Journals 1-4
1. Impressions of NYC:
My view of NYC is bright lights, tall buildings, an enormous melting pot and the smell of food lingering in the air. I think of rude New Yorkers always in a rush and angry cab drivers raging down the crowded NYC streets. I envision a swarm of people crossing the streets and walking along the sidewalks; bikers cruising down the roads while listening to the music in their ears via headphones and tour buses creeping along the roads. I imagine NYC as an overpopulated area where there is always something to do and rarely a dull moment. In the city that never sleeps it's a wonder how one may doze off in a corner with all the noise and excitement. NYC to me is a beautiful city filled with rich cultures, skyscrapers, an abundance of talents and loads of entertainment to choose from!
2. Queens:
On Friday September 5th 2014, myself and my fellow Gothamites went to the city of Queens. As stated in, "Essential New York", Queens is known as the dullest of the boroughs in NYC. I tend to agree with this statement. I view Queens as a step down from Long Island mostly due to its location and closeness, with the exception of the subways and a similar 'look' to the other boroughs of the city. Queens has many residential areas similar to that of Long Island in which I am accustomed to, being a Long Islander. However, our tour around Queens blew my mind away.
Our first destination was to the US Open via the 7 train. The ride there was quick and pleasant. At each stop, I saw more city life and action among the city. I spotted vendors along the sidewalks, bikers, cars and an abundance of taxis riding by. Queens is very rich in culture. I glimpsed many different businesses varying in ethnic backgrounds all along the streets of Queens. The US Open was a grand site to behold. I always saw it on TV watching my favorite tennis matches but I never realized what it would be like to see it up close and personal. I was shocked to learn that the US Open was in Queens, I thought it was Brooklyn or Manhattan. The walk from the train to the entrance of the of the US Open was very crowded due to September being part of the busiest times of the year for events held at the US Open. People were entering this venue in swarms eager to reach inside with an apparent discontent for the hot sun beating down on their faces. Security guards and police officers stood at every corner all throughout the venue keeping watch and providing their services. I made a mental note to myself to return in the near future to enjoy a tennis match or two. Who would have known that the US Open was this close to home!
After admiring the US Open, we ventured off to Flushing Meadow Coronas Park. I had previously read in, "Essential New York", that the park housed Citi Field, USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and a small zoo, however, I was not prepared for what I witnessed. The park seemed to be triple the size of Central Park in Manhattan with all of its grand attractions. The Queens Museum alone occupied a large area of the park in which I did not even know existed before now. I was speechless, I had no idea that all of these interesting attractions within Flushing Meadow Coronas Park was only minutes from where I live. We sat on the bleachers across from a tennis court and learned about the World's Fair in which came to an end in 1965; now takes place in Disney Land and Disney World. Queens indeed is an immense city filled with lots of appeal that many people fail to know of.
Our next stop was to the Queens Museum. Our walk to the museum was long and adventurous. We stopped to take pictures of various sceneries including the large globe surrounded by the water fall termed the Unisphere. This was truly a beautiful sight. Upon entering the museum we were greeted by staff who provided us with stickers for entrance into the museum. The words, "As far as the eye can see" are written in big red letters splayed against the wall. We saw various different artworks. One exhibition in particular titled, 'Bringing the World into the World' by Harun Farock and other artists, we learned that this piece was made using chinese textbooks. I imagine that this piece portrays education and the sharing of knowledge among each other. Another piece that we saw that literally took my breath away was the Panorama of New York City which was created by Robert Moses and Raymond Lester. This piece was very detailed and structured, it presented NYC in its entirety. I loved this piece the most. Each borough was skillfully designed within this model. One could experience the beauty of NYC and the rich history just by studying this piece. We also saw the Watershed piece, we learned where each area gets their water supply which I thought was pretty cool. One interesting fact that I found shocking was that Manhattan has the purest water supply, being that Manhattan is not the cleanest of cities, I would never think that the water there is clean.
We headed out to Astoria, Queens to Jackson Diner where we had Indian Cuisine. The atmosphere was warm and inviting. I ate white rice, curry goat, samosa, chicken masala and nan. The flavors were delicious. However at first glance the food did not look appetizing. I especially enjoyed the rice, curry goat and nan. After lunch I was ready for a nap the food was very filling and the heat outside was uninviting. Our journey continued on to the Museum of Moving Images in which I really enjoyed. I saw the very first original tv's and radios. We played around with movie props, did voice overs and learned about the importance of music within movies. We saw how cartoon characters are created and were able to create our own mini movies using different pictures and props. I saw a wall of many different famous actors, directors, musicians and producers. Throughout the museum, there were various shows and movies playing. This museum was very entertaining and I'd definitely return with friends and family.
Lastly we went to Long Island City where we stopped by the MOMA PSI, unfortunately we were not able to go in. We walked from one block to the next and experienced gentrification at its finest. It was like the differences between night and day; we passed the slums and entered rich Hollywood. We saw the most beautiful skyscrapers facing the water. The oddest building of the bunch was the UN building being the shortest, all white and square formed. The huge pepsi sign in front of the million dollar apartments was a sight to behold. Our last stop was at the 19th century gantry at Gantry State Park. Queens is a beautiful city with so much to offer. Aside from all the walking and heat, the tour around Queens was great and a memorable one at that. I can't wait to see what Brooklyn has to offer next week!
On Friday September 5th 2014, myself and my fellow Gothamites went to the city of Queens. As stated in, "Essential New York", Queens is known as the dullest of the boroughs in NYC. I tend to agree with this statement. I view Queens as a step down from Long Island mostly due to its location and closeness, with the exception of the subways and a similar 'look' to the other boroughs of the city. Queens has many residential areas similar to that of Long Island in which I am accustomed to, being a Long Islander. However, our tour around Queens blew my mind away.
Our first destination was to the US Open via the 7 train. The ride there was quick and pleasant. At each stop, I saw more city life and action among the city. I spotted vendors along the sidewalks, bikers, cars and an abundance of taxis riding by. Queens is very rich in culture. I glimpsed many different businesses varying in ethnic backgrounds all along the streets of Queens. The US Open was a grand site to behold. I always saw it on TV watching my favorite tennis matches but I never realized what it would be like to see it up close and personal. I was shocked to learn that the US Open was in Queens, I thought it was Brooklyn or Manhattan. The walk from the train to the entrance of the of the US Open was very crowded due to September being part of the busiest times of the year for events held at the US Open. People were entering this venue in swarms eager to reach inside with an apparent discontent for the hot sun beating down on their faces. Security guards and police officers stood at every corner all throughout the venue keeping watch and providing their services. I made a mental note to myself to return in the near future to enjoy a tennis match or two. Who would have known that the US Open was this close to home!
After admiring the US Open, we ventured off to Flushing Meadow Coronas Park. I had previously read in, "Essential New York", that the park housed Citi Field, USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and a small zoo, however, I was not prepared for what I witnessed. The park seemed to be triple the size of Central Park in Manhattan with all of its grand attractions. The Queens Museum alone occupied a large area of the park in which I did not even know existed before now. I was speechless, I had no idea that all of these interesting attractions within Flushing Meadow Coronas Park was only minutes from where I live. We sat on the bleachers across from a tennis court and learned about the World's Fair in which came to an end in 1965; now takes place in Disney Land and Disney World. Queens indeed is an immense city filled with lots of appeal that many people fail to know of.
Our next stop was to the Queens Museum. Our walk to the museum was long and adventurous. We stopped to take pictures of various sceneries including the large globe surrounded by the water fall termed the Unisphere. This was truly a beautiful sight. Upon entering the museum we were greeted by staff who provided us with stickers for entrance into the museum. The words, "As far as the eye can see" are written in big red letters splayed against the wall. We saw various different artworks. One exhibition in particular titled, 'Bringing the World into the World' by Harun Farock and other artists, we learned that this piece was made using chinese textbooks. I imagine that this piece portrays education and the sharing of knowledge among each other. Another piece that we saw that literally took my breath away was the Panorama of New York City which was created by Robert Moses and Raymond Lester. This piece was very detailed and structured, it presented NYC in its entirety. I loved this piece the most. Each borough was skillfully designed within this model. One could experience the beauty of NYC and the rich history just by studying this piece. We also saw the Watershed piece, we learned where each area gets their water supply which I thought was pretty cool. One interesting fact that I found shocking was that Manhattan has the purest water supply, being that Manhattan is not the cleanest of cities, I would never think that the water there is clean.
We headed out to Astoria, Queens to Jackson Diner where we had Indian Cuisine. The atmosphere was warm and inviting. I ate white rice, curry goat, samosa, chicken masala and nan. The flavors were delicious. However at first glance the food did not look appetizing. I especially enjoyed the rice, curry goat and nan. After lunch I was ready for a nap the food was very filling and the heat outside was uninviting. Our journey continued on to the Museum of Moving Images in which I really enjoyed. I saw the very first original tv's and radios. We played around with movie props, did voice overs and learned about the importance of music within movies. We saw how cartoon characters are created and were able to create our own mini movies using different pictures and props. I saw a wall of many different famous actors, directors, musicians and producers. Throughout the museum, there were various shows and movies playing. This museum was very entertaining and I'd definitely return with friends and family.
Lastly we went to Long Island City where we stopped by the MOMA PSI, unfortunately we were not able to go in. We walked from one block to the next and experienced gentrification at its finest. It was like the differences between night and day; we passed the slums and entered rich Hollywood. We saw the most beautiful skyscrapers facing the water. The oddest building of the bunch was the UN building being the shortest, all white and square formed. The huge pepsi sign in front of the million dollar apartments was a sight to behold. Our last stop was at the 19th century gantry at Gantry State Park. Queens is a beautiful city with so much to offer. Aside from all the walking and heat, the tour around Queens was great and a memorable one at that. I can't wait to see what Brooklyn has to offer next week!
3. Boisterous Brooklyn:
Today was an adventurous day. We met up at the usual spot by the ticket booth in Penn Station and took the F train to Brooklyn. First stop was to Coney Island, this was exciting because I have never been to Coney Island and have always wanted to go. We walked along the boardwalk and explored the many shops and restaurants on the way. It was a beautiful sunny day and the beach was still open. We bought some food from Popeye's and sat on the sand by the beach to eat our lunch. The smell of the ocean and continuous swishing of the waves provided a great calm and contentment within us. We were so drawn to the beach that we didn't get a chance to go on any of the rides like we planned to before it was time to leave. I definitely have to go back to Coney Island and spend a day there to enjoy the park.
We hopped back on the F train and stopped at the Museum of Transit. Upon entering I thought that this was another subway entrance. This museum was admirable, I loved the feel of an actual subway. Our tour guide gave us a great tour of the site and some interesting history of the subway system. I learned that the first actual underground subway in NYC was built in 1904. Before this the main transportation system was through horses which created many problems. Such issues were that of the large amounts of horse poop all around the city as well as the piles and piles of trash throughout. This mess produced disease which led to death as well as filth around the city. Following, trains were built above ground however that creation had come to an end after the blizzard of 1888. This major storm generated over 50 feet of snow which made it difficult for the trains to move along and caused people to be trapped inside the trains. Today, the subway is the best way to get around the city and very convenient and much safer for everyone as opposed to the past. I learned about Sandhogs and the severity of their jobs and how dangerous it is and still is to date. We saw pictures of old trains and different tools and equipment used to build the subway. It was a fascinating experience, especially to learn how workers could start on either ends of the city and meet up in the middle. The museum was a sweat box in certain parts and I can't imagine how hot it gets down there in hot summer months. Overall The Museum of Transit was enjoyable.
We headed over to Brooklyn Heights where we learned of many different architectural styles and got to see the differences. We admired many different brownstones which we learned are of great value probably more so than gold being that brownstones are getting rare. We saw buildings built in bozart, neo-greco, and neo-classical styles. We stopped in front of the Brooklyn Borough Hall which used to be called the Brooklyn City Hall which is a Greek revival structure. We visited the Spencer Memorial Church which was built in 1853 and is now an apartment complex. The streets of Brooklyn are overpopulated and filled with energy and movement. I love the rich history that is embedded in Brooklyn, the diversity is incredible. The Brooklyn Heights Promenade gave way to the Brooklyn Bridge Park and a great view to the bridges and beyond. We walked throughout the massive park and saw a few wedding parties taking pictures around the park. We arrived in DUMBO and explored further. I enjoyed Jane's Carosel, it was packed there was a live band playing, people dancing, and great vibes everywhere you looked. We stopped at Jacques Torres Ice Cream Shop for some ice cream, I had a sugar cone with vanilla rum caramel ice cream which was pretty good. Our last stop was to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge from Downtown Brooklyn to the end which led us to the tip of Manhattan by PACE University. The walk over the bridge was a great experience, again a first for me that I will always remember. I discovered a lot about Brooklyn today and I am appreciating this course more and more after each tour of a new borough.
Today was an adventurous day. We met up at the usual spot by the ticket booth in Penn Station and took the F train to Brooklyn. First stop was to Coney Island, this was exciting because I have never been to Coney Island and have always wanted to go. We walked along the boardwalk and explored the many shops and restaurants on the way. It was a beautiful sunny day and the beach was still open. We bought some food from Popeye's and sat on the sand by the beach to eat our lunch. The smell of the ocean and continuous swishing of the waves provided a great calm and contentment within us. We were so drawn to the beach that we didn't get a chance to go on any of the rides like we planned to before it was time to leave. I definitely have to go back to Coney Island and spend a day there to enjoy the park.
We hopped back on the F train and stopped at the Museum of Transit. Upon entering I thought that this was another subway entrance. This museum was admirable, I loved the feel of an actual subway. Our tour guide gave us a great tour of the site and some interesting history of the subway system. I learned that the first actual underground subway in NYC was built in 1904. Before this the main transportation system was through horses which created many problems. Such issues were that of the large amounts of horse poop all around the city as well as the piles and piles of trash throughout. This mess produced disease which led to death as well as filth around the city. Following, trains were built above ground however that creation had come to an end after the blizzard of 1888. This major storm generated over 50 feet of snow which made it difficult for the trains to move along and caused people to be trapped inside the trains. Today, the subway is the best way to get around the city and very convenient and much safer for everyone as opposed to the past. I learned about Sandhogs and the severity of their jobs and how dangerous it is and still is to date. We saw pictures of old trains and different tools and equipment used to build the subway. It was a fascinating experience, especially to learn how workers could start on either ends of the city and meet up in the middle. The museum was a sweat box in certain parts and I can't imagine how hot it gets down there in hot summer months. Overall The Museum of Transit was enjoyable.
We headed over to Brooklyn Heights where we learned of many different architectural styles and got to see the differences. We admired many different brownstones which we learned are of great value probably more so than gold being that brownstones are getting rare. We saw buildings built in bozart, neo-greco, and neo-classical styles. We stopped in front of the Brooklyn Borough Hall which used to be called the Brooklyn City Hall which is a Greek revival structure. We visited the Spencer Memorial Church which was built in 1853 and is now an apartment complex. The streets of Brooklyn are overpopulated and filled with energy and movement. I love the rich history that is embedded in Brooklyn, the diversity is incredible. The Brooklyn Heights Promenade gave way to the Brooklyn Bridge Park and a great view to the bridges and beyond. We walked throughout the massive park and saw a few wedding parties taking pictures around the park. We arrived in DUMBO and explored further. I enjoyed Jane's Carosel, it was packed there was a live band playing, people dancing, and great vibes everywhere you looked. We stopped at Jacques Torres Ice Cream Shop for some ice cream, I had a sugar cone with vanilla rum caramel ice cream which was pretty good. Our last stop was to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge from Downtown Brooklyn to the end which led us to the tip of Manhattan by PACE University. The walk over the bridge was a great experience, again a first for me that I will always remember. I discovered a lot about Brooklyn today and I am appreciating this course more and more after each tour of a new borough.
4. Chelsea and the Village
On Friday September 19th, we left Penn Station and walked a number of blocks to Chelsea. We saw various beautiful brownstones in the area that provided a cozy feeling. We ventured off to the High line Park where you could see the best view of Chelsea down below. The buildings surrounding High line Park are exquisite and I imagine very expensive. I never knew this park existed and had never been to Chelsea. The experience was rewarding and I loved the fact that it was on a high level where you could view the tops of buildings, skyscrapers and bill boards. There were many people around enjoying the sceneries, taking pictures, and walking by. It is obvious that this venue is very popular among the people of the city as well as tourists. I was glad to have been there and have the opportunity to add another destination to my list.
Next up was gallery hopping. I was curious and equally excited about this opportunity because before today I have not been to a gallery. The streets of Chelsea were loaded with art galleries on either sides as well as construction workers working along the way. We had so many galleries to choose from with endless works of art in which many of us could mostly admire but not dare even think to purchase. We were told that most of the galleries artworks starting prices were as high as $10,000-$30,000 in which the artists and gallery owners considered low prices. I then concluded that this was probably the reason why these galleries were not as crowded as previous venues that we visited. A lot of the artworks we learned were very valuable and rare, one piece could very much cost a fortune but with time that piece would accrue value where if resold could possibly generate a handsome profit maybe even double the price first purchased. I kept this piece of information in mind and made sure not to touch anything and just admire from a distance, wouldn't want to chance breaking anything in there.
One of the galleries visited was called Mike Weiss Gallery. This gallery featured 'Color Study' which is an exhibition that presents urban objects such as houses, billboards, flags and water-towers that elevates their forms to emblematic status and an architectural scale. These pieces are made by Tom Fruin; his sculptures are usually displayed against the backdrop of the city, in DUMBO or upon billboards that can be seen while driving along the Queens Brooklyn Expressway. These pieces are beautiful and enormous, very colorful and lively. I cannot even begin to think where someone would put this gigantic piece within their home after purchase. There were other forms of art at the Mike Weiss Gallery which were abstract some of which I could not decipher what they were. Overall the sculptures and paintings in this gallery were admirable.
Another gallery visited was called Unix Gallery. The works of art in this gallery were created by Kwangho Shin 'Creation Under Collapse.' This artist's speciality is abstract portraiture and vibrant oils. The paintings look confusing and undetermined. There was color everywhere in no particular order, style or fashion. The paint just seemed to be splashed from every angle in thick globs onto the canvas in the shape of a human or animal form and set out to dry. I was able to feel the painting, the thickness of the paint was able to be felt beneath my hands. I'm sure that each of these paintings had a some sort of significance however I'm still unsure of what it is. I must say that in order to truly understand the messages being conveyed by the different artwork is to have an apparent love an appreciation of art. I left this gallery a bit obscured, I guess its safe to say that I am not very art savvy.
After visiting a few more galleries we went off to the Village (Greenwich Village, West and East Villages). The cross between these villages were very apparent. We saw the General Theological Seminary, Saint Peter's Episcopal Church. We went to Washington Square Park, we learned about how you could go to this park in the past and purchase drugs, sex and whatever else. We saw a bird man surrounded by what looked like hundreds of birds sitting on a bench, feeding and playing with the birds. These birds flocked to the man as if he was their master. Bird poop was everywhere, it was disgusting! The park was grand and people were in every corner of this park selling goods, eating, lounging around, playing chess and dancing around to the music being played.
The Merchant's House Museum was lovely it is a Federal Style house that still houses most of the Tredwell family's furniture. The Tredwell's were a wealthy family who purchased this home for $18,000 back in 1835. Seabury Treadwell along with his wife, their 8 children, 4 servants and later relatives lived in the house. This house is huge, the servants lived at the very top level close to the attic and I imagine they were in great shape and had very defined calf muscles because the walk up to their level was pretty intense. This house had many rooms and served as Mrs. Treadwell's entertainment spot. Her living room area was the place to be to people who got invited where she would greet and entertain her guests and show off her lavish furniture. It was nice to see this home and learn how the wealthy of the 19th century lived, I'm sure that the Treadwell's would have appreciated elevators. Chelsea and the Village was fun and insightful. Again this was a great day of touring around Manhattan and I am grateful for the many experiences.
On Friday September 19th, we left Penn Station and walked a number of blocks to Chelsea. We saw various beautiful brownstones in the area that provided a cozy feeling. We ventured off to the High line Park where you could see the best view of Chelsea down below. The buildings surrounding High line Park are exquisite and I imagine very expensive. I never knew this park existed and had never been to Chelsea. The experience was rewarding and I loved the fact that it was on a high level where you could view the tops of buildings, skyscrapers and bill boards. There were many people around enjoying the sceneries, taking pictures, and walking by. It is obvious that this venue is very popular among the people of the city as well as tourists. I was glad to have been there and have the opportunity to add another destination to my list.
Next up was gallery hopping. I was curious and equally excited about this opportunity because before today I have not been to a gallery. The streets of Chelsea were loaded with art galleries on either sides as well as construction workers working along the way. We had so many galleries to choose from with endless works of art in which many of us could mostly admire but not dare even think to purchase. We were told that most of the galleries artworks starting prices were as high as $10,000-$30,000 in which the artists and gallery owners considered low prices. I then concluded that this was probably the reason why these galleries were not as crowded as previous venues that we visited. A lot of the artworks we learned were very valuable and rare, one piece could very much cost a fortune but with time that piece would accrue value where if resold could possibly generate a handsome profit maybe even double the price first purchased. I kept this piece of information in mind and made sure not to touch anything and just admire from a distance, wouldn't want to chance breaking anything in there.
One of the galleries visited was called Mike Weiss Gallery. This gallery featured 'Color Study' which is an exhibition that presents urban objects such as houses, billboards, flags and water-towers that elevates their forms to emblematic status and an architectural scale. These pieces are made by Tom Fruin; his sculptures are usually displayed against the backdrop of the city, in DUMBO or upon billboards that can be seen while driving along the Queens Brooklyn Expressway. These pieces are beautiful and enormous, very colorful and lively. I cannot even begin to think where someone would put this gigantic piece within their home after purchase. There were other forms of art at the Mike Weiss Gallery which were abstract some of which I could not decipher what they were. Overall the sculptures and paintings in this gallery were admirable.
Another gallery visited was called Unix Gallery. The works of art in this gallery were created by Kwangho Shin 'Creation Under Collapse.' This artist's speciality is abstract portraiture and vibrant oils. The paintings look confusing and undetermined. There was color everywhere in no particular order, style or fashion. The paint just seemed to be splashed from every angle in thick globs onto the canvas in the shape of a human or animal form and set out to dry. I was able to feel the painting, the thickness of the paint was able to be felt beneath my hands. I'm sure that each of these paintings had a some sort of significance however I'm still unsure of what it is. I must say that in order to truly understand the messages being conveyed by the different artwork is to have an apparent love an appreciation of art. I left this gallery a bit obscured, I guess its safe to say that I am not very art savvy.
After visiting a few more galleries we went off to the Village (Greenwich Village, West and East Villages). The cross between these villages were very apparent. We saw the General Theological Seminary, Saint Peter's Episcopal Church. We went to Washington Square Park, we learned about how you could go to this park in the past and purchase drugs, sex and whatever else. We saw a bird man surrounded by what looked like hundreds of birds sitting on a bench, feeding and playing with the birds. These birds flocked to the man as if he was their master. Bird poop was everywhere, it was disgusting! The park was grand and people were in every corner of this park selling goods, eating, lounging around, playing chess and dancing around to the music being played.
The Merchant's House Museum was lovely it is a Federal Style house that still houses most of the Tredwell family's furniture. The Tredwell's were a wealthy family who purchased this home for $18,000 back in 1835. Seabury Treadwell along with his wife, their 8 children, 4 servants and later relatives lived in the house. This house is huge, the servants lived at the very top level close to the attic and I imagine they were in great shape and had very defined calf muscles because the walk up to their level was pretty intense. This house had many rooms and served as Mrs. Treadwell's entertainment spot. Her living room area was the place to be to people who got invited where she would greet and entertain her guests and show off her lavish furniture. It was nice to see this home and learn how the wealthy of the 19th century lived, I'm sure that the Treadwell's would have appreciated elevators. Chelsea and the Village was fun and insightful. Again this was a great day of touring around Manhattan and I am grateful for the many experiences.