5. El Barrio & Midtown East
OMG! I had the best day ever! I am in love love love. I love Spanish Harlem, like you have no idea. I've been raving about it to everyone at home and work and school, everyone. This is by far the best trip yet. We started the day off at Penn Station as usual then took the subway up to East Harlem aka El Barrio. I have actually never been here before but my friend who went to Hunter College used to dorm in Spanish Harlem said she loved it. Oh yeah, while in Penn another classmate and I had a little discussion which kind of annoyed me. I know, I get annoyed a lot. But she said her dad only calls white people "gringos" if he's insulting them. As if calling a black person the "n-word." She went on and on and on and on I wanted to walk away in the middle of her speaking. The more she spoke, the more my gut was building a fire. Gringo is just used as a term for a person who does not speak Spanish. She is not even Spanish, so what knowledge does she know? No, just no. Anyway, I speak Spanish fluently, so Mike said I was the official translator, although at the end of the day there was not much to be translated anyway. The neighborhood is one of the largest predominantly Latino communities in New York City, mostly made up of Puerto Ricans, as well as a rising number of Dominican, Salvadoran and Mexican immigrants. I feel like I have so much to say about this trip that I can't say anything.
So, we first went to the Museum of New York City which is a museum that takes us into what old NYC looked like and their daily struggles, the rise and fall and rise up again of it. It immersed us into really grasping what NYC is about. DIVERSITY! Newcomers move to America everyday with dreams and hopes that they will better their lives as well as their families. The museum was beautifully structured. When you first walk in there is a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling which falls like right above your head, it was beautiful. Then you go up these spirally stairs and walk into a gallery with art, then walk up into this stairwell and there are quotes all over the walls in black and white only all about New Yorkers. I thought they were funny, but I wasn't able to snap a picture cause the stairs gave me vertigo, I kept seeing my life flash before my eyes with each step I took. (I'm dramatic). We walked a few blocks and there we found the Carver Houses which are the projects of East Harlem or public housing development built and maintained by New York City Housing Authority. They were named after George Washington Carver who was an African-American scientist and educator. Although he was born a slave, he made his duty to help other African-Americans and improve their life.
We later went to probably the happiest place on Earth, called El Museo del Barrio."El Museo del Barrio" which was founded in 1969 in a public school classroom PS 125 by Puerto Rican activist from East Harlem, seeking to preserve their cultural heritage. Along with rotating special exhibits, the museum also possess an extensive collection of Latin American and Caribbean works of art, making it an important center for Latino culture in New York. (ENY,163) Mike introduced Lucas, our tour guide to Evelyn and I first because we were the official translators. And Lucas is from Ecuador too! He's from Quito, the capital which is up north of Ecuador, and I'm from Guayaquil, a large city on the coast. I thought that was so cool and we got to talk about Ecuador and all that jazz. Anyway, I felt an instant click with him, he seemed very spiritual and calm which i loved. We walked inside the museum which was a vibrant yellow, there was Salsa blasting in the background and it smelled like pure heaven AKA something deep fried and it made me hungry. Lucas made us form a circle and we each described what we were feeling at that moment. I remember I said, "Gabby, chill." He took us on a tour around the community and reinforced the very important keys to a community which are family, love, respect and unity. He showed us these amazing murals on the side of some buildings. Every corner had something new and amazing, you could never be bored there. What interested me the most was that everyone was so friendly to each other. I grew up like that. Hispanic people are always warm and always giving. That's the exact vibe I received from everyone there. While Lucas was explaining the first mural, this dude came up to us named Taino and listened in and went on a rant about how much America stinks. I'm pretty sure his name is not Taino though because those were the indigenous people from Puerto Rico. He represented Puerto Rico so hard, he had on a chain and a shirt with the flag on it, he carried around a little radio blasting 80s or 90s hip hop, and had a little braid down the back of his hair. Taino even invited us to go to some concert down some other street..I wanted to follow him! No joke, the day was full of surprises. One of the things that makes East Harlem so special is the public art scattered around the community, which celebrates its multicultural heritage. On the other side of the street, you can't miss this massive "Spirit of East Harlem" mural. The mural captures the Latin influences on street life in East Harlem in the 1970s. (ENY, 163).
We then made our way to another street where we visited a park which was sadly closed called Modesto "Tin" Flores Garden. It 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. (ENY, 163) Small places like these make me wish I lived anywhere in the city. I feel like Long Island has cute little gardens like in NYC, but people are seen as creeps if they're just walking around a park. Meanwhile, in NYC it's completely normal to be strolling through a park late at night. What I found most interesting about the park was that it valued woman. Oh wait, pause for one minute. Luke pointed out a very important thing to me at one moment, I believe Mike called me a "smart girl" and when Luke heard it he said "no, tell him you're a smart woman." I was like wow, I am a woman. Okay back to the garden, there is a beautifully sculpted fountain which is in the shape of fallopian tubes. The fountain celebrates the strength and diversity of women. (ENY, 164). In the back of the garden is a brick wall which has a mural of Mexican artist Frida Khalo and Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos with their hearts and hands intertwined with the flags of their respective countries behind them. These two women were both political radicals, feminists, and fiercely devoted to their native homelands. (ENY, 164). Hey, they kinda sound like me or who I aspire to be. After that we walked over to the Museum of African Art which was cool too. It gave off an old school vibe and smelled like a building in Jackson Heights. It felt warm and I could feel welcomed all over my skin. The people of the community are so friendly and accepting of everyone. Long Island people need to visit East Harlem and get a feel of what it's like to be nice. Luke then recited one of his poems to our class which was dedicated to one of his friends that he lost in Colombia. It had to do with a girl he saw on the subway singing so proudly and freely and nothing could stop her. And at that same moment, because he was so distraught with the passing of his friend that listening to her sing was the only thing that took the pain away from him. Luke was a total blessing to the day, he brought forward different areas of importance within a community as well as importance for oneself. He made it clear to always love and respect yourself as well as other and honor those who fight for our well-being. After his amazing poem that practically brought me to tears we made our way over to a botanica. I'm familiar with these because my late grandma would always go to one and buy incense or candles when she wanted to pray. We met the man who owned the shop and he explained to us the importance of his botanica and how it brought the community together if someone was going through a struggle, he was the man to see. Also, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony went to visit that exact spot too.
Finally, it was lunch time! Yay! Luke suggested we go to a nice spot called La Lechonera. It's Puerto Rican cuisine food and cheap which was amazing too. Evelyn and I both went cause we're about trying new things and not following the crowd. I ordered pernil con habichuelas which is pork with yellow rice and red beans. Oh my goodness, it was amazing I stuffed my eyes before my stomach which didn't end well because it took about three hours for my food to go down to my stomach. It felt like the food was just stuck in my throat, I couldn't even walk properly or enjoy myself for the remainder of the trip. But, I can honestly say it was worth it because that food was amazing. I definitely will go back there! Oh I almost forgot, before Evelyn and I went to have lunch, we visited the Graffiti Wall of Fame. One of my friend's work was up there a few years ago which it so cool! It was founded in 1980 by activist Ray "Sting Ray" Rodrigues, the wall of fame provides an ever-changing forum for the display of graffiti art. (ENY, 165). This is one of the only places left in New York where graffiti art can be publically - and legally - showcased. (ENY, 165). After that, it was time to say adios to East Harlem :( I was so sad, I wish we had more activities to do there. I just wanted to stay and be friends with everyone.
The class met up and walked over to the northern most part of Central Park. We began at the Vanderbilt Gate which was made in Paris in 1894 and originally stood before the Vanderbilt Mansion on Fifth Avenue and 58th street. It was later donated by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney to the City of New York. The gate is considered one of the finest examples of wrought iron work in the City of New York (ENY, 162). Strolling through the park was beautiful and even the weather was perfect. We went to the Conservatory Garden which is the only formal garden in Central Park. It was named for an 1898 greenhouse or conservatory that once stood on this site, but which was torn down in 1934.The garden is divided into three distinct formal gardens, English, French and Italian. (ENY, 151) We stopped by some rocks and expressed our feelings with the class while Mike took some real up close and personal pictures of us. We then went to check out Grand Central, which has interesting architecture on the ceiling of the stars. The dimmed lighting is what kind of bothered me. The downstairs portion with all the food was alright, I wouldn't say it was amazing and the bathrooms, like any other bathroom in New York were nasty. I'm sorry, I'm being picky now. Also, at that point my stomach was still turned upside down and I just wanted to go home.
Okay so, this concludes today's episode of Gabby's Gotham Experience. Until next time, adios!
So, we first went to the Museum of New York City which is a museum that takes us into what old NYC looked like and their daily struggles, the rise and fall and rise up again of it. It immersed us into really grasping what NYC is about. DIVERSITY! Newcomers move to America everyday with dreams and hopes that they will better their lives as well as their families. The museum was beautifully structured. When you first walk in there is a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling which falls like right above your head, it was beautiful. Then you go up these spirally stairs and walk into a gallery with art, then walk up into this stairwell and there are quotes all over the walls in black and white only all about New Yorkers. I thought they were funny, but I wasn't able to snap a picture cause the stairs gave me vertigo, I kept seeing my life flash before my eyes with each step I took. (I'm dramatic). We walked a few blocks and there we found the Carver Houses which are the projects of East Harlem or public housing development built and maintained by New York City Housing Authority. They were named after George Washington Carver who was an African-American scientist and educator. Although he was born a slave, he made his duty to help other African-Americans and improve their life.
We later went to probably the happiest place on Earth, called El Museo del Barrio."El Museo del Barrio" which was founded in 1969 in a public school classroom PS 125 by Puerto Rican activist from East Harlem, seeking to preserve their cultural heritage. Along with rotating special exhibits, the museum also possess an extensive collection of Latin American and Caribbean works of art, making it an important center for Latino culture in New York. (ENY,163) Mike introduced Lucas, our tour guide to Evelyn and I first because we were the official translators. And Lucas is from Ecuador too! He's from Quito, the capital which is up north of Ecuador, and I'm from Guayaquil, a large city on the coast. I thought that was so cool and we got to talk about Ecuador and all that jazz. Anyway, I felt an instant click with him, he seemed very spiritual and calm which i loved. We walked inside the museum which was a vibrant yellow, there was Salsa blasting in the background and it smelled like pure heaven AKA something deep fried and it made me hungry. Lucas made us form a circle and we each described what we were feeling at that moment. I remember I said, "Gabby, chill." He took us on a tour around the community and reinforced the very important keys to a community which are family, love, respect and unity. He showed us these amazing murals on the side of some buildings. Every corner had something new and amazing, you could never be bored there. What interested me the most was that everyone was so friendly to each other. I grew up like that. Hispanic people are always warm and always giving. That's the exact vibe I received from everyone there. While Lucas was explaining the first mural, this dude came up to us named Taino and listened in and went on a rant about how much America stinks. I'm pretty sure his name is not Taino though because those were the indigenous people from Puerto Rico. He represented Puerto Rico so hard, he had on a chain and a shirt with the flag on it, he carried around a little radio blasting 80s or 90s hip hop, and had a little braid down the back of his hair. Taino even invited us to go to some concert down some other street..I wanted to follow him! No joke, the day was full of surprises. One of the things that makes East Harlem so special is the public art scattered around the community, which celebrates its multicultural heritage. On the other side of the street, you can't miss this massive "Spirit of East Harlem" mural. The mural captures the Latin influences on street life in East Harlem in the 1970s. (ENY, 163).
We then made our way to another street where we visited a park which was sadly closed called Modesto "Tin" Flores Garden. It 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. (ENY, 163) Small places like these make me wish I lived anywhere in the city. I feel like Long Island has cute little gardens like in NYC, but people are seen as creeps if they're just walking around a park. Meanwhile, in NYC it's completely normal to be strolling through a park late at night. What I found most interesting about the park was that it valued woman. Oh wait, pause for one minute. Luke pointed out a very important thing to me at one moment, I believe Mike called me a "smart girl" and when Luke heard it he said "no, tell him you're a smart woman." I was like wow, I am a woman. Okay back to the garden, there is a beautifully sculpted fountain which is in the shape of fallopian tubes. The fountain celebrates the strength and diversity of women. (ENY, 164). In the back of the garden is a brick wall which has a mural of Mexican artist Frida Khalo and Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos with their hearts and hands intertwined with the flags of their respective countries behind them. These two women were both political radicals, feminists, and fiercely devoted to their native homelands. (ENY, 164). Hey, they kinda sound like me or who I aspire to be. After that we walked over to the Museum of African Art which was cool too. It gave off an old school vibe and smelled like a building in Jackson Heights. It felt warm and I could feel welcomed all over my skin. The people of the community are so friendly and accepting of everyone. Long Island people need to visit East Harlem and get a feel of what it's like to be nice. Luke then recited one of his poems to our class which was dedicated to one of his friends that he lost in Colombia. It had to do with a girl he saw on the subway singing so proudly and freely and nothing could stop her. And at that same moment, because he was so distraught with the passing of his friend that listening to her sing was the only thing that took the pain away from him. Luke was a total blessing to the day, he brought forward different areas of importance within a community as well as importance for oneself. He made it clear to always love and respect yourself as well as other and honor those who fight for our well-being. After his amazing poem that practically brought me to tears we made our way over to a botanica. I'm familiar with these because my late grandma would always go to one and buy incense or candles when she wanted to pray. We met the man who owned the shop and he explained to us the importance of his botanica and how it brought the community together if someone was going through a struggle, he was the man to see. Also, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony went to visit that exact spot too.
Finally, it was lunch time! Yay! Luke suggested we go to a nice spot called La Lechonera. It's Puerto Rican cuisine food and cheap which was amazing too. Evelyn and I both went cause we're about trying new things and not following the crowd. I ordered pernil con habichuelas which is pork with yellow rice and red beans. Oh my goodness, it was amazing I stuffed my eyes before my stomach which didn't end well because it took about three hours for my food to go down to my stomach. It felt like the food was just stuck in my throat, I couldn't even walk properly or enjoy myself for the remainder of the trip. But, I can honestly say it was worth it because that food was amazing. I definitely will go back there! Oh I almost forgot, before Evelyn and I went to have lunch, we visited the Graffiti Wall of Fame. One of my friend's work was up there a few years ago which it so cool! It was founded in 1980 by activist Ray "Sting Ray" Rodrigues, the wall of fame provides an ever-changing forum for the display of graffiti art. (ENY, 165). This is one of the only places left in New York where graffiti art can be publically - and legally - showcased. (ENY, 165). After that, it was time to say adios to East Harlem :( I was so sad, I wish we had more activities to do there. I just wanted to stay and be friends with everyone.
The class met up and walked over to the northern most part of Central Park. We began at the Vanderbilt Gate which was made in Paris in 1894 and originally stood before the Vanderbilt Mansion on Fifth Avenue and 58th street. It was later donated by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney to the City of New York. The gate is considered one of the finest examples of wrought iron work in the City of New York (ENY, 162). Strolling through the park was beautiful and even the weather was perfect. We went to the Conservatory Garden which is the only formal garden in Central Park. It was named for an 1898 greenhouse or conservatory that once stood on this site, but which was torn down in 1934.The garden is divided into three distinct formal gardens, English, French and Italian. (ENY, 151) We stopped by some rocks and expressed our feelings with the class while Mike took some real up close and personal pictures of us. We then went to check out Grand Central, which has interesting architecture on the ceiling of the stars. The dimmed lighting is what kind of bothered me. The downstairs portion with all the food was alright, I wouldn't say it was amazing and the bathrooms, like any other bathroom in New York were nasty. I'm sorry, I'm being picky now. Also, at that point my stomach was still turned upside down and I just wanted to go home.
Okay so, this concludes today's episode of Gabby's Gotham Experience. Until next time, adios!
6. The West Side
Today was strange. The weather was strange and so was the schedule. I went to Penn Station with Evelyn as usual and one of my friends from home. When I heard we were going to the Museum of Modern Art, I was really excited. But when we got there, I was taken back...a lot. I felt really uncomfortable looking at the different galleries. I am scarred for life after we walked through one room that was plain white with one old school television replaying the same video over and over. It was of a dead deer being scalped. I will never forget those images. It was creepy and disturbing. I wanted to give everything a chance at impressing me, but that one only discouraged me. I don't like seeing any type of animal suffering or dying. Although later, I explained to one of my artist friends that I was really freaked out by the MoMA and he told me that's what it's supposed to do. It's supposed to make you stop and think of it. I could NOT figure out what was beautiful about scalping a deer, then he told me some people might see it as beautiful because it's a form of survival. That deer was killed to be eaten and to nourish someone. I didn't think about it that way at all...I kept thinking about someone taking out all the guts and bones of a deer and stuffing it and throwing it's head on some person's living room wall! Anyway, I was overall impressed with the museum but I wish it wasn't overcrowded. It was a rainy day at first which was crappy and there were so many tourists! Europeans everywhere speaking a billion languages and staring hard at everything. I bumped into an Argentinian couple who said they absolutely adore New York. I love the way Argentinian people speak Spanish, it's a different type of swag, almost European sounding. When we started the tour I strolled around with Evelyn and Jimmy. We found some exhibits to be comical, while the rest creepy and disturbing as I've mentioned. The exhibit includes important works by Van Gogh, Picasso, Duchamp, Monet, and Matisse. (ENY,122). I was excited to find there were world famous exhibits in there so I can enjoy some art which I think is normal.
Later, it was food time! When I heard we were getting Thai food I was so pumped! I love love Thai food. I'm also a food junkie, so I'm always down to try anything thrown in my direction. Evelyn was so scared, which I found to be hilarious! But the best time with her was the Indian food when we thought there were chicken nuggets, but really they were some weird potato things. Okay, so we arrived to YUM YUM and I could not wait for my food to arrive. Every table was handed a small dish of rice and I attacked it. Oops! I was just very hungry. I ordered something new as usual and I loved it, although I do not remember the name of it. I just know it was made with coconut milk and other fun stuff, with a dash of other stuff with pieces of beef. I looked across the room and found a sign which said $1 creme brulee. Jimmy and I both ordered dessert while everyone else went to get some cookies and whatever else was outside. But I am on a budget so I was all over that $1 dessert. It came in a little 2 inch bowl which I was sad about but it was totally cool because Gabriella gave me the rest of her green tea ice cream. We played that little jeopardy game which I was too late to answer anything so I didn't win anything :( ..
After our delicious lunch was over (Thank you Mike by the way) we made our way to General Grant National Memorial. Ulysses S. Grant was commander of the Union army during the Civil War and President of the United States from 1869-1877. In 1885 after he passed away of throat cancer, he was temporarily interred in a brick tomb in Morningside Park. A competition for a more dignified memorial was help and was won by John Duncan, who based the design of Grant's new resting place on similar structures in Europe. When the new memorial was completed in 1897, Grant's body was interred here, with his wife Julia joining him after her own death in 1902. (ENY, 171) As I entered the memorial I kept thinking about how sad it was and how there were actual dead people hanging out in the bottom. People took pictures of the tombs, but I felt it was disrespectful so I didn't do that. Also, looking down at the tombs gave me chills and vertigo. Especially as a Shaman, I did not approve of everyone else taking pictures I'm sure their souls did not appreciate it either. The memorial was gorgeous though, it had marble interior with an ethereal quality to it, achieved from gold-tinted windows.
After visiting Grant's tomb, we headed south along Riverdale Drive, past Riverside Church, which is the tallest church in the United States. (How cool!) This Gothic Revival Church was built in Pelton and Collins with funds donated by John D. Rockerfeller, Jr. This is my favorite part about this church: its emphasis on social justice and liberal causes. Among those notable figures who have spoken here at one t ime or another were Martin Luther KIng Jr., Nelson Mandela, Bishop Desmond Tutu, and Fidel Castro. (ENY, 172). I wish I could reverse time for a moment and be there for either one of their speeches. That would totally make my life. The highlight of my day besides the Thai food was visiting Columbia University! It was the first college established in New York State and the fifth in the United States. The university was originally established in lower Manhattan in 1754 as King's College and after the Revolution changed its name to Columbia. The noted architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White, who were responsible for some of New York greatest Beaux Arts style buildings, were selected to design the new campus. There is a statue in front of the Low Library is the bronze Alma Mater, the symbol of the university. Designed by Daniel Chester French in 1903, the figure of Alma Mater sits on a throne draped in academic attire with a crown of laurel on her head. In her lap, she holds a book signifying knowledge and hidden under the folds of her gown is an owl the symbol of wisdom. (ENY, 170). Gabriella and I both tried to touch the owl but we were way too short for it, even if we stood on our tippy toes, we still did not make the cut. Also we walked through Barnard College which was gorgeous too! Molloy has nothing compared to any of these two schools. To get from one side to the other, we had to walk through a small outdoor bridge and you can see the beautiful view of the city on both sides. Another thing I noticed were that there were no Hispanics on campus! I was like what?! The majority seemed to be Asian, Caucasian and very few Black and Indian. Although I'm sure there are Hispanics that attend the school, they must've been studying in the library of course..
After visiting that amazing University, we walked over to Cathedral of St. John the Divine on Amsterdam Avenue and 112th Street. This is the largest church in the United States and the largest Gothic-style cathedral in the world, the Cathedral has room for 3000 worshipers and spans a length of over 600 feet. The cathedral was built in response to the completion of the monumental St. Patrick's Cathedral in 1879. (ENY, 167) As I walked in there was an exhibit on a Chinese contemporary artist named Xu Bing. He was exhibiting his most monumental project to date named Phoenix. There were two huge phoenix's hanging from the ceiling and OMG it was beautiful. I kept thinking about how they even brought that here by plane without damaging it from China.. As you walk towards the altar, you pass several imposing statues of historic figures, including St. Paul, Abraham Lincoln, images of Gandhi, Albert Einstein, Susan B. Anthony, and Martin Luther King. As we walked around the cathedral, we stopped at every small chapel surrounding it. Each one had a different work of art even one done by Keith Herring. Each chapel represents a different ethnic group and is associated with a particular Saint significant to that group. (ENY, 168)
After the cathedral, we all parted ways. Jimmy and I both stayed in the city because I had plans to go to dinner with another friend and Jimmy was going to hang out at his friends apartment.
Overall, it was a cool day.. Started off strange, and ended up cool.. Until next week in Chinatown!
Later, it was food time! When I heard we were getting Thai food I was so pumped! I love love Thai food. I'm also a food junkie, so I'm always down to try anything thrown in my direction. Evelyn was so scared, which I found to be hilarious! But the best time with her was the Indian food when we thought there were chicken nuggets, but really they were some weird potato things. Okay, so we arrived to YUM YUM and I could not wait for my food to arrive. Every table was handed a small dish of rice and I attacked it. Oops! I was just very hungry. I ordered something new as usual and I loved it, although I do not remember the name of it. I just know it was made with coconut milk and other fun stuff, with a dash of other stuff with pieces of beef. I looked across the room and found a sign which said $1 creme brulee. Jimmy and I both ordered dessert while everyone else went to get some cookies and whatever else was outside. But I am on a budget so I was all over that $1 dessert. It came in a little 2 inch bowl which I was sad about but it was totally cool because Gabriella gave me the rest of her green tea ice cream. We played that little jeopardy game which I was too late to answer anything so I didn't win anything :( ..
After our delicious lunch was over (Thank you Mike by the way) we made our way to General Grant National Memorial. Ulysses S. Grant was commander of the Union army during the Civil War and President of the United States from 1869-1877. In 1885 after he passed away of throat cancer, he was temporarily interred in a brick tomb in Morningside Park. A competition for a more dignified memorial was help and was won by John Duncan, who based the design of Grant's new resting place on similar structures in Europe. When the new memorial was completed in 1897, Grant's body was interred here, with his wife Julia joining him after her own death in 1902. (ENY, 171) As I entered the memorial I kept thinking about how sad it was and how there were actual dead people hanging out in the bottom. People took pictures of the tombs, but I felt it was disrespectful so I didn't do that. Also, looking down at the tombs gave me chills and vertigo. Especially as a Shaman, I did not approve of everyone else taking pictures I'm sure their souls did not appreciate it either. The memorial was gorgeous though, it had marble interior with an ethereal quality to it, achieved from gold-tinted windows.
After visiting Grant's tomb, we headed south along Riverdale Drive, past Riverside Church, which is the tallest church in the United States. (How cool!) This Gothic Revival Church was built in Pelton and Collins with funds donated by John D. Rockerfeller, Jr. This is my favorite part about this church: its emphasis on social justice and liberal causes. Among those notable figures who have spoken here at one t ime or another were Martin Luther KIng Jr., Nelson Mandela, Bishop Desmond Tutu, and Fidel Castro. (ENY, 172). I wish I could reverse time for a moment and be there for either one of their speeches. That would totally make my life. The highlight of my day besides the Thai food was visiting Columbia University! It was the first college established in New York State and the fifth in the United States. The university was originally established in lower Manhattan in 1754 as King's College and after the Revolution changed its name to Columbia. The noted architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White, who were responsible for some of New York greatest Beaux Arts style buildings, were selected to design the new campus. There is a statue in front of the Low Library is the bronze Alma Mater, the symbol of the university. Designed by Daniel Chester French in 1903, the figure of Alma Mater sits on a throne draped in academic attire with a crown of laurel on her head. In her lap, she holds a book signifying knowledge and hidden under the folds of her gown is an owl the symbol of wisdom. (ENY, 170). Gabriella and I both tried to touch the owl but we were way too short for it, even if we stood on our tippy toes, we still did not make the cut. Also we walked through Barnard College which was gorgeous too! Molloy has nothing compared to any of these two schools. To get from one side to the other, we had to walk through a small outdoor bridge and you can see the beautiful view of the city on both sides. Another thing I noticed were that there were no Hispanics on campus! I was like what?! The majority seemed to be Asian, Caucasian and very few Black and Indian. Although I'm sure there are Hispanics that attend the school, they must've been studying in the library of course..
After visiting that amazing University, we walked over to Cathedral of St. John the Divine on Amsterdam Avenue and 112th Street. This is the largest church in the United States and the largest Gothic-style cathedral in the world, the Cathedral has room for 3000 worshipers and spans a length of over 600 feet. The cathedral was built in response to the completion of the monumental St. Patrick's Cathedral in 1879. (ENY, 167) As I walked in there was an exhibit on a Chinese contemporary artist named Xu Bing. He was exhibiting his most monumental project to date named Phoenix. There were two huge phoenix's hanging from the ceiling and OMG it was beautiful. I kept thinking about how they even brought that here by plane without damaging it from China.. As you walk towards the altar, you pass several imposing statues of historic figures, including St. Paul, Abraham Lincoln, images of Gandhi, Albert Einstein, Susan B. Anthony, and Martin Luther King. As we walked around the cathedral, we stopped at every small chapel surrounding it. Each one had a different work of art even one done by Keith Herring. Each chapel represents a different ethnic group and is associated with a particular Saint significant to that group. (ENY, 168)
After the cathedral, we all parted ways. Jimmy and I both stayed in the city because I had plans to go to dinner with another friend and Jimmy was going to hang out at his friends apartment.
Overall, it was a cool day.. Started off strange, and ended up cool.. Until next week in Chinatown!
7. Lower East Side
Today is Chinatown woo! I haven't been to CHinatown in a while so I was very excited we were headed there today. Also, thankfully Evelyn reminded me class was at 9 today instead of 11, otherwise I would've been that guy who came late. Today was beautiful, although I still hauled around my big sweater and a scarf just in case.
Our first stop was the Tenement Museum which was an okay tour. Wait, let me rewind one second, we stopped at the market first and got some really delicious apples for 50 cents. I wanted to buy everything. The place was really cute and everyone spoke Spanish which I loved. Okay, resume. It was cool to be in someone's old home on 97 Orchard Street. It was like a tiny portal of a whole other world. Things that rushed to my mind was language barrier between the Irish and German immigrants. Our tour guide showed us an old newspaper cartoon and how Americans would depict Irish women as monkies. They faced challenges we understand today: making a new life, working for a better future and starting a family with limited means. In recognizing the importance of this seemingly ordinary building, the Tenement Museum has re-imagined the role of these families and showed us their lives all over again. The Tenement Museum preserves and interprets the history of immigration through the personal experiences of the generations of newcomers who settled in and built lives on Manhattan's Lower East Side, America's iconic immigrant neighborhood; forges emotional connections between visitors and immigrants past and present; and enhances appreciation for the profound role immigration has played and continues to play in shaping America's evolving national identity. Something that stuck out to me the most was when she described to us how young mothers would be tricked into buying swill milk which is fake milk..pretty much it's some milk with a mixture of all these poisonous things and chalk to make it white and have people buy it. It also makes me look at another point of view from the people selling this "milk," they were so desperate for food and money that they had to make ends meet by killing poor babies. These young mothers suffered a tremendous amount when their babies died because they were just starting to see a new life, although they would end up having about 5 more children after them. Another sad thing that stuck out was in the main living room was a small coffin the size of a baby and the tour guide lady told us that it was for a baby. What was also cool was that mostly everything in that house was original, the only thing they had to do was either touch up a few items like paint over them or just preserve them. Another cool thing that she really emphasized on was the wallpaper and how there were about 3-5 layers on it.
After the museum, Mike split us up into a few groups which no offense I thought was a bad idea. I did NOT like my group at all. Everyone was boring. I got stuck with the people who LOVED TO COMPLAIN. I didn't just want to do the scavenger hunt paper thing you gave us, I also wanted to explore and walk into shops. I was also looking for some "Brazilian root" that my moms been talking about.. Apparently, if you chew on it each time you have an urge to smoke it'll help you stop smoking because of the bitter taste. Something like that.. So yeah, I was just annoyed the entire time and I know there was a girl who was annoyed with me, but it's all good. I'm not one to hide my feelings..it's clear to see my facial expression. I wished that I was with Evelyn and Jimmy, my two buddies that are always down for anything. Besides being upset, I still tried to make the best of it by doing my own thing. I did a lot of observing of my surrounding world. I did notice that the community was of Chinese descent. Everything was all over the place and messy and somewhat careless to everyone else. I noticed a lot of Chinese people are like that though..they just strive for themselves and always in a rush. They don't stop for anyone. I'm not sure if that's a good mentality or not. I wanted to buy a jade bracelet. I already have one that I wear everyday but I wanted another one :) you can never have too much jade.
After that fun scavenger hunt, we went to Congee Village for lunch. I sat with the professors because I feel like we can usually vibe on the same level. I bonded with Lee with I loved, she's friggin cool...you are too Mike..ha! The food was pretty good, I've been there before a few years back when I wasn't 21 yet and I went with some friends who had fake ID's and they wanted to go sake bombing. Everyone was really loud so we ended up getting kicked out. But this time, like the responsible 22 year old I am, I stuck to my soda and water. Some of the food was extremely salty and some extremely oily. Overall, I give the place a B..I think that's pretty acceptable. Afterwards, we walked down Orchard Street and made a right on Rivington Street. That street was awesome, more art everywhere! The weather started to get cloudy I thought it was going to rain but it never happened and it remained cloudy the rest of the night. Anyway, we stopped at this amazing candy shop called Economy Candy. There was literally candy from the floor to the ceiling in the whole store. There was not a spot in the place that wasn't covered with candy. I bought two little candies from Italy, I don't know why but it felt like they were calling my name. After that, we walked all the way to Henry Street and discussed the Henry Street Settlement that was founded by Lillian Wald, a 25 year old nurding student who was appalled by the conditions that she encountered on the Lower East Side while volunteering to teach classes on home health care to immigrant women. (ENY, 69) She sounds like a woman I would've loved to meet and discuss ideas and dreams with.
Later, we walked back over to some church or synagogue in Chinatown and parted ways. Jimmy and Evelyn gladly stayed behind with me to help me look for the Brazilian root. We sadly had bad luck with it and could not find any herb store that knew what the hell I was talking about. I think we stopped at about 6-7 different health stores and they all offered me the same "no smoke tea" I looked at the label and each one said green tea in the ingredients and nothing relevant to what I was asking for. Oh, also each store had a different price for the same exact tea.. One place was $3.99, another $4.50 and so on. Anyway, we gave up on our very own scavenger hunt and Evelyn and I took the subway back to Penn Station while Jimmy took a different subway to go to his friends apartment.
Can't wait to see what's in store for next week, ciao.
Our first stop was the Tenement Museum which was an okay tour. Wait, let me rewind one second, we stopped at the market first and got some really delicious apples for 50 cents. I wanted to buy everything. The place was really cute and everyone spoke Spanish which I loved. Okay, resume. It was cool to be in someone's old home on 97 Orchard Street. It was like a tiny portal of a whole other world. Things that rushed to my mind was language barrier between the Irish and German immigrants. Our tour guide showed us an old newspaper cartoon and how Americans would depict Irish women as monkies. They faced challenges we understand today: making a new life, working for a better future and starting a family with limited means. In recognizing the importance of this seemingly ordinary building, the Tenement Museum has re-imagined the role of these families and showed us their lives all over again. The Tenement Museum preserves and interprets the history of immigration through the personal experiences of the generations of newcomers who settled in and built lives on Manhattan's Lower East Side, America's iconic immigrant neighborhood; forges emotional connections between visitors and immigrants past and present; and enhances appreciation for the profound role immigration has played and continues to play in shaping America's evolving national identity. Something that stuck out to me the most was when she described to us how young mothers would be tricked into buying swill milk which is fake milk..pretty much it's some milk with a mixture of all these poisonous things and chalk to make it white and have people buy it. It also makes me look at another point of view from the people selling this "milk," they were so desperate for food and money that they had to make ends meet by killing poor babies. These young mothers suffered a tremendous amount when their babies died because they were just starting to see a new life, although they would end up having about 5 more children after them. Another sad thing that stuck out was in the main living room was a small coffin the size of a baby and the tour guide lady told us that it was for a baby. What was also cool was that mostly everything in that house was original, the only thing they had to do was either touch up a few items like paint over them or just preserve them. Another cool thing that she really emphasized on was the wallpaper and how there were about 3-5 layers on it.
After the museum, Mike split us up into a few groups which no offense I thought was a bad idea. I did NOT like my group at all. Everyone was boring. I got stuck with the people who LOVED TO COMPLAIN. I didn't just want to do the scavenger hunt paper thing you gave us, I also wanted to explore and walk into shops. I was also looking for some "Brazilian root" that my moms been talking about.. Apparently, if you chew on it each time you have an urge to smoke it'll help you stop smoking because of the bitter taste. Something like that.. So yeah, I was just annoyed the entire time and I know there was a girl who was annoyed with me, but it's all good. I'm not one to hide my feelings..it's clear to see my facial expression. I wished that I was with Evelyn and Jimmy, my two buddies that are always down for anything. Besides being upset, I still tried to make the best of it by doing my own thing. I did a lot of observing of my surrounding world. I did notice that the community was of Chinese descent. Everything was all over the place and messy and somewhat careless to everyone else. I noticed a lot of Chinese people are like that though..they just strive for themselves and always in a rush. They don't stop for anyone. I'm not sure if that's a good mentality or not. I wanted to buy a jade bracelet. I already have one that I wear everyday but I wanted another one :) you can never have too much jade.
After that fun scavenger hunt, we went to Congee Village for lunch. I sat with the professors because I feel like we can usually vibe on the same level. I bonded with Lee with I loved, she's friggin cool...you are too Mike..ha! The food was pretty good, I've been there before a few years back when I wasn't 21 yet and I went with some friends who had fake ID's and they wanted to go sake bombing. Everyone was really loud so we ended up getting kicked out. But this time, like the responsible 22 year old I am, I stuck to my soda and water. Some of the food was extremely salty and some extremely oily. Overall, I give the place a B..I think that's pretty acceptable. Afterwards, we walked down Orchard Street and made a right on Rivington Street. That street was awesome, more art everywhere! The weather started to get cloudy I thought it was going to rain but it never happened and it remained cloudy the rest of the night. Anyway, we stopped at this amazing candy shop called Economy Candy. There was literally candy from the floor to the ceiling in the whole store. There was not a spot in the place that wasn't covered with candy. I bought two little candies from Italy, I don't know why but it felt like they were calling my name. After that, we walked all the way to Henry Street and discussed the Henry Street Settlement that was founded by Lillian Wald, a 25 year old nurding student who was appalled by the conditions that she encountered on the Lower East Side while volunteering to teach classes on home health care to immigrant women. (ENY, 69) She sounds like a woman I would've loved to meet and discuss ideas and dreams with.
Later, we walked back over to some church or synagogue in Chinatown and parted ways. Jimmy and Evelyn gladly stayed behind with me to help me look for the Brazilian root. We sadly had bad luck with it and could not find any herb store that knew what the hell I was talking about. I think we stopped at about 6-7 different health stores and they all offered me the same "no smoke tea" I looked at the label and each one said green tea in the ingredients and nothing relevant to what I was asking for. Oh, also each store had a different price for the same exact tea.. One place was $3.99, another $4.50 and so on. Anyway, we gave up on our very own scavenger hunt and Evelyn and I took the subway back to Penn Station while Jimmy took a different subway to go to his friends apartment.
Can't wait to see what's in store for next week, ciao.
8. Lower Manhattan
Today is the day :( the last day of the best class. I've learned so much through this experience. I'm definitely going to miss seeing some of my peers every weekend, but it's also nice to have my Saturdays back and do school work. The day mostly felt like a breeze because I was really looking forward to going to the Brooklyn Brewery at the end of the day.
We started our day in Battery Park and we saw some really cool sights. There was a crazy amount of tourists from like all over the world. I heard a billion languages around me. I even saw Monks! I wanted to talk to them and hang out with them for the rest of the day. I was staring hard at them in hopes they would notice the weird tan girl with the bright purple shirt looking at them and they would say hi to me and talk to me and show me the way of life. But, sadly for me my Shaman powers failed me and my energy just wasn't as strong as I thought it would be. There were huge long lines to go on the ferries, it looked like people have been camping out there for days. From where we stood we could see The Statue of Liberty and she was glorious. I've only actually seen her in pictures and stuff, this was the first time I saw her pretty close. The statue of Liberty was created by the French sculpture Frederic August Bartholdi in 1884 as a gift from the people of France to the United States in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the American Revolution. (ENY, 58). We then made our way to the Fraunces Tavern Museum. The building that houses the museum- considered by some to be Manhattan's oldest living building- has a long and interesting history. Originally built in 1719 by the wealthy merchant Stephen Delancey, it served as his home until 1730 when he moved uptown to an estate on what is now Delancey Street on the Lower East Side. After the British evacuation of New York, General George Washington held a farewell dinner for the officers of his army. After years of being used as a rooming house and beer parlor, in 1904 the building was purchased by the Sons of the Revolution and restored to some semblance of its original Georgian style. (ENY, 55) Our tour guide had such energy that kept us all hooked. My most favorite part of the museum was the burgundy room with all the different maps.
After that, we walked the promenade which was also beautiful. My classmates and I took some cool pictures and we chatted about life. We then arrived to the food court, although Mike suggested a deli if we weren't up to pay as much in the food court. It was pretty pricey but I didn't feel like walking anymore (yeah, I'll admit I get lazy sometimes.) So Evelyn and I both walked around for about 10 minutes deciding what we wanted and it was either a $10 personal pie, or $9 burrito. So we went with the Dos Toros burritos which was delicious. I sat down with Lee and Evelyn, later Jimmy and Freddy joined us too. We had some nice conversation about education in different countries and life and all that good stuff.
After lunch, we visited the September 11 Memorial. On September 11, 2001, 19 terrorists affiliated with the Islamic extremist group al Qaeda hijacked four commercial airlines, crashing one into the Pentagon in Virginia and two into the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. The attack on the World Trade Center that day killed almost 3000 victims, making it the worst terrorist attack on American soil in the nation's history. Over 400 police and firemen, who arrived on the scene soon after the attack, were killed in the effort to rescue survivors. (ENY, 48). In the event of all the chaos and to demonstrate its resilience, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation was created with the aim of redeveloping the World Trade Center. The memorial made me reminisce on that day. I'm sure everyone remembers it from beginning to end and so forth. I remember being in 4th grade when it happened and I was in library class. My library teacher asked me to go next door and get my teacher to pick up the rest of the class. There were about 5 teachers in there with their eyes glued to the TV and all I remember seeing is an airplane hitting a building over and over again. I had no idea what was happening until we went back to class and my teacher told us the news. I still could not comprehend what was going on, it felt like it wasn't real. I didn't know anyone that worked in the Twin Towers but I felt like I knew everyone after seeing their faces on the news while their families searched hopelessly for them. I kept asking my dad if we could go to the city, I literally begged him for us to go and he kept saying no, so I kept getting angry. I wished that I wasn't little and I could drive all the way out there and hug everyone. Seeing the two fountains made me feel sad that at one point there were two building that stood so proudly and so tall with people walking in and out of it everyday. To this day, I still cannot fathom how a mind can turn so evil and have no compassion for innocent people and just take their life away. The Freedom Tower has nothing compared to what the Twin Towers were, but the idea of it is what counts..to remember.
After visiting the memorial, we parted ways. Some of the class went home, while others wanted to continue the party. I convinced Evelyn and Jimmy (who are not 21) to walk the Williamsburg Bridge and attempt to get into the Brooklyn Brewery. The bridge was awesome! There was graffiti everywhere, not to mention hipsters everywhere. I felt so out of place because I was wearing a bright purple shirt and all the hipsters are always dressed in all black. I understand black is cool, but it was a beautiful sunny day, why so serious? Thankfully, walking over the bridge was not so much about learning, but exploring on our own. I now consider the Williamsburg Bridge a portal to hipster town. It was like a while other world. When we arrived to Williamsburg, Brooklyn there were hipsters everywhere! They were all dressed in black, heavy boots, long beards, sunglasses and dark hair. Gosh, they rave about being different in society, but they literally all look alike. Anyway, there was cool art everywhere which I loved! We watched the sunset which was gorgeous and we finally made it to the Brooklyn Brewery. The line was long and Mike left us :( I thought he would stay with us! Okay, so we waited about 20 minutes then the class gave up and we decided to look for another bar. Everyone was loud and annoying and I was getting impatient. We looked like ignorant little Long Island kids, it was embarrassing. Every bar we walked into apparently wasn't good enough for anyone. I ended up leaving with Shannon, Evelyn and Jimmy. We thankfully made it back to Penn Station and talked on the train about this awesome experience. I can't wait to go back to the city!
We started our day in Battery Park and we saw some really cool sights. There was a crazy amount of tourists from like all over the world. I heard a billion languages around me. I even saw Monks! I wanted to talk to them and hang out with them for the rest of the day. I was staring hard at them in hopes they would notice the weird tan girl with the bright purple shirt looking at them and they would say hi to me and talk to me and show me the way of life. But, sadly for me my Shaman powers failed me and my energy just wasn't as strong as I thought it would be. There were huge long lines to go on the ferries, it looked like people have been camping out there for days. From where we stood we could see The Statue of Liberty and she was glorious. I've only actually seen her in pictures and stuff, this was the first time I saw her pretty close. The statue of Liberty was created by the French sculpture Frederic August Bartholdi in 1884 as a gift from the people of France to the United States in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the American Revolution. (ENY, 58). We then made our way to the Fraunces Tavern Museum. The building that houses the museum- considered by some to be Manhattan's oldest living building- has a long and interesting history. Originally built in 1719 by the wealthy merchant Stephen Delancey, it served as his home until 1730 when he moved uptown to an estate on what is now Delancey Street on the Lower East Side. After the British evacuation of New York, General George Washington held a farewell dinner for the officers of his army. After years of being used as a rooming house and beer parlor, in 1904 the building was purchased by the Sons of the Revolution and restored to some semblance of its original Georgian style. (ENY, 55) Our tour guide had such energy that kept us all hooked. My most favorite part of the museum was the burgundy room with all the different maps.
After that, we walked the promenade which was also beautiful. My classmates and I took some cool pictures and we chatted about life. We then arrived to the food court, although Mike suggested a deli if we weren't up to pay as much in the food court. It was pretty pricey but I didn't feel like walking anymore (yeah, I'll admit I get lazy sometimes.) So Evelyn and I both walked around for about 10 minutes deciding what we wanted and it was either a $10 personal pie, or $9 burrito. So we went with the Dos Toros burritos which was delicious. I sat down with Lee and Evelyn, later Jimmy and Freddy joined us too. We had some nice conversation about education in different countries and life and all that good stuff.
After lunch, we visited the September 11 Memorial. On September 11, 2001, 19 terrorists affiliated with the Islamic extremist group al Qaeda hijacked four commercial airlines, crashing one into the Pentagon in Virginia and two into the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. The attack on the World Trade Center that day killed almost 3000 victims, making it the worst terrorist attack on American soil in the nation's history. Over 400 police and firemen, who arrived on the scene soon after the attack, were killed in the effort to rescue survivors. (ENY, 48). In the event of all the chaos and to demonstrate its resilience, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation was created with the aim of redeveloping the World Trade Center. The memorial made me reminisce on that day. I'm sure everyone remembers it from beginning to end and so forth. I remember being in 4th grade when it happened and I was in library class. My library teacher asked me to go next door and get my teacher to pick up the rest of the class. There were about 5 teachers in there with their eyes glued to the TV and all I remember seeing is an airplane hitting a building over and over again. I had no idea what was happening until we went back to class and my teacher told us the news. I still could not comprehend what was going on, it felt like it wasn't real. I didn't know anyone that worked in the Twin Towers but I felt like I knew everyone after seeing their faces on the news while their families searched hopelessly for them. I kept asking my dad if we could go to the city, I literally begged him for us to go and he kept saying no, so I kept getting angry. I wished that I wasn't little and I could drive all the way out there and hug everyone. Seeing the two fountains made me feel sad that at one point there were two building that stood so proudly and so tall with people walking in and out of it everyday. To this day, I still cannot fathom how a mind can turn so evil and have no compassion for innocent people and just take their life away. The Freedom Tower has nothing compared to what the Twin Towers were, but the idea of it is what counts..to remember.
After visiting the memorial, we parted ways. Some of the class went home, while others wanted to continue the party. I convinced Evelyn and Jimmy (who are not 21) to walk the Williamsburg Bridge and attempt to get into the Brooklyn Brewery. The bridge was awesome! There was graffiti everywhere, not to mention hipsters everywhere. I felt so out of place because I was wearing a bright purple shirt and all the hipsters are always dressed in all black. I understand black is cool, but it was a beautiful sunny day, why so serious? Thankfully, walking over the bridge was not so much about learning, but exploring on our own. I now consider the Williamsburg Bridge a portal to hipster town. It was like a while other world. When we arrived to Williamsburg, Brooklyn there were hipsters everywhere! They were all dressed in black, heavy boots, long beards, sunglasses and dark hair. Gosh, they rave about being different in society, but they literally all look alike. Anyway, there was cool art everywhere which I loved! We watched the sunset which was gorgeous and we finally made it to the Brooklyn Brewery. The line was long and Mike left us :( I thought he would stay with us! Okay, so we waited about 20 minutes then the class gave up and we decided to look for another bar. Everyone was loud and annoying and I was getting impatient. We looked like ignorant little Long Island kids, it was embarrassing. Every bar we walked into apparently wasn't good enough for anyone. I ended up leaving with Shannon, Evelyn and Jimmy. We thankfully made it back to Penn Station and talked on the train about this awesome experience. I can't wait to go back to the city!
Final Impressions of NYC
As the class has come to an end, I come to realize there is more than the eye can see. I have always been a big advocate for experiencing new things and this class has showed me exactly why everyone needs to get out more often instead of always being comfortable. I grew up in Long Island and occasionally I would go out to the city to visit friends or family or just to have a good time. There is so much history on the pavement we walk on everyday. One word I kept hearing was, gentrification and at first it took me a while to understand what it was until I was standing in the middle of East Harlem right next to the projects and right next to it was a new building under construction with modern day architecture. I already miss this class and it's certainly a class everyone should take.
Now, I am going to go into the city with a much wider perspective and more respect to this city for what it stands for and its direction in which it's going to expand for newcomers. Evelyn, Jimmy and I will only continue our friendship :) I want to show my parents all these cool spots that I learned about and be a tour guide to them :) Thank you so much for this experience!
Now, I am going to go into the city with a much wider perspective and more respect to this city for what it stands for and its direction in which it's going to expand for newcomers. Evelyn, Jimmy and I will only continue our friendship :) I want to show my parents all these cool spots that I learned about and be a tour guide to them :) Thank you so much for this experience!