journals 5-9
5. The Enchanted East Side
Before every class, my mom always asks me where we are going for the day. My mom, who is Puerto Rican, grew up in the city and lived in Manhattan for a number of years. When I told her our class was going to the East Harlem she told me a little bit of a background story because she grew up there when she was a kid, so I went into today's class with a some prior knowledge of the area. "East Harlem-also known as Spanish Harlem or, more colloquially, 'El Barrio'- is an uptown neighborhood of Manhattan. East Harlem has one of the largest Latino communities in the country, and despite demographic changes, the neighborhood still retains its distinctively Latino flavor." (Essential New York, p. 161). The area of East Harlem changed post World War I when an influx of Puerto Ricans arrived, transforming it into "El Barrio". The poverty of the immigrants led to the development of large housing projects that concentrated crime in the area. East Harlem would become one of the most dangerous sections of the city during the 60s and 70s. (Essential New York, p.162).
We took the 6 train to 103rd st. and walked toward Park Ave where we then walked through the Carver Houses which are housing projects. "The project is named after George Washington Carver, an African American scientist who developed hundreds of uses for the peanut, soybean, and sweet potato." (Essential New York, p.162) We continued to the Museum of the City of New York. The museum exhibits the history of New York through a documentary called "Timescapes" which told the story of the history of the city beginning with the Dutch settlers all the way through the present. The movie was played on a panoramic tv which was cool because it put into perspective how much the city has grown and changed over the years. The museum also had exhibits of some of the different time periods in New York. One exhibit was from the Gilded Age and it had all of these different pieces of jewelry and silverware. It was pretty impressive to look at and it definitely looked expensive so I can't imagine what the cost of it was back in the day.
We then made our way to the El Museo del Barrio where we were introduced to our walking tour guide, Luke. Luke is a peace poet and he started our tour off with one of his poems and you immediately felt his passion for poetry and dedication for peace among all of us. Once we started our walking tour he was very adamant about having us understand that East Harlem is not like any other place in the city. He pointed out all of the scattered pieces of artwork and how the neighborhood is very socialized; there are people sitting outside talking and playing games and you don't really see that any where else in the city. Luke even went to the extent of asking a strange about life in the neighborhood and the man went on to say that everyone knows each other and how crime has significantly gone down.
We stopped at a community garden called the Modesto "Tin" Flores Garden. "The park was originally a vacant lot and dumping ground when it was converted by East Harlem resident Ernesto "Tin" Flores into a garden for the neighborhood's inhabitants." (Essential New York, p. 163). When you first walk in the garden you immediately see a fountain. The fountain is called "Seed of Growth" and it is meant to show the strength of women. On the back wall of the park is a huge mural called "Soldaderas". The mural has two women, the one one the left is Frida Kahlo, a Mexican artist, and on the right is Julia de Burgos, a Puerto Rican poet. The women's hands and hearts are intertwined with the flags of their countries behind them. It is a tribute to the struggles of the Puerto Rican and Mexican inhabitants of East Harlem and the ties the communities have together. (Essential New York, p. 164)
Our last stop before lunch was the Justo Bontanica. It was a small shop that had religious statues, candles, jewelry, and a remedy for headaches all the way to crazy stuff like heart-breaks, or "love" sprays. It was definitely interesting because one minute I was looking at a statue of Mary and the next I saw a bottle that read "for luck and money".
For lunch we decided on Mexican food and we had amazing tacos! I had just been on vacation in Mexico over the summer and the tacos we had in East Harlem definitely tasted authentic.
Now we were on our way to Central Park. I had never been this far north in the park before so I was looking forward to being able to experience it. My history of New York class has taught me that Central Park was completely man made. The City felt like it needed an area for people to go to in order to escape the crowded-ness of lower Manhattan. The city bought the 700 acres of land and hired Olmstead and Vaux to design the park. The park became a place for the wealthy and poverty stricken to enjoy. We entered at 5th ave through the Vanderbilt Gate which was actually made in Paris and was originally in front of the Vanderbilt Museum. (Essential New York, p. 150) We walked along East Drive and we stopped at the Central Park Reservoir, also known as the Jackie Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. The reservoir holds over 1 billion gallons of water and was built in the 1860s with intentions of being a temporary water supply for the city. It was decommissioned in 1993 and in 1994 it was renamed in honor of Jackie Kennedy. It is now a popular spot for joggers in the park. (Essential New York, p. 151).
Next we saw the oldest thing in Central Park- the Egyptian Obelisk. "The Obelisk is 3,500 years old and was built on the Nile in honor of Pharaoh Thutmose III. In 16 B.C. it was relocated by the Romans to Alexandria and placed near a temple built by Cleopatra, which gives it the name Cleopatra's Needle. The Khedive of Egypt gave the obelisk to New York in 1881 in the gesture of good will. Vanderbilt contributed $100,000 to transport the needle to the park." (Essential New York, p. 153). The obelisk was being refurbished when we saw it so it was difficult to see the details on it, but I was still amazed that this even existed in the park. You learn something new every day! (Actually, a lot of new things in this class)
We then stopped at the Belvedere Castle, but don't be fooled, it's not a real castle! The castle was made from Manhattan schist and is the second highest elevation in the park.
Another thing I found to be really awesome (I’m probably the only one) was Shakespeare’s Garden. The entire garden has plants that are mentioned in Shakespeare’s works, which I thought was pretty clever. “The Shakespeare theme in this section of the park is not arbitrary, since just north of the garden is the Delacorte Theater, famous for it’s free Shakespeare in the Park festival.” (Essential New York, p. 154).
We continued on to Strawberry Field’s, famously known for it’s tribute to John Lennon. When John Lennon was living in the Dakota Hotel across from the park, he was returning home and was shot by an obsessed fan. In recognition of Lennon’s work in promoting peace, Mayor Ed Koch dedicated this area to him, which is right across from the Dakota. While we were admiring the “Imagine” mosaic there was a guitarist covering Beatles songs and everyone around was singing along.
Our sight-seeing in Central Park ended with the Bethesda Terrace leading out to the Central Park Lake. Although I've never been to this area before, it did look familiar from tv shows and movies. We walked down the stairs and admired the fountain and the view of the lake behind it. "The statue at the top of the fountain, known as the Angel of the Waters, was created by Emma Stebbins in 1868 and is based upon the biblical story from Revelations of an angel blessing the Pool of Bethesda, giving it healing powers." (Essential New York, p. 155). The lake was created from a former swamp in order to have boat rides in the summer and ice skating in the winter. There was a ballerina dancing in front of the fountain and a woman singing opera music inside the passageway which just seemed right!
We left the park at Columbus Circle and took the subway home. I have to say, I definitely will be back to Central Park because I would love to spend more time exploring and showing people everything the park has to offer.
Before every class, my mom always asks me where we are going for the day. My mom, who is Puerto Rican, grew up in the city and lived in Manhattan for a number of years. When I told her our class was going to the East Harlem she told me a little bit of a background story because she grew up there when she was a kid, so I went into today's class with a some prior knowledge of the area. "East Harlem-also known as Spanish Harlem or, more colloquially, 'El Barrio'- is an uptown neighborhood of Manhattan. East Harlem has one of the largest Latino communities in the country, and despite demographic changes, the neighborhood still retains its distinctively Latino flavor." (Essential New York, p. 161). The area of East Harlem changed post World War I when an influx of Puerto Ricans arrived, transforming it into "El Barrio". The poverty of the immigrants led to the development of large housing projects that concentrated crime in the area. East Harlem would become one of the most dangerous sections of the city during the 60s and 70s. (Essential New York, p.162).
We took the 6 train to 103rd st. and walked toward Park Ave where we then walked through the Carver Houses which are housing projects. "The project is named after George Washington Carver, an African American scientist who developed hundreds of uses for the peanut, soybean, and sweet potato." (Essential New York, p.162) We continued to the Museum of the City of New York. The museum exhibits the history of New York through a documentary called "Timescapes" which told the story of the history of the city beginning with the Dutch settlers all the way through the present. The movie was played on a panoramic tv which was cool because it put into perspective how much the city has grown and changed over the years. The museum also had exhibits of some of the different time periods in New York. One exhibit was from the Gilded Age and it had all of these different pieces of jewelry and silverware. It was pretty impressive to look at and it definitely looked expensive so I can't imagine what the cost of it was back in the day.
We then made our way to the El Museo del Barrio where we were introduced to our walking tour guide, Luke. Luke is a peace poet and he started our tour off with one of his poems and you immediately felt his passion for poetry and dedication for peace among all of us. Once we started our walking tour he was very adamant about having us understand that East Harlem is not like any other place in the city. He pointed out all of the scattered pieces of artwork and how the neighborhood is very socialized; there are people sitting outside talking and playing games and you don't really see that any where else in the city. Luke even went to the extent of asking a strange about life in the neighborhood and the man went on to say that everyone knows each other and how crime has significantly gone down.
We stopped at a community garden called the Modesto "Tin" Flores Garden. "The park was originally a vacant lot and dumping ground when it was converted by East Harlem resident Ernesto "Tin" Flores into a garden for the neighborhood's inhabitants." (Essential New York, p. 163). When you first walk in the garden you immediately see a fountain. The fountain is called "Seed of Growth" and it is meant to show the strength of women. On the back wall of the park is a huge mural called "Soldaderas". The mural has two women, the one one the left is Frida Kahlo, a Mexican artist, and on the right is Julia de Burgos, a Puerto Rican poet. The women's hands and hearts are intertwined with the flags of their countries behind them. It is a tribute to the struggles of the Puerto Rican and Mexican inhabitants of East Harlem and the ties the communities have together. (Essential New York, p. 164)
Our last stop before lunch was the Justo Bontanica. It was a small shop that had religious statues, candles, jewelry, and a remedy for headaches all the way to crazy stuff like heart-breaks, or "love" sprays. It was definitely interesting because one minute I was looking at a statue of Mary and the next I saw a bottle that read "for luck and money".
For lunch we decided on Mexican food and we had amazing tacos! I had just been on vacation in Mexico over the summer and the tacos we had in East Harlem definitely tasted authentic.
Now we were on our way to Central Park. I had never been this far north in the park before so I was looking forward to being able to experience it. My history of New York class has taught me that Central Park was completely man made. The City felt like it needed an area for people to go to in order to escape the crowded-ness of lower Manhattan. The city bought the 700 acres of land and hired Olmstead and Vaux to design the park. The park became a place for the wealthy and poverty stricken to enjoy. We entered at 5th ave through the Vanderbilt Gate which was actually made in Paris and was originally in front of the Vanderbilt Museum. (Essential New York, p. 150) We walked along East Drive and we stopped at the Central Park Reservoir, also known as the Jackie Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. The reservoir holds over 1 billion gallons of water and was built in the 1860s with intentions of being a temporary water supply for the city. It was decommissioned in 1993 and in 1994 it was renamed in honor of Jackie Kennedy. It is now a popular spot for joggers in the park. (Essential New York, p. 151).
Next we saw the oldest thing in Central Park- the Egyptian Obelisk. "The Obelisk is 3,500 years old and was built on the Nile in honor of Pharaoh Thutmose III. In 16 B.C. it was relocated by the Romans to Alexandria and placed near a temple built by Cleopatra, which gives it the name Cleopatra's Needle. The Khedive of Egypt gave the obelisk to New York in 1881 in the gesture of good will. Vanderbilt contributed $100,000 to transport the needle to the park." (Essential New York, p. 153). The obelisk was being refurbished when we saw it so it was difficult to see the details on it, but I was still amazed that this even existed in the park. You learn something new every day! (Actually, a lot of new things in this class)
We then stopped at the Belvedere Castle, but don't be fooled, it's not a real castle! The castle was made from Manhattan schist and is the second highest elevation in the park.
Another thing I found to be really awesome (I’m probably the only one) was Shakespeare’s Garden. The entire garden has plants that are mentioned in Shakespeare’s works, which I thought was pretty clever. “The Shakespeare theme in this section of the park is not arbitrary, since just north of the garden is the Delacorte Theater, famous for it’s free Shakespeare in the Park festival.” (Essential New York, p. 154).
We continued on to Strawberry Field’s, famously known for it’s tribute to John Lennon. When John Lennon was living in the Dakota Hotel across from the park, he was returning home and was shot by an obsessed fan. In recognition of Lennon’s work in promoting peace, Mayor Ed Koch dedicated this area to him, which is right across from the Dakota. While we were admiring the “Imagine” mosaic there was a guitarist covering Beatles songs and everyone around was singing along.
Our sight-seeing in Central Park ended with the Bethesda Terrace leading out to the Central Park Lake. Although I've never been to this area before, it did look familiar from tv shows and movies. We walked down the stairs and admired the fountain and the view of the lake behind it. "The statue at the top of the fountain, known as the Angel of the Waters, was created by Emma Stebbins in 1868 and is based upon the biblical story from Revelations of an angel blessing the Pool of Bethesda, giving it healing powers." (Essential New York, p. 155). The lake was created from a former swamp in order to have boat rides in the summer and ice skating in the winter. There was a ballerina dancing in front of the fountain and a woman singing opera music inside the passageway which just seemed right!
We left the park at Columbus Circle and took the subway home. I have to say, I definitely will be back to Central Park because I would love to spend more time exploring and showing people everything the park has to offer.
6. Central Harlem
We started today at the Frick House which is located on 70st and 5th Ave. The house, which is now a museum, is one of the few mansions left in the city. When construction began on the house, Frick always intended for the house to eventually become a museum. Before we entered the museum I was completely astonished that this was just one house because it was massive. Our tour started in the West Gallery. We were allowed to take any pictures in the museum or touch anything but as soon as I walked into the West Gallery my inner Disney side came out. This room automatically reminded me of a room in the castle from the ever so popular movie, “Frozen”.
We started today at the Frick House which is located on 70st and 5th Ave. The house, which is now a museum, is one of the few mansions left in the city. When construction began on the house, Frick always intended for the house to eventually become a museum. Before we entered the museum I was completely astonished that this was just one house because it was massive. Our tour started in the West Gallery. We were allowed to take any pictures in the museum or touch anything but as soon as I walked into the West Gallery my inner Disney side came out. This room automatically reminded me of a room in the castle from the ever so popular movie, “Frozen”.
Frick was an extremely wealthy man and our tour guide said that he may have been corrupt with his the use of his wealth and the reason he wanted to create this museum for the public was so that he did not feel so guilty. The thing that struck me the most about the house was that Frick had to get “permission to purchase from the enemy” from the government in 1919 in order to acquire a Jan Vermeer painting from Berlin. It sounds like he was a pretty determined guy. Then we entered the library, which didn’t look like a typical library room. This room did not have floor to ceiling shelves with books as one could picture a library to look like. Instead there were books only on the lower part of the wall, and it was obviously created like that to show off the artwork on the walls. The Fragonard room was used mostly by the women, and you can tell by the murals on the walls. As soon as I entered this room I felt like I was in France which made sense because the pictures in this room were all designed in Paris. When Frick acquired the paintings for this room, he wanted them to look like they had been part of the room, so in order for that to happen, the room needed to be renovated to fit these needs. Overall I was impressed by the number of paintings and the stories behind why each painting was in certain rooms. At the end of the tour, our tour guide ended in front of the staircase that led to the upstairs, and I think some of us were curious as to what the rest of the house looked like. After the museum we took a little detour to Lincoln Center where we checked out the opera house and then we made our way to lunch in Hell’s Kitchen.
It’s not certain how Hell’s Kitchen got it’s name but historically the neighborhood was one of the poorest, most squalid and most crime ridden in the 19th century New York. (Essential New York, p.122). By the 1900s, Hell’s Kitchen was one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the country because it was controlled by various gangs that roamed the streets and later by organized crime. By the 60s, tensions grew among Irish gangs, the older Irish and Italian inhabitants of the area and the newly arrived Puerto Ricans, who would frequently erupt into violence (the inspiration for West Side Story). Just like practically every where else in the city, gentrification came into play, but one positive benefit is the increase of the number of international restaurants that have sprung up along 9th Ave. (Essential New York, p.123). We had Thai food for lunch, and even though I had never tired it before I told myself that if I was able to eat Indian food, anything is possible. The food was actually really good and I can say with confidence that I would definitely eat it again.
After feeling full from lunch, we spent the rest of the afternoon getting a tour of Harlem. During the 19th century Harlem was still far removed from lower Manhattan. In order to get to the tip of Manhattan from Harlem, one had to take a steamboat down the East River or travel by stagecoach, both very inconvenient. In 1851, development of the area had started when the New York and Harlem Railroad began rail service with connections to lower Manhattan to Westchester County through Harlem. Now, with an easy connection to lower Manhattan, developers took advantage of this and started to construct row houses and apartment buildings to meet a high demand. Harlem had become one of the most exclusive residential areas in Manhattan by the 1890s. These row houses and apartments were mainly occupied by wealthy white Protestants. (Essential New York, p. 174). In 1904, there was a real estate crash that left many landlords desperate to fill their apartments, leading them to rent to the middle class black families, who at the time were fleeing from discrimination elsewhere in the city. The Afro-American Realty Company bought apartment buildings that were previously restricted to whites and started to rent them out to black families, and by 1930 the Harlem black population was 70%, it was previously 10% in 1910. (Essential New York, p. 175).
This led to the Harlem Renaissance, a time when black music, literature, art and political thought flourished. Prohibition in the 1920s led to the opening of clubs in Harlem like Small’s Paradise and the Renaissance Casino, which offered bootleg liquor and the entertainment of jazz musicians like Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and Count Basie to interracial audiences. The renaissance came to an end with the start of the Great Depression because it brought high unemployment and crime into Harlem. “From 1950-1980, Harlem would become synonymous with urban blight, its neighborhoods afflicted by violent crime its housing stock falling into disrepair, and its economic life in ruins.”(Essential New York, p. 175). Harlem residences started to organize against these worsening conditions. This brought the NAACP into creation that would have an effect on the Civil Rights Movement of the 50s and 60s. Local leaders emerged from Harlem such as Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., who is Harlem’s first African-American congressman and later Malcolm X.
Jim led us on our walking tour and one of our stops was at the Mother AME Zion Church. The church was founded in 1796, making it the oldest black church in New York State. Its founders were a group of prominent black Methodists. AME stands for “African Methodist Episcopal”. Churches like this served as freedom churches during the Civil War. The church has a Gothic revival design and it was designed by one of New York’s first registered black architects, George W. Foster Jr. (Essential New York, p. 180). Apparently the church is very popular and holds mass for hundreds of parishioners.
We continued onto Striver’s Row which is known for the best preserved row houses in Manhattan. Contractor David H. King bought the land in 1890 and planned to build homes for upper-middle class white families. He believes that homes should be tasteful, convenient, and commodious even if the homeowners are not millionaires. (And I agree!) All of the houses on this block looked so intricate and inviting. I found that the alleyways in between some of the homes were interesting and we learned that they were built that way because that is where horses were kept before cars were around.
Our tour then ended with the Harlem Walk of Fame on 135th St between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and Frederick Douglass Boulevards. In 1995, the Harlem Chamber of Commerce commisioned the walk that contains a series of bronze plaques designed by Otto Neals and Ogundipe Fayoumi to honor great African-Americans who have made notable contributions in music, science, the arts, and public service. (Essential New York, p. 183). I noticed familiar names along the walk, but what really caught my eye was a plaque that had been removed! I had to wonder what that person did that they were removed from the walk of fame. I'd like to hope that there was just a spelling error on the plaque!
It’s not certain how Hell’s Kitchen got it’s name but historically the neighborhood was one of the poorest, most squalid and most crime ridden in the 19th century New York. (Essential New York, p.122). By the 1900s, Hell’s Kitchen was one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the country because it was controlled by various gangs that roamed the streets and later by organized crime. By the 60s, tensions grew among Irish gangs, the older Irish and Italian inhabitants of the area and the newly arrived Puerto Ricans, who would frequently erupt into violence (the inspiration for West Side Story). Just like practically every where else in the city, gentrification came into play, but one positive benefit is the increase of the number of international restaurants that have sprung up along 9th Ave. (Essential New York, p.123). We had Thai food for lunch, and even though I had never tired it before I told myself that if I was able to eat Indian food, anything is possible. The food was actually really good and I can say with confidence that I would definitely eat it again.
After feeling full from lunch, we spent the rest of the afternoon getting a tour of Harlem. During the 19th century Harlem was still far removed from lower Manhattan. In order to get to the tip of Manhattan from Harlem, one had to take a steamboat down the East River or travel by stagecoach, both very inconvenient. In 1851, development of the area had started when the New York and Harlem Railroad began rail service with connections to lower Manhattan to Westchester County through Harlem. Now, with an easy connection to lower Manhattan, developers took advantage of this and started to construct row houses and apartment buildings to meet a high demand. Harlem had become one of the most exclusive residential areas in Manhattan by the 1890s. These row houses and apartments were mainly occupied by wealthy white Protestants. (Essential New York, p. 174). In 1904, there was a real estate crash that left many landlords desperate to fill their apartments, leading them to rent to the middle class black families, who at the time were fleeing from discrimination elsewhere in the city. The Afro-American Realty Company bought apartment buildings that were previously restricted to whites and started to rent them out to black families, and by 1930 the Harlem black population was 70%, it was previously 10% in 1910. (Essential New York, p. 175).
This led to the Harlem Renaissance, a time when black music, literature, art and political thought flourished. Prohibition in the 1920s led to the opening of clubs in Harlem like Small’s Paradise and the Renaissance Casino, which offered bootleg liquor and the entertainment of jazz musicians like Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and Count Basie to interracial audiences. The renaissance came to an end with the start of the Great Depression because it brought high unemployment and crime into Harlem. “From 1950-1980, Harlem would become synonymous with urban blight, its neighborhoods afflicted by violent crime its housing stock falling into disrepair, and its economic life in ruins.”(Essential New York, p. 175). Harlem residences started to organize against these worsening conditions. This brought the NAACP into creation that would have an effect on the Civil Rights Movement of the 50s and 60s. Local leaders emerged from Harlem such as Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., who is Harlem’s first African-American congressman and later Malcolm X.
Jim led us on our walking tour and one of our stops was at the Mother AME Zion Church. The church was founded in 1796, making it the oldest black church in New York State. Its founders were a group of prominent black Methodists. AME stands for “African Methodist Episcopal”. Churches like this served as freedom churches during the Civil War. The church has a Gothic revival design and it was designed by one of New York’s first registered black architects, George W. Foster Jr. (Essential New York, p. 180). Apparently the church is very popular and holds mass for hundreds of parishioners.
We continued onto Striver’s Row which is known for the best preserved row houses in Manhattan. Contractor David H. King bought the land in 1890 and planned to build homes for upper-middle class white families. He believes that homes should be tasteful, convenient, and commodious even if the homeowners are not millionaires. (And I agree!) All of the houses on this block looked so intricate and inviting. I found that the alleyways in between some of the homes were interesting and we learned that they were built that way because that is where horses were kept before cars were around.
Our tour then ended with the Harlem Walk of Fame on 135th St between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and Frederick Douglass Boulevards. In 1995, the Harlem Chamber of Commerce commisioned the walk that contains a series of bronze plaques designed by Otto Neals and Ogundipe Fayoumi to honor great African-Americans who have made notable contributions in music, science, the arts, and public service. (Essential New York, p. 183). I noticed familiar names along the walk, but what really caught my eye was a plaque that had been removed! I had to wonder what that person did that they were removed from the walk of fame. I'd like to hope that there was just a spelling error on the plaque!
7. Lower Manhattan
I was enthusiastic about today because we were told we weren’t doing much walking, but we were going to see a lot, which was just music to my ears. We made our way to lower Manhattan, around the Civic Center, and I noticed the area had looked familiar because we had walked around here to catch a subway after we had walked from Brooklyn over the Brooklyn Bridge. Our first stop was the Municipal Building, which is one of the largest governmental buildings in the world. The building is enormous but also very nicely designed in a Neoclassical style. We also saw the subway station entrance next to the building but we weren't admiring the subway, when we looked up at the ceiling we saw the city’s finest Guastavino tile-work. “This method, used to support arches and vaults using interlocking Terra cotta tiles, was developed by Ralphael Guastavino.” (Essential New York, p. 42).
We then walked a few blocks over to Foley Square. At one point in time, the square had huge pond that was one of the sources for the city’s fresh drinking water, but in 1811 it had become so polluted that it was filled in to prevent the outbreak of diseases. Today there is a fountain in the middle of the square called “Triumph of the Human Spirit.” The center of the fountain has a tall black granite structure that it meant to resemble a boat. It is meant to remember the journey of African slaves that came from across the Atlantic. Across from the square are two Neoclassical buildings. The buildings are The Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse and the New York State Supreme Court. These two buildings were impressive to look at just at the size and the detailed work that is clearly shown.
Before our tour of City Hall, we stopped to admire the Tweed Courthouse, named after the infamous Boss Tweed. “The origins of the building are somewhat more unsavory than its dignified architecture might suggest, however.” (Essential New York, p. 45). I had some prior knowledge about the corruption that took place with Tammany Hall and Boss Tweed because of my History of New York Class and we did talk about how Tweed spent $14 million to build the courthouse- but sitting on the steps of the building actually put it into perspective. Today, $14 million is a lot of money, so I can’t imagine how much it was back in the 1880s when the construction of the courthouse was being done.
It was finally time for our tour of City Hall. There were actually 3 city halls (the current one is the third one) in all of New York’s history. This one was completed in 1811 and is the oldest city hall in the country. Before we went inside, our tour guide told us that we were standing exactly where George Washington stood when he heard the declaration of independence for the first time. Then we entered the building and to our right was a statue of George Washington himself, and apparently it is the most accurate statue of him. The statue maker made a plaster cast of Washington’s body to create an accurate statue. We then walked further into the building and were standing beneath the dome, which is supported by ten Corinthian columns. I was amazed by the architectural design. We ended our tour in the Governor’s Room, which is a large room with windows looking out at the front of City Hall. The room is also home to George Washington’s desk. It’s interesting because before this class I never really realized how much George Washington was in New York.
We then headed to the African Burial Ground National Monument. We watched a short film on the history behind the discovery of the burial ground and the hardships that African Americans faced in New York. “From 1690-1794 approximately 20,000 free Africans and slaves were buried in a 6.6 acre burial ground on this site, which at the time was outside the boundaries of the city. Over time, the burial ground was developed over and forgotten until it was rediscovered in 1991 during the construction of the Ted Weiss Building. In 2007, a memorial opened in the building to highlight the important role that African slaves played in the development of New York City. “ (Essential New York, p. 45). It was interesting to see in the museum how they were able to identify the ages the bodies and what they possible went through in their life time. Today, it’s sad to see how the world was so blind to things such as race and ethnicity back then and how even the dead couldn't be respected just because of their race.
After lunch we went to St. Paul's Chapel. This chapel has a very interesting background. It's construction was completed in 1766 and it is New York's only intact pre-Revolutionary War Church. It is also the city's oldest surviving church and the oldest building in continuous use. The chapel is located across from the old World Trade Center and miraculously survived the terrorist attacks without a single window broken. Divine intervention perhaps? I'd like to think so. It is also thought that a sycamore tree protected the chapel from falling debris. The inside of the chapel is now a memorial to those who lost their lives at ground zero. After the attacks on 9/11 the chapel became a place to get rest for all the rescue workers. The chapel was also the church where no other than Mr. President George Washington himself worshiped and his pew is on display for all visitors to see. We left the chapel through the back exit and started straight for the 9/11 Memorial.
The 9/11 Memorial opened in 2011. Architects Michael Arad and Peter Walk were chosen to design the memorial. They named the memorial "Reflecting Absence". It has two one acre pools placed in the exact spot where the Twin Towers used to be. 30 foot waterfalls, the largest man-made waterfalls in the US, descend into the pools draining into a center void. (Essential New York, p. 49). I've been lucky enough to visit the memorial before this class, and being able to visit it again made me realize how peaceful it is. In my personal opinion, part of me does like the peaceful-ness, and with that being said, you almost forget the terrible things that happened that day. On the other hand, that's not to say there needs to be a disturbing reminder of the tragic events, but I think it's extremely important that people do not forget how they felt that day. It's important for those who were not alive at the time to also remember how the world felt that day. Before we left we saw the "Survivor Tree" which was a tree planted at the original WTC and managed to survive the attacks.
Our next stop was Trinity Church. The church was the tallest building in New York until the towers of the Brooklyn Bridge were built in 1876. (Essential New York, p. 50). We walked around the graveyard on the side of the church and we were able to see the tombstones of Robert Fulton and Alexander Hamilton. I was so shocked because I had no idea either of them were buried here and it just goes to show how much history is in this city. As we walked out of the graveyard we stood next to the "Trinity Root" which is a sculpture created from the roots of the sycamore tree that protected St. Paul's Chapel from the debris after the WTC was attacked.
We headed toward our final stop of the day, which was Wall Street. The New York Stock Exchange was created as a way to pay back the $80 million in bonds that were used to pay for the Revolutionary War debts. According to legend, a group of 24 brokers met in 1792 on Wall Street underneath a buttonwood tree and formalized what is today known as the "buttonwood agreement" which created the stock exchange. Today there is a small tree that memorializes the agreement and if you had no knowledge of the agreement you would probably think it's out of place.
Across from the stock exchange is Federal Hall National Monument, and guess who's back again? George Washington! Right outside the building is a statue of Washington being sworn in as President. This Greek Revival building held a lot of important historical events. John Peter Zenger who was the publisher of the New York Weekly Journal was acquitted of his seditious libel charges in 1735, which gave rise to the idea of freedom of the press. In October of 1765, the Stamp Act Congress met in this building to protest against British "taxation with out representation" and finally on September 25, 1789, The United States Bill of Rights were proposed in what was now called Federal Hall. (Essential New York, p. 51, 52).
I was enthusiastic about today because we were told we weren’t doing much walking, but we were going to see a lot, which was just music to my ears. We made our way to lower Manhattan, around the Civic Center, and I noticed the area had looked familiar because we had walked around here to catch a subway after we had walked from Brooklyn over the Brooklyn Bridge. Our first stop was the Municipal Building, which is one of the largest governmental buildings in the world. The building is enormous but also very nicely designed in a Neoclassical style. We also saw the subway station entrance next to the building but we weren't admiring the subway, when we looked up at the ceiling we saw the city’s finest Guastavino tile-work. “This method, used to support arches and vaults using interlocking Terra cotta tiles, was developed by Ralphael Guastavino.” (Essential New York, p. 42).
We then walked a few blocks over to Foley Square. At one point in time, the square had huge pond that was one of the sources for the city’s fresh drinking water, but in 1811 it had become so polluted that it was filled in to prevent the outbreak of diseases. Today there is a fountain in the middle of the square called “Triumph of the Human Spirit.” The center of the fountain has a tall black granite structure that it meant to resemble a boat. It is meant to remember the journey of African slaves that came from across the Atlantic. Across from the square are two Neoclassical buildings. The buildings are The Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse and the New York State Supreme Court. These two buildings were impressive to look at just at the size and the detailed work that is clearly shown.
Before our tour of City Hall, we stopped to admire the Tweed Courthouse, named after the infamous Boss Tweed. “The origins of the building are somewhat more unsavory than its dignified architecture might suggest, however.” (Essential New York, p. 45). I had some prior knowledge about the corruption that took place with Tammany Hall and Boss Tweed because of my History of New York Class and we did talk about how Tweed spent $14 million to build the courthouse- but sitting on the steps of the building actually put it into perspective. Today, $14 million is a lot of money, so I can’t imagine how much it was back in the 1880s when the construction of the courthouse was being done.
It was finally time for our tour of City Hall. There were actually 3 city halls (the current one is the third one) in all of New York’s history. This one was completed in 1811 and is the oldest city hall in the country. Before we went inside, our tour guide told us that we were standing exactly where George Washington stood when he heard the declaration of independence for the first time. Then we entered the building and to our right was a statue of George Washington himself, and apparently it is the most accurate statue of him. The statue maker made a plaster cast of Washington’s body to create an accurate statue. We then walked further into the building and were standing beneath the dome, which is supported by ten Corinthian columns. I was amazed by the architectural design. We ended our tour in the Governor’s Room, which is a large room with windows looking out at the front of City Hall. The room is also home to George Washington’s desk. It’s interesting because before this class I never really realized how much George Washington was in New York.
We then headed to the African Burial Ground National Monument. We watched a short film on the history behind the discovery of the burial ground and the hardships that African Americans faced in New York. “From 1690-1794 approximately 20,000 free Africans and slaves were buried in a 6.6 acre burial ground on this site, which at the time was outside the boundaries of the city. Over time, the burial ground was developed over and forgotten until it was rediscovered in 1991 during the construction of the Ted Weiss Building. In 2007, a memorial opened in the building to highlight the important role that African slaves played in the development of New York City. “ (Essential New York, p. 45). It was interesting to see in the museum how they were able to identify the ages the bodies and what they possible went through in their life time. Today, it’s sad to see how the world was so blind to things such as race and ethnicity back then and how even the dead couldn't be respected just because of their race.
After lunch we went to St. Paul's Chapel. This chapel has a very interesting background. It's construction was completed in 1766 and it is New York's only intact pre-Revolutionary War Church. It is also the city's oldest surviving church and the oldest building in continuous use. The chapel is located across from the old World Trade Center and miraculously survived the terrorist attacks without a single window broken. Divine intervention perhaps? I'd like to think so. It is also thought that a sycamore tree protected the chapel from falling debris. The inside of the chapel is now a memorial to those who lost their lives at ground zero. After the attacks on 9/11 the chapel became a place to get rest for all the rescue workers. The chapel was also the church where no other than Mr. President George Washington himself worshiped and his pew is on display for all visitors to see. We left the chapel through the back exit and started straight for the 9/11 Memorial.
The 9/11 Memorial opened in 2011. Architects Michael Arad and Peter Walk were chosen to design the memorial. They named the memorial "Reflecting Absence". It has two one acre pools placed in the exact spot where the Twin Towers used to be. 30 foot waterfalls, the largest man-made waterfalls in the US, descend into the pools draining into a center void. (Essential New York, p. 49). I've been lucky enough to visit the memorial before this class, and being able to visit it again made me realize how peaceful it is. In my personal opinion, part of me does like the peaceful-ness, and with that being said, you almost forget the terrible things that happened that day. On the other hand, that's not to say there needs to be a disturbing reminder of the tragic events, but I think it's extremely important that people do not forget how they felt that day. It's important for those who were not alive at the time to also remember how the world felt that day. Before we left we saw the "Survivor Tree" which was a tree planted at the original WTC and managed to survive the attacks.
Our next stop was Trinity Church. The church was the tallest building in New York until the towers of the Brooklyn Bridge were built in 1876. (Essential New York, p. 50). We walked around the graveyard on the side of the church and we were able to see the tombstones of Robert Fulton and Alexander Hamilton. I was so shocked because I had no idea either of them were buried here and it just goes to show how much history is in this city. As we walked out of the graveyard we stood next to the "Trinity Root" which is a sculpture created from the roots of the sycamore tree that protected St. Paul's Chapel from the debris after the WTC was attacked.
We headed toward our final stop of the day, which was Wall Street. The New York Stock Exchange was created as a way to pay back the $80 million in bonds that were used to pay for the Revolutionary War debts. According to legend, a group of 24 brokers met in 1792 on Wall Street underneath a buttonwood tree and formalized what is today known as the "buttonwood agreement" which created the stock exchange. Today there is a small tree that memorializes the agreement and if you had no knowledge of the agreement you would probably think it's out of place.
Across from the stock exchange is Federal Hall National Monument, and guess who's back again? George Washington! Right outside the building is a statue of Washington being sworn in as President. This Greek Revival building held a lot of important historical events. John Peter Zenger who was the publisher of the New York Weekly Journal was acquitted of his seditious libel charges in 1735, which gave rise to the idea of freedom of the press. In October of 1765, the Stamp Act Congress met in this building to protest against British "taxation with out representation" and finally on September 25, 1789, The United States Bill of Rights were proposed in what was now called Federal Hall. (Essential New York, p. 51, 52).
8. Immigrant New York
Today was our last class! :-( I had become so used to a regular Friday morning routine of waking up early to catch a train and now it was over. Today we were going to focus on immigration in New York, which was good for me because I’ve learned about immigration in two of my other classes this semester so I was excited to see everything put together.
We took the F train to Delancey St and headed toward to Tenement Museum. The museum used to be a housing tenement that was built in 1863. In 1935, the landlord evicted all the tenants because he didn’t want to bring the building up to code with the new housing laws. Our tour guide told us that over 7,000 people from almost 20 different countries lived in the building before it was closed. During the 1850s-1900s there was a mass immigration of people mostly from Ireland, Italy, Poland and Russia. When we walked up the stairs into the apartments, I definitely felt that the building could easily collapse at any time. It is preserved from its condition in 1863 and it’s easy to see. We saw the apartments of a few Jewish families that lived there. The first apartment was pretty run down, the paint was chipping off the walls, there were three different kinds of laminate flooring, and the rooms were extremely small. There were three rooms in each apartment. Our class was split into two groups and I now know why; there were maybe 14 of us in my group and we felt like we were crammed into the apartment, not to mention the fact that there was no furniture in the first apartment we looked at. Our tour guide then told us that approximately 8-10 people lived in one apartment. This first apartment had no stove, no bathroom and no running water. If the family needed water they needed to go all the way downstairs to get water and carry it back up in buckets. The next apartment was a little bit nicer; it had furniture in it, a sink and a stove. We learned that 10 people lived in this apartment and the father was a garment maker who ran his business from home. The father would have sewing machines set up in the living area with three or four workers making clothing- on top of the 10 other people who lived in the apartment. I can’t imagine what it must have been like working during the summer time with all those people in that small apartment with only two windows. They would work about 10 hours a day and get paid 35 cents for each garment made. The garment industry was basically run by the Jewish population which meant that some of them did not work on Saturday because it was the Sabbath. The adults wouldn’t work, but they would send the children out to work because they needed whatever money they could get. After visiting the museum, all of my knowledge from my other classes was now a reality. I also learned that for every acre of land there were approximately 750 people living in the lower east side during this time, and compared to Paris, it was maybe 250 people.
After the tour, we started our scavenger hunt to China Town. China town is very interesting; it’s like being in another part of the world. I’m no stranger to China Town because my dad loves going there and trying new foods and experiencing the culture, whereas I’m more interesting in getting a cannoli from Little Italy. We headed toward Canal Street and passed the Confucius Plaza. In front of the plaza is a statue of Confucius that was sculpted in 1976 by Liu Shih and presented to the city by the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association to commemorate the American bicentennial. (Essential New York, p. 74). We then made our way to the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, and even though we didn’t get ice cream it looked pretty yummy. Instead, we went across the street to the Mel Lai Wah bakery and got sweet bread which was delicious. We continued on and took in all the wonderful smells (sarcasm) and lovely sights of fish and cooked duck in the windows of restaurants. One of the fish markets had live lobsters in a bucket on the street and one of the lobsters decided to be brave and jumped out of the bucket but he was quickly put back in. We decided we had seen enough and started to head back to Congee Village for lunch, but we took a quick stroll through the busy Columbus Park. The park was crowded with lots of people playing chess, socializing, and playing music. Although it was nice to walk through, this used to be the area known as Five Points. It got the name Five Points because of the intersections of the three streets- Anthony Street (Worth Street), Cross Street (Mosco Street), and Orange Street (Baxter)-that came together forming a five point intersection. (Essential New York, p.75). By the time the Irish arrived in lower Manhattan, Five Points was one of the most crowded, poverty-filled, disease- and crime ridden areas in the Western World and it also had the highest murder rate of any slum in the world. It was the ground zero for many of the infectious disease that swept through the city. (Essential New York, p.76).
We made our way back to Delancey to eat our lunch at Congee Village which was authentic Chinese food. It was okay for the most part; I can say that I was not a fan of the seafood, even looking at it was making me a little grossed out.
After lunch the last part of our day was spent with our walking tour guide Jim. We saw so many things but the places that I found to be most interesting was the Settlement House and Seward Park.
The Settlement House on Henry St was founded by Lillian Wald, a nursing student who was appalled by the living conditions that she encounters on the lower east side. In 1893, while volunteering to teach classes on home health care to immigrant women, Lillian founded the Nurses' Settlement to bring nursing care, education and the arts to immigrants in the neighborhood. (Essential New York, p.69). It is so important that there were and still are people like Lillian Wald who were willing to expose themselves to the various health and living conditions in the lower Manhattan at the time. People needed to be educated in order to survive the harsh conditions of the area.
Next was Seward Park. The park was named after governor William Seward (1839-1842) and has an interesting history. Progressive Era activists realized that the Lower East Side was in desperate need for parks. They believed that if tenement children had a public place to play they would be less likely to join gangs which could keep crime down. The Small Parks Act of 1887 granted the city the power to take over private lands and turn them into public parks. However, in order for the park to be built, three blocks of tenements had to be destroyed which left almost 3,000 people homeless. Seward Park was officially opened in 1903 and it became the first municipal playground in the United States.
Our final stop of the day was at the Eldridge Street Synagogue. The outside facade of the Synagogue was amazing with so many details in the window. It was built in 1887 and was the first synagogue in New York built by the Eastern European Jews. Today, the synagogue is sort of out of place because Chinatown has taken over, but when it was first constructed, it was a heavily populated area of Jewish people. The outside of the main window has 12 stars lining the circumference which represents the 12 tribes of Israel. In 1950 it was forced to close but in 1986 a non-profit group restored it. In 2007 the synagogue reopened with a new museum exhibiting it's history. (Essential New York, p. 72).
After our last class, a few of us headed to The Village to a small little bar to celebrate with some amazing drinks. It was the perfect way to end our amazing class.
Today was our last class! :-( I had become so used to a regular Friday morning routine of waking up early to catch a train and now it was over. Today we were going to focus on immigration in New York, which was good for me because I’ve learned about immigration in two of my other classes this semester so I was excited to see everything put together.
We took the F train to Delancey St and headed toward to Tenement Museum. The museum used to be a housing tenement that was built in 1863. In 1935, the landlord evicted all the tenants because he didn’t want to bring the building up to code with the new housing laws. Our tour guide told us that over 7,000 people from almost 20 different countries lived in the building before it was closed. During the 1850s-1900s there was a mass immigration of people mostly from Ireland, Italy, Poland and Russia. When we walked up the stairs into the apartments, I definitely felt that the building could easily collapse at any time. It is preserved from its condition in 1863 and it’s easy to see. We saw the apartments of a few Jewish families that lived there. The first apartment was pretty run down, the paint was chipping off the walls, there were three different kinds of laminate flooring, and the rooms were extremely small. There were three rooms in each apartment. Our class was split into two groups and I now know why; there were maybe 14 of us in my group and we felt like we were crammed into the apartment, not to mention the fact that there was no furniture in the first apartment we looked at. Our tour guide then told us that approximately 8-10 people lived in one apartment. This first apartment had no stove, no bathroom and no running water. If the family needed water they needed to go all the way downstairs to get water and carry it back up in buckets. The next apartment was a little bit nicer; it had furniture in it, a sink and a stove. We learned that 10 people lived in this apartment and the father was a garment maker who ran his business from home. The father would have sewing machines set up in the living area with three or four workers making clothing- on top of the 10 other people who lived in the apartment. I can’t imagine what it must have been like working during the summer time with all those people in that small apartment with only two windows. They would work about 10 hours a day and get paid 35 cents for each garment made. The garment industry was basically run by the Jewish population which meant that some of them did not work on Saturday because it was the Sabbath. The adults wouldn’t work, but they would send the children out to work because they needed whatever money they could get. After visiting the museum, all of my knowledge from my other classes was now a reality. I also learned that for every acre of land there were approximately 750 people living in the lower east side during this time, and compared to Paris, it was maybe 250 people.
After the tour, we started our scavenger hunt to China Town. China town is very interesting; it’s like being in another part of the world. I’m no stranger to China Town because my dad loves going there and trying new foods and experiencing the culture, whereas I’m more interesting in getting a cannoli from Little Italy. We headed toward Canal Street and passed the Confucius Plaza. In front of the plaza is a statue of Confucius that was sculpted in 1976 by Liu Shih and presented to the city by the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association to commemorate the American bicentennial. (Essential New York, p. 74). We then made our way to the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, and even though we didn’t get ice cream it looked pretty yummy. Instead, we went across the street to the Mel Lai Wah bakery and got sweet bread which was delicious. We continued on and took in all the wonderful smells (sarcasm) and lovely sights of fish and cooked duck in the windows of restaurants. One of the fish markets had live lobsters in a bucket on the street and one of the lobsters decided to be brave and jumped out of the bucket but he was quickly put back in. We decided we had seen enough and started to head back to Congee Village for lunch, but we took a quick stroll through the busy Columbus Park. The park was crowded with lots of people playing chess, socializing, and playing music. Although it was nice to walk through, this used to be the area known as Five Points. It got the name Five Points because of the intersections of the three streets- Anthony Street (Worth Street), Cross Street (Mosco Street), and Orange Street (Baxter)-that came together forming a five point intersection. (Essential New York, p.75). By the time the Irish arrived in lower Manhattan, Five Points was one of the most crowded, poverty-filled, disease- and crime ridden areas in the Western World and it also had the highest murder rate of any slum in the world. It was the ground zero for many of the infectious disease that swept through the city. (Essential New York, p.76).
We made our way back to Delancey to eat our lunch at Congee Village which was authentic Chinese food. It was okay for the most part; I can say that I was not a fan of the seafood, even looking at it was making me a little grossed out.
After lunch the last part of our day was spent with our walking tour guide Jim. We saw so many things but the places that I found to be most interesting was the Settlement House and Seward Park.
The Settlement House on Henry St was founded by Lillian Wald, a nursing student who was appalled by the living conditions that she encounters on the lower east side. In 1893, while volunteering to teach classes on home health care to immigrant women, Lillian founded the Nurses' Settlement to bring nursing care, education and the arts to immigrants in the neighborhood. (Essential New York, p.69). It is so important that there were and still are people like Lillian Wald who were willing to expose themselves to the various health and living conditions in the lower Manhattan at the time. People needed to be educated in order to survive the harsh conditions of the area.
Next was Seward Park. The park was named after governor William Seward (1839-1842) and has an interesting history. Progressive Era activists realized that the Lower East Side was in desperate need for parks. They believed that if tenement children had a public place to play they would be less likely to join gangs which could keep crime down. The Small Parks Act of 1887 granted the city the power to take over private lands and turn them into public parks. However, in order for the park to be built, three blocks of tenements had to be destroyed which left almost 3,000 people homeless. Seward Park was officially opened in 1903 and it became the first municipal playground in the United States.
Our final stop of the day was at the Eldridge Street Synagogue. The outside facade of the Synagogue was amazing with so many details in the window. It was built in 1887 and was the first synagogue in New York built by the Eastern European Jews. Today, the synagogue is sort of out of place because Chinatown has taken over, but when it was first constructed, it was a heavily populated area of Jewish people. The outside of the main window has 12 stars lining the circumference which represents the 12 tribes of Israel. In 1950 it was forced to close but in 1986 a non-profit group restored it. In 2007 the synagogue reopened with a new museum exhibiting it's history. (Essential New York, p. 72).
After our last class, a few of us headed to The Village to a small little bar to celebrate with some amazing drinks. It was the perfect way to end our amazing class.
9. The End.
I won't lie- I felt a little sad knowing that our class was over. I could have met on Friday for the rest of the semester! This class has truly opened my eyes to everything the city has to offer. There is such much history that I was unaware of, and there is probably a ton more that I can learn. There are some places that I will absolutely go back to and some places where I can say I went. This is my last semester as an undergrad and I am so happy I was finally able to get a seat in this class. This class along with the History of New York, and my sociology class Race and Ethnicity, all tied in together.
I can't wait to go back to the Brooklyn Bridge Park, and DUMBO because those were by far my favorite in the class, also Central Park is probably in my top 5. It's a good feeling knowing that I'll know how to get there and I can bring my friends and we can explore the area at our own pace and maybe find some new things to do in the area. The city really is not so intimidating and surprisingly the only encounters with crazy people were in Penn Station, but then again, is that really surprising?
I think it's safe to say I've had a true New York experience.
I won't lie- I felt a little sad knowing that our class was over. I could have met on Friday for the rest of the semester! This class has truly opened my eyes to everything the city has to offer. There is such much history that I was unaware of, and there is probably a ton more that I can learn. There are some places that I will absolutely go back to and some places where I can say I went. This is my last semester as an undergrad and I am so happy I was finally able to get a seat in this class. This class along with the History of New York, and my sociology class Race and Ethnicity, all tied in together.
I can't wait to go back to the Brooklyn Bridge Park, and DUMBO because those were by far my favorite in the class, also Central Park is probably in my top 5. It's a good feeling knowing that I'll know how to get there and I can bring my friends and we can explore the area at our own pace and maybe find some new things to do in the area. The city really is not so intimidating and surprisingly the only encounters with crazy people were in Penn Station, but then again, is that really surprising?
I think it's safe to say I've had a true New York experience.