Journals 1-4
1. IMPRESSIONS OF NYC
New York City is known to be one of the greatest cities in the world, and to think that I live less than an hour away from it isn't something I think about very often. Now that I am thinking about it, I feel almost as if I do not utilize it as much as I should. I absolutely love everything about New York City. I love all the different kinds of people you see while you're there. I love how there is never a dull moment. I love how there is always something to do wherever you turn. I love how at night it looks so beautiful covered in all the lights. Overall, I just love the general atmosphere of the city.
When I was younger I visited the city much more than I did now. My father was a New York City fireman so we used to go in all the time as a family and do many different things. I saw multiple plays when I was younger like the Lion King and Cats when it was still on Broadway. Of course we always visited the tree every christmas as well. We always drove in because my dad would park in front of the nearest firehouse to wherever we were going. Due to this, I never really learned how to navigate myself around the city so I am hoping throughout this course my direction will improve. Also the things we did in the city were your basic tourist attractions. I never walked around and just took it all in.... And I think we can all agree that there is a tremendous amount to just "take in" while in the city that never sleeps.
Seeing as I'm going to be in the city for the next seven saturdays I am almost starting to think that I take living so close to the city for granted. Why have I not gone in more when I had the chance just because? Its reasons like this that I am so beyond excited to be taking this class for the semester. I can not wait to explore this beautiful city and learn so much about it, while having fun with my friends and classmates. Most importantly I can not wait to not feel like a tourist in my own city!!!
New York City is known to be one of the greatest cities in the world, and to think that I live less than an hour away from it isn't something I think about very often. Now that I am thinking about it, I feel almost as if I do not utilize it as much as I should. I absolutely love everything about New York City. I love all the different kinds of people you see while you're there. I love how there is never a dull moment. I love how there is always something to do wherever you turn. I love how at night it looks so beautiful covered in all the lights. Overall, I just love the general atmosphere of the city.
When I was younger I visited the city much more than I did now. My father was a New York City fireman so we used to go in all the time as a family and do many different things. I saw multiple plays when I was younger like the Lion King and Cats when it was still on Broadway. Of course we always visited the tree every christmas as well. We always drove in because my dad would park in front of the nearest firehouse to wherever we were going. Due to this, I never really learned how to navigate myself around the city so I am hoping throughout this course my direction will improve. Also the things we did in the city were your basic tourist attractions. I never walked around and just took it all in.... And I think we can all agree that there is a tremendous amount to just "take in" while in the city that never sleeps.
Seeing as I'm going to be in the city for the next seven saturdays I am almost starting to think that I take living so close to the city for granted. Why have I not gone in more when I had the chance just because? Its reasons like this that I am so beyond excited to be taking this class for the semester. I can not wait to explore this beautiful city and learn so much about it, while having fun with my friends and classmates. Most importantly I can not wait to not feel like a tourist in my own city!!!
2. QUEENS
Today was an interesting day to say the least. I woke up bright and early on a Saturday morning ready to take on the borough of Queens on our first day of class. I had previously checked the weather and knew it was going to be hot.... But when I walked out my front door I nearly started sweating and knew we were in for a rough first day. However, this did not diminish my excitement for the day and I was willing to fight through it. I took the LIRR with Meg and Taylor from Rockville Centre to Penn Station where we were scheduled to meet at 11 AM. We decided to take the 10:03 train in to give us some extra time to ensure we weren't late for our first day.
Stepping into Penn Station on that Saturday morning was not what I had expected it to be like at all. I've been there too many times to count but that was always at night when it was hectic and people were going out and having a great time. I had expected it to be much quieter than I had seen, because who doesn't want to sleep in on a Saturday morning, but that was not the case at all. There were people everywhere Once we got into the city we met our other classmates, Mike and Lee. We had a few minutes so we went and bought $20 metro-cards ahead of time to make the transportation quicker and easier. Mike gave us a great pump up speech to start our day and we were off to catch the E-train and begin our journey to Queens... Little did we know the journey would not be as easy as we planned.
We ran into some problems with the subway early on in the day. We were supposed to take the E-train from Roosevelt Avenue but since it was not running we took the E-train to West 4th. From there we hopped on the F-train to 42nd Street and then finally got on the last subway before our first stop which was the elevated 7 train, otherwise known as the international express. It is called that because "its route takes passengers through some of the most ethnically diverse communities in North America," (ENY pg. 215). Mike never had this class on a Saturday so the schedules were different then what he expected. That being said we started off our day behind schedule.
Our first stop of the day was when we got off the international express at Willets Point. I have actually been to this stop before but I only traveled north of the tracks to attend a Mets game at Citi Field a few times. This time we headed south to Flushing Meadows Corona Park, which obviously, I have never been to before. It was hectic there because the US Open was going on at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. At this point it was just about noon and hot was an understatement, but we all fought on. We sat on a bleacher under a tree while Mike and Lee talked about the history of the park we were in. I never knew why it was called Queens until they explained to us that it was "named after Catherine of Braganza, England's queen at the time," during the early 17th century (ENY pg. 214). One of my favorite books from high school was The Great Gatsby, and to my surprise part of the book was set in this very park. "In the 1920's it became the Corona Ash Dumps and was a dumping ground for ashes from coal-burning furnaces, horse manure, and garbage," (ENY pg. 217) which was where they would drive through on their way to Manhattan and pass the giant billboard of the all seeing eyes. Robert Moses then cleaned the park up to host the 1939 World Fair. The park also hosted the 1964 Worlds Fair which was much more successful than the first. When I got home from class I told my mom about it and she responded by telling me how she was 2 years old at the time and her whole family went and left her home!... Needless to say she did not seem happy that she did not get to attend. The unisphere in the park was amazing. Luckily for us the water was on as well due to the US Open, which Mike says rarely happens anymore. It made for some pretty awesome pictures!
My favorite part of this stop was without a doubt the Panorama of the five boroughs in the Queens Museum. It was so amazing to see it all laid out in 3D like that. The Panorama was created for the 1964 World's Fair but has been updated every few years since then to keep up with the changes in each of the boroughs. However, it has not been updated since 1992, which, is obvious when you notice that the Twin Towers are still present in Manhattan. Our tour guide said that the scale was 1 inch to 100 feet, which really blew my mind because the panorama seemed already so large to me, so to put that scale in perspective makes you realize how much area the land really covers. Also while at the museum we saw the watershed exhibit which to me was not as interesting at the panorama. Although, I was shocked to find out that the tap water in the boroughs is much cleaner than that in Nassau and Suffolk County. Time was of the essence so we walked to the opposite side of the museum we entered where we could see the Grand Central Parkway, which turns in the Northern State in Nassau, and talked briefly about the negatives of Robert Moses. I knew he had created the parkways on Long Island very curvy to make them enjoyable and beautiful while driving when cars could only go at most about 40 mph and now was a problem with speed. However, I did not know he wanted to make highways all over, which is the main reason he lost his power because Jane Jacobs stood up to him and did not stand for it. Robert Moses was too concerned about car transportation when he should have been investing in public transportation because he could not predict the abundance of people and car speed in the future. We then headed back to the subway and walked back across the boardwalk so that we could get to our destination for lunch.
We got back on the 7 train again but this time got off in Jackson Heights. Mike had mentioned it was referred to as "Little India," which I found so funny because my home town of Hicksville is sometimes referred to that due to the many people of Indian decent who recently have moved here. You'd think I would have tried Indian food at some point since I live in an area where I can't go more than a few stores without seeing an Indian restaurant, but I never had. I never had enough curiosity to try it I guess you could say. Also I never really knew anyone who wanted to or was even willing to try it so I just never thought it was a good idea. We went to an all you could eat Indian buffet for lunch and I was willing to try it... but honestly, I was so hungry at this point I would have ate anything. I loaded my plate up with a bunch of different items because I had no idea what I was going to like. I dipped most items in the yogurt sauce which I loved and to my surprise the food wasn't bad. However, I do not think it will ever be my food of choice. But if I am dying of starvation and the only food in sight is Indian, I think it would be my second experience eating it. Luckily Baskin Robbins was right around the block so some of us went and got ice cream with our extra time. Then we got on the R-train and headed to our next stop.
We got off the train in Astoria this time, on Steinway Street. I knew the name Steinway sounded familiar until Mike and Lee talked about the piano company. While we were stopped on this street, Mike brought up the word gentrification. I have never heard of this before but it gave me a clear definition when we turned the corner after our conversation. On Steinway street it wasn't very appealing and looked almost dirty and old, very underdeveloped I guess you could say. When we turned onto 35th Avenue it seemed almost brand new with many chain restaurants such as Applebee's and Starbucks. It was all refurbished, while just around the corner looked as if it had not been touched in many years. We also talked about how "Astoria played and important role in the film industry prior to World War II," (ENY pg. 224). After that thought, most of the industry moved to California due to the better weather to be able to film movies all year long. We then walked down 35th to the Museum of the Moving Image. The museum was very modern and futuristic inside. Me and Meg started on the top floor looking around. We stopped at a few of the hands on sites with the computers. We were able to play scenes from a few movies and add our own sounds or music to each scene. It was cool to see how music actually makes a movie. Another exhibit I really appreciated was the recreation of the how they made Robin Williams into Mrs. Doubtfire considering he recently passed away. Also I never knew who Chuck Jones was until there was the huge exhibit showing his creation of cartoons such as Bugs Bunny and the Road Runner.
After the museum it was about 4:30 PM and the rain seemed to be holding out just for us to make our last stop to Long Island City. We headed back to the subway where we were supposed to take the M-train to Long Island City.... However, we again ran into problems with the schedule because it was Saturday. At this point Mike had decided to let us go early because we could not make it to our last stop. I was kind of upset we did not get to go to Long Island City because I did want to see the skyline of Manhattan but I was so exhausted that I got over it. Since most of us were going back to Rockville Centre we decided it would be easier to stick together and take the subway right to Jamaica. This seemed easier than traveling back to Penn Station which was out of our way... Or so we thought. Mike had told us to stay on the subway train we were on till the last stop, which said Jamaica Center. However, when we got off at that stop there were no signs for the LIRR and when we asked a New York Police man he had told us we were supposed to get off at the stop before this. So we had to run back and hop on that same subway and anxiously wait for it to leave the station because our train home from Jamaica was leaving in approximately 10 minutes. We pulled into Jamaica 3 minutes before our train was scheduled to depart and we all had to run as fast as we could to catch it.. Luckily the train was a few minutes late and we all safely made it on together. From there it was only a short 16 minutes until we were home. I could not wait to shower and sleep at this point so the regret of not seeing Long Island City was long gone.
After the day was over it was clear to me how much I never knew about Queens even though I lived less than a half hour away my entire life. It was an amazing place filled with such amazing historical features. I was also so shocked at the amount of people we encountered in the short hours of our adventure. Everywhere we went was crowded with so many people. While reading the chapter on Queens I was shocked to learn that "if the boroughs of New York were independent cities, Queens would be the fourth largest in the United States" (ENY pg. 213). I had a great first day of class and can not wait to see what this semester brings us!
Today was an interesting day to say the least. I woke up bright and early on a Saturday morning ready to take on the borough of Queens on our first day of class. I had previously checked the weather and knew it was going to be hot.... But when I walked out my front door I nearly started sweating and knew we were in for a rough first day. However, this did not diminish my excitement for the day and I was willing to fight through it. I took the LIRR with Meg and Taylor from Rockville Centre to Penn Station where we were scheduled to meet at 11 AM. We decided to take the 10:03 train in to give us some extra time to ensure we weren't late for our first day.
Stepping into Penn Station on that Saturday morning was not what I had expected it to be like at all. I've been there too many times to count but that was always at night when it was hectic and people were going out and having a great time. I had expected it to be much quieter than I had seen, because who doesn't want to sleep in on a Saturday morning, but that was not the case at all. There were people everywhere Once we got into the city we met our other classmates, Mike and Lee. We had a few minutes so we went and bought $20 metro-cards ahead of time to make the transportation quicker and easier. Mike gave us a great pump up speech to start our day and we were off to catch the E-train and begin our journey to Queens... Little did we know the journey would not be as easy as we planned.
We ran into some problems with the subway early on in the day. We were supposed to take the E-train from Roosevelt Avenue but since it was not running we took the E-train to West 4th. From there we hopped on the F-train to 42nd Street and then finally got on the last subway before our first stop which was the elevated 7 train, otherwise known as the international express. It is called that because "its route takes passengers through some of the most ethnically diverse communities in North America," (ENY pg. 215). Mike never had this class on a Saturday so the schedules were different then what he expected. That being said we started off our day behind schedule.
Our first stop of the day was when we got off the international express at Willets Point. I have actually been to this stop before but I only traveled north of the tracks to attend a Mets game at Citi Field a few times. This time we headed south to Flushing Meadows Corona Park, which obviously, I have never been to before. It was hectic there because the US Open was going on at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. At this point it was just about noon and hot was an understatement, but we all fought on. We sat on a bleacher under a tree while Mike and Lee talked about the history of the park we were in. I never knew why it was called Queens until they explained to us that it was "named after Catherine of Braganza, England's queen at the time," during the early 17th century (ENY pg. 214). One of my favorite books from high school was The Great Gatsby, and to my surprise part of the book was set in this very park. "In the 1920's it became the Corona Ash Dumps and was a dumping ground for ashes from coal-burning furnaces, horse manure, and garbage," (ENY pg. 217) which was where they would drive through on their way to Manhattan and pass the giant billboard of the all seeing eyes. Robert Moses then cleaned the park up to host the 1939 World Fair. The park also hosted the 1964 Worlds Fair which was much more successful than the first. When I got home from class I told my mom about it and she responded by telling me how she was 2 years old at the time and her whole family went and left her home!... Needless to say she did not seem happy that she did not get to attend. The unisphere in the park was amazing. Luckily for us the water was on as well due to the US Open, which Mike says rarely happens anymore. It made for some pretty awesome pictures!
My favorite part of this stop was without a doubt the Panorama of the five boroughs in the Queens Museum. It was so amazing to see it all laid out in 3D like that. The Panorama was created for the 1964 World's Fair but has been updated every few years since then to keep up with the changes in each of the boroughs. However, it has not been updated since 1992, which, is obvious when you notice that the Twin Towers are still present in Manhattan. Our tour guide said that the scale was 1 inch to 100 feet, which really blew my mind because the panorama seemed already so large to me, so to put that scale in perspective makes you realize how much area the land really covers. Also while at the museum we saw the watershed exhibit which to me was not as interesting at the panorama. Although, I was shocked to find out that the tap water in the boroughs is much cleaner than that in Nassau and Suffolk County. Time was of the essence so we walked to the opposite side of the museum we entered where we could see the Grand Central Parkway, which turns in the Northern State in Nassau, and talked briefly about the negatives of Robert Moses. I knew he had created the parkways on Long Island very curvy to make them enjoyable and beautiful while driving when cars could only go at most about 40 mph and now was a problem with speed. However, I did not know he wanted to make highways all over, which is the main reason he lost his power because Jane Jacobs stood up to him and did not stand for it. Robert Moses was too concerned about car transportation when he should have been investing in public transportation because he could not predict the abundance of people and car speed in the future. We then headed back to the subway and walked back across the boardwalk so that we could get to our destination for lunch.
We got back on the 7 train again but this time got off in Jackson Heights. Mike had mentioned it was referred to as "Little India," which I found so funny because my home town of Hicksville is sometimes referred to that due to the many people of Indian decent who recently have moved here. You'd think I would have tried Indian food at some point since I live in an area where I can't go more than a few stores without seeing an Indian restaurant, but I never had. I never had enough curiosity to try it I guess you could say. Also I never really knew anyone who wanted to or was even willing to try it so I just never thought it was a good idea. We went to an all you could eat Indian buffet for lunch and I was willing to try it... but honestly, I was so hungry at this point I would have ate anything. I loaded my plate up with a bunch of different items because I had no idea what I was going to like. I dipped most items in the yogurt sauce which I loved and to my surprise the food wasn't bad. However, I do not think it will ever be my food of choice. But if I am dying of starvation and the only food in sight is Indian, I think it would be my second experience eating it. Luckily Baskin Robbins was right around the block so some of us went and got ice cream with our extra time. Then we got on the R-train and headed to our next stop.
We got off the train in Astoria this time, on Steinway Street. I knew the name Steinway sounded familiar until Mike and Lee talked about the piano company. While we were stopped on this street, Mike brought up the word gentrification. I have never heard of this before but it gave me a clear definition when we turned the corner after our conversation. On Steinway street it wasn't very appealing and looked almost dirty and old, very underdeveloped I guess you could say. When we turned onto 35th Avenue it seemed almost brand new with many chain restaurants such as Applebee's and Starbucks. It was all refurbished, while just around the corner looked as if it had not been touched in many years. We also talked about how "Astoria played and important role in the film industry prior to World War II," (ENY pg. 224). After that thought, most of the industry moved to California due to the better weather to be able to film movies all year long. We then walked down 35th to the Museum of the Moving Image. The museum was very modern and futuristic inside. Me and Meg started on the top floor looking around. We stopped at a few of the hands on sites with the computers. We were able to play scenes from a few movies and add our own sounds or music to each scene. It was cool to see how music actually makes a movie. Another exhibit I really appreciated was the recreation of the how they made Robin Williams into Mrs. Doubtfire considering he recently passed away. Also I never knew who Chuck Jones was until there was the huge exhibit showing his creation of cartoons such as Bugs Bunny and the Road Runner.
After the museum it was about 4:30 PM and the rain seemed to be holding out just for us to make our last stop to Long Island City. We headed back to the subway where we were supposed to take the M-train to Long Island City.... However, we again ran into problems with the schedule because it was Saturday. At this point Mike had decided to let us go early because we could not make it to our last stop. I was kind of upset we did not get to go to Long Island City because I did want to see the skyline of Manhattan but I was so exhausted that I got over it. Since most of us were going back to Rockville Centre we decided it would be easier to stick together and take the subway right to Jamaica. This seemed easier than traveling back to Penn Station which was out of our way... Or so we thought. Mike had told us to stay on the subway train we were on till the last stop, which said Jamaica Center. However, when we got off at that stop there were no signs for the LIRR and when we asked a New York Police man he had told us we were supposed to get off at the stop before this. So we had to run back and hop on that same subway and anxiously wait for it to leave the station because our train home from Jamaica was leaving in approximately 10 minutes. We pulled into Jamaica 3 minutes before our train was scheduled to depart and we all had to run as fast as we could to catch it.. Luckily the train was a few minutes late and we all safely made it on together. From there it was only a short 16 minutes until we were home. I could not wait to shower and sleep at this point so the regret of not seeing Long Island City was long gone.
After the day was over it was clear to me how much I never knew about Queens even though I lived less than a half hour away my entire life. It was an amazing place filled with such amazing historical features. I was also so shocked at the amount of people we encountered in the short hours of our adventure. Everywhere we went was crowded with so many people. While reading the chapter on Queens I was shocked to learn that "if the boroughs of New York were independent cities, Queens would be the fourth largest in the United States" (ENY pg. 213). I had a great first day of class and can not wait to see what this semester brings us!
3. BROOKLYN
I woke up early and ready to go explore Brooklyn on this beautiful morning. The weather was so beautiful, a cool breezy day with partial sun, I could not have been happier. However, the weather had rain in its plan for the late afternoon but I was not gonna let that bring me down. Compared to last week it seemed like it was going to be a perfect day! I picked up Taylor from her house and we got on the train in Wantagh heading to Penn Station at around 9:50 to ensure that we would be on time. I've only been to Brooklyn twice in my life. Once, was to go see a New York Net's game. Even when I went to the game it wasn't like I walked around the borough at all, when we got off the train the Barclay Center was only about 100 yards away. Another time I went to Coney Island, which I wasn't very impressed with cause I was there for the rides and attractions. I honestly never knew much about Brooklyn so I was eager to see what the day had in store for me.
When we got into Penn we met with our class at our usual location. I was sad to hear Mike say that we weren't going to go to Coney Island today due the possible chance of rain. The one time I went to Coney Island I did not even remotely enjoy myself. I feel almost as I did not get the full experience along with learn all the history of the wonderful place. I've seen it in many movies before and events such as the famous hot dog eating contest, but I wanted to enjoy it and take it in for what it's all worth. Maybe one time I'll get to experience again and I will make sure I enjoy it because it seems like a great place. Since we weren't going to Coney Island we were going to do the "Brooklyn Day" the opposite way that Mike usually does it. He seemed pretty excited because he said this is the first time he has done the day this way. Mike prepped us with all that we were going to do today and then we were off to catch the A train to chamber street in lower Manhattan.
We walked a few blocks to a small park on the edge of the east side of lower Manhattan where we took a break and sat while Mike spoke to us. He was standing in front of a building which he pointed out was the Civic Center which was build in the 1840's. He went on to explain that this is where the city began. Before the grid system was created by Clinton in 1811, the city was only 14th Street and down, which is where we were located currently. From 14th street and down the streets are much harder to maneuver around because they do not follow the grid pattern of the streets higher than itself. Mike then went on to talk about the growing population of Brooklyn in the 19th century because it was a desirable spot for many of the wealthy people to live due to its view of the city and closeness to it. "With dramatic increases increases in immigration from Europe in the years leading up to the Civil War, by 1860 Brooklyn would become the third largest city in the United States," ( ENY pg. 192). Due to the growing population, construction of the Brooklyn Bridge commenced in 1869. However, the bridge took 15 years to complete due to complications while building over the Hudson and deaths of engineers such as John Roebling. "In 1883 the Brooklyn Bridge was completed, strengthening the ties between Brooklyn and Manhattan," (ENY pg. 192) After we spoke for a few minutes we were on our way finally on our way to the bridge!
I was so anxious to finally experience the beautiful walk across this historical structure, but of course Mike had to stop and point out the different buildings that surround the bridge. If something was built in the Middle Ages and had arches it is referred to as Neogothic. Columns that look as if the are from recent Rome, they are neoclassical. Anything before 1850 were known as Greek revival because they were simple columns. Mike made it a point that one of his favorite buildings ever in the city is the Municipal Building which is known as Bozart architecture because it has corinthian columns and was created between 1890-1915. After this conversations finally we were off to cross the bridge.
Crossing the bridge was one of the best experiences I have ever had in the city. I've always wanted to do it and honestly while we were crossing I kept thinking to myself why I never had before. The view of both Brooklyn and the Manhattan were amazing up there. It was beautiful. What I enjoyed most about the crossing was the beautiful view of the Freedom Tower. That site holds a special place in my heart because my father was a first responder to the attacks of September 11th because he was a member of the FDNY. It did kind of make me sad that I never had a chance to see the view with the Twin Towers because all the images I've ever seen of those pictures are amazing. Even though it was still an amazing experience. Taylor, Meg and I, took a lot of great photos on the bridge, we were being such tourists. We even signed our names on the bridge. Even though the 1.1 mile walk over the bridge seemed like forever, somehow we managed to beat everyone over the bridge so we stopped and wait for them to catch up. We were now in Brooklyn and our next stop for the day was Dumbo.
Dumbo stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass and it is the hot and new area for people to move. A lot of gentrification is occurring in this area and many young people such as artists and gays are moving here. Mike said we were going to stop at one of the best ice cream places here. Not only do I love ice cream like nothing else in this world, but I was starving and could not wait to eat. It was pretty good ice cream if I do say myself. We headed over to Brooklyn Bridge Park after which is a smaller park located on the Hudson in between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. The view here was amazing. Also in the park is a feature known as Janes Carousel. The carousel was originally in a theme park in Youngstown, Ohio an built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. Jane Walentas and her husband bought the Carousel in 1922 after it was damaged in a fire. At this time they were one of the main developers in Dumbo and they spent 20 years restoring it and placed it in the park. The Carousel is now encased in a $9 million transparent "jewel box created by Jean Nouvel. (ENY pg 207-208) After the park we were off yet again to another section of the borough known as Brooklyn Heights.
To get there we had to walk up a steep hill, which was miserable, but the view at the top was amazing. I could not imagine living along this road and having this beautiful view all to myself outside of my window. Mike began to talk about the apartments here and how the were known as Brownstones. To be honest I never knew what a Brownstone was besides this amazing breakfast place in Amityville. After learning what they actually were and seeing them I wanted to be one of the people in the windows there. They were beautiful and in an even beautiful place. Mike went on to talk about how they all had stoops and thats where the word came from and how they all had a door under the stoop where deliveries and servants would enter the house. He also mentioned how they had a lot of stairs and the servants and maids would live on the top floor in the old days. We then walked through Brooklyn Heights to view the many other Brownstones and we also saw a park were the great Walt Whitman wrote one of his famous poems. Also in this section we stopped at the Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims where Mike talked about the statue of Henry Ward Beecher was the first pastor. He aided in the abolishment of slavery with his sister, Harriet Beecher Stowe, which I later found out that day was a big thing in Brooklyn. At this point most of us were trained from everything and starving. Mike took us to Court Street where there was a large selection of food he pointed it, however, most of us went to chipotle and enjoyed some nice mexican food as it began to rain outside.
We only had about 30 minutes for lunch today and then it was on to our next stop for the day which was the Brooklyn Historical Society. To be honest this was my least favorite part of the day, probably because we had the most boring tour guide I have ever encountered. "The society's headquarters were designed by George Post from 1878-1881 in renaissance revival style," (ENY pg. 205). The guide mentioned out it was very expensive to be a member here and it was a place the people could go to basically hang out back then. The building was very beautiful inside and she also said that they had redone it, but they had preserved the way it looked for historical reasons. Much of her talk was focused on the slavery that took place in Brooklyn when the Dutch settled in the 1660's and took African slaves with them. Brooklyn was known as the slave capital of New York at this time. I thought it was cool that they actually had a record of one slave owner selling a slave to another person for 38 lbs. What I found most cool was the library in the building. It was beautiful and contained so much detail in all of its designs. The bookcases did not touch the ceiling on purpose because the architects wanted to show that they were in fact not holding up the structure. After the tour Mike took us outside and showed us "sculptures by Olin Levi Warner that include Columbus, Benjamin Franklin, a Viking and a Native American," on the outside of the building that have nothing to do with it other than to show off how cultural we were. (ENY pg. 205) Luckily Mike told us we only had a short while until we were free, which after that tour I couldn't have been more happy with this news.
Our last stop was at Brooklyns City Hall building. Relating back to when Mike spoke to us about architecture it was clear that this building was neoclassical due to the columns on the steps of the building. The building was gorgeous especially with the large American flag hanging on it. Mike also pointed out the judicial building which was next store to it which had been built in a later period in time. It was a contemporary style and very boring and ugly. It made me wish that buildings were still made how they were in the older periods of time. Now-a-days we build most things to make them cheap, not to make them look beautiful like back then.
Luckily after this Mike let us go early because he could see we were all drained from the long day and the crappy weather. Also we did not have enough time to go to the MET which he had planned for us instead of Coney Island. A bunch of us hopped back on the subway that took us straight to Penn Station and within no time I was on my way home eager to shower and get to bed. Do not get me wrong I enjoyed today a lot but I was just so exhausted. I can not wait to see what next week has in store for us.
I woke up early and ready to go explore Brooklyn on this beautiful morning. The weather was so beautiful, a cool breezy day with partial sun, I could not have been happier. However, the weather had rain in its plan for the late afternoon but I was not gonna let that bring me down. Compared to last week it seemed like it was going to be a perfect day! I picked up Taylor from her house and we got on the train in Wantagh heading to Penn Station at around 9:50 to ensure that we would be on time. I've only been to Brooklyn twice in my life. Once, was to go see a New York Net's game. Even when I went to the game it wasn't like I walked around the borough at all, when we got off the train the Barclay Center was only about 100 yards away. Another time I went to Coney Island, which I wasn't very impressed with cause I was there for the rides and attractions. I honestly never knew much about Brooklyn so I was eager to see what the day had in store for me.
When we got into Penn we met with our class at our usual location. I was sad to hear Mike say that we weren't going to go to Coney Island today due the possible chance of rain. The one time I went to Coney Island I did not even remotely enjoy myself. I feel almost as I did not get the full experience along with learn all the history of the wonderful place. I've seen it in many movies before and events such as the famous hot dog eating contest, but I wanted to enjoy it and take it in for what it's all worth. Maybe one time I'll get to experience again and I will make sure I enjoy it because it seems like a great place. Since we weren't going to Coney Island we were going to do the "Brooklyn Day" the opposite way that Mike usually does it. He seemed pretty excited because he said this is the first time he has done the day this way. Mike prepped us with all that we were going to do today and then we were off to catch the A train to chamber street in lower Manhattan.
We walked a few blocks to a small park on the edge of the east side of lower Manhattan where we took a break and sat while Mike spoke to us. He was standing in front of a building which he pointed out was the Civic Center which was build in the 1840's. He went on to explain that this is where the city began. Before the grid system was created by Clinton in 1811, the city was only 14th Street and down, which is where we were located currently. From 14th street and down the streets are much harder to maneuver around because they do not follow the grid pattern of the streets higher than itself. Mike then went on to talk about the growing population of Brooklyn in the 19th century because it was a desirable spot for many of the wealthy people to live due to its view of the city and closeness to it. "With dramatic increases increases in immigration from Europe in the years leading up to the Civil War, by 1860 Brooklyn would become the third largest city in the United States," ( ENY pg. 192). Due to the growing population, construction of the Brooklyn Bridge commenced in 1869. However, the bridge took 15 years to complete due to complications while building over the Hudson and deaths of engineers such as John Roebling. "In 1883 the Brooklyn Bridge was completed, strengthening the ties between Brooklyn and Manhattan," (ENY pg. 192) After we spoke for a few minutes we were on our way finally on our way to the bridge!
I was so anxious to finally experience the beautiful walk across this historical structure, but of course Mike had to stop and point out the different buildings that surround the bridge. If something was built in the Middle Ages and had arches it is referred to as Neogothic. Columns that look as if the are from recent Rome, they are neoclassical. Anything before 1850 were known as Greek revival because they were simple columns. Mike made it a point that one of his favorite buildings ever in the city is the Municipal Building which is known as Bozart architecture because it has corinthian columns and was created between 1890-1915. After this conversations finally we were off to cross the bridge.
Crossing the bridge was one of the best experiences I have ever had in the city. I've always wanted to do it and honestly while we were crossing I kept thinking to myself why I never had before. The view of both Brooklyn and the Manhattan were amazing up there. It was beautiful. What I enjoyed most about the crossing was the beautiful view of the Freedom Tower. That site holds a special place in my heart because my father was a first responder to the attacks of September 11th because he was a member of the FDNY. It did kind of make me sad that I never had a chance to see the view with the Twin Towers because all the images I've ever seen of those pictures are amazing. Even though it was still an amazing experience. Taylor, Meg and I, took a lot of great photos on the bridge, we were being such tourists. We even signed our names on the bridge. Even though the 1.1 mile walk over the bridge seemed like forever, somehow we managed to beat everyone over the bridge so we stopped and wait for them to catch up. We were now in Brooklyn and our next stop for the day was Dumbo.
Dumbo stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass and it is the hot and new area for people to move. A lot of gentrification is occurring in this area and many young people such as artists and gays are moving here. Mike said we were going to stop at one of the best ice cream places here. Not only do I love ice cream like nothing else in this world, but I was starving and could not wait to eat. It was pretty good ice cream if I do say myself. We headed over to Brooklyn Bridge Park after which is a smaller park located on the Hudson in between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. The view here was amazing. Also in the park is a feature known as Janes Carousel. The carousel was originally in a theme park in Youngstown, Ohio an built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. Jane Walentas and her husband bought the Carousel in 1922 after it was damaged in a fire. At this time they were one of the main developers in Dumbo and they spent 20 years restoring it and placed it in the park. The Carousel is now encased in a $9 million transparent "jewel box created by Jean Nouvel. (ENY pg 207-208) After the park we were off yet again to another section of the borough known as Brooklyn Heights.
To get there we had to walk up a steep hill, which was miserable, but the view at the top was amazing. I could not imagine living along this road and having this beautiful view all to myself outside of my window. Mike began to talk about the apartments here and how the were known as Brownstones. To be honest I never knew what a Brownstone was besides this amazing breakfast place in Amityville. After learning what they actually were and seeing them I wanted to be one of the people in the windows there. They were beautiful and in an even beautiful place. Mike went on to talk about how they all had stoops and thats where the word came from and how they all had a door under the stoop where deliveries and servants would enter the house. He also mentioned how they had a lot of stairs and the servants and maids would live on the top floor in the old days. We then walked through Brooklyn Heights to view the many other Brownstones and we also saw a park were the great Walt Whitman wrote one of his famous poems. Also in this section we stopped at the Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims where Mike talked about the statue of Henry Ward Beecher was the first pastor. He aided in the abolishment of slavery with his sister, Harriet Beecher Stowe, which I later found out that day was a big thing in Brooklyn. At this point most of us were trained from everything and starving. Mike took us to Court Street where there was a large selection of food he pointed it, however, most of us went to chipotle and enjoyed some nice mexican food as it began to rain outside.
We only had about 30 minutes for lunch today and then it was on to our next stop for the day which was the Brooklyn Historical Society. To be honest this was my least favorite part of the day, probably because we had the most boring tour guide I have ever encountered. "The society's headquarters were designed by George Post from 1878-1881 in renaissance revival style," (ENY pg. 205). The guide mentioned out it was very expensive to be a member here and it was a place the people could go to basically hang out back then. The building was very beautiful inside and she also said that they had redone it, but they had preserved the way it looked for historical reasons. Much of her talk was focused on the slavery that took place in Brooklyn when the Dutch settled in the 1660's and took African slaves with them. Brooklyn was known as the slave capital of New York at this time. I thought it was cool that they actually had a record of one slave owner selling a slave to another person for 38 lbs. What I found most cool was the library in the building. It was beautiful and contained so much detail in all of its designs. The bookcases did not touch the ceiling on purpose because the architects wanted to show that they were in fact not holding up the structure. After the tour Mike took us outside and showed us "sculptures by Olin Levi Warner that include Columbus, Benjamin Franklin, a Viking and a Native American," on the outside of the building that have nothing to do with it other than to show off how cultural we were. (ENY pg. 205) Luckily Mike told us we only had a short while until we were free, which after that tour I couldn't have been more happy with this news.
Our last stop was at Brooklyns City Hall building. Relating back to when Mike spoke to us about architecture it was clear that this building was neoclassical due to the columns on the steps of the building. The building was gorgeous especially with the large American flag hanging on it. Mike also pointed out the judicial building which was next store to it which had been built in a later period in time. It was a contemporary style and very boring and ugly. It made me wish that buildings were still made how they were in the older periods of time. Now-a-days we build most things to make them cheap, not to make them look beautiful like back then.
Luckily after this Mike let us go early because he could see we were all drained from the long day and the crappy weather. Also we did not have enough time to go to the MET which he had planned for us instead of Coney Island. A bunch of us hopped back on the subway that took us straight to Penn Station and within no time I was on my way home eager to shower and get to bed. Do not get me wrong I enjoyed today a lot but I was just so exhausted. I can not wait to see what next week has in store for us.
4. THE VILLAGES and CHELSEA
I woke up on this morning not myself. Unfortunately I had got a concussion the week prior and was still not up to many tasks. However, I thought it would be a good idea to attempt to make it through the day, or at least for as long as I could. Sadly it was the day that Mike had mentioned to be the one with the most walking so I had some type of feeling I was not going to make it for long. I got on the train in Hicksville at 10 AM and headed into Penn Station hopeful that my symptoms would hold up for me to do my best. When I got into Penn I could already sense my headache growing and we had not even begun. When we met in Penn Station, Mike began the day by talking to us about the history of it. First he wanted us to notice they ugliness of it and how contemporary the style was. He went on to explain how "The original Pennsylvania Station built in 1910 by McKim, Mead, and White was considered a masterpiece of Beaux-Arts style and we revered as one of the most impressive buildings in New York City," (ENY pg. 114). At this time I could not picture what he meant by it being beautiful because to me it has always looked the same, which is crappy. In 1963, despite large protests against this action, the original Pennsylvania Station was torn down and was then built underground below the famous Madison Square Garden. I mean do not get me wrong the outside of it now is completely hideous to the old pictures I have seen of it, however, I love MSG and going to games there. They recently renovated the inside of the arena and it is amazing. We then headed outside for us to get a sense of how it really looked.
Just across the street is the James Farley Post Office. It is beautiful. It has gorgeous neoclassical columns lining the front steps to the many entrances of doors. Mike explained how the building was a bozart type of architecture and that Penn Station was very similar to this beautiful building before it was redone. It does not make sense to me how someone could tear down something that looks as amazing like this to put up such a crappy cheap looking building. Anyway, Mike mentioned how there were future plans to make the new entrance of the station similar to that of the post office which I really do hope happens. Soon enough we were off again walking East on 34th Street.
After a few blocks we stopped in a loading dock in Chelsea where Mike and Lee spoke about the history of this part of the city. They explained that Clement Clarke Moore, after inheriting the 94 acres from his grandfather, began to develop the land so that it was a desirable spot to live and work. “The neighborhood remained fairly exclusive until 1847, when the Hudson River Railroad laid tracks through Chelsea, precipitating its transformation into a heavily industrialized area” (ENY, pg. 83). From there we headed down to the famous High Line, which I was very excited before. I have seen so many pictures and heard so many things of this wonderful place but never actually been there. It was an old freight line from the 1800's that they later raised in the 1930's because it was causing too many fatalities from people crossing over the tracks. The reason it became a boardwalk type park attraction was because it was abandoned at a point in time. They had planned to tear it down but instead they decided to create tho beautiful walk through Chelsea. Unfortunately our time on the High Line was very limited and very crowded. I hope one day to make my way back there and enjoy it for what it really is. When we got off the High Line we were in the Chelsea art district, and it was pretty obvious honestly.
Mike took us to some of the various galleries along a few of the blocks in the area and let us browse around them. I was not impressed with many of the art and would never even think about paying the immense amount of money for them. Some of them I could not even imagine being in someones house. The only gallery that I actually had any interest in was the one by David Hockney. As we walked in there was a huge screen with 9 different panels that was displaying a virtual image of a long pathway as if you were walking it and the seasons were changing right before your eyes. I thought that was really cool especially when I saw all his different drawings from different times of the year at the same area. If I were to buy any of these I'd want a few of the paintings because I feel almost like one painting does not grasp the whole concept that he was going for. They also look a lot better and more complete when they are all next to each other. Other than this exhibit, nothing else really blew my mind. After all these galleries I could feel my headache getting worse and I knew I was not going to make it much longer.
The last place I made it to for the day was a small bookstore which Mike wanted us to go in and take in the atmosphere. He told us to go in and find something that is provocative and gives us a strange feeling. I basically felt that with everything I saw, so Taylor and I did not spend much time in there and also my headache was getting very bad. After this stop could tell we were about to do a lot of walking through the villages. I decided it was probably best if I head back to Penn Station before we just got further and I began to feel worse. I told Lee I was leaving and I was on my way. I was about 20 blocks South and 3 avenues East of Penn so I began my walk. I was really proud of myself because I got back there all by myself without even using my phone! I got on the next train and headed home.
At a later time I spoke to Mike and he was awesome about it and just explained that he would give me some of the things they did and I could make up the class when I got time instead of losing credit. So heres my own journey throughout the villages....
I decided to venture into the city on Columbus Day to make up the few things I missed. I had no school and it was practically the only time I could fit this short trip into my schedule. I headed into the city mid-afternoon kind of nervous to be honest, I mean I've taken the train into the city by myself, but to walk around the city all alone was new to me. However, I was still very excited to figure out this journey all on my own. Once I got to Penn I decided to take a taxi to Washington Square park to start my day.
The taxi dropped me off right on the corner of 5th Avenue and Washington Square North, which was right in front of the famous Arch that I had never seen in person before. To be honest I never thought it was going to be as big as it was and it was so much more beautiful in person. It was "designed by Standford White and completed in 1891, the 70 foot high triumphal arch was modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and dedicated to the centennial of George Washington's inauguration," (ENY pg. 95). The right side of the arch symbolizes Washington at war while the left side symbolizes him at peace. It still looked almost brand new as it stood there and I find that just amazing. After wondering around the park for a little I made my way through and started walking west done Washington Square South in hopes to hit the Merchant House after a few blocks.
Walking down this block took me right through NYU's campus and it was a pretty cool experience. The campus is so large compared to Molloy that I could not imagine making my journey to class everyday however it would be pretty cool to attend a wonderful school in such a great location. After a few blocks I found the Merchant House on East 4th Street. I almost did not think it was a museum until a few other students in front of me made their way inside so I followed them in. The door had a black wreath on it which kind of freaked me out. As I went in to the back room to obtain my self-tour guide, the man who was working explained to us that the house was set up in mourning currently. (This explained the black wreath to me) Once I got the guide the man said we could either go into the back garden or down in the hall to read through the introduction, so I chose to go and sit in the garden since it was a nice day out. The intro said how the home was preserved from the 19th century, including all of the furniture and even the clothes that were in the house. It was going to give you a sense of what it was like to be a wealthy merchant in New York from 1835-1865 and also what it was like to be their servant. Seabury Tredwell bought the house in 1835 for $18,000 which to me seemed like a large sum of money back then. The last Tredwell died their in 1933 and one of the grand-nephews of Eliza Tredwell decided to preserve the house and turn it into a museum which then opened in 1936.
When I entered the house through the basement door I was shocked to find that the kitchen was down there. Most houses now a days have the kitchens on the first floor practically right when you walk in the house. There was a bucket of coal on the floor that you were allowed to lift to get a sense of how heavy it was for the servants. To be honest I did not think it was that bad but I guess when you have to carry a bunch of them up the stairs over and over it gets heavier. The kitchen was very old looking but it was amazing to me that they preserved such things as the stove and random utensils which were seen on the table. After traveling up the stairs to the main floor I entered the parlor rooms. It was extremely freaky to me because it was set up as a funeral was going on and it was dark and dreary and honestly I rushed through both of the rooms because I could not handle it. I then proceeded to the bedrooms where I was shocked to find that the mother and father had their own rooms. The beds were both beautiful with the mahogany bed posts draped with cloth. Yet again though the fathers bedroom was dark and dreary with a body in the bed as if he had just died. The dress in the study was pretty interesting considering it was one of 39 they saved from the families collection. Then I headed up the 2 next flights of the stairs to the servants quarters, which let me tell you was a serious hike. I could not imagine being a servant for these families back then. I can barely make it up one flight of stairs let alone 4 ! This museum was actually really interesting because in my own opinion it was less of a museum and more of just an experience of what life was in 19th century New York.
After I was done with the museum I head back to Washington Square North to take a look at the houses that were on this block. The houses looked similar to the merchants museum I had just seen. They had the same 19th century look to the outside of them. It was clear though that they had been refurbished as most of them seemed to be affiliated with NYU now. The houses were occupied by families of wealthy bankers and merchants. The houses used to extend back further where their horse stables were located. (ENY pg. 96)
After walking down this block I decided to walk my way back to Penn Station down 5th Avenue. I knew it was going to be a long walk but it was a beautiful day out and I just wanted to enjoy the city for what it was since I never actually have. The walk didn't even seem that bad to be honest. I did however, have to hold myself back from wanting to go in every store and buy everything especially with the sales going on. I had a great trip into the city by myself and hopefully now I have the confidence to do it more often.
I woke up on this morning not myself. Unfortunately I had got a concussion the week prior and was still not up to many tasks. However, I thought it would be a good idea to attempt to make it through the day, or at least for as long as I could. Sadly it was the day that Mike had mentioned to be the one with the most walking so I had some type of feeling I was not going to make it for long. I got on the train in Hicksville at 10 AM and headed into Penn Station hopeful that my symptoms would hold up for me to do my best. When I got into Penn I could already sense my headache growing and we had not even begun. When we met in Penn Station, Mike began the day by talking to us about the history of it. First he wanted us to notice they ugliness of it and how contemporary the style was. He went on to explain how "The original Pennsylvania Station built in 1910 by McKim, Mead, and White was considered a masterpiece of Beaux-Arts style and we revered as one of the most impressive buildings in New York City," (ENY pg. 114). At this time I could not picture what he meant by it being beautiful because to me it has always looked the same, which is crappy. In 1963, despite large protests against this action, the original Pennsylvania Station was torn down and was then built underground below the famous Madison Square Garden. I mean do not get me wrong the outside of it now is completely hideous to the old pictures I have seen of it, however, I love MSG and going to games there. They recently renovated the inside of the arena and it is amazing. We then headed outside for us to get a sense of how it really looked.
Just across the street is the James Farley Post Office. It is beautiful. It has gorgeous neoclassical columns lining the front steps to the many entrances of doors. Mike explained how the building was a bozart type of architecture and that Penn Station was very similar to this beautiful building before it was redone. It does not make sense to me how someone could tear down something that looks as amazing like this to put up such a crappy cheap looking building. Anyway, Mike mentioned how there were future plans to make the new entrance of the station similar to that of the post office which I really do hope happens. Soon enough we were off again walking East on 34th Street.
After a few blocks we stopped in a loading dock in Chelsea where Mike and Lee spoke about the history of this part of the city. They explained that Clement Clarke Moore, after inheriting the 94 acres from his grandfather, began to develop the land so that it was a desirable spot to live and work. “The neighborhood remained fairly exclusive until 1847, when the Hudson River Railroad laid tracks through Chelsea, precipitating its transformation into a heavily industrialized area” (ENY, pg. 83). From there we headed down to the famous High Line, which I was very excited before. I have seen so many pictures and heard so many things of this wonderful place but never actually been there. It was an old freight line from the 1800's that they later raised in the 1930's because it was causing too many fatalities from people crossing over the tracks. The reason it became a boardwalk type park attraction was because it was abandoned at a point in time. They had planned to tear it down but instead they decided to create tho beautiful walk through Chelsea. Unfortunately our time on the High Line was very limited and very crowded. I hope one day to make my way back there and enjoy it for what it really is. When we got off the High Line we were in the Chelsea art district, and it was pretty obvious honestly.
Mike took us to some of the various galleries along a few of the blocks in the area and let us browse around them. I was not impressed with many of the art and would never even think about paying the immense amount of money for them. Some of them I could not even imagine being in someones house. The only gallery that I actually had any interest in was the one by David Hockney. As we walked in there was a huge screen with 9 different panels that was displaying a virtual image of a long pathway as if you were walking it and the seasons were changing right before your eyes. I thought that was really cool especially when I saw all his different drawings from different times of the year at the same area. If I were to buy any of these I'd want a few of the paintings because I feel almost like one painting does not grasp the whole concept that he was going for. They also look a lot better and more complete when they are all next to each other. Other than this exhibit, nothing else really blew my mind. After all these galleries I could feel my headache getting worse and I knew I was not going to make it much longer.
The last place I made it to for the day was a small bookstore which Mike wanted us to go in and take in the atmosphere. He told us to go in and find something that is provocative and gives us a strange feeling. I basically felt that with everything I saw, so Taylor and I did not spend much time in there and also my headache was getting very bad. After this stop could tell we were about to do a lot of walking through the villages. I decided it was probably best if I head back to Penn Station before we just got further and I began to feel worse. I told Lee I was leaving and I was on my way. I was about 20 blocks South and 3 avenues East of Penn so I began my walk. I was really proud of myself because I got back there all by myself without even using my phone! I got on the next train and headed home.
At a later time I spoke to Mike and he was awesome about it and just explained that he would give me some of the things they did and I could make up the class when I got time instead of losing credit. So heres my own journey throughout the villages....
I decided to venture into the city on Columbus Day to make up the few things I missed. I had no school and it was practically the only time I could fit this short trip into my schedule. I headed into the city mid-afternoon kind of nervous to be honest, I mean I've taken the train into the city by myself, but to walk around the city all alone was new to me. However, I was still very excited to figure out this journey all on my own. Once I got to Penn I decided to take a taxi to Washington Square park to start my day.
The taxi dropped me off right on the corner of 5th Avenue and Washington Square North, which was right in front of the famous Arch that I had never seen in person before. To be honest I never thought it was going to be as big as it was and it was so much more beautiful in person. It was "designed by Standford White and completed in 1891, the 70 foot high triumphal arch was modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and dedicated to the centennial of George Washington's inauguration," (ENY pg. 95). The right side of the arch symbolizes Washington at war while the left side symbolizes him at peace. It still looked almost brand new as it stood there and I find that just amazing. After wondering around the park for a little I made my way through and started walking west done Washington Square South in hopes to hit the Merchant House after a few blocks.
Walking down this block took me right through NYU's campus and it was a pretty cool experience. The campus is so large compared to Molloy that I could not imagine making my journey to class everyday however it would be pretty cool to attend a wonderful school in such a great location. After a few blocks I found the Merchant House on East 4th Street. I almost did not think it was a museum until a few other students in front of me made their way inside so I followed them in. The door had a black wreath on it which kind of freaked me out. As I went in to the back room to obtain my self-tour guide, the man who was working explained to us that the house was set up in mourning currently. (This explained the black wreath to me) Once I got the guide the man said we could either go into the back garden or down in the hall to read through the introduction, so I chose to go and sit in the garden since it was a nice day out. The intro said how the home was preserved from the 19th century, including all of the furniture and even the clothes that were in the house. It was going to give you a sense of what it was like to be a wealthy merchant in New York from 1835-1865 and also what it was like to be their servant. Seabury Tredwell bought the house in 1835 for $18,000 which to me seemed like a large sum of money back then. The last Tredwell died their in 1933 and one of the grand-nephews of Eliza Tredwell decided to preserve the house and turn it into a museum which then opened in 1936.
When I entered the house through the basement door I was shocked to find that the kitchen was down there. Most houses now a days have the kitchens on the first floor practically right when you walk in the house. There was a bucket of coal on the floor that you were allowed to lift to get a sense of how heavy it was for the servants. To be honest I did not think it was that bad but I guess when you have to carry a bunch of them up the stairs over and over it gets heavier. The kitchen was very old looking but it was amazing to me that they preserved such things as the stove and random utensils which were seen on the table. After traveling up the stairs to the main floor I entered the parlor rooms. It was extremely freaky to me because it was set up as a funeral was going on and it was dark and dreary and honestly I rushed through both of the rooms because I could not handle it. I then proceeded to the bedrooms where I was shocked to find that the mother and father had their own rooms. The beds were both beautiful with the mahogany bed posts draped with cloth. Yet again though the fathers bedroom was dark and dreary with a body in the bed as if he had just died. The dress in the study was pretty interesting considering it was one of 39 they saved from the families collection. Then I headed up the 2 next flights of the stairs to the servants quarters, which let me tell you was a serious hike. I could not imagine being a servant for these families back then. I can barely make it up one flight of stairs let alone 4 ! This museum was actually really interesting because in my own opinion it was less of a museum and more of just an experience of what life was in 19th century New York.
After I was done with the museum I head back to Washington Square North to take a look at the houses that were on this block. The houses looked similar to the merchants museum I had just seen. They had the same 19th century look to the outside of them. It was clear though that they had been refurbished as most of them seemed to be affiliated with NYU now. The houses were occupied by families of wealthy bankers and merchants. The houses used to extend back further where their horse stables were located. (ENY pg. 96)
After walking down this block I decided to walk my way back to Penn Station down 5th Avenue. I knew it was going to be a long walk but it was a beautiful day out and I just wanted to enjoy the city for what it was since I never actually have. The walk didn't even seem that bad to be honest. I did however, have to hold myself back from wanting to go in every store and buy everything especially with the sales going on. I had a great trip into the city by myself and hopefully now I have the confidence to do it more often.