Journals 1-4
2) Queens
My idea of Queens did not change that much after
exploring it today when it comes to the culture in Queens. I have a lot of
family who live in queens and they would always take me around. I did not know
that the 7 train was called the “international Express” but I could definitely
guess why. When I was younger my grandma would always take me around on the bus
and train. I remember the first time we took the 7 train and every time we got
off I really thought we were in another country, especially when we went to
flushing. What I also found interesting is that the 7 line has been included by
the white house as the National Millennium Trail (ENY pg 215). It is also
considered “a metaphor for the migration of all the world’s people to America’s
shores.”(ENY pg 215). My grandpa lived in an apartment right across the street
to Corona Park. Corona Park was flushing meadow park. I also did not know that
it is bigger than Central Park (ENY pg 217). Before it became the beautiful
park that it is, it use to a dumping ground for ashes. Then Robert Moses
cleared the park in order to accommodate for the World’s Fair. I did not even
know what the World’s Fair was until today. I was able to take a pretty good
guess though. It would welcome all cultures and ethnicities to show off their
pride. There were many different themes. One of them was a futuristic theme “the
world of tomorrow” and millions would come just to experience this Fair (ENY pg220). Sadly the World Fair does not exist anymore but the Unisphere still
stands.
When I was little I would go to the park practically every other day and go to the hall of science to do arts and crafts. I would play in the Unisphere all the time but I never knew I had the Queens Museum of Art there! I can’t believe what I was missing. They have an exhibit there called the panorama which made me realize how big the city really is. In the museum I learned about the Manhattan schist, and that’s how they were able to build sky scrapers. I also learned that there are three main bridges that connect to Manhattan. An easy way to remember their names is to remember “BMW”. This stands for the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Washington Bridge. There is also the Triboro bridge and the 59th street Bridge which is also known as the Queens Borough Bridge. They also had another exhibit called the Water Shed exhibit. I also thought Long Island had the cleanest water. I found out that Manhattan actually has the cleanest water.
Then we went to Roosevelt Ave, which is also known as “little India”. We had an Indian buffet lunch at Jackson Diner. I love Indian food, especially their bread. I was happy that everyone tried the Indian food and actually enjoyed it! Then after lunch we hopped on the Subway to Astoria. We went to Steinway Street to visit the Museum of Moving Image. I’ve been to Steinway a lot, but once again had no clue a great museum was right around the corner. The museum celebrates the history and art of moving-making. It was so cool seeing all the costumes and masks that celebrities would wear in movies, even if most were recreations. My favorite part was seeing the luney toons sketches. After the museum we went back to Steinway and after reading the book it made sense why Steinway Street was also known as “Little Egypt” because I would go there a lot for their Arabic hookah bars (ENY pg 224). Astoria is definitely moving up on the list of hip places to live. Slowly Astoria is becoming more gentrified. My young “hip” cousin actually moved there a couple of years ago but then had to move out because it was becoming too expensive. Queens has always been my favorite mainly for its diverse culture, but I can’t wait to explore the other boroughs to see if I change my mind!
When I was little I would go to the park practically every other day and go to the hall of science to do arts and crafts. I would play in the Unisphere all the time but I never knew I had the Queens Museum of Art there! I can’t believe what I was missing. They have an exhibit there called the panorama which made me realize how big the city really is. In the museum I learned about the Manhattan schist, and that’s how they were able to build sky scrapers. I also learned that there are three main bridges that connect to Manhattan. An easy way to remember their names is to remember “BMW”. This stands for the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Washington Bridge. There is also the Triboro bridge and the 59th street Bridge which is also known as the Queens Borough Bridge. They also had another exhibit called the Water Shed exhibit. I also thought Long Island had the cleanest water. I found out that Manhattan actually has the cleanest water.
Then we went to Roosevelt Ave, which is also known as “little India”. We had an Indian buffet lunch at Jackson Diner. I love Indian food, especially their bread. I was happy that everyone tried the Indian food and actually enjoyed it! Then after lunch we hopped on the Subway to Astoria. We went to Steinway Street to visit the Museum of Moving Image. I’ve been to Steinway a lot, but once again had no clue a great museum was right around the corner. The museum celebrates the history and art of moving-making. It was so cool seeing all the costumes and masks that celebrities would wear in movies, even if most were recreations. My favorite part was seeing the luney toons sketches. After the museum we went back to Steinway and after reading the book it made sense why Steinway Street was also known as “Little Egypt” because I would go there a lot for their Arabic hookah bars (ENY pg 224). Astoria is definitely moving up on the list of hip places to live. Slowly Astoria is becoming more gentrified. My young “hip” cousin actually moved there a couple of years ago but then had to move out because it was becoming too expensive. Queens has always been my favorite mainly for its diverse culture, but I can’t wait to explore the other boroughs to see if I change my mind!
3) Brooklyn
I never really venture into Brooklyn and after
exploring Brooklyn I’ve been asking myself why? I’ve been to Williamsburg a
couple of times before but I thought Brooklyn was a not so nice area. I did not
even realize how close minded I was. I can see why Brooklyn is the most populous
of New York City’s five boroughs (ENY pg 191). In 1833, Brooklyn refused the opportunity
to become a part of New York. More people were moving further uptown in
Manhattan and shortly after, Brooklyn was becoming the desirable place to live for
families (ENY pg 192). Then in 1883 the Brooklyn Bridge was completed and in
1891 Brooklyn became part of the five boroughs. This is known as the
Consolidation of New York (ENY pg 192).
Sadly the weather prevented us from going to Coney Island so we started our exploring at City Hall. Then we walked over the Brooklyn Bridge, which I’ve never done but I always wanted to. Now I can finally check that off my bucket list. It was interesting to learn that Emily Roebling completed the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883 but she did not actually design the bridge. The designer was actually her husband’s father but he died from an infection cause by a freak accident. Her husband also tried to finish his father’s design but he ended up falling ill. She finished building the bridge and was actually the first one to cross the bridge. She did not let the president cross first. She crossed the bridge in style, she road over the bridge in a horse carriage! When we walked over the Brooklyn Bridge it was so cool being able to look back at the city. The view was breathtaking. I did not even realize how crowded it was going to be. There were so many tourists there and I even bumped into my cousin on the bridge, what a small world.
After we crossed the bridge we got ice cream at Jacques Torre. I got a raspberry and strawberry smoothie and it was delicious! Then we took pictures by an abandoned building that had awesome graffiti all over it. Afterwards we walked to DUMBO. Which I learned stands for Down under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. We were able to see the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, and Williamsburg Bridge all from the Brooklyn Bridge Park. There was even a carousel that I am making sure the next time I go back, I will ride it. The carousel was actually from Ohio. It took 20 years to fix up the carousel and it is placed in a $9 million jewel box.
Then we went to Brooklyn Heights and it was very beautiful. I was actually thinking about moving there until I heard the cost of living. Most of the houses were built the same, with the same style. Brooklyn Heights consists of many building structures including Federal style, Greek Revival, and Gothic Revival (ENY pg 205). Brooklyn is also known for having brownstone. Brown stone is actually a very cheap material but today it is worth millions of dollars and is highly desirable because their look is so distinctive look (ENY pg 205). The houses also had stoops and I learned that the door under the stoop was used as a servant’s entrance. I also learned that the servants usually lived in the top floor of the house because they had to carry the coal in the winter to heat the rooms. One of my favorite parts was when we visited the place where there is a sign commemorating the location of the house where George Washington made the decision to abandon their position and retreat across the river to Manhattan (ENY pg 206). Trying to picture all of that, in an area that is so gentrified was hard but stimulating at the same time.
Then for lunch I had some really awesome Brooklyn pizza. The crust was amazing and very soft. We then visited the Plymouth church and when it started raining we went to the Brooklyn Historical Society. It was founded in 1863 by Henry Pierrepont and serves as a museum, library and an educational center for the study of Brooklyn (ENY pg 205). We saw a library that is actually opened to the public and they had a lot of exhibits about the slavery in Brooklyn. Also in the front of the building there are sculptures of Columbus, Benjamin Franklin, a Viking, and a Native American which I found very cool. Last but not least, we visited the Brooklyn Borough hall. It is the oldest building in Brooklyn and use to be a city hall. It is also known for its Greek Revival Structure (ENY pg 203). There is just so much history in Brooklyn that I was completely unaware of! It definitely is a competition for my favorite borough but I want to explore the others before I pick my favorite.
Sadly the weather prevented us from going to Coney Island so we started our exploring at City Hall. Then we walked over the Brooklyn Bridge, which I’ve never done but I always wanted to. Now I can finally check that off my bucket list. It was interesting to learn that Emily Roebling completed the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883 but she did not actually design the bridge. The designer was actually her husband’s father but he died from an infection cause by a freak accident. Her husband also tried to finish his father’s design but he ended up falling ill. She finished building the bridge and was actually the first one to cross the bridge. She did not let the president cross first. She crossed the bridge in style, she road over the bridge in a horse carriage! When we walked over the Brooklyn Bridge it was so cool being able to look back at the city. The view was breathtaking. I did not even realize how crowded it was going to be. There were so many tourists there and I even bumped into my cousin on the bridge, what a small world.
After we crossed the bridge we got ice cream at Jacques Torre. I got a raspberry and strawberry smoothie and it was delicious! Then we took pictures by an abandoned building that had awesome graffiti all over it. Afterwards we walked to DUMBO. Which I learned stands for Down under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. We were able to see the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, and Williamsburg Bridge all from the Brooklyn Bridge Park. There was even a carousel that I am making sure the next time I go back, I will ride it. The carousel was actually from Ohio. It took 20 years to fix up the carousel and it is placed in a $9 million jewel box.
Then we went to Brooklyn Heights and it was very beautiful. I was actually thinking about moving there until I heard the cost of living. Most of the houses were built the same, with the same style. Brooklyn Heights consists of many building structures including Federal style, Greek Revival, and Gothic Revival (ENY pg 205). Brooklyn is also known for having brownstone. Brown stone is actually a very cheap material but today it is worth millions of dollars and is highly desirable because their look is so distinctive look (ENY pg 205). The houses also had stoops and I learned that the door under the stoop was used as a servant’s entrance. I also learned that the servants usually lived in the top floor of the house because they had to carry the coal in the winter to heat the rooms. One of my favorite parts was when we visited the place where there is a sign commemorating the location of the house where George Washington made the decision to abandon their position and retreat across the river to Manhattan (ENY pg 206). Trying to picture all of that, in an area that is so gentrified was hard but stimulating at the same time.
Then for lunch I had some really awesome Brooklyn pizza. The crust was amazing and very soft. We then visited the Plymouth church and when it started raining we went to the Brooklyn Historical Society. It was founded in 1863 by Henry Pierrepont and serves as a museum, library and an educational center for the study of Brooklyn (ENY pg 205). We saw a library that is actually opened to the public and they had a lot of exhibits about the slavery in Brooklyn. Also in the front of the building there are sculptures of Columbus, Benjamin Franklin, a Viking, and a Native American which I found very cool. Last but not least, we visited the Brooklyn Borough hall. It is the oldest building in Brooklyn and use to be a city hall. It is also known for its Greek Revival Structure (ENY pg 203). There is just so much history in Brooklyn that I was completely unaware of! It definitely is a competition for my favorite borough but I want to explore the others before I pick my favorite.
4) The Village
I was excited to adventure in Chelsea and the Village. I’ve always heard about the art galleries but never actually went. It use to be a gritty, working class area but then as SoHo gained popularity, Chelsea soon had hundreds of galleries opening (ENY pg. 84). Chelsea is now one of the most prestigious centers of the New York art world (ENY pg 84). Chelsea was we started our day by walking from Penn Station to the High Line. The High Line was actually an abandoned elevated freight line that was transformed into an elevated garden (ENY pg. 84). I never even heard of it but it is a popular tourist destination. When we were walking on the High Line it was so crowded but the view was interesting and nice. Then we went gallery hopping, which I found much more fun than bar hopping! The galleries are opened to the public and are completely free! One of the galleries we arrived in had paintings of David Hockney. He had the exhibition of The Arrival of Spring. There was a lot of beautiful trails that he painted. Some of them reminded of a trail to a candy land because they were so colorful. His images are some of the most iconic and most recognizable images of the last half century. One of the galleries I really found interesting and fun was the gallery that actually had swings that you could swing on. Some of the galleries we stopped at literally looked like trash but it was still art. We had to be careful with what we threw away because it might be someone's art. We also stopped by a non-profit artists bookstore, which had some really awesome collection of books. It has one of the most bizarre collection of books and magazines that you are likely to find anywhere in the United States (ENY pg. 86). It had a lot on inappropriate pictures but it was still very cool. It's crazy to think that this kind of bookstore can stay open in an area as pricy as Chelsea (ENY pg. 86). Before heading to Greenwich Village we stopped by St. Peter's Episcopal Church, a Gothic Revival church
During the early 19th century the village was a rural suburb that only the rich could afford. After the outbreaks of Cholera and yellow fever in 1821 and 1822, the villages population increased fourfold with residents from (ENY pg. 88). Business increased and rowhouses were built, and now the area around the Washington Military Parade Grounds are place for wealthy New Yorkers to live. Then we travled to the West Village, which is technically apart of larger Greenwich Village. The streets in the West Village were laid out well before the Commissioners' Plan of 1811. The roads are very easy to get lost in because some of the roads intersect themselves. The Gay Rights movement even began here! Ever since the area of Christopher Street has been a center of social life for New York gay population (ENY pg. 90). Then we walked to the Stonewall Inn, which is an important symbol for the gays. It was a gay bar that was owned by the mob, which would pay off the police to stay in business (ENY pg. 92). They even have to statues in Christopher park that celebrates the gay rights movement. Then we walked around Washington Square where we saw a lot of students studying. I did not know that NYU was so close to there. What I found so intriguing was that the park was used as a burial ground and public hangings. My favorite part was not the Washington Square Arch but seeing the tree where the executions took place, still stands tall today was astonishing.
For Lunch we went around an around McDougal and Bleecker Street, which I thought was awesome. We saw Café Wha?, which is a café where great musicians such as Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan performed in the 1960's. Chanissara and I tried Ethiopian food which we were a little disappointed with. Now I can officially say I am not a big fan of Ethiopian food. With my stomach not that full we went to the Merchant's House Museum. I could not believe that it was so well preserved. The style of the house is Federal-style and still has preserved furniture and decorations. The role that the women had back then, is not a role I think I would want today. They had a big routine in the morning just to get dressed and even had to drop greeting cards at peoples houses. What I found very funny was that when women would visit each other and they did not want to see someone. Instead of saying they are busy, they would tell their servants to say they are not home. Even though the people knew they were home, but it was seen as the polite way to say I do not want to see you. Our tour guide was telling us some spooky stories about the house that makes me want to go back during Halloween.
My last favorite places that we visited today were St Mark's Place and La Plaza Cultural. St Mark's place is a gentrified street but still has a rebellious feel to it (ENY pg. 104). There were so many cheap places to eat and hang out. After class Chanissara, Matt and I went to a bar that had 5 shots for $10 and had $1 pizza! I loved this place so much that this week my cousin came from Ecuador and I took her herefor some cheap drinks and food! After St Mark's place we went to La Plaza Cultural. There were actually people there who looked like they were getting ready for a concert. It is a community garden that was created in 1976 (ENY pg. 106). I loved that there were plants and vegetables growing all over the garden. What I also really liked was the mural on the wall near the exit that said "La Lucha Continua". Last but not least we visited Tompkins Square Park, which when we first entered I was wondering why everything was fenced in. It is fenced because many riots would start here. The most famous riot took place in 1988, when police tried to clear the park of homeless people (ENY pg. 107). Protestors refused gentrification and clashed with the police. After this riot they closed the park, and put up fences to stop people from creating large scale protests. Today was a long day and we did so much! I loved these places and this might be my new favorite place to hang out now.