Journals 1-4
1. Impressions of NYC :Being born and raised in New York, I didn’t take advantage of how close I was to one of the most brilliantly beautiful places in the world. So many people travel thousands of miles just to see this great city, yet I took for granted how close I was. I see a “ New Yorker” as somebody who embodies all that it has to offer; the crowded subways, the yellow taxis, the smell of roasted nuts on random corners. Some people may love all of that, some people will not.
I look back and think of all of the memories I have of the Big Apple. My family following one by one, like baby ducks following their mother, through Penn Station, through the lit up city streets, to Rockefeller Center just to see the biggest Christmas tree ever! I can never forget asking random people to take our family photo, never getting one where we were all looking, but still making it our Christmas card.
The city has so much beauty and diversity. Nothing seems to be unacceptable in the city. People -watching has to be one of my favorite things to do. There is nothing that you wont see.
Diversity is what makes the city so beautiful. Seeing and interacting with people and cultures you are unfamiliar with makes the city that much more enjoyably eccentric. It is so amazing to see tourists flooding the streets of New York, trying to get that perfect photo. These people find our city so amazing.
I could not be more excited to find out how much more our city has to offer.
Let the journey begin.
I look back and think of all of the memories I have of the Big Apple. My family following one by one, like baby ducks following their mother, through Penn Station, through the lit up city streets, to Rockefeller Center just to see the biggest Christmas tree ever! I can never forget asking random people to take our family photo, never getting one where we were all looking, but still making it our Christmas card.
The city has so much beauty and diversity. Nothing seems to be unacceptable in the city. People -watching has to be one of my favorite things to do. There is nothing that you wont see.
Diversity is what makes the city so beautiful. Seeing and interacting with people and cultures you are unfamiliar with makes the city that much more enjoyably eccentric. It is so amazing to see tourists flooding the streets of New York, trying to get that perfect photo. These people find our city so amazing.
I could not be more excited to find out how much more our city has to offer.
Let the journey begin.
2. Queens :
September 6, 2014
Today was the day we began our Gotham journey throughout New York City. Today, we were conquering Queens. I really don’t know much about Queens, only being there a few times just for track meets. I didn’t think there was much to see. I was excited for what was ahead. I woke up bright and early, to make sure I had a backpack prepared for our eight hour day. As I walked outside, the heat and humidity hit me like a brick wall. Good thing I wore shorts! Since I live at Molloy on campus, all I had to do was drive down Hempstead Ave to the Rockville Centre train station. I parked my car at the Molloy College Speech and Hearing Center a little ways from the station because I thought I would have needed a parking permit to park by the station. Little did I know that you do not need a permit on the weekends. So I started my walking a little bit early!
The train left Rockville Centre at 10:03am to arrive at 10:44am, right before our 11:00am meeting time. I made sure to bring extra waters because of the heat and I even bought a Redbull to wake me up! I wish I had the natural pep Professor Russo has.
Once the entire class was gathered, we were ready to go. We headed to the subway to take the E-train to Roosevelt Ave, but our luck there was construction and it wasn’t running, along with the fact that on Saturdays the schedules of the subways shift. We took the E-train, after waiting (which seemed like an eternity) in the extreme subway heat, to west 4th and then transferred to the F-train and took that to 42nd Street Times Square. From there we took the 7 train or the “International Express”. This journey on the International Express “begins at 42nd, passes through Grand Central Station, goes under the East River and then emerges in the borough of Queens (ENY, 215). It is an elevated line and it was nicknamed the “International Express” because it takes route through some of the most ethnically diverse communities in North America.
We got off of the International Express at Willets Point where we then crossed over the bridge to Flushing Meadow Park and Corona. The walkway was busy, being that it was the weekend of the US Open Tennis match. The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is located in Flushing Meadow Park.
We made our way into the park, and were able to sit on some bleachers to learn more about Flushing Meadow and Queens itself.
Queens County was named after Queen Catherine of Braganza, who was the Queen of England (ENY, 214). The hero/villain of the time, Robert Moses was one of the subjects we spoke about. We spoke about how he was on a transportation and highway craze, wanting to put them anywhere and everywhere he could. He is responsible for the Grand Central Parkway, The Interborough Parkway, the Cross-Island Parkway and the Brooklyn Queens Expressway just to name a few (ENY, 213). It was crazy for me to think of the Robert Moses Parkway, right by my house, as the man responsible for almost all of the highways that are used today. It was also crazy to me to learn that Flushing Meadow Park was once a dumping ground. It was called Corona Ash Dumps and “it was a dumping ground for ashes from coal-burning furnaces, horse manure and garbage” (ENY, 217). The park was so colorful and lively, I could never imagine it once as a dumping ground. Robert Moses was responsible for having the park cleared, in order to hold the 1939 World’s Fair. It was compared to Epcot in Disney, which gave me a better understanding of what the World’s Fair was like.
We then walked to one of the most brilliant structures I have ever seen; the Unisphere. It is the “ideal of global interdependence” and it is the “largest globe structure in the world” (ENY, 218). Not only was it beautiful, but the mist coming from the water streams underneath the structure was FANTASTIC because of the scorching heat. I wish we could’ve stood there all day. But the next stop, The Queens Museum of Art, was air conditioned so that was a positive as well. I was most excited about seeing the Panorama of New York City. It was created for the 1964-1965 World’s Fair and it covers more than 9,335 square feet. There are over 895,000 buildings and they scale 1 inch to 100 feet. It was amazing to see what the city looks like from a sky-view looking down, when we only usually get to see it from the street looking up. I loved the system of pullies the Panorama had to mimic the planes flying into the airport. I also really enjoyed hearing that they would try to update the panorama consistently, but they haven’t for a few years. I like that they still has the Twin Towers, which to me symbolizes the strength of the city that will forever be there.
Next, it was time for lunch. We took the International Express to Jackson Heights, or Little India. I am the pickiest eater, so trying this Indian lunch Mike had in store was scary for me. But I was excited. And I actually loved it. Mike made sure to take (and post for public viewing) pictures of me eating it. I obviously took pictures too to prove to my mom, who claims I would never try anything new for her, that I ate Indian food!
Next stop was Steinway Street. It was time to see parts of Astoria, Queens. Astoria is the perfect example of gentrification. Gentrification happens when a community shifts toward a wealthier residential area. This is positive in that it revamps lower income communities, however, the residents of those communities can no longer afford the increase in property values, and they have to leave their homes.
Lights, Camera, Astoria! We arrived at the Museum of the Moving image after walking only a few blocks from the subway. Once again, a relief and a breath of fresh (cold) air, as we walked in. I absolutely love museums that show the complete evolution of something, and that is exactly what this museum did and more. It was so amazing seeing all of the cameras lined up on both sides of the room, from the first ever cameras to the most recent ones we use today. It really is amazing to see how much technology has expanded and skyrocketed over the years. My favorite part of the museum though, was the floor dedicated to Chuck Jones and all of the famous cartoons he hand drew. It was so intriguing and it brought me back to my childhood seeing all of the cartoons I couldn’t wait to watch on the television. I wrote down a quote by Chuck Jones that was on the wall because it really hit home for me. “All worthwhile endeavors are 90% work and 10% love, and only the love should show”. This to me means that you should love what you do, and do what you love and you should do it with all of your heart. If you really love something, naturally it will show.
Who knew Queens had so much to offer. A beautiful park, a small part of India and even the first “Hollywood.” We unfortunately did not get to see Long Island City, which I was really looking forward to seeing, but the subways were not working in our favor, and neither was the heat. By the time we ended, even though it was a little bit early, I think the whole class was just about burnt out (literally) from the heat, sun and humidity all day.
I can't wait to see what other hidden treasures New York City has in store.
September 6, 2014
Today was the day we began our Gotham journey throughout New York City. Today, we were conquering Queens. I really don’t know much about Queens, only being there a few times just for track meets. I didn’t think there was much to see. I was excited for what was ahead. I woke up bright and early, to make sure I had a backpack prepared for our eight hour day. As I walked outside, the heat and humidity hit me like a brick wall. Good thing I wore shorts! Since I live at Molloy on campus, all I had to do was drive down Hempstead Ave to the Rockville Centre train station. I parked my car at the Molloy College Speech and Hearing Center a little ways from the station because I thought I would have needed a parking permit to park by the station. Little did I know that you do not need a permit on the weekends. So I started my walking a little bit early!
The train left Rockville Centre at 10:03am to arrive at 10:44am, right before our 11:00am meeting time. I made sure to bring extra waters because of the heat and I even bought a Redbull to wake me up! I wish I had the natural pep Professor Russo has.
Once the entire class was gathered, we were ready to go. We headed to the subway to take the E-train to Roosevelt Ave, but our luck there was construction and it wasn’t running, along with the fact that on Saturdays the schedules of the subways shift. We took the E-train, after waiting (which seemed like an eternity) in the extreme subway heat, to west 4th and then transferred to the F-train and took that to 42nd Street Times Square. From there we took the 7 train or the “International Express”. This journey on the International Express “begins at 42nd, passes through Grand Central Station, goes under the East River and then emerges in the borough of Queens (ENY, 215). It is an elevated line and it was nicknamed the “International Express” because it takes route through some of the most ethnically diverse communities in North America.
We got off of the International Express at Willets Point where we then crossed over the bridge to Flushing Meadow Park and Corona. The walkway was busy, being that it was the weekend of the US Open Tennis match. The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is located in Flushing Meadow Park.
We made our way into the park, and were able to sit on some bleachers to learn more about Flushing Meadow and Queens itself.
Queens County was named after Queen Catherine of Braganza, who was the Queen of England (ENY, 214). The hero/villain of the time, Robert Moses was one of the subjects we spoke about. We spoke about how he was on a transportation and highway craze, wanting to put them anywhere and everywhere he could. He is responsible for the Grand Central Parkway, The Interborough Parkway, the Cross-Island Parkway and the Brooklyn Queens Expressway just to name a few (ENY, 213). It was crazy for me to think of the Robert Moses Parkway, right by my house, as the man responsible for almost all of the highways that are used today. It was also crazy to me to learn that Flushing Meadow Park was once a dumping ground. It was called Corona Ash Dumps and “it was a dumping ground for ashes from coal-burning furnaces, horse manure and garbage” (ENY, 217). The park was so colorful and lively, I could never imagine it once as a dumping ground. Robert Moses was responsible for having the park cleared, in order to hold the 1939 World’s Fair. It was compared to Epcot in Disney, which gave me a better understanding of what the World’s Fair was like.
We then walked to one of the most brilliant structures I have ever seen; the Unisphere. It is the “ideal of global interdependence” and it is the “largest globe structure in the world” (ENY, 218). Not only was it beautiful, but the mist coming from the water streams underneath the structure was FANTASTIC because of the scorching heat. I wish we could’ve stood there all day. But the next stop, The Queens Museum of Art, was air conditioned so that was a positive as well. I was most excited about seeing the Panorama of New York City. It was created for the 1964-1965 World’s Fair and it covers more than 9,335 square feet. There are over 895,000 buildings and they scale 1 inch to 100 feet. It was amazing to see what the city looks like from a sky-view looking down, when we only usually get to see it from the street looking up. I loved the system of pullies the Panorama had to mimic the planes flying into the airport. I also really enjoyed hearing that they would try to update the panorama consistently, but they haven’t for a few years. I like that they still has the Twin Towers, which to me symbolizes the strength of the city that will forever be there.
Next, it was time for lunch. We took the International Express to Jackson Heights, or Little India. I am the pickiest eater, so trying this Indian lunch Mike had in store was scary for me. But I was excited. And I actually loved it. Mike made sure to take (and post for public viewing) pictures of me eating it. I obviously took pictures too to prove to my mom, who claims I would never try anything new for her, that I ate Indian food!
Next stop was Steinway Street. It was time to see parts of Astoria, Queens. Astoria is the perfect example of gentrification. Gentrification happens when a community shifts toward a wealthier residential area. This is positive in that it revamps lower income communities, however, the residents of those communities can no longer afford the increase in property values, and they have to leave their homes.
Lights, Camera, Astoria! We arrived at the Museum of the Moving image after walking only a few blocks from the subway. Once again, a relief and a breath of fresh (cold) air, as we walked in. I absolutely love museums that show the complete evolution of something, and that is exactly what this museum did and more. It was so amazing seeing all of the cameras lined up on both sides of the room, from the first ever cameras to the most recent ones we use today. It really is amazing to see how much technology has expanded and skyrocketed over the years. My favorite part of the museum though, was the floor dedicated to Chuck Jones and all of the famous cartoons he hand drew. It was so intriguing and it brought me back to my childhood seeing all of the cartoons I couldn’t wait to watch on the television. I wrote down a quote by Chuck Jones that was on the wall because it really hit home for me. “All worthwhile endeavors are 90% work and 10% love, and only the love should show”. This to me means that you should love what you do, and do what you love and you should do it with all of your heart. If you really love something, naturally it will show.
Who knew Queens had so much to offer. A beautiful park, a small part of India and even the first “Hollywood.” We unfortunately did not get to see Long Island City, which I was really looking forward to seeing, but the subways were not working in our favor, and neither was the heat. By the time we ended, even though it was a little bit early, I think the whole class was just about burnt out (literally) from the heat, sun and humidity all day.
I can't wait to see what other hidden treasures New York City has in store.
3. Brooklyn :
September 13, 2014
Once again I went to the Rockville Centre train station to take the 10:03am train to Penn Station. Fortunately, this time in knew that we were allowed to park at the actual station without a permit so I didn’t have to walk the few blocks I did the week before. We got into Penn Station and met the class at our 11:00am meeting time. I packed an umbrella for this class because there was a chance of rain midday. The only good thing about that is that the weather was not as terribly hot and humid as it was on September 6th. But the down side was that we were no longer going to Coney Island. The last time I was there was years ago with my family when we went to see the freak show, which was way more than freaky. And the time after that was with Prof Russo my freshman year of college and the park wasn’t even open for us to go to! “Today Coney Island is home to 60,000 inhabitants, but continues to be known for its amusement parks and seaside attractions” (ENY, 193). I was excited to walk around Coney Island, and learn more about the history of it, and obviously get a Nathan’s Famous hotdog (even though I don’t like hotdogs). But instead, we went to the Brooklyn Heights section of New York City.
To get there, we needed to walk across the 1.2 miles of the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan to Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883, strengthening the ties and physically connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn (ENY, 192). The City of New York and the five boroughs were officially born in 1898. Because of the booming success of the Brooklyn Bridge, from becoming a major tourist attraction, guiding young, hopeful families to better lives, and creating an escape route for those affected by September 11th, the Williamsburg Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge were built for further connections between Manhattan and Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Bridge is gorgeous. It’s amazing walking along the wooden walkway of the bridge. My favorite part of the bridge was the locks that were hung along the sides of the walkway. Not only was it locks, but some people would leave anything of value to them or anything that they wanted to represent who they were on the bridge. The stone structure of the bridge was one of the tallest in the world at the time.
As our hike over the Brooklyn Bridge came to an end, we entered a part of Brooklyn called Dumbo, an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass ENY, 207). This neighborhood is located between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges when you walk east after exiting the Brooklyn Bridge. A park was also made to not only preserve, but to show off the beauty of Brooklyn, its bridges and its connection to Manhattan. From Jane’s Carousel, you get a fantastic view of both the Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. Not taking away from the beauty of the carousel itself, enclosed in a full class case. It reminded me of a giant piece of jewelry. There was also an awesome city skyline view here, a hotspot for the new Facebook profile picture. I mean everywhere Mike takes us is the ultimate photographers dream.
Brooklyn Heights has such architectural richness that it was one of the first neighborhoods to be protected by New York’s 1965 Landmarks Preservation Law (ENY, 201). We were able to stop and look at the infamously expensive brownstones, which didn’t really become expensive until far after they were constructed. We learned about the design of the brownstones; how there were multiple floors, a stoop, a bottom entrance for the servants. “Today Brooklyn Heights is one of New York’s most exclusive and desirable neighborhoods, with homes often selling for millions of dollars” (ENY, 201).
It was finally time for lunch and instead of trying something new, my boring self, and most of the class, went to Chipotle. At this point it was pouring rain so it was nice sitting inside and relaxing. After lunch, we headed to the Brooklyn Historical Society, which is an organization that serves as a museum, library, and educational center for the study of Brooklyn (ENY, 205). The society came together in 1863, and the building was built in 1881. The museum was beautiful, with its high ceilings that were very uncommon in the 19th century. They believed in the Queen Ann Style “if you got it, flaunt it”, and they wanted to show off the richness of Brooklyn through this historical museum. I really do enjoy museums and tours and learning so much about the history of New York, but to be honest, the tour guide we had was too soft spoken I could barely hear her! The library was amazing though. It was so old fashioned looking and it had such a calm feeling about it.
The last time I was in Brooklyn was my freshman year with Mike’s philosophy class. I couldn’t be more happy to start and end my experience at Molloy College wandering the city with an awesome, charismatic guy like him.
September 13, 2014
Once again I went to the Rockville Centre train station to take the 10:03am train to Penn Station. Fortunately, this time in knew that we were allowed to park at the actual station without a permit so I didn’t have to walk the few blocks I did the week before. We got into Penn Station and met the class at our 11:00am meeting time. I packed an umbrella for this class because there was a chance of rain midday. The only good thing about that is that the weather was not as terribly hot and humid as it was on September 6th. But the down side was that we were no longer going to Coney Island. The last time I was there was years ago with my family when we went to see the freak show, which was way more than freaky. And the time after that was with Prof Russo my freshman year of college and the park wasn’t even open for us to go to! “Today Coney Island is home to 60,000 inhabitants, but continues to be known for its amusement parks and seaside attractions” (ENY, 193). I was excited to walk around Coney Island, and learn more about the history of it, and obviously get a Nathan’s Famous hotdog (even though I don’t like hotdogs). But instead, we went to the Brooklyn Heights section of New York City.
To get there, we needed to walk across the 1.2 miles of the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan to Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883, strengthening the ties and physically connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn (ENY, 192). The City of New York and the five boroughs were officially born in 1898. Because of the booming success of the Brooklyn Bridge, from becoming a major tourist attraction, guiding young, hopeful families to better lives, and creating an escape route for those affected by September 11th, the Williamsburg Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge were built for further connections between Manhattan and Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Bridge is gorgeous. It’s amazing walking along the wooden walkway of the bridge. My favorite part of the bridge was the locks that were hung along the sides of the walkway. Not only was it locks, but some people would leave anything of value to them or anything that they wanted to represent who they were on the bridge. The stone structure of the bridge was one of the tallest in the world at the time.
As our hike over the Brooklyn Bridge came to an end, we entered a part of Brooklyn called Dumbo, an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass ENY, 207). This neighborhood is located between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges when you walk east after exiting the Brooklyn Bridge. A park was also made to not only preserve, but to show off the beauty of Brooklyn, its bridges and its connection to Manhattan. From Jane’s Carousel, you get a fantastic view of both the Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. Not taking away from the beauty of the carousel itself, enclosed in a full class case. It reminded me of a giant piece of jewelry. There was also an awesome city skyline view here, a hotspot for the new Facebook profile picture. I mean everywhere Mike takes us is the ultimate photographers dream.
Brooklyn Heights has such architectural richness that it was one of the first neighborhoods to be protected by New York’s 1965 Landmarks Preservation Law (ENY, 201). We were able to stop and look at the infamously expensive brownstones, which didn’t really become expensive until far after they were constructed. We learned about the design of the brownstones; how there were multiple floors, a stoop, a bottom entrance for the servants. “Today Brooklyn Heights is one of New York’s most exclusive and desirable neighborhoods, with homes often selling for millions of dollars” (ENY, 201).
It was finally time for lunch and instead of trying something new, my boring self, and most of the class, went to Chipotle. At this point it was pouring rain so it was nice sitting inside and relaxing. After lunch, we headed to the Brooklyn Historical Society, which is an organization that serves as a museum, library, and educational center for the study of Brooklyn (ENY, 205). The society came together in 1863, and the building was built in 1881. The museum was beautiful, with its high ceilings that were very uncommon in the 19th century. They believed in the Queen Ann Style “if you got it, flaunt it”, and they wanted to show off the richness of Brooklyn through this historical museum. I really do enjoy museums and tours and learning so much about the history of New York, but to be honest, the tour guide we had was too soft spoken I could barely hear her! The library was amazing though. It was so old fashioned looking and it had such a calm feeling about it.
The last time I was in Brooklyn was my freshman year with Mike’s philosophy class. I couldn’t be more happy to start and end my experience at Molloy College wandering the city with an awesome, charismatic guy like him.
4. The Village :
September 19th, 2014
Today was a little different than the last two weeks. I attended the Friday Gotham class instead of the Saturday one due to a doctor’s appointment I needed to go to on Saturday afternoon. The train left the Rockville Centre train station at 10:11am. I arrived in Penn Station very close to the 11am meeting time. I found Mike and his Friday class, whose faces read “who the heck is she” probably assuming I was one of the Penn Station weirdos just trying to join in on the class discussion. Thankfully Mike introduced me to the class to make sure they knew that I was joining them for the day. We were all warned that if we thought we had done a lot of walking in previous classes, we were in for an even harder day of walking, considering we were not taking any subways to get where we were going. We spoke briefly about how ugly Penn Station is, which is true, especially when you compare it to Grand Central Station. Penn Station however, is the busiest station in the United States, with over 600,000 passengers passing through each day (ENY, 113). Our favorite architects, McKim, Mead and White, built the original Pennsylvania Station in 1910, when it was one of the most impressive buildings in New York City. Becoming too expensive, the above ground Penn Station was demolished and an underground Penn Station was built, with the current Madison Square Garden sitting on top (ENY, 114).
We then began our journey to Chelsea. Chelsea had numerous underutilized garages and huge warehouses, resulting in the openings of galleries all around. An abandoned elevated freight train line was then saved from demolition and turned into an elevated walkway and garden, leading then to upscale apartments nearby because of the view (ENY, 84). The High Line, which is the new name for what was called “Death Avenue” before the train tracks were elevated, is so beautiful. It’s rare to see plants throughout the city, so having such a luscious garden is breathtaking.
Aside from the High Line, Chelsea is mostly known for its numerous art galleries that showcase contemporary art (ENY, 85). The art galleries are great because they do not charge you to go inside and look at the artwork, and the artwork is far to expensive to even buy anything in the galleries. We were gallery hopping so fast that I was unable to take down the names of the galleries, but I had two favorites. The gallery with all of the colorful faces, and the gallery with the horses made of drift wood. The colorful faces were just so fascinating to look at and they immediately drew your eye in. The horses made of driftwood were so realistic looking, and they just showed how even the leftover “trash” wood can be made into masterpieces.
The amount of walking was taking a toll on me, especially because I had not been feeling well all week. We headed to Washington Square Park, which to be honest, I didn’t even know existed. Right at the entrance of the park, we saw Hangman’s Elm, a 300 year old tree still going strong. It got its name however from the public hangings that took place from the tree’s branches (ENY, 95). As we walked through the park, we saw the Bird Man, which again I didn’t know existed, and also kind of hope it was not real. Having birds sit and poop and eat off of you just freaks me out and I love animals! The park was a party park! It was poppin’! There was people playing music, and eating lunch, and laying out. It was awesome. We walked all the way through the park to see the Washington Square Arch, which was dedicated to the hundredth anniversary of George Washington’s inauguration (ENY, 95).
We then walked to McDougal Street for lunch. We had about an hour to eat before meeting back at “Café Wha?”. I really wasn’t feeling myself, and Mike could tell. I tried to eat some of the fries and burger that I got, but my stomach was really bothering me. I really wanted to make it to the Merchant’s house, but my stomach just couldn’t do it. Mike sent me home for the day, so I took the subway back to Penn Station and then made my way back to Molloy College.
September 19th, 2014
Today was a little different than the last two weeks. I attended the Friday Gotham class instead of the Saturday one due to a doctor’s appointment I needed to go to on Saturday afternoon. The train left the Rockville Centre train station at 10:11am. I arrived in Penn Station very close to the 11am meeting time. I found Mike and his Friday class, whose faces read “who the heck is she” probably assuming I was one of the Penn Station weirdos just trying to join in on the class discussion. Thankfully Mike introduced me to the class to make sure they knew that I was joining them for the day. We were all warned that if we thought we had done a lot of walking in previous classes, we were in for an even harder day of walking, considering we were not taking any subways to get where we were going. We spoke briefly about how ugly Penn Station is, which is true, especially when you compare it to Grand Central Station. Penn Station however, is the busiest station in the United States, with over 600,000 passengers passing through each day (ENY, 113). Our favorite architects, McKim, Mead and White, built the original Pennsylvania Station in 1910, when it was one of the most impressive buildings in New York City. Becoming too expensive, the above ground Penn Station was demolished and an underground Penn Station was built, with the current Madison Square Garden sitting on top (ENY, 114).
We then began our journey to Chelsea. Chelsea had numerous underutilized garages and huge warehouses, resulting in the openings of galleries all around. An abandoned elevated freight train line was then saved from demolition and turned into an elevated walkway and garden, leading then to upscale apartments nearby because of the view (ENY, 84). The High Line, which is the new name for what was called “Death Avenue” before the train tracks were elevated, is so beautiful. It’s rare to see plants throughout the city, so having such a luscious garden is breathtaking.
Aside from the High Line, Chelsea is mostly known for its numerous art galleries that showcase contemporary art (ENY, 85). The art galleries are great because they do not charge you to go inside and look at the artwork, and the artwork is far to expensive to even buy anything in the galleries. We were gallery hopping so fast that I was unable to take down the names of the galleries, but I had two favorites. The gallery with all of the colorful faces, and the gallery with the horses made of drift wood. The colorful faces were just so fascinating to look at and they immediately drew your eye in. The horses made of driftwood were so realistic looking, and they just showed how even the leftover “trash” wood can be made into masterpieces.
The amount of walking was taking a toll on me, especially because I had not been feeling well all week. We headed to Washington Square Park, which to be honest, I didn’t even know existed. Right at the entrance of the park, we saw Hangman’s Elm, a 300 year old tree still going strong. It got its name however from the public hangings that took place from the tree’s branches (ENY, 95). As we walked through the park, we saw the Bird Man, which again I didn’t know existed, and also kind of hope it was not real. Having birds sit and poop and eat off of you just freaks me out and I love animals! The park was a party park! It was poppin’! There was people playing music, and eating lunch, and laying out. It was awesome. We walked all the way through the park to see the Washington Square Arch, which was dedicated to the hundredth anniversary of George Washington’s inauguration (ENY, 95).
We then walked to McDougal Street for lunch. We had about an hour to eat before meeting back at “Café Wha?”. I really wasn’t feeling myself, and Mike could tell. I tried to eat some of the fries and burger that I got, but my stomach was really bothering me. I really wanted to make it to the Merchant’s house, but my stomach just couldn’t do it. Mike sent me home for the day, so I took the subway back to Penn Station and then made my way back to Molloy College.