JOURNAL 2
The Wild West Side
6/18/13
Apparently last night there was a derailment on the LIRR, so some trains were delayed, luckily my train was running as scheduled. We got into Penn Station and talked about the day ahead of us. I was excited to see the Museum of Modern Art, because I thought it would be more interesting than the Met. I was also excited to not have to pay for lunch today, because this class is making me broke and I love Thai food.
So we walked out of Penn and down to Broadway. There were so many people walking on the streets due to the newly enforced Pedestrian Zones. I did not know about this new feature of the city. Designated areas on the road are for pedestrians, in order to avoid conflict, injury and congestion on the streets of the heart of the city. I think this is one of Mayor Bloomberg's few good ideas.
Apparently last night there was a derailment on the LIRR, so some trains were delayed, luckily my train was running as scheduled. We got into Penn Station and talked about the day ahead of us. I was excited to see the Museum of Modern Art, because I thought it would be more interesting than the Met. I was also excited to not have to pay for lunch today, because this class is making me broke and I love Thai food.
So we walked out of Penn and down to Broadway. There were so many people walking on the streets due to the newly enforced Pedestrian Zones. I did not know about this new feature of the city. Designated areas on the road are for pedestrians, in order to avoid conflict, injury and congestion on the streets of the heart of the city. I think this is one of Mayor Bloomberg's few good ideas.
I stopped with Chelsea Katie and Joey to check out the lemonade stand on the street. There was a strip of tents set up that were serving food and beverages to people walking by. I had never seen something like this in Manhattan before. We met up with the class and they were talking about the area that we were in. We walked a bit further until we reached the colorful and energetic Times Square. I have been to Times Square many times before, but I never knew the history of it before today. It used to be called Longacre Square and was filled with blacksmiths and horse exchanges in the early 1900's. In 1904 the publisher of the New York Times persuaded the city to name the area after his newspaper. O.J Gude is the man responsible for all the LED screens and electric billboards that we see surrounding Times Square. In the 40's and 50's Times Square was popular for its entertainment and theater, but as the years went on the area of the city took a turn for the worst, as it became a center for drugs and prostitution. It wasn't until Giuliani became mayor that Times Square was cleaned up and restored to a safe environment for people around the world to come visit and feel comfortable (BG pg 217-218).
Our next stop was the G.E building. I know I have been in this building before but it was a very long time ago so it was nice to walk through it again. I knew it more commonly as 30 Rock, from the popular television show. Inside we saw many stores and shops. Mike told us that the design of the building was created to look futuristic, which I thought was funny because it looked kind of old to me. We passed the Saturday Night Live store and saw some funny shirts in the window. We got to the main lobby of the building and marveled at the painted walls and ceilings. I wondered how much time it took to paint such an enormous mural. The massive ceiling painting is entitled Time and is painted by artist Jose Maria Sert and the murals against the walls drawn by Sert and English painter Frank Brangwyn "illustrate themes of progress against such obstacles as disease, slavery, and crushing physical labor" (BG pg. 249). We walked outside and saw Wisdom, a giant with and art deco beard who spreads a compass over a glass screen. On either side are sculpted men as 'the Cycle of Sound' part of Lee Lawrie's famous Wisdom relief (1933).
We split up for a quick break and decided to go down into Rockefeller Plaza for a cold drink, since it was very hot outside. I thought it was cool that what is usually an ice skating rink in the winter can be transformed into a restaurant in the summer. I sat down for a beer and ended up paying close to 9 dollars for it, which to me is absurd, I guess thats the price you pay for getting a beer in Rockefeller Plaza.
Next up, The Museum of Modern Art. We walked in and Mike was waiting for us with our tickets. We went upstairs to our first exhibit. "Claes Oldenburg’s audacious, witty, and profound depictions of everyday objects have earned him a reputation as one of the most important artists of the 20th century." I was a bit confused at first, but as I looked around I began to enjoy the art work done by Oldenburg. He did many works with cardboard, burlap and paper mache. My favorite were the oversized, stuffed food that was displayed on the floor of the exhibit. The hamburger made me hungry, and I just wanted to run up and jump on it. But I would have been kicked out. I found the exhibit site online that shows and explains all the works in this section of the museum, it is quite informative!
Our next stop was the G.E building. I know I have been in this building before but it was a very long time ago so it was nice to walk through it again. I knew it more commonly as 30 Rock, from the popular television show. Inside we saw many stores and shops. Mike told us that the design of the building was created to look futuristic, which I thought was funny because it looked kind of old to me. We passed the Saturday Night Live store and saw some funny shirts in the window. We got to the main lobby of the building and marveled at the painted walls and ceilings. I wondered how much time it took to paint such an enormous mural. The massive ceiling painting is entitled Time and is painted by artist Jose Maria Sert and the murals against the walls drawn by Sert and English painter Frank Brangwyn "illustrate themes of progress against such obstacles as disease, slavery, and crushing physical labor" (BG pg. 249). We walked outside and saw Wisdom, a giant with and art deco beard who spreads a compass over a glass screen. On either side are sculpted men as 'the Cycle of Sound' part of Lee Lawrie's famous Wisdom relief (1933).
We split up for a quick break and decided to go down into Rockefeller Plaza for a cold drink, since it was very hot outside. I thought it was cool that what is usually an ice skating rink in the winter can be transformed into a restaurant in the summer. I sat down for a beer and ended up paying close to 9 dollars for it, which to me is absurd, I guess thats the price you pay for getting a beer in Rockefeller Plaza.
Next up, The Museum of Modern Art. We walked in and Mike was waiting for us with our tickets. We went upstairs to our first exhibit. "Claes Oldenburg’s audacious, witty, and profound depictions of everyday objects have earned him a reputation as one of the most important artists of the 20th century." I was a bit confused at first, but as I looked around I began to enjoy the art work done by Oldenburg. He did many works with cardboard, burlap and paper mache. My favorite were the oversized, stuffed food that was displayed on the floor of the exhibit. The hamburger made me hungry, and I just wanted to run up and jump on it. But I would have been kicked out. I found the exhibit site online that shows and explains all the works in this section of the museum, it is quite informative!
The other exhibit that I liked was the Picasso section of the museum. His Demoiselles d'avignon at 100 was quite intriguing it looked like a bunch of naked ladies standing together with masks in the upper right corner. We were told that it depicted prostitutes inviting the viewer into their world. I liked Picasso's whole section because it is art that actually says something to me. Sometimes I cannot relate or connect with paintings, but for some reason I just want to stare at Picasso's art for hours.
I was glad that I got to see Van Gogh's Starry Night. It is one of my favorite pieces of art.
Another piece that stood out to me was Rober Rauschenberg's 'Bed'. it is an oil and pencil work done on a pillow, quilt and sheet which is mounted on the wall with wooden supports. It didn't stand out to me at first, but then a woman and a man came over, and the woman began to describe the piece to the man. The woman was extremely descriptive and I realized that the man was blind, and that she was going around describing the art to him. I listened to her and she had such an excellent way of using words to describe a work of art. She said that this bed supposedly belonged to Rauchenberg, and that it was a very personal project for him to do. I really enjoyed looking at it while the woman described it, and I wondered how this man was able to appreciate something that he could not see. I closed my eyes for a second to listen, and realized that you do not necessarily need to see something to think it is beautiful.
I was disappointed that we did not get to see the Rain Room, because it sounded interesting, but apparently there was a 5 hour wait to get in.
After the MoMA, we headed to Hell's Kitchen for a traditional Thai lunch. I have always wondered why this area is called Hell's Kitchen, so I consulted my handy dandy Blue Guide to find out. Page 226 states that in the early 1900's the area was heavily populated with gangs and crime. "An urban legend, probably apocryphal, suggests that two policemen watching a street fight on a muggy summer night gave the district its name. Said one "This neighborhood is hot as hell." "Hell is cool," corrected the other, "this here's Hell's Kitchen."
We went to Yum Yum, where I got a kick out of everyone skepticism to try oriental food. I got the dumplings, which were delicious, but I was upset that it only came with two. Then the salad with peanut dressing, which I was not too fond of, because the dressing tasted like peanut butter. Then the ginger chicken which was delicious. I was satisfied. My favorite part of the restaurant was the huge Beatles painting on the wall. I wanted it.
Next we took the 2 train to 125th street. We walked through Harlem to meet our tour guide Jim. The rain began to come down as he told us about the different parts of Harlem. I was interested to hear that there is an Italian Harlem. I never knew that. After a bit we walked under a building to shelter us from the rain. Jim talked about the department store that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was stabbed at. He also spoke about important jazz musicians, who contributed to the history of music, such as Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie. The rain got harder and we were told that the day would be cut short. We got on a train to Penn Station and got an earlier ride home. Unfortunately it was a short day, but very informative.
I was glad that I got to see Van Gogh's Starry Night. It is one of my favorite pieces of art.
Another piece that stood out to me was Rober Rauschenberg's 'Bed'. it is an oil and pencil work done on a pillow, quilt and sheet which is mounted on the wall with wooden supports. It didn't stand out to me at first, but then a woman and a man came over, and the woman began to describe the piece to the man. The woman was extremely descriptive and I realized that the man was blind, and that she was going around describing the art to him. I listened to her and she had such an excellent way of using words to describe a work of art. She said that this bed supposedly belonged to Rauchenberg, and that it was a very personal project for him to do. I really enjoyed looking at it while the woman described it, and I wondered how this man was able to appreciate something that he could not see. I closed my eyes for a second to listen, and realized that you do not necessarily need to see something to think it is beautiful.
I was disappointed that we did not get to see the Rain Room, because it sounded interesting, but apparently there was a 5 hour wait to get in.
After the MoMA, we headed to Hell's Kitchen for a traditional Thai lunch. I have always wondered why this area is called Hell's Kitchen, so I consulted my handy dandy Blue Guide to find out. Page 226 states that in the early 1900's the area was heavily populated with gangs and crime. "An urban legend, probably apocryphal, suggests that two policemen watching a street fight on a muggy summer night gave the district its name. Said one "This neighborhood is hot as hell." "Hell is cool," corrected the other, "this here's Hell's Kitchen."
We went to Yum Yum, where I got a kick out of everyone skepticism to try oriental food. I got the dumplings, which were delicious, but I was upset that it only came with two. Then the salad with peanut dressing, which I was not too fond of, because the dressing tasted like peanut butter. Then the ginger chicken which was delicious. I was satisfied. My favorite part of the restaurant was the huge Beatles painting on the wall. I wanted it.
Next we took the 2 train to 125th street. We walked through Harlem to meet our tour guide Jim. The rain began to come down as he told us about the different parts of Harlem. I was interested to hear that there is an Italian Harlem. I never knew that. After a bit we walked under a building to shelter us from the rain. Jim talked about the department store that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was stabbed at. He also spoke about important jazz musicians, who contributed to the history of music, such as Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie. The rain got harder and we were told that the day would be cut short. We got on a train to Penn Station and got an earlier ride home. Unfortunately it was a short day, but very informative.
Lower Manhattan and Captivating Chelsea
6/20/13
The train was very crowded this morning, so I got lucky and they did not punch my ticket.
We got to Penn and gathered with class members to get ready to go. We took the subway to City Hall.
We got there and the police officer would only let 7 people in at a time. Once we finally got in, we had to go through strict security. We gathered with our class and waited for our tour guide. We admired the park around us and the buildings surrounding the park. Our tour guide finally arrived and began talking about the history of City Hall. She said it was the first working city hall and it was where the Mayor's office was. She talked about the architecture of the building as Federal style with some French classic details. French architect Joseph Francois Mangin and native New Yorker John McComb Jr. won a $350 prize for the design of the building (BG pg.84). As we walked up the steps there were people with signs and buttons for children's rights and campaigns for gay rights. I wasn't sure what they were waiting for but they all stared at us as we walked into the building. As we walked into City Hall our tour guide told us about the architecture inside. The lobby is covered with Massachusetts marble and further inside is the rotunda. The cupola is above, and she compared it to the Pantheon in Italy, which I've been to. She described that the top window of the dome could not be opened however, due to cold winter weather. She told us about the ten corinthian columns which hold up the structure. We marveled at the beautiful rounded staircase, which our tour guide explained used to be called the floating staircase, because people did not understand how it could be held up without any support. She told us about the top stair that put pressure on the other stairs and made it possible to be constructed.
We went into the Governor's Room which I thought was beautiful. It was surrounded by old paintings of former governor's and mayors of New York. She told us that the chairs were not meant to be sat on. There was also George Washington's desk, on which he wrote his inaugural speech, which I thought was amazing. I also was fascinated to hear that Abraham Lincoln was once in that room and it served as the backdrop for his coffin when he lay in state. After the Governor's Room we went to the City Council Chamber. There was a meeting taking place in the chamber, which made a few of us feel a bit uncomfortable. The security guard led us upstairs where we could overlook the room from the balcony. It was a beautiful room that was recently renovated. The ceiling had wonderful artwork done by Taber Sears. There was also a statue of Thomas Jefferson in the far left side of the room. As we walked outside our tour guide told us about the mayor's office. She said that each mayor has the freedom to decorate it however he/she wishes. Our current mayor Bloomberg chose to have all of the workers in cubicles with much chaos and congestion in the same room. Still it was pretty cool to think that we were in the same building that so many famous people in our country's history have been.
As we walked out of City Hall we looked at the Woolworth building, which was once the tallest building in the world.
Our next stop was St. Paul's Chapel, which I thought would be an ordinary church, but it was not. There were many tributes to people who were lost on September 11th. There was a banner made for the victims of the Oklahoma tornado that was hanging in the church. What struck me the most was the cot set up in the left corner. A sign above it read that cots like these were set up for firefighters who spent all day recovering people from the rubble of 9/11. They would come to the church for the night and receive shelter and necessities.
Next we went to the 9/11 memorial. On our way there we passed by the freedom tower and got a breathtaking view of the new enormous skyscraper made to commemorate the twin towers and all those who lost their lives on that day. We passed by a wall made of bronze that had names and faces of firefighters who helped out after the attacks. We waited on line for our tour group to go to the memorial. As we walked past the line of people waiting, I felt very lucky to be going with a large group. Because there was an enormous line of people waiting in the heat to get to the memorial and we got to take a short cut through. After going through security we walked to the memorial. There were so many people there. It was not what I was expecting, it looked like a park, which had many trees. We walked over to the south pool, which was immense, it had names of victims carved all around it and a waterfall that flowed into a hole. The north pool looked exactly the same. My favorite part of the memorial was the recovered tree. We walked over to it and it had cables holding it down. I looked over at a tour group, who's guide explained that firefighters saw it among the rubble. It was only 6 feet tall when they found it and they decided to send it somewhere to be conserved. When news got out about a 9/11 memorial, the people taking care of the tree donated it there. It now stands 30 feet tall in the center of the memorial park.
After the memorial we went to Trinity Church. We did not get to go inside, which was unfortunate. We walked around the cemetery next to the church, I wondered if it was a real cemetery, the headstones dated back to the 1700's. Then we stopped in front of a memorial statue of Alexander Hamilton and talked about him for a bit. After that, we walked down Wall Street. We saw the New York Stock Exchange from the outside, and then stopped outside Federal Hall, where a group of Asians were singing about Jesus. Federal Hall is one of New York's most important historic sites. George Washington took the oath of presidency, and a huge statue done by John Quincy Adams Ward in 1883 stands in front of the building. The stairs were steep and they led to a beautiful building which is one of the "finest examples of Greek Revival temple architecture in the nation" (BG pg.69). Inside there were paintings and artwork that seemed irrelevant to me. Then there were vaulted doors that were opened to reveal George Washington's inaugural speech, as well as a copy of the Bill of Rights. In the Inaugural Gallery the bible that Washington was sworn in with was displayed as well as artifacts and paintings from that time.
After seeing Federal Hall my spirits were high, I really enjoyed walking through such a historical place that played a huge role in the nation's history. My good mood was soon crushed when we walked an unnecessary amount just to sit in front of the National Museum of the American Indian. I was very annoyed that we did not go in, we simply had to sit on the steps to hear about what was inside. I thought it was a waste of time, there is so much history in that museum, and I think it would have been interesting to go inside. Then to add to that, we walked over to a gate, which showed the reconstruction of Battery Park. Once again, we did not see much, we just stood outside and talked about it, which was discouraging.
Next we took a subway to Chelsea, where we walked into Chelsea Market for lunch. Some of us wanted burgers, so we were directed by a security guard to a store outside the market. When we got there Pop Burger was closed, and we had wasted some time. We just walked back into the market and stopped for sandwiches. Then we went to get some Italian gelato at L'arte Del Gelato. It tasted just like authentic gelato from Italy, and it made me very happy. After lunch we all walked along the Chelsea High Line 'The High Line was an abandoned freight line that has been miraculously transformed into a marvelous perennial garden and elevated walkway by the City' It was absolutely beautiful, I loved that people of all ages were gathered there just to soak up the sun and enjoy the day. It seemed very peaceful and enjoyable.
We walked down to 20th street, where we gallery hopped from one gallery to the next. I had no idea what to expect, I had never been to an art gallery before. The first few were pretty generic. They were just big white rooms with pieces of art on the walls or on tables. One of the galleries that stood out to me was the one that displayed artwork done by Jeff Koons. At first, when I walked into this gallery I was confused, the paintings on the wall looked like classic, traditional art work, with scribbles and graphic designs pasted on top. This category of his gallery was called Antiquity and it had traditional oil paintings such as Daughters of Leucippus and Farnese Bull, with scribbles over them, they kept me thinking.
The train was very crowded this morning, so I got lucky and they did not punch my ticket.
We got to Penn and gathered with class members to get ready to go. We took the subway to City Hall.
We got there and the police officer would only let 7 people in at a time. Once we finally got in, we had to go through strict security. We gathered with our class and waited for our tour guide. We admired the park around us and the buildings surrounding the park. Our tour guide finally arrived and began talking about the history of City Hall. She said it was the first working city hall and it was where the Mayor's office was. She talked about the architecture of the building as Federal style with some French classic details. French architect Joseph Francois Mangin and native New Yorker John McComb Jr. won a $350 prize for the design of the building (BG pg.84). As we walked up the steps there were people with signs and buttons for children's rights and campaigns for gay rights. I wasn't sure what they were waiting for but they all stared at us as we walked into the building. As we walked into City Hall our tour guide told us about the architecture inside. The lobby is covered with Massachusetts marble and further inside is the rotunda. The cupola is above, and she compared it to the Pantheon in Italy, which I've been to. She described that the top window of the dome could not be opened however, due to cold winter weather. She told us about the ten corinthian columns which hold up the structure. We marveled at the beautiful rounded staircase, which our tour guide explained used to be called the floating staircase, because people did not understand how it could be held up without any support. She told us about the top stair that put pressure on the other stairs and made it possible to be constructed.
We went into the Governor's Room which I thought was beautiful. It was surrounded by old paintings of former governor's and mayors of New York. She told us that the chairs were not meant to be sat on. There was also George Washington's desk, on which he wrote his inaugural speech, which I thought was amazing. I also was fascinated to hear that Abraham Lincoln was once in that room and it served as the backdrop for his coffin when he lay in state. After the Governor's Room we went to the City Council Chamber. There was a meeting taking place in the chamber, which made a few of us feel a bit uncomfortable. The security guard led us upstairs where we could overlook the room from the balcony. It was a beautiful room that was recently renovated. The ceiling had wonderful artwork done by Taber Sears. There was also a statue of Thomas Jefferson in the far left side of the room. As we walked outside our tour guide told us about the mayor's office. She said that each mayor has the freedom to decorate it however he/she wishes. Our current mayor Bloomberg chose to have all of the workers in cubicles with much chaos and congestion in the same room. Still it was pretty cool to think that we were in the same building that so many famous people in our country's history have been.
As we walked out of City Hall we looked at the Woolworth building, which was once the tallest building in the world.
Our next stop was St. Paul's Chapel, which I thought would be an ordinary church, but it was not. There were many tributes to people who were lost on September 11th. There was a banner made for the victims of the Oklahoma tornado that was hanging in the church. What struck me the most was the cot set up in the left corner. A sign above it read that cots like these were set up for firefighters who spent all day recovering people from the rubble of 9/11. They would come to the church for the night and receive shelter and necessities.
Next we went to the 9/11 memorial. On our way there we passed by the freedom tower and got a breathtaking view of the new enormous skyscraper made to commemorate the twin towers and all those who lost their lives on that day. We passed by a wall made of bronze that had names and faces of firefighters who helped out after the attacks. We waited on line for our tour group to go to the memorial. As we walked past the line of people waiting, I felt very lucky to be going with a large group. Because there was an enormous line of people waiting in the heat to get to the memorial and we got to take a short cut through. After going through security we walked to the memorial. There were so many people there. It was not what I was expecting, it looked like a park, which had many trees. We walked over to the south pool, which was immense, it had names of victims carved all around it and a waterfall that flowed into a hole. The north pool looked exactly the same. My favorite part of the memorial was the recovered tree. We walked over to it and it had cables holding it down. I looked over at a tour group, who's guide explained that firefighters saw it among the rubble. It was only 6 feet tall when they found it and they decided to send it somewhere to be conserved. When news got out about a 9/11 memorial, the people taking care of the tree donated it there. It now stands 30 feet tall in the center of the memorial park.
After the memorial we went to Trinity Church. We did not get to go inside, which was unfortunate. We walked around the cemetery next to the church, I wondered if it was a real cemetery, the headstones dated back to the 1700's. Then we stopped in front of a memorial statue of Alexander Hamilton and talked about him for a bit. After that, we walked down Wall Street. We saw the New York Stock Exchange from the outside, and then stopped outside Federal Hall, where a group of Asians were singing about Jesus. Federal Hall is one of New York's most important historic sites. George Washington took the oath of presidency, and a huge statue done by John Quincy Adams Ward in 1883 stands in front of the building. The stairs were steep and they led to a beautiful building which is one of the "finest examples of Greek Revival temple architecture in the nation" (BG pg.69). Inside there were paintings and artwork that seemed irrelevant to me. Then there were vaulted doors that were opened to reveal George Washington's inaugural speech, as well as a copy of the Bill of Rights. In the Inaugural Gallery the bible that Washington was sworn in with was displayed as well as artifacts and paintings from that time.
After seeing Federal Hall my spirits were high, I really enjoyed walking through such a historical place that played a huge role in the nation's history. My good mood was soon crushed when we walked an unnecessary amount just to sit in front of the National Museum of the American Indian. I was very annoyed that we did not go in, we simply had to sit on the steps to hear about what was inside. I thought it was a waste of time, there is so much history in that museum, and I think it would have been interesting to go inside. Then to add to that, we walked over to a gate, which showed the reconstruction of Battery Park. Once again, we did not see much, we just stood outside and talked about it, which was discouraging.
Next we took a subway to Chelsea, where we walked into Chelsea Market for lunch. Some of us wanted burgers, so we were directed by a security guard to a store outside the market. When we got there Pop Burger was closed, and we had wasted some time. We just walked back into the market and stopped for sandwiches. Then we went to get some Italian gelato at L'arte Del Gelato. It tasted just like authentic gelato from Italy, and it made me very happy. After lunch we all walked along the Chelsea High Line 'The High Line was an abandoned freight line that has been miraculously transformed into a marvelous perennial garden and elevated walkway by the City' It was absolutely beautiful, I loved that people of all ages were gathered there just to soak up the sun and enjoy the day. It seemed very peaceful and enjoyable.
We walked down to 20th street, where we gallery hopped from one gallery to the next. I had no idea what to expect, I had never been to an art gallery before. The first few were pretty generic. They were just big white rooms with pieces of art on the walls or on tables. One of the galleries that stood out to me was the one that displayed artwork done by Jeff Koons. At first, when I walked into this gallery I was confused, the paintings on the wall looked like classic, traditional art work, with scribbles and graphic designs pasted on top. This category of his gallery was called Antiquity and it had traditional oil paintings such as Daughters of Leucippus and Farnese Bull, with scribbles over them, they kept me thinking.
In the next room, Jeff Koons displayed huge balloon animals that were made out of high chromium stainless steel. I was not sure if these we actually made by Koons, or if they were just thought of by him, it seemed unimaginable that a human can create such a thing, I wasn't even sure what animals they actually were. Either way, they were awesome.
The other art gallery that I liked was the Elizabeth Dee gallery. It had the work of Mac Adams hanging on the walls. There was an extra room with some art work in it, I am not sure if they were Mac Adams works, but they really stood out to me. One was a picture of three monkeys, doing the 'hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil' hand gestures. There was a poem on top that was very blunt, I was able to relate to it, which made me appreciate it. Right next to it was a photo of a young girl, with words covering the entire canvas. They seemed like phrases that a child would misinterpret when a parent said them. Many of the phrases up on that picture were things I had heard growing up, and they affected me more than they were intended to. These two pieces were my favorite part of visiting the art galleries.
Don wanted us to go to a book store called Printed Matter it was a pretty interesting store, there were books everywhere, some of them were explicit. some had no words, some had pictures of body parts, some were political. The book that stood out to me was called "This is Not My Wife". It just had pictures of this woman, doing all sorts of daily activities. No words, no explanations. It made me wonder if this man was having an affair with this woman, if he was just stalking her, if she was just his girlfriend and not his wife, if she was his sister, or cousin. It was mysterious, and thats why I liked it. Too many things today are too public, nobody has any secrets or privacy anymore. This book seemed intimate, because even though the woman was exposed throughout many pages, nobody knows who she is or what her story is. It was quite interesting.
As we walked back to the galleries we saw a naked woman being painted by two men. She just stood there, with her body parts exposed, while men painted her, and even more men stood and watched and took pictures.
Today was a long day, but I enjoyed most of it :)
Don wanted us to go to a book store called Printed Matter it was a pretty interesting store, there were books everywhere, some of them were explicit. some had no words, some had pictures of body parts, some were political. The book that stood out to me was called "This is Not My Wife". It just had pictures of this woman, doing all sorts of daily activities. No words, no explanations. It made me wonder if this man was having an affair with this woman, if he was just stalking her, if she was just his girlfriend and not his wife, if she was his sister, or cousin. It was mysterious, and thats why I liked it. Too many things today are too public, nobody has any secrets or privacy anymore. This book seemed intimate, because even though the woman was exposed throughout many pages, nobody knows who she is or what her story is. It was quite interesting.
As we walked back to the galleries we saw a naked woman being painted by two men. She just stood there, with her body parts exposed, while men painted her, and even more men stood and watched and took pictures.
Today was a long day, but I enjoyed most of it :)
Immigrant New York
6/25/13
Today was a very long, hot day. We took the train in as usual and met up with our classmates. We boarded the B train for downtown Manhattan and then transferred to the F train, which took us to Delancey Street. We got off the train and walked to Essex Street Market, which is where we were supposed to meet our tour guide. We stood outside the market while Mike told us about the history of the area. Originally, Essex Street was occupied by vendors who sold things from their push-carts. In 1940, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia legislated the vendors off the street with the creation of the Essex Street Market. The large establishment "offers food for all tastes- Latino, Jewish, and upscale urbanite: chicken gizzards, nopales (cactus stems), sherry, vinegar, fish cheeks, prime cuts of beef, and artisanal cheeses" (BG. pg.123). There were all types of vendors there, many of them sold fish and cheese. I bought a bag of plantain chips, they were delicious.
When we were done at the market we met up with our tour guide Jim, who happened to be the same guy that guided us through Harlem. Jim told us about the Blue building, which is a residential building that towers over Delancey Street. Built by Bernard Tschumi, it was erected in 2007 where Ratner's Jewish restaurant used to stand. Jim guided us through the lower east side, describing the many tenement buildings that are still standing as well as many abandoned synagogues. One of them was the Eldridge Street Synagogue which is now a museum. This was the "first established by Eastern European Ashkenazi Jews, a congregation sufficiently to hire the prestigious architectural firm of Herter Brothers to design their house of worship" (BG pg. 120). The Museum at Eldridge street offers an intimate, authentic portal to the past for people of all backgrounds.
We took a walk down Rivington Street, which is where we stopped into Economy Candy. The store "has been there since 1937 and has been owned and operated by the Cohen family since the beginning. The smallish, cramped store is a wonderworld for candy aficionadoes, with all the well known brands and others from around the globe you have never heard of." It was a cute little store, everything seemed authentic and vintage. There was candy in there that I had never heard of as well as candy that I used to eat in my childhood. I stopped in front of a box filled with vintage comic books and bought two for my boyfriend.
On the same street we saw Adath Jashurun synagogue, which was an abandoned temple built in 1903 by Romanian Jews. Also built by the Romanian Jews was Talmud Torah, it was restored as a town house. We passed by the church of grace to fujianese. Next we walked by the United Settlement House, which was originally called the Neighborhood Guild. "the aim of the settlement or neighborhood house is to bring about a new kind of community life…It is in the community or neighborhood that people seek and fight for solutions to their concrete, daily, local and immediate problems"
We passed by the Tenement Museum, and I was very upset that we did not go inside. Unfortunately all the guided tours were already reserved. The museum is actually a former tenement. It was founded in 1988 and preserved in order to honor the heritage of the nation's immigrants throughout time. I would have really liked to hear about the history of the tenements and the living conditions that the immigrants of the 19th century had to live with. We walked a lot and listened to a lot of history about the buildings in the Lower East side.
We walked through China Town, which I personally never enjoy doing. It smells horrible and it feels dirty, but we saw a really cute baby in a car and that entertained me. We stopped for lunch at Congee Village, which I enjoyed very much. Everyone at my table freaked out when they saw the head of the chicken cooked and placed on the plate with the rest of the body. It did not phase me at all, in fact I loved the garlic chicken and I finished half the plate by myself. The rest of the food was very good as well. I was a bit frustrated that we spent an extra half hour in the restaurant just to kill time. I thought we could have gone to Little Italy with that extra time.
Next we headed to Williamsburg. In order to get there from Manhattan, we had to cross the Williamsburg Bridge "The Williamsburg Bridge is one of the major crossings of the East River, carrying approximately 140,000 motorists, 92,000 transit riders, 600 bikers and 500 pedestrians between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn and serving some of the busiest arteries in New York City." The bridge seemed very long because it was super hot out, but there was a nice breeze once we got higher up. I liked all the graffiti that was drawn on the floor of the bridge. It provided me with something to look at for the long walk.
Once we got into Williamsburg we went to the Brooklyn Art Library, which was probably my favorite part of the day. The boy Steve, who worked there gave us a very informative description of the library. People are able to come in and buy blank books to draw in, for people to take out and enjoy. After the library we walked around Brooklyn. It got very windy out and it became uncomfortable to walk around. We walked down the pier and saw some very expensive looking apartments that were surrounding that area of Brooklyn.
Today was a very long, hot day. We took the train in as usual and met up with our classmates. We boarded the B train for downtown Manhattan and then transferred to the F train, which took us to Delancey Street. We got off the train and walked to Essex Street Market, which is where we were supposed to meet our tour guide. We stood outside the market while Mike told us about the history of the area. Originally, Essex Street was occupied by vendors who sold things from their push-carts. In 1940, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia legislated the vendors off the street with the creation of the Essex Street Market. The large establishment "offers food for all tastes- Latino, Jewish, and upscale urbanite: chicken gizzards, nopales (cactus stems), sherry, vinegar, fish cheeks, prime cuts of beef, and artisanal cheeses" (BG. pg.123). There were all types of vendors there, many of them sold fish and cheese. I bought a bag of plantain chips, they were delicious.
When we were done at the market we met up with our tour guide Jim, who happened to be the same guy that guided us through Harlem. Jim told us about the Blue building, which is a residential building that towers over Delancey Street. Built by Bernard Tschumi, it was erected in 2007 where Ratner's Jewish restaurant used to stand. Jim guided us through the lower east side, describing the many tenement buildings that are still standing as well as many abandoned synagogues. One of them was the Eldridge Street Synagogue which is now a museum. This was the "first established by Eastern European Ashkenazi Jews, a congregation sufficiently to hire the prestigious architectural firm of Herter Brothers to design their house of worship" (BG pg. 120). The Museum at Eldridge street offers an intimate, authentic portal to the past for people of all backgrounds.
We took a walk down Rivington Street, which is where we stopped into Economy Candy. The store "has been there since 1937 and has been owned and operated by the Cohen family since the beginning. The smallish, cramped store is a wonderworld for candy aficionadoes, with all the well known brands and others from around the globe you have never heard of." It was a cute little store, everything seemed authentic and vintage. There was candy in there that I had never heard of as well as candy that I used to eat in my childhood. I stopped in front of a box filled with vintage comic books and bought two for my boyfriend.
On the same street we saw Adath Jashurun synagogue, which was an abandoned temple built in 1903 by Romanian Jews. Also built by the Romanian Jews was Talmud Torah, it was restored as a town house. We passed by the church of grace to fujianese. Next we walked by the United Settlement House, which was originally called the Neighborhood Guild. "the aim of the settlement or neighborhood house is to bring about a new kind of community life…It is in the community or neighborhood that people seek and fight for solutions to their concrete, daily, local and immediate problems"
We passed by the Tenement Museum, and I was very upset that we did not go inside. Unfortunately all the guided tours were already reserved. The museum is actually a former tenement. It was founded in 1988 and preserved in order to honor the heritage of the nation's immigrants throughout time. I would have really liked to hear about the history of the tenements and the living conditions that the immigrants of the 19th century had to live with. We walked a lot and listened to a lot of history about the buildings in the Lower East side.
We walked through China Town, which I personally never enjoy doing. It smells horrible and it feels dirty, but we saw a really cute baby in a car and that entertained me. We stopped for lunch at Congee Village, which I enjoyed very much. Everyone at my table freaked out when they saw the head of the chicken cooked and placed on the plate with the rest of the body. It did not phase me at all, in fact I loved the garlic chicken and I finished half the plate by myself. The rest of the food was very good as well. I was a bit frustrated that we spent an extra half hour in the restaurant just to kill time. I thought we could have gone to Little Italy with that extra time.
Next we headed to Williamsburg. In order to get there from Manhattan, we had to cross the Williamsburg Bridge "The Williamsburg Bridge is one of the major crossings of the East River, carrying approximately 140,000 motorists, 92,000 transit riders, 600 bikers and 500 pedestrians between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn and serving some of the busiest arteries in New York City." The bridge seemed very long because it was super hot out, but there was a nice breeze once we got higher up. I liked all the graffiti that was drawn on the floor of the bridge. It provided me with something to look at for the long walk.
Once we got into Williamsburg we went to the Brooklyn Art Library, which was probably my favorite part of the day. The boy Steve, who worked there gave us a very informative description of the library. People are able to come in and buy blank books to draw in, for people to take out and enjoy. After the library we walked around Brooklyn. It got very windy out and it became uncomfortable to walk around. We walked down the pier and saw some very expensive looking apartments that were surrounding that area of Brooklyn.
Quixotic Queens
6/27/13
Today was our last day of class. We started at Penn Station as usual and headed out across Manhattan. We stopped at Bryant Park to sit down and chat. We talked about our experiences in the class and how our impressions of New York have changed. It was nice to sit down and share our opinions with the class. Bryant Park was named after "WIlliam Cullen Bryant, editor, abolitionist and proponent of such projects as Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art" (BG pg. 209). As we walked through we saw many people enjoying the view and having lunch. One man was on the floor drawing one of the buildings seen from the park.
Next we went to the New York Public Library. As we walked up I immediately took note of its immensity. It definitely was the biggest library I had ever seen. Mike told us that the two lion statues posted outside were nicknamed Patience and Fortitude by Mayor La Guardia during the Great Depression. We walked in and it was overwhelming. There were so many people and so many places to go that it seemed almost confusing to navigate. We walked into the main reading room, where we were able to sit down and write our NYC haikus. Mike got yelled at by the security guard for trying to take a picture of the room. I don't blame him, it was beautiful. So many people sat there on their laptops studying or reading, it seemed like a very nice place to relax and enjoy some quiet time. The main reading room has a shelf collection of some 30,000 reference books (BG pg. 208). After we got done there we headed for Grand Central Terminal.
I was so excited to go to Grand Central. I had only seen it in movies, and I always wish that Penn Station was as beautiful. We stood outside (which was unbearably hot) to talk about the history of the station. Many times throughout history there have been threats to change or remake the terminal. Many of these suggestions did not follow through, with the exception of MetLife Building, which towers above the terminal. Jackie Onasis stood up for the history and importance of the building and requested that it be preserved for its beauty. Inside the building I immediately thought of the scene from Friends With Benefits, when Justin Timberlake arranged a flash mob for Mila Kunis, to win her back. I wondered if they really shut down the terminal for this scene.
Today was our last day of class. We started at Penn Station as usual and headed out across Manhattan. We stopped at Bryant Park to sit down and chat. We talked about our experiences in the class and how our impressions of New York have changed. It was nice to sit down and share our opinions with the class. Bryant Park was named after "WIlliam Cullen Bryant, editor, abolitionist and proponent of such projects as Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art" (BG pg. 209). As we walked through we saw many people enjoying the view and having lunch. One man was on the floor drawing one of the buildings seen from the park.
Next we went to the New York Public Library. As we walked up I immediately took note of its immensity. It definitely was the biggest library I had ever seen. Mike told us that the two lion statues posted outside were nicknamed Patience and Fortitude by Mayor La Guardia during the Great Depression. We walked in and it was overwhelming. There were so many people and so many places to go that it seemed almost confusing to navigate. We walked into the main reading room, where we were able to sit down and write our NYC haikus. Mike got yelled at by the security guard for trying to take a picture of the room. I don't blame him, it was beautiful. So many people sat there on their laptops studying or reading, it seemed like a very nice place to relax and enjoy some quiet time. The main reading room has a shelf collection of some 30,000 reference books (BG pg. 208). After we got done there we headed for Grand Central Terminal.
I was so excited to go to Grand Central. I had only seen it in movies, and I always wish that Penn Station was as beautiful. We stood outside (which was unbearably hot) to talk about the history of the station. Many times throughout history there have been threats to change or remake the terminal. Many of these suggestions did not follow through, with the exception of MetLife Building, which towers above the terminal. Jackie Onasis stood up for the history and importance of the building and requested that it be preserved for its beauty. Inside the building I immediately thought of the scene from Friends With Benefits, when Justin Timberlake arranged a flash mob for Mila Kunis, to win her back. I wondered if they really shut down the terminal for this scene.
Next up was the Chrysler Building. As we walked in I had no clue where we were. Then i saw a picture of the Chrysler Building and realized. The building was "built by automobile manufacturer Walter P. Chrysler to express both the luxury and mechanical precision of the automobile in its Jazz Age incarnation. Designed by William Van Alen and completed in 1930, it is one of New York's finest Art Deco buildings" (BG pg. 231). Don told us about the artwork on the ceiling and that the building used to be lit with old headlights from Chrysler cars. I thought that was very interesting.
We walked to the Daily News Building, which is where we got to see the biggest indoor globe! It was pretty interesting. It had fun facts about the earth surrounding the bottom of the globe. The two-ton globe actually rotated! This building was seen in the 1970's movie Superman as the site of 'the Daily Planet'. After visiting the News Building, we walked to Tudor, where we saw the sign that says Long Island. We talked for a bit about Tudor City and then headed for the UN. Once we arrived outside the United Nations there was a group of Chinese people protesting the government in China. We saw the huge building which was lined with flags from all different countries outside.
We walked to the entrance of the 59th Street bridge also known as the Queensboro Bridge, where we took an air tram across the river. When we landed on the other side, we were on Roosevelt Island. The island seemed pretty desolate, not much going on there. The two mile strip of land was once used as exile for madmen, criminals and incurables. We saw an old smallpox hospital, which looked decrepit and creepy. We walked for what seemed like forever until we reached the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park. I thought the park was beautiful, it was lined with trees and stone. I liked the way it narrowed to a peak, it gave it a nice look. There was a huge statue of FDR's head, which was a bit strange looking.
We took the subway to Jackson Heights, which we would break for lunch. On the train ride there I contemplated whether I was going to have the Indian food or not. Once we arrived half the class came to lunch, and half did not. I decided to go for the Indian food and I was so glad I did! Once we got there we walked over to the buffet, that offered a wide range of meat, and spices. Jazz told us what everything was, and I basically took a bit of everything on my plate- including goat! That's right, I ate goat! It was all very tasty and delicious, I am very glad that I went to lunch with the class.
After lunch, we walked through little India, to the subway station. That was where we got lost. 7 of us somehow got separated from the rest of the class and had to navigate our way back to the group. It was a very interesting adventure, which turned out to be kind of fun. We figured out how to get to Astoria, with the help of some friendly people on the train. We got off at 36th street and walked to the Museum of the Moving Image. We walked in and it looked a bit eerie, because everything was white. We met the class on the third floor and had free time to roam the museum. I made my own movie and Chelsea and I made a quick scene as well. We walked into a room where there was a spinning contraption and a strobe light. It made a very cool visual effect. This section of the museum had cameras from all periods of history that were used to make movies and television shows. It was very fascinating to see how they have evolved over time. I love movies, and this museum was a great way to appreciate the making of the moving image.
We were right around the block from my aunt's house, I wanted to stop by for some pasta, but we had to get to Long Island City next.
At Long Island City we were able to stop at the MoMA PS1, "who's focus is avant-garde contemporary art" (BG pg. 261). I thought it was very cool to walk through the city's first public school, which has now been transformed into a museum. The art work inside was definitely intriguing. Very eccentric sculptures and exhibits grabbed my attention. The one I thought was the most interesting was the one with electronics in a bath of mineral oil. This museum was not boring at all, it was the most thought provoking museum we had visited throughout the course. After the museum we went across the street to a building which allows street artists to display their work on the walls of the building. The project is called 5 points "The name 5Pointz signifies the five boroughs coming together as one but, because of its reputation as an epicenter of the graffiti scene, the industrial complex has actually united aerosol artists from across the world. Legendary writers from Canada, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Japan, Brazil, and all over the United States have painted on the building walls, including Stay High 149, Tracy 168, Cope2, Part, and Tats Cru." We got to see a group of guys in action while we were there. It was cool to see how graffiti is actually done. It is a very in depth and intricate process.
We headed to the East river for one last view. We saw FDR park from where we were and the famous Coca-Cola sign. I laid down on the grass for a bit to relax. The class ended and we took the 7 train to Woodside Station, where we transferred at Jamaica and took the train back home. This class was definitely very informative and physically challenging. But I am glad I took it. I learned a lot about New York City and saw many sites that I had never seen before.
We walked to the Daily News Building, which is where we got to see the biggest indoor globe! It was pretty interesting. It had fun facts about the earth surrounding the bottom of the globe. The two-ton globe actually rotated! This building was seen in the 1970's movie Superman as the site of 'the Daily Planet'. After visiting the News Building, we walked to Tudor, where we saw the sign that says Long Island. We talked for a bit about Tudor City and then headed for the UN. Once we arrived outside the United Nations there was a group of Chinese people protesting the government in China. We saw the huge building which was lined with flags from all different countries outside.
We walked to the entrance of the 59th Street bridge also known as the Queensboro Bridge, where we took an air tram across the river. When we landed on the other side, we were on Roosevelt Island. The island seemed pretty desolate, not much going on there. The two mile strip of land was once used as exile for madmen, criminals and incurables. We saw an old smallpox hospital, which looked decrepit and creepy. We walked for what seemed like forever until we reached the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park. I thought the park was beautiful, it was lined with trees and stone. I liked the way it narrowed to a peak, it gave it a nice look. There was a huge statue of FDR's head, which was a bit strange looking.
We took the subway to Jackson Heights, which we would break for lunch. On the train ride there I contemplated whether I was going to have the Indian food or not. Once we arrived half the class came to lunch, and half did not. I decided to go for the Indian food and I was so glad I did! Once we got there we walked over to the buffet, that offered a wide range of meat, and spices. Jazz told us what everything was, and I basically took a bit of everything on my plate- including goat! That's right, I ate goat! It was all very tasty and delicious, I am very glad that I went to lunch with the class.
After lunch, we walked through little India, to the subway station. That was where we got lost. 7 of us somehow got separated from the rest of the class and had to navigate our way back to the group. It was a very interesting adventure, which turned out to be kind of fun. We figured out how to get to Astoria, with the help of some friendly people on the train. We got off at 36th street and walked to the Museum of the Moving Image. We walked in and it looked a bit eerie, because everything was white. We met the class on the third floor and had free time to roam the museum. I made my own movie and Chelsea and I made a quick scene as well. We walked into a room where there was a spinning contraption and a strobe light. It made a very cool visual effect. This section of the museum had cameras from all periods of history that were used to make movies and television shows. It was very fascinating to see how they have evolved over time. I love movies, and this museum was a great way to appreciate the making of the moving image.
We were right around the block from my aunt's house, I wanted to stop by for some pasta, but we had to get to Long Island City next.
At Long Island City we were able to stop at the MoMA PS1, "who's focus is avant-garde contemporary art" (BG pg. 261). I thought it was very cool to walk through the city's first public school, which has now been transformed into a museum. The art work inside was definitely intriguing. Very eccentric sculptures and exhibits grabbed my attention. The one I thought was the most interesting was the one with electronics in a bath of mineral oil. This museum was not boring at all, it was the most thought provoking museum we had visited throughout the course. After the museum we went across the street to a building which allows street artists to display their work on the walls of the building. The project is called 5 points "The name 5Pointz signifies the five boroughs coming together as one but, because of its reputation as an epicenter of the graffiti scene, the industrial complex has actually united aerosol artists from across the world. Legendary writers from Canada, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Japan, Brazil, and all over the United States have painted on the building walls, including Stay High 149, Tracy 168, Cope2, Part, and Tats Cru." We got to see a group of guys in action while we were there. It was cool to see how graffiti is actually done. It is a very in depth and intricate process.
We headed to the East river for one last view. We saw FDR park from where we were and the famous Coca-Cola sign. I laid down on the grass for a bit to relax. The class ended and we took the 7 train to Woodside Station, where we transferred at Jamaica and took the train back home. This class was definitely very informative and physically challenging. But I am glad I took it. I learned a lot about New York City and saw many sites that I had never seen before.
Final Impressions of New York
My overall impressions of New York have not changed. It is still the big, crowded, smelly city that I knew it was. I did learn a lot about the separate boroughs. This class taught a lot about the history of many sites and places in the city. Although it was physically exhausting at times, I believe this class has given me the opportunity that I would not have had otherwise. I went to many places of the city that I would not have ever thought to visit. I loved learning about the rich history of the people that made this city what it is today. Aside from the history, I also learned a significant amount about the geography of New York City. I feel a lot more comfortable taking trains and subways now. I believe I have acquired a decent amount about how to navigate my way around a city that once seemed so intricate and confusing to me. I am excited to share what I have learned with my friends and family. This class was worth the 4 credits!