although the smell wasn’t pleasant in the store it was interesting to see all the jewelry, plants, herbs, saints, soaps and candles. The owner also is known to give guidance to his patrons. After this we stopped for lunch eating at El Aguila, which is said to have the best taco. What I loved about this experience was that the World Cup was going on and soccer is such a huge sport for the cultures that reside in this area. Many men took their lunch break and enjoyed watching the soccer game. I ate tamale with hot peppers and cheese inside. I also had two types if tacos, the first had pork and the other beef with cheese and avocados. I really enjoyed the food. Before I left I purchased homemade breads to bring home to share with my family. After lunch we entered Central Park from the Harlem side, Vanderbilt Gate. A wrought iron gate that once stood in Paris donated by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (ENY). I received a quick lesson on how Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux won the design plan for the project of Central Park. The purpose of the park was to allow New Yorkers to have an area away from the hustle and bustle of the city. A place that was green and quiet (ENY). I learned that this park like many other places in our city had once been subject to violence. Many women were attack, raped and drug dealing and relations took place. I could totally get lost in the park with its many paths and small gardens. We then entered the Conservatory Garden, which is composed of three gardens (English, Italian, and French). It was so beautiful. Some areas had fountains, others had shrubs, some had flowers, and others had rocks. It was hilly and I hadn’t realized that once you fully entered the park the park went in a circle around a waterway this area was known as the Central Park Reservoir or (Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir) (ENY). Then we walked by the Obelisk, which is the oldest monument in NYC. It was built on the Nile honoring the Pharaoh Thutmose it was later send to an area where Cleopatra once lived. As a result the piece is now called Cleopatra’s Needle. It was moved to the USA in 1881 (ENY) where it sustained damage due to the pollution in N.Y. resulting in a restoration. We saw the Great Lawn and Belvedere Castle. I walked past the Boat Pond where many New Yorks were enjoying a paddleboat ride. I then saw the Strawberry Fields where I received a lesson on the famous John Lennon. As we exited the park we faced the Dakota, which was the building John Lennon lived in where he also succumbed to his death. Journal Entry 5 6/19/14 Started my day in Herald Square shaped like a triangle because it was one of the original streets from back in the day. This is named after the New York Herald, which had its headquarters here between 1894-1921 (ENY). Walking along Broadway the famous area that I think of when I hear NYC. The large and colorful store signs that scream action takes place here. We enter Times Squares taking in the views of Radio City and numerous museums. Next stop the second GE building noted for its architecture. Entering into Rockefeller Plaza the building home to NBC. Inside we enjoyed the Art Deco with its beautiful paintings on the ceilings and walls, which depict social realism. There was also a lot of chrome and bronze design throughout. At Rockefeller Center I was able to see the famous ice-skating rink area that is turned into a garden lunch area in the warmer months. Currently, there is a huge structure of some childhood character that is being displayed using flowers to represent its features, very cool. Next stop MOMA, the first floor devoted to modern art. Heading to the fourth floor where I was able to view some of Picassos work. I was especially intrigued by the art from Jackson Pollock’s painting since during winter intersession we covered his work in art history. I also was able to view the work from Jasper Johnson another artist we had covered in class. We then moved into another room, which covered Pop Art, another artist I had learned about. It was really neat to see the Brill Box collection I had seen on a video in class. There was a cool exhibit made with pins and I learned how this piece of art that is worth tons of money had gotten thrown out by the cleaning lady because she thought it was garbage. I also got to see the famous painting Stormy Night by Vango. I also so some Cubism art Next stop lunch in Hell Kitchen. We had an awesome Thai meal at Yum Yum Bangkok that included a three delicious course meal. I had the salad, steamed dumplings and green curry chicken with rice, so YUMMY. We then headed into Mornigside Heights where we met our tour guide. We stood in front of the NY Episcopal Church, which is Neo-gothic and learned that this is the location where the bishops meet for important meetings. It is also used to carter functions and where the actors of Harry Potter had a dinner. We then headed to The Cathedral of St. John the Divine. This is a very large Gothic style church that continues to use artist apprenticeship to sculpt and carve the saints and statues into the face of the church. Inside you find a very large piece of art hanging from the ceiling that illuminates at night. There a various areas inside designated to various bishops. Across the street is a very well known Hungarian Pastry Shop. Next stop Columbia University. The grounds at the college are beautiful. The last time I was here was for my husbands’ graduation, which was a rainy day, and I had a newborn, I hadn’t really appreciated how beautiful the campus was. Heading into the library I enjoyed the marble floor and very tall ceilings. We then headed to St. Paul’s Chapel where unfortunately we were unable to gain entry. We headed to the Riverside Baptist Church. This is the tallest church in the USA (ENY). The reason for its size is that it is home to the largest bells in USA. We were able to see the Union Theological Seminary while we walked as well as the Teachers College. Next stop General Grant National Memorial. The home of the famous line, whose buried in Grant’s tomb? I learned it was actually his wife. The Mausoleum was named after Ulysses S. Grant who was the president from 1869-1877 and commander of the Union army during the Civil War (ENY). Unfortunately when we got there the doors were closed for the day. We walked past Riverbank State Park where I learned this park was built over a waste treatment plant and lucky has no odor. We then headed to the City College of New York. I was extremely impressed how beautiful the architecture of the buildings was. An English gothic style campus made from the schist that was from the subway with terracotta. I learned this is the first free public institution of higher education in the US (ENY). We then headed to the Hamilton Grange National Memorial which was the former home of first Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton (ENY). I learned this home had been moved from its original destination. |
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Journal Entry 6 6/24/14
Today we started our day in Lower Manhattan. The first piece of architecture we enjoyed was the Woolworth Building. We then headed to St. Pauls’ Chapel. I learned that this is the oldest church in N.Y., (1764). Georg Washington was actually in this church. Inside you can see a tribute to him. It also was a very emotional experience for me. I learned that this house survived the turmoil of the Twin Tower collapse. The church is in close proximity to the site and its location spared the demise of this fragile building. I also learned that the facility housed many of the workers from 911, giving them a shelter (food and bed) in-between the long hours of recovery. Inside I could feel the sorrow and pain. Walking around and seeing all the fireman paraphernalia (badges, fire hats, pictures and stories from loved ones), brought me right back to that tragic day. I remember it like yesterday. I had worked the last three days, the phone rang and it was my mom telling me to turn on my television. I watched the whole thing fall to the ground. I was paralyzed as I sat on the couch thinking about all my friends and family who frequented or worked in the area. I just couldn’t believe it. After two days I found out those I was worried about had escaped. My uncle had to quit his job because he suffers from post-traumatic stress syndrome. My cousin also suffered the same and cried to me about the horrific things he had witnessed. My husband had lost some friends from high school. I had later come to find out that my dads cousins whom came from Italy and lived in Boston was in the Flight from Boston that had crashed into one of the building. We walked past Pace University. Continuing onto Tweed Courthouse. This is an Italian style building built in 1861 (ENY printed pages). After we left the church we headed to City Hall Park and admired the Soviet style building. The Dutch built this City Hall building. (ENY printed pages). Then we had a tour of City Hall. The tour started in the governors’ room that is where the laws were signed. I got to see George Washington’s desk. I learned how the color on the wall wasn’t the original but one of the last color choices, a French green. The windows use to overlook the Hudson River and Atlantic. The walls have paintings hanging on them with portraits from old presidents and colonels. The artist was named Trumbell. These paintings were recently restored. Across the street from City Hall is the Municipal building one of the largest governmental buildings in the world. (ENY printed pages). Then we got a glimpse of the Woolworth Building who was the founder of the Woolworth store chain. It is a neo-gothic style building (ENY printed pages). We then headed back in the direction of the fallen twin towers. I was able to see the 911 Memorial for the first time. Unlike Trinity Church I felt a sense of peace here. I couldn’t believe how many people were here from all around the world. The waterfalls were beautiful but the names weren’t in alphabetical order. I hadn’t realized it at the time but there was a special section for each group of the deceased, whether they were in a building or plane. I also learned about the famous Pear tree that survived the 911 attacks and hurricane Sandy. I thought that was a cool story. We then headed to the financial district where we saw the second City Hall building, the Federal Hall National Monument building. The stairs were very steep and inside there was an old printer press for making newspapers. I was able to see the famous New York Stock Exchange. A beautiful building neo-classical style built in 1903 (ENY printed pages). My husband told me that this building doesn’t really have much going on in here with the use of computers, such a waste. We then headed for $2.00 to catch the ferry to Governor’s Island. It was a lot bigger then I was expecting. It had many old military brick homes center hall style, which I love. The grounds have art scattered along the grounds of unusual large pieces. You can rent a bike and ride around the grounds. It also had a children’s playground and a hammock park. I only had wished we had a tour here to learn the significance of the buildings and what actually went on here. This area also doesn’t have a lot of food choices so I recommend you eat before you go. When we returned we entered Battery Park. This was the original home to the Dutch settlers. This is a total tourist attraction. You have the view of the water; you can imagine at one time immigrants entering the area. There are street vendors selling all sorts of NYC parafenailia, artists who want to paint your portrait and street dancers looking to entertain you for a quick buck. We then crossed the street and learned about Bowling Green Park. The park was named because it was a game the British use to play here. I also learned that this is also the spot where Peter Minuit purchased Manhattan Island from the Native Americans who inhabited here for $24.00. Also, after the declaration of Independence was read by George Washington in front of City Hall a mob pulled down the huge statue of King George II that once stood here and melted it down to make 42,000 bullets for American troops. I loved that story. Across the street is the Alexander Hamilton Custom House. This was the original site of Fort Amsterdam, which the Dutch built to protect commercial interests (ENY printed pages). The statues on the top of the building represent the countries that traded. The front of the buildings art displays the story of who is politically stronger. Last stop, the Fraunces Tavern Museum, once home to Stephen Delancey. This was the tavern that George Washington gave a farewell dinner in. It is currently used as a restaurant and bar downstairs. Upstairs the old home is used or a museum. Inside you can appreciate the old fashion furniture and a woman who gives a show about the songs the soldiers sang and depicts the wardrobe of the men and women who pasted through these doors. In the glass cases you can read old letters and see old dinner sets. Very neat. Journal Entry 7 6/26/14 The day started in Lower Eastside Manhattan at the Tenement Museum. It was here I learned the true story of what tenement living conditions were like 151 years ago for immigrants who lived in this type of facility. Tenement refers to three or more families from different backgrounds living in the same area. Today we would refer to this as an apartment building. Francis Baylor constructed this tenement building. This building housed over 17,000 people. I learned that when the facility opened originally it didn’t have any running water or toilets; it also only had windows in the front and the back of the building, which made the inside dark. The residents had to use out houses, which were right next to the pump for the drinking water. As a result many people got sick from cholera. The first residents were the Germans, then the Italians and then the Jewish. In the basement of this building was a salon run by the Schneider family. I liked learning that since it is my married name. We learned the story about two residents that lived in two of the 325 square foot homes. The first was the Gumbert family, a German Jewish family consisting of a husband, wife and three children. I learned how the husband worked until he was laid off. Then one day he left and never returned. The records indicate that the family was getting some kind of financial support. The mother of the house turned to dress making to support her family. The youngest of the children died from a bad case of diarrhea, which was not uncommon at that time. I learned in 1901 the government passed new laws stating the tenements needed to have indoor plumbing and sinks. There was a toilet placed on each floor of the building, which was used for the four families that lived on each floor. The second family I learned about was a Sicilian family by the name Baldese and this was a very interesting story. The museum had a tape-recorded interview with the young women who lived here as a child. While she spoke about her past you could look around the room and identify with everything she spoke about. This family lived in the tenement until 1935. Listening to these stories made me think about my own families and the sacrifices they made to come to America. My grandmother was pregnant with her 5th child my father when my grandfather left her in Orsogna Italy to find a place to settle in America and work. My dad was three when my grandma was given permission to get on a ship and leave Italy to come to America. They settled in Astoria N.Y., where they lived until my grandfather pasted away in his sixties. My grandmother is now ninety-six and lives in assisted living. The large vaccination scars on my dads arms are a reminder to me of the journey and sacrifices’ my family made so we could have a better life. The next thing we did is break up into groups and navigate on our own with some recommendations from the professor. My group headed into China town where we went into the Mai Li Wah Bakery and all shared the well-known pork bun. After we sampled it we all agreed it was yummy and ordered some more. I also ordered a custard bun and brought my food home to share with my family. Everyone enjoyed the food. We then crossed the street and entered the Vivi Bubble Tea Shop and enjoyed a mango tea with tapioca pearls in it. I found it refreshing. The group decided it would be best to pass on the ice-cream recommendation since the professor had a big lunch planned for us. We then walked to 64 Mott Street and went inside the Eastern States Buddist Temple of America. Inside it was a very spiritual experience. They had various statues with fruit, food, water, money, and incense burning. The colors were very bright. I got the same feeling I got from visiting the East Harlem store that had a very similar idea. People can purchase statues here or jewelry that have spiritual significance. We then headed to Canal Street and did some street side shopping. We enjoyed the aroma of the street cart vendors cooking Chinese food. There were many fruit stands selling all sorts of exotic fruits I never saw before. I also saw the block known as Little Italy; we were running out of time and didn’t have a chance to explore it today. Then we walked back and met the group at Congee Village, a Chinese food restaurant. Mike had picked out quite a selection of food and I ate everything but the tofu, only because I don’t like it. I had sesame chicken, beef with broccoli, pork friend rice, a chicken dish, bok choy, mixed spicy vegetables, I think curry noodles with chicken and shrimp and tea. We met up with our tour guide and passed the first tenement house and continued on to the Economy Candy Store. Naturally we all went inside to make a sweet purchase. I found these Hippo cookies that my kids had in Germany and Austria. We continued walking and our tour guide pointed out that on a building down the street there was a huge statue with John Lennon on top. We proceeded to the building known as the Market Public, a red square building. We also walked pasted a church and I can’t remember the name and the piece of paper I had it written on believe it or not my dog got a hold of. (I mean it). While we continued walking a butterfly found our group and would not go away. My family believes the Monarch butterfly has spiritual meaning. I found this to be an unbelievable sighting and so appropriate since I feel like I’ve revisited my own history by taking this class. We ended up in front of St. Marys’ church that is the third oldest Catholic Church. I noticed as we walked the streets this area had a lot of housing projects in it. We continued on until we reached the Henry Street Settlement Building, which is where the visiting nurse service all began. We also saw the Forward Building that was once a very busy library but not anymore. The final thing we saw was the Elderidge Street Synagogue, which is Moorest style. It had started falling apart and has recently been refurbished. |
My Gotham Experience Conclusion:
This class gave me the opportunity to learn my way around the city, make new friends and learn about them and their families.
I learned that the city surprised me many times. In areas I thought would have been unsafe or dirty actually were clean. Sometimes I didn’t even realize I was standing in front of the projects. I really got to understand the creation and evolution of New York. I hadn’t realized before the long history and stories behind this great city. Now that I have had a chance to get a taste of the areas in New York I have a greater desire to come back with my kids and teach them all the things I learned from this class. I also want to come back and see if I can learn even more about some of the areas we visited.
I also liked that the things I am learning in school I was able to make connections with like the art we saw in MOMA. I had taken an art history class and then got to see some of the art I learned about in class.
This class surprisingly struck a cord in me personally that I wouldn’t had expected. Some of the things I learned about immigration, and the settling into this country really made me think about how tuff things must have been for my grandparents as well as my parents. I have a greater appreciation for how hard it must have been to leave everyone and everything they knew to come to a new place and completely start over without speaking any English. The time we spent in Astoria was short but my very vivid memories of sleeping over my grandmas’ house seemed like only yesterday. We would walk from 14th Street down to Steinway and shop with her shopping cart. She would always get me a little something. Sometimes we would go to Woolworths and she would get a tuna fish sandwich with chips on the side and I would get a grilled cheese and then we would both get and egg cream to drink. Then we would walk home. Sometimes we would get pizza at Rizzo’s and she would by me an ice from one of the stands. Sometimes if we walked a lot we would take the bus home that was a treat. We also sometimes waited until we got closer to her house and would stop at this dinette and get a roast beef hero, and they had the best spiced chocolate brownies. Come to think of it I could go on and on about all the great memories I have that revolve around food.
I also was reminded of 911 and for the first time in N.Y. I was scared this was the beginning of a War. I remembered how sad I felt for a long time for all those I knew that lost someone close to them.
I am happy to see that the many beautiful buildings that have gone up in N.Y. through the years are still standing and being used. I now will walk through the city looking up because I now realize by looking down I have been missing a lot of the beautiful architeture.
I am very fortunate to have been able to take this class. This class was great because I have been tired of being in the classroom since September and it allowed me to be outside, doing some exercise and meeting people from areas other then my major. I wasn’t sure what to expect but it superseded anything I thought it might. This is a great class and would highly recommend it to anyone who thinks they have interest in learning anything about this great city.
This class gave me the opportunity to learn my way around the city, make new friends and learn about them and their families.
I learned that the city surprised me many times. In areas I thought would have been unsafe or dirty actually were clean. Sometimes I didn’t even realize I was standing in front of the projects. I really got to understand the creation and evolution of New York. I hadn’t realized before the long history and stories behind this great city. Now that I have had a chance to get a taste of the areas in New York I have a greater desire to come back with my kids and teach them all the things I learned from this class. I also want to come back and see if I can learn even more about some of the areas we visited.
I also liked that the things I am learning in school I was able to make connections with like the art we saw in MOMA. I had taken an art history class and then got to see some of the art I learned about in class.
This class surprisingly struck a cord in me personally that I wouldn’t had expected. Some of the things I learned about immigration, and the settling into this country really made me think about how tuff things must have been for my grandparents as well as my parents. I have a greater appreciation for how hard it must have been to leave everyone and everything they knew to come to a new place and completely start over without speaking any English. The time we spent in Astoria was short but my very vivid memories of sleeping over my grandmas’ house seemed like only yesterday. We would walk from 14th Street down to Steinway and shop with her shopping cart. She would always get me a little something. Sometimes we would go to Woolworths and she would get a tuna fish sandwich with chips on the side and I would get a grilled cheese and then we would both get and egg cream to drink. Then we would walk home. Sometimes we would get pizza at Rizzo’s and she would by me an ice from one of the stands. Sometimes if we walked a lot we would take the bus home that was a treat. We also sometimes waited until we got closer to her house and would stop at this dinette and get a roast beef hero, and they had the best spiced chocolate brownies. Come to think of it I could go on and on about all the great memories I have that revolve around food.
I also was reminded of 911 and for the first time in N.Y. I was scared this was the beginning of a War. I remembered how sad I felt for a long time for all those I knew that lost someone close to them.
I am happy to see that the many beautiful buildings that have gone up in N.Y. through the years are still standing and being used. I now will walk through the city looking up because I now realize by looking down I have been missing a lot of the beautiful architeture.
I am very fortunate to have been able to take this class. This class was great because I have been tired of being in the classroom since September and it allowed me to be outside, doing some exercise and meeting people from areas other then my major. I wasn’t sure what to expect but it superseded anything I thought it might. This is a great class and would highly recommend it to anyone who thinks they have interest in learning anything about this great city.