JOURNAL 1
Impressions of New York
I have lived in New York my whole life and still seem to surprise myself with more stories of this big city . It is known as the city that never sleeps and to me it's where dreams come true . It is also a city where people come to primarily escape opression and to create opportunities for themselves and their families. Unlike any other states New York provides the oppourtunity of acheieving the American dream ; Exhibits which I have yet to visit that entail the history of New york and it's origin. Although I do not know much about this city, I hope to learn more of New York by the journey I am about to experience. I know my impressions are minimal, but as the journey begins my impressions of New York will expand.
I have lived in New York my whole life and still seem to surprise myself with more stories of this big city . It is known as the city that never sleeps and to me it's where dreams come true . It is also a city where people come to primarily escape opression and to create opportunities for themselves and their families. Unlike any other states New York provides the oppourtunity of acheieving the American dream ; Exhibits which I have yet to visit that entail the history of New york and it's origin. Although I do not know much about this city, I hope to learn more of New York by the journey I am about to experience. I know my impressions are minimal, but as the journey begins my impressions of New York will expand.
Quixotic Queens
We began our Journey at Penn Station otherwise known as Pennsylvania Station . I had only visited Penn Station twice in the years that I have lived here (that is my whole life by the way). In those five minutes of a class discussion, I learned that the train was created in 1910 and demolished in 1963. " Pennsylvania Station was Mckin, Mead and Whites masterpiece, a symbol of the power Pennsylvania Railroad, and a happy union of history and technology" (BG, 195) (I thought this quote was very meaningful). However the book does not state much about it's historical facts, Penn Station is one of the most important and greatest historical attractions of New York, also a very important source of transportation for those who do not like to travel by plane. We then made our way to, The New York Public Library (Again, a building I have never visited).
The building is located on the west side of fifth avenue, between 40th and 42nd street. It is known to be one of the largest libraries for research (BG, 207) It is enormous and inside was beautiful and on the outside two statue lions, sit on each side of the building. The lions were called patience and fortitude. Sometimes you would see statue lions outside buildings or houses, and you would not think they have a purpose. According to the BG, these two lions were meant for the people who reside in New York and who are struggling through the economical depression. I think these Lions gave New Yorkers a sense of pride and courage; I mean a lion is the King of the Jungle, strong and fearless. The building was created in 1911 and its building architectural style was a, Neoclassical building (there are two more of the architectural styles, which will be explained in the other 3 journals). Oh and I forgot to mention, the two lions were created by, Edward C. Potter. Ok, so now back to the inside of the building, well, imagine yourself in like a museum with a bunch of historical artifacts, marble walls and historical paintings. To die for! Aside from visiting the building, professor Mike, asked us to write a Haiku. I will be honest in my years of Junior High and High school I had maybe written a Haiku twice, so I had to refresh my memory which is good. Here it is: New York I love. Tall buildings and stories. Your Journey starts. Not that it is bad or even that good either.
We then made our way to Grand Central Station. The station was created in 1869 by Cornelius Vanderbilt . It was another one of the greatest creation for transportation in history. "When the city demanded that the railroad electrify its lines or move the terminal to the outskirts, William J. Wilgus, the brilliant chief engineer, submerged the tracks, introducing the two present levels of trackage and electrifying the lines as the Southern Bronx" (BG 228) Very interesting, don't you think? In the main entrance of the station, on the ceiling, there is a painting which depict the horoscopes (pretty awesome in person). Walking out of Grand Central station we saw some buildings, which were of importance not only because of its different style of architecture but also its history. We came across the Chrysler Building ( Desinged by William Van Alen in 1930 and its architectural style is, Art deco). Chrysler Building, you know like the car, it was the automobile manufacture who bought the company.
Next we have The Waldorf- Astoria Hotel , its style is also Art deco and was created in 1931 and was named after William Wardolf's family's ancestral home in Germany (BG 235). Then came the Seagram building and it is known to be anionic skyscraper, created in 1958 by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The building is all metal and glass (Check this, inside there is a restaurant called the 4 seasons and I hear its pretty awesome!). The Freedom Towers, is also an iconic skyscraper, which is where the Twin Towers were once located. After analyzing the architectural styles of these buildings, we went on the train once again, and onto the trolley, to Roosevelt Island. So, after we got off the Trolley we walked about, 5 feet maybe more and we saw an building that use to be a hospital, The Small Pox Hospital . It looked like a building which would exist in the mid-evil times , pretty cool. Right next to the old hospital building was the monument of Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR). The island was named after FDR and emerged in the 1970s (BG 392). The statue of FDR was pretty cool it looked very futuristic and on both sides trees followed along. The island is very big but this particular part of the island which was the end of the was in memory of FDR. That was pretty cool but now my feet were beginning to hurt, I wore the wrong shoes.
Next Stop Astoria! The professor had mention to the class we were going to eat lunch at an Indian buffet called, Jackson Diner. I was really skeptical about this because I was not a fan of Indian food, but no so bad for trying it for the first time (I was a trooper.) So Astoria, it was very industrial and back then was known for prostitution. Two groups that usher in gentrification are the artist and gays. Also a lot of movies and T.V shows were filmed in Astoria, Men in Black and many more.
Making our way to where the history of film making began, The Museum Of Moving Images. This was interesting; So the museum opened up in 1988, but before it became a museum it was a studio, where all the film making began but because it was not sunny enough do to whether changes, producers began to film movies in LA. Basically instead of demolishing the building and creating it into a mall or a workspace, they made it into a museum. This museum was awesome it had the first video camera that was first utilized and there were displays of the cameras progression. They also had outfits of big time movie stars and singers, like the dress Mrs. Doubtfire wore in the movie, Mrs. Doubtfire. Also lots of old video games, which I have to stay looked better then the ones we have now. The way barbie dolls and stuffed animals looked way different back in the 60s and 70s, really interesting. I really focused on the make up from the back then. Because at this time my phone was dead, I really wasn't able to take any pictures and the museum did not allow it. Analyzing the use of make from back then in now was really interesting. For cover up back then make up artist used a bowl and a stick to mix ingredients for the cover up. It looked like what u would use for mixing food ingredients. They basically used herbs to make the cosmetic products. Now we don't have to create our make up, they come in tubes and there is a variety we could choose from. That really caught my attention. I liked how they displayed the growth of today's technology, each important factor of film making had it's own space and story. Pretty cool! Leaving the museum we tried to see if MoMa Ps1 was open and unfortunately it was not.
MoMa Ps1, was founded by Alanna Heiss, in 1971. It was mainly used for space, for artist to work on contemporary pieces. Across the street from MoMa, was the 5 points. The 5 points was New York's only place where graffiti was not illegal. Why call it 5 points? (I asked the same question) It was named 5 points after the 5 boroughs of New York; Nice! We were also able to analyze some of the graffiti work and speak to an artist. He seemed very passionate about his work and told us a little bit about the rules in 5 points. If someone wants to go and graffiti on a certain side of the wall they have to ask for permission. Also even when the space is full and someone wants to paint near that space permission has to be granted. See graffiti artist work for free but when a movie is being filmed in the 5 points, producers have to ask for permission and the artist receive money for utilizing their space. Great way to make money! At this time I could not feel my feet. we took the train once again to, Gantry Plaza State Park. The park was open to the public in 1998. LongIsland city is very diverse. Getting off the train there are corner stores, houses built together, very much like the ghetto. The professor had mentioned there was very much prostitution and the park use to be a place where boats brought loads of goods. Gentrification helped change the community and although it is not the way it use to be, I believe there is still much change to be applied. Before entering the park, I noticed new apartments were being made. The professor mentioned these new apartments were going for over a million. I guess they were trying to change the way of living in the community. The Pepsi Cola sign was also apart of the park and was built in, 1936. The sign was on top of a bottling plant which no longer exist, now the sign is just for attraction. Now it was time to go home. I was exhausted my feet were in so much pain, but I have to say I learned a lot and in eight hours I visited places I have never been too.
We began our Journey at Penn Station otherwise known as Pennsylvania Station . I had only visited Penn Station twice in the years that I have lived here (that is my whole life by the way). In those five minutes of a class discussion, I learned that the train was created in 1910 and demolished in 1963. " Pennsylvania Station was Mckin, Mead and Whites masterpiece, a symbol of the power Pennsylvania Railroad, and a happy union of history and technology" (BG, 195) (I thought this quote was very meaningful). However the book does not state much about it's historical facts, Penn Station is one of the most important and greatest historical attractions of New York, also a very important source of transportation for those who do not like to travel by plane. We then made our way to, The New York Public Library (Again, a building I have never visited).
The building is located on the west side of fifth avenue, between 40th and 42nd street. It is known to be one of the largest libraries for research (BG, 207) It is enormous and inside was beautiful and on the outside two statue lions, sit on each side of the building. The lions were called patience and fortitude. Sometimes you would see statue lions outside buildings or houses, and you would not think they have a purpose. According to the BG, these two lions were meant for the people who reside in New York and who are struggling through the economical depression. I think these Lions gave New Yorkers a sense of pride and courage; I mean a lion is the King of the Jungle, strong and fearless. The building was created in 1911 and its building architectural style was a, Neoclassical building (there are two more of the architectural styles, which will be explained in the other 3 journals). Oh and I forgot to mention, the two lions were created by, Edward C. Potter. Ok, so now back to the inside of the building, well, imagine yourself in like a museum with a bunch of historical artifacts, marble walls and historical paintings. To die for! Aside from visiting the building, professor Mike, asked us to write a Haiku. I will be honest in my years of Junior High and High school I had maybe written a Haiku twice, so I had to refresh my memory which is good. Here it is: New York I love. Tall buildings and stories. Your Journey starts. Not that it is bad or even that good either.
We then made our way to Grand Central Station. The station was created in 1869 by Cornelius Vanderbilt . It was another one of the greatest creation for transportation in history. "When the city demanded that the railroad electrify its lines or move the terminal to the outskirts, William J. Wilgus, the brilliant chief engineer, submerged the tracks, introducing the two present levels of trackage and electrifying the lines as the Southern Bronx" (BG 228) Very interesting, don't you think? In the main entrance of the station, on the ceiling, there is a painting which depict the horoscopes (pretty awesome in person). Walking out of Grand Central station we saw some buildings, which were of importance not only because of its different style of architecture but also its history. We came across the Chrysler Building ( Desinged by William Van Alen in 1930 and its architectural style is, Art deco). Chrysler Building, you know like the car, it was the automobile manufacture who bought the company.
Next we have The Waldorf- Astoria Hotel , its style is also Art deco and was created in 1931 and was named after William Wardolf's family's ancestral home in Germany (BG 235). Then came the Seagram building and it is known to be anionic skyscraper, created in 1958 by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The building is all metal and glass (Check this, inside there is a restaurant called the 4 seasons and I hear its pretty awesome!). The Freedom Towers, is also an iconic skyscraper, which is where the Twin Towers were once located. After analyzing the architectural styles of these buildings, we went on the train once again, and onto the trolley, to Roosevelt Island. So, after we got off the Trolley we walked about, 5 feet maybe more and we saw an building that use to be a hospital, The Small Pox Hospital . It looked like a building which would exist in the mid-evil times , pretty cool. Right next to the old hospital building was the monument of Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR). The island was named after FDR and emerged in the 1970s (BG 392). The statue of FDR was pretty cool it looked very futuristic and on both sides trees followed along. The island is very big but this particular part of the island which was the end of the was in memory of FDR. That was pretty cool but now my feet were beginning to hurt, I wore the wrong shoes.
Next Stop Astoria! The professor had mention to the class we were going to eat lunch at an Indian buffet called, Jackson Diner. I was really skeptical about this because I was not a fan of Indian food, but no so bad for trying it for the first time (I was a trooper.) So Astoria, it was very industrial and back then was known for prostitution. Two groups that usher in gentrification are the artist and gays. Also a lot of movies and T.V shows were filmed in Astoria, Men in Black and many more.
Making our way to where the history of film making began, The Museum Of Moving Images. This was interesting; So the museum opened up in 1988, but before it became a museum it was a studio, where all the film making began but because it was not sunny enough do to whether changes, producers began to film movies in LA. Basically instead of demolishing the building and creating it into a mall or a workspace, they made it into a museum. This museum was awesome it had the first video camera that was first utilized and there were displays of the cameras progression. They also had outfits of big time movie stars and singers, like the dress Mrs. Doubtfire wore in the movie, Mrs. Doubtfire. Also lots of old video games, which I have to stay looked better then the ones we have now. The way barbie dolls and stuffed animals looked way different back in the 60s and 70s, really interesting. I really focused on the make up from the back then. Because at this time my phone was dead, I really wasn't able to take any pictures and the museum did not allow it. Analyzing the use of make from back then in now was really interesting. For cover up back then make up artist used a bowl and a stick to mix ingredients for the cover up. It looked like what u would use for mixing food ingredients. They basically used herbs to make the cosmetic products. Now we don't have to create our make up, they come in tubes and there is a variety we could choose from. That really caught my attention. I liked how they displayed the growth of today's technology, each important factor of film making had it's own space and story. Pretty cool! Leaving the museum we tried to see if MoMa Ps1 was open and unfortunately it was not.
MoMa Ps1, was founded by Alanna Heiss, in 1971. It was mainly used for space, for artist to work on contemporary pieces. Across the street from MoMa, was the 5 points. The 5 points was New York's only place where graffiti was not illegal. Why call it 5 points? (I asked the same question) It was named 5 points after the 5 boroughs of New York; Nice! We were also able to analyze some of the graffiti work and speak to an artist. He seemed very passionate about his work and told us a little bit about the rules in 5 points. If someone wants to go and graffiti on a certain side of the wall they have to ask for permission. Also even when the space is full and someone wants to paint near that space permission has to be granted. See graffiti artist work for free but when a movie is being filmed in the 5 points, producers have to ask for permission and the artist receive money for utilizing their space. Great way to make money! At this time I could not feel my feet. we took the train once again to, Gantry Plaza State Park. The park was open to the public in 1998. LongIsland city is very diverse. Getting off the train there are corner stores, houses built together, very much like the ghetto. The professor had mentioned there was very much prostitution and the park use to be a place where boats brought loads of goods. Gentrification helped change the community and although it is not the way it use to be, I believe there is still much change to be applied. Before entering the park, I noticed new apartments were being made. The professor mentioned these new apartments were going for over a million. I guess they were trying to change the way of living in the community. The Pepsi Cola sign was also apart of the park and was built in, 1936. The sign was on top of a bottling plant which no longer exist, now the sign is just for attraction. Now it was time to go home. I was exhausted my feet were in so much pain, but I have to say I learned a lot and in eight hours I visited places I have never been too.
Bodacious Brooklyn
So we began our adventure in Penn Station once again (This is where the class meets before we take off). This time I brought comfortable shoes and was ready for the adventure. First Stop Coney Island; We took the D Train to the last stop get to Coney Island. It was a nice 40 minute ride, considering I was dying on our first adventure. Coney Island was, settled by the Dutch. In the early 19th century, it was considered the empire of the nickel, an affordable place for the people and a playground ( BG 490). There were 20-30 amusement areas in New York, which created a conflict between Brooklyn and Long Island, because rich people use to like living in Brooklyn; It was once its own city. Coney Island was also known for Nathan's famous Hot Dogs. One word, yummy! It was not always a fast food restaurant, it was once a hot dog stand which was founded in 1916. Coney Island, is still considered a place of play. The famous, oldest wooden roller coaster, The Cyclone still stands, along with other enjoying rides for friends and families. We had an hour break, and most of the class went site seeing, while others just found a place to sit before we start our walk again.
Next stop the, New York Transit Museum. I believe we took the F train to Jay street and walked a couple of blocks to the museum. The museum opened in 1976 , and entails much history of how the transits were created and workers who devoted their lives in creating the subways (BG, 468). Our tour guide was named, Katherine, she was great. One of the most important things I have to point out is, New York is known be the best public transportation. Some interesting historical facts of the transit, was the Steel Stone. The Steel Stone was the back bone of the construction of the subway (1900-1925). In the early 19th century, before subways existed, they used a bus carriage otherwise known as the Omny bus carriage (1827). As the years went by there was an increase in transportation, leading up to of course subways. In 1860 they built the elevated trains, but because the changes of the weather effected transportation, they decided to built underground trains. Now it took a lot to build these trains some of which were, deep rock mining and of course the sandhog men. The sand hog men were really important and their job was very dangerous. They were men who built tunnels under water and because they were in airlock for 15 minutes, some of the men contracted Caisson Disease. See, very interesting. After the tour we had, 30 minutes to look around the museum. I was very amazed at what the trains looked back then. Some of them looked like prison chamber and others looked better then the ones we have today. I really enjoyed the museum.
By this time, surprisingly my feet were not hurting. Brooklyn Heights here we come! Brooklyn heights was the suburban area, where people lived in the late 1850s. A lot of writers also lived in Brooklyn Heights (Norman Meller). In 1855 Walt Whitman's, Leaves of glass, was first printed (BG 469). We came across some architectural building styles, the Trust Building(19th century) which was a neoclassical style, is one of the most beautiful bank buildings in New York. It was also known for its brown stone buildings and houses. On Henry St, there was a church known as the, Plymouth Church. Harry Burn was the preacher/abolitionist in the 19th century. Professor stated, "He was the Justin Beiber, back in his day". A lot of the rich people lived in Brooklyn Heights and a lot of T.V. shows and movies were filmed in Brooklyn Heights like The Cosby Show. We walked to a sight singing area and it was so beautiful. You can see all East of New York and even the Brooklyn Bridge.
We then made our way to one of the best ice cream spots in New York known as the, Blue Marble Ice Cream. I did not try it due to my diet commitment but from my class mates, I heard it was amazing! It began to rain, and after everyone finished their ice cream we made our way to the Brooklyn Bridge. I was really excited because this was my first time to actually walk on the bridge. The rain did not stop the class to walk on the bridge, we were troopers. The Brooklyn Bridge, was created in 1883, by engineer John A. Roebling. He was the first to utilize rope wiring, which is what made him known as well as his other creation. Before the bridge existed, the people of New York would have to use the ferry for transportation. The Brooklyn Bridge was one of New York's most famous historical creations. Later in creating the bridge John A. Roebling, died of Tetanus Disease, leaving his eldest son, Colonel Washingston Roebling in charge. Colonel washington too suffered from a disease, Caisson Disease from compressed air, which left him very ill. His wife, Emily Roebling was then took over under his command. Colonel was the first to fabricate suspension cables, in mid-air (BG 466). When the bridge was fully created, Emily in honor of her husband asked to be the first to ride across the bridge in a carriage, and she did. I todays class and learning about, The creation of the bridge, Coney Island, Transit Museum and Brooklyn Heights were interesting.
So we began our adventure in Penn Station once again (This is where the class meets before we take off). This time I brought comfortable shoes and was ready for the adventure. First Stop Coney Island; We took the D Train to the last stop get to Coney Island. It was a nice 40 minute ride, considering I was dying on our first adventure. Coney Island was, settled by the Dutch. In the early 19th century, it was considered the empire of the nickel, an affordable place for the people and a playground ( BG 490). There were 20-30 amusement areas in New York, which created a conflict between Brooklyn and Long Island, because rich people use to like living in Brooklyn; It was once its own city. Coney Island was also known for Nathan's famous Hot Dogs. One word, yummy! It was not always a fast food restaurant, it was once a hot dog stand which was founded in 1916. Coney Island, is still considered a place of play. The famous, oldest wooden roller coaster, The Cyclone still stands, along with other enjoying rides for friends and families. We had an hour break, and most of the class went site seeing, while others just found a place to sit before we start our walk again.
Next stop the, New York Transit Museum. I believe we took the F train to Jay street and walked a couple of blocks to the museum. The museum opened in 1976 , and entails much history of how the transits were created and workers who devoted their lives in creating the subways (BG, 468). Our tour guide was named, Katherine, she was great. One of the most important things I have to point out is, New York is known be the best public transportation. Some interesting historical facts of the transit, was the Steel Stone. The Steel Stone was the back bone of the construction of the subway (1900-1925). In the early 19th century, before subways existed, they used a bus carriage otherwise known as the Omny bus carriage (1827). As the years went by there was an increase in transportation, leading up to of course subways. In 1860 they built the elevated trains, but because the changes of the weather effected transportation, they decided to built underground trains. Now it took a lot to build these trains some of which were, deep rock mining and of course the sandhog men. The sand hog men were really important and their job was very dangerous. They were men who built tunnels under water and because they were in airlock for 15 minutes, some of the men contracted Caisson Disease. See, very interesting. After the tour we had, 30 minutes to look around the museum. I was very amazed at what the trains looked back then. Some of them looked like prison chamber and others looked better then the ones we have today. I really enjoyed the museum.
By this time, surprisingly my feet were not hurting. Brooklyn Heights here we come! Brooklyn heights was the suburban area, where people lived in the late 1850s. A lot of writers also lived in Brooklyn Heights (Norman Meller). In 1855 Walt Whitman's, Leaves of glass, was first printed (BG 469). We came across some architectural building styles, the Trust Building(19th century) which was a neoclassical style, is one of the most beautiful bank buildings in New York. It was also known for its brown stone buildings and houses. On Henry St, there was a church known as the, Plymouth Church. Harry Burn was the preacher/abolitionist in the 19th century. Professor stated, "He was the Justin Beiber, back in his day". A lot of the rich people lived in Brooklyn Heights and a lot of T.V. shows and movies were filmed in Brooklyn Heights like The Cosby Show. We walked to a sight singing area and it was so beautiful. You can see all East of New York and even the Brooklyn Bridge.
We then made our way to one of the best ice cream spots in New York known as the, Blue Marble Ice Cream. I did not try it due to my diet commitment but from my class mates, I heard it was amazing! It began to rain, and after everyone finished their ice cream we made our way to the Brooklyn Bridge. I was really excited because this was my first time to actually walk on the bridge. The rain did not stop the class to walk on the bridge, we were troopers. The Brooklyn Bridge, was created in 1883, by engineer John A. Roebling. He was the first to utilize rope wiring, which is what made him known as well as his other creation. Before the bridge existed, the people of New York would have to use the ferry for transportation. The Brooklyn Bridge was one of New York's most famous historical creations. Later in creating the bridge John A. Roebling, died of Tetanus Disease, leaving his eldest son, Colonel Washingston Roebling in charge. Colonel washington too suffered from a disease, Caisson Disease from compressed air, which left him very ill. His wife, Emily Roebling was then took over under his command. Colonel was the first to fabricate suspension cables, in mid-air (BG 466). When the bridge was fully created, Emily in honor of her husband asked to be the first to ride across the bridge in a carriage, and she did. I todays class and learning about, The creation of the bridge, Coney Island, Transit Museum and Brooklyn Heights were interesting.
A Tale Of Three Villages
So, once again we began in Penn Station. We took the train to Housten St, well we attempted to but unfortunately we missed our stop and walked a block or two down to where we needed to be. So, Housten St. was an industrial area around the 50s and 60s. Now we are in Greenwich Village. The Native American settled here in Greenwich Village first and years later the Dutch divided the lands and when the British came and took over, they named it Greenwich (BG, 128). Greenwich Village, is the bohemian center of New York. The best poets hung out in the village; also it was known as one of the largest gay communities. We came across a couple of sister houses (I think its what you call them now). One of which was the house of Isaac Hendricks, number 77. We made our way to Christopher Street, which was known as the heart of the gay community. In Dutch and British times, you would be burnt and drowned in the river if your were caught in sexual activities with the same gender. We made our way to Christopher Park, where there is a sculpture of two males on the left center of the park and a male and female on the right. It seemed as though the sculptures symbolized equality of different and same gender sex. Near by the park, there were a lot of bars and back then gay people, were not allowed. There was one bar that were only for gay people, but it stunk really bad( An interesting fact the gay people gained their independence, July 1969).
Gay street was our next stop. Gay street, was owned by the gay family and no none of the family members were gay. In the 18th century it was inhabited by the Scottish and the blacks worked as servants. We walked a couple of blocks down to, 29 East Fourth Street, East Village, The Merchant's House Museum.The purpose of the museum was to show how families lived back then, back then meaning 100 years ago. We had an interesting tour guide. Her name was Amy, she gave us a tour of the whole house. It was really cool, the only thing missing was the Air Conditioner, but I guess since back then there were no AC's, we were suffering just a little. So the house was owned by Seabury Tredwell, and he was a hardware merchant (Hence the name of the museum)(BG, 158). He lived there along with his wife and eight children. What was interesting about the house was the floors were all carpeted and in the kitchen to call the servant, bells were above a closet door each one leading to a different room. Both husband and wife slept in separate rooms and even baths were take in the room. How weird is that. When Seabury bought the house, it was worth 18,000 dollars! (BG, 158). In 1933 when Tredwell's eighth child died, three years later the house became a museum.
Next stop Square Park. Square Park was known as one of the places where one would want to live. In 1827 it became a NYC park. It is well known for its Arch, representing George Washington. It was a beautiful park but we could not stay much because they were filming a T.V reality show. Macdougal Street was next . It was considered the village night life, where prostitution took place in the 18th century. The Cafe Wha, was very much known because in the 1960s Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin and many more played (BG 137). The slide transvestite club was very much known as well. It was time for Lunch! Four of us went to eat at a Mexican restaurant and I have to say the food prices were not that bad. I ate a Taco it was delicious. After lunch time was over, we walked through a very known church. In 1660 is was known as the Steiverson Chapel, and was sold in 1880 to the Episcopal Church known as, St. Marks Church. The Church now, is not only for mass but is utilized for shows. Professor wanted to take us to another Ice cream place, The Big Gay Ice Cream Shop. Again, I did not have any ice cream because I am committed to my diet, but I heard the ice cream shop in Brooklyn Heights was much better.
We were on our way to the Museum Of Reclaimed Urban Space and passed through, James J. Walker Park. Originally the park was name, Burying Ground of Trinity Parish (BG, 141). This park in the 80s was where you would get your drugs and it was dangerous to walk alone in the park at night because you would either get mugged or rapped. The park now, has an area where live shows are taken place also it is a playground for kids and families. Now we arrived at the, Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space. Now this was an interesting tour. The museum was about the Co-op squats; Individuals who devoted themselves to protect their community. In the 80s people were exposed to vandalism and drugs, the Co-op Squats had founded abandon buildings and transformed them into homes and community gardens. Our tour guide was named, Bill. Bill is a writer, an activist and an organic historian. Because he was speaking very fast and went from one topic to another in a second, I could not grasp much information. I did not like the tour so much but what really caught my attention was when we were able to go into the second garden that was established in 1978 (There were two gardens we saw). Before the garden was established five tenement houses were there. The garden was beautiful and taken care of very well. The compose was freshly made and how it was made was interesting. The compose was made by wheat grass ,rotten fruits and vegetables like, banana peals and egg shells. Pretty cool, but kind of weird. In right center of the garden, there was a beautiful pond with fishes. To the right of the pond there were two murals; Nicaragua and Guatemala were the depicted murals. The rest of the tour was ok but did not really catch my interest like the garden. Over all I learned a lot today, although it was hot, the history of the villages was interesting. Now I know how people lived a 100 years ago, and how important it is to take care of your community.
So, once again we began in Penn Station. We took the train to Housten St, well we attempted to but unfortunately we missed our stop and walked a block or two down to where we needed to be. So, Housten St. was an industrial area around the 50s and 60s. Now we are in Greenwich Village. The Native American settled here in Greenwich Village first and years later the Dutch divided the lands and when the British came and took over, they named it Greenwich (BG, 128). Greenwich Village, is the bohemian center of New York. The best poets hung out in the village; also it was known as one of the largest gay communities. We came across a couple of sister houses (I think its what you call them now). One of which was the house of Isaac Hendricks, number 77. We made our way to Christopher Street, which was known as the heart of the gay community. In Dutch and British times, you would be burnt and drowned in the river if your were caught in sexual activities with the same gender. We made our way to Christopher Park, where there is a sculpture of two males on the left center of the park and a male and female on the right. It seemed as though the sculptures symbolized equality of different and same gender sex. Near by the park, there were a lot of bars and back then gay people, were not allowed. There was one bar that were only for gay people, but it stunk really bad( An interesting fact the gay people gained their independence, July 1969).
Gay street was our next stop. Gay street, was owned by the gay family and no none of the family members were gay. In the 18th century it was inhabited by the Scottish and the blacks worked as servants. We walked a couple of blocks down to, 29 East Fourth Street, East Village, The Merchant's House Museum.The purpose of the museum was to show how families lived back then, back then meaning 100 years ago. We had an interesting tour guide. Her name was Amy, she gave us a tour of the whole house. It was really cool, the only thing missing was the Air Conditioner, but I guess since back then there were no AC's, we were suffering just a little. So the house was owned by Seabury Tredwell, and he was a hardware merchant (Hence the name of the museum)(BG, 158). He lived there along with his wife and eight children. What was interesting about the house was the floors were all carpeted and in the kitchen to call the servant, bells were above a closet door each one leading to a different room. Both husband and wife slept in separate rooms and even baths were take in the room. How weird is that. When Seabury bought the house, it was worth 18,000 dollars! (BG, 158). In 1933 when Tredwell's eighth child died, three years later the house became a museum.
Next stop Square Park. Square Park was known as one of the places where one would want to live. In 1827 it became a NYC park. It is well known for its Arch, representing George Washington. It was a beautiful park but we could not stay much because they were filming a T.V reality show. Macdougal Street was next . It was considered the village night life, where prostitution took place in the 18th century. The Cafe Wha, was very much known because in the 1960s Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin and many more played (BG 137). The slide transvestite club was very much known as well. It was time for Lunch! Four of us went to eat at a Mexican restaurant and I have to say the food prices were not that bad. I ate a Taco it was delicious. After lunch time was over, we walked through a very known church. In 1660 is was known as the Steiverson Chapel, and was sold in 1880 to the Episcopal Church known as, St. Marks Church. The Church now, is not only for mass but is utilized for shows. Professor wanted to take us to another Ice cream place, The Big Gay Ice Cream Shop. Again, I did not have any ice cream because I am committed to my diet, but I heard the ice cream shop in Brooklyn Heights was much better.
We were on our way to the Museum Of Reclaimed Urban Space and passed through, James J. Walker Park. Originally the park was name, Burying Ground of Trinity Parish (BG, 141). This park in the 80s was where you would get your drugs and it was dangerous to walk alone in the park at night because you would either get mugged or rapped. The park now, has an area where live shows are taken place also it is a playground for kids and families. Now we arrived at the, Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space. Now this was an interesting tour. The museum was about the Co-op squats; Individuals who devoted themselves to protect their community. In the 80s people were exposed to vandalism and drugs, the Co-op Squats had founded abandon buildings and transformed them into homes and community gardens. Our tour guide was named, Bill. Bill is a writer, an activist and an organic historian. Because he was speaking very fast and went from one topic to another in a second, I could not grasp much information. I did not like the tour so much but what really caught my attention was when we were able to go into the second garden that was established in 1978 (There were two gardens we saw). Before the garden was established five tenement houses were there. The garden was beautiful and taken care of very well. The compose was freshly made and how it was made was interesting. The compose was made by wheat grass ,rotten fruits and vegetables like, banana peals and egg shells. Pretty cool, but kind of weird. In right center of the garden, there was a beautiful pond with fishes. To the right of the pond there were two murals; Nicaragua and Guatemala were the depicted murals. The rest of the tour was ok but did not really catch my interest like the garden. Over all I learned a lot today, although it was hot, the history of the villages was interesting. Now I know how people lived a 100 years ago, and how important it is to take care of your community.