JOURNALS 1-4
1. Impressions of NYC
My thoughts and ideas of New York City are very mixed. There is a lot that goes into my feelings of New York City. First of all, when someone says to me New York City, I think of Manhattan. Bright lights, big city! I often have to remind myself that New York City consists of five boroughs.
Growing up my dad was an NYPD officer in Union Square, District 4. So as I grew up, I viewed New York City as a fun place. I went there for NYPD children’s Christmas parties. Christmas time in the city is just a totally different atmosphere. The best way to describe it is magical. However the major drawback is that Manhattan is a mob scene that time of year. I hate being in big crowds. I’m not scared of crowded spaces, but I am only four foot and eleven inches tall. So when I am in a big crowd I cannot see above people, it makes seeing exhibits and attractions very difficult…perhaps I should invest in a pair of stilts.
Of course my next memory of New York City is September 11th. That is where all the magic and happiness goes away for me. I was eight years old and my dad working when the towers collapsed. I was lucky enough to have him come home that day. However we lost two family friends in the line of duty. And my boyfriend who I have been dating since I was 17 lost his uncle in the attacks. The toll September 11th has taken on my family and every New Yorker is evident. The weeks leading up to September 11th everyone’s attitude changes, we are all on edge. I hate it. Part of me is very nervous for this class because of that. Because I know there is a possibility that we will visit the 9/11 memorial and I have purposely avoided that part of Manhattan for as long as I could remember. I know that if we do in fact visit that site, I am going to be a nervous wreck. I also need to remind myself that going to the 9/11 memorial is not going to kill me, and it could do some good.
Moving on from that, when I was in middle school I did a lot of community service with my youth group in East Meadow at Calvary Lutheran Church. The first Friday of every month we would drive into Manhattan and feed the homeless. We would also go to battered women’s shelters and donate clothing and toiletries. I was probably about 14, and I realized how fortunate I am to have what I have.
So my impressions of New York City are all over the place. In the winter it is beautiful! In the fall it is very sad and I do not want to be anywhere near it. Every other time of year it is hot, dirty and crowded. However I do love going to certain museums and parades in Manhattan, it just is very rare that I go. I have a love hate relationship with New York City.
During this class I hope to learn how to navigate New York City better. I hope to change my views about the crowds. And I hope to come back with some kind of a local insight to New York City. I want to be able to go there with friends and not be surrounded by tourists.
My thoughts and ideas of New York City are very mixed. There is a lot that goes into my feelings of New York City. First of all, when someone says to me New York City, I think of Manhattan. Bright lights, big city! I often have to remind myself that New York City consists of five boroughs.
Growing up my dad was an NYPD officer in Union Square, District 4. So as I grew up, I viewed New York City as a fun place. I went there for NYPD children’s Christmas parties. Christmas time in the city is just a totally different atmosphere. The best way to describe it is magical. However the major drawback is that Manhattan is a mob scene that time of year. I hate being in big crowds. I’m not scared of crowded spaces, but I am only four foot and eleven inches tall. So when I am in a big crowd I cannot see above people, it makes seeing exhibits and attractions very difficult…perhaps I should invest in a pair of stilts.
Of course my next memory of New York City is September 11th. That is where all the magic and happiness goes away for me. I was eight years old and my dad working when the towers collapsed. I was lucky enough to have him come home that day. However we lost two family friends in the line of duty. And my boyfriend who I have been dating since I was 17 lost his uncle in the attacks. The toll September 11th has taken on my family and every New Yorker is evident. The weeks leading up to September 11th everyone’s attitude changes, we are all on edge. I hate it. Part of me is very nervous for this class because of that. Because I know there is a possibility that we will visit the 9/11 memorial and I have purposely avoided that part of Manhattan for as long as I could remember. I know that if we do in fact visit that site, I am going to be a nervous wreck. I also need to remind myself that going to the 9/11 memorial is not going to kill me, and it could do some good.
Moving on from that, when I was in middle school I did a lot of community service with my youth group in East Meadow at Calvary Lutheran Church. The first Friday of every month we would drive into Manhattan and feed the homeless. We would also go to battered women’s shelters and donate clothing and toiletries. I was probably about 14, and I realized how fortunate I am to have what I have.
So my impressions of New York City are all over the place. In the winter it is beautiful! In the fall it is very sad and I do not want to be anywhere near it. Every other time of year it is hot, dirty and crowded. However I do love going to certain museums and parades in Manhattan, it just is very rare that I go. I have a love hate relationship with New York City.
During this class I hope to learn how to navigate New York City better. I hope to change my views about the crowds. And I hope to come back with some kind of a local insight to New York City. I want to be able to go there with friends and not be surrounded by tourists.
2.Queens
Today was our first Gotham class, and it was intense! For this class we ventured into Queens, the red headed step child of New York City. Before going into Queens I never thought it was anything special. I have split my time between Long Island and Woodside since I was 10. I just thought it was boring. More residential like Long Island just built up more.
The very first thing that we learned was that trying to take the 7 train also known at the “International Express” can have a few mishaps especially on the weekends. The reason why the 7 train is called the “International Express” is because it takes you through many ethnically diverse communities. The 7 train was even selected to be part of the National Millennium Trial. The National Millennium Trail is part of a total of sixteen trails in the United States that reflect our diverse culture and history. The 7 train starts at 42nd Street Times Square, and goes through and ends in Flushing. As you go from stop to stop, you go through Long Island City which is a very up and coming neighborhood. Then in Sunnyside you have a mix of Caucasian, Latino and Asian inhabitants. Woodside is a predominantly Irish neighborhood with growing Asian, Thai, Filipino and Korean residents. Next stop: Jackson Heights. It is filled Indian, Asian, Argentinean and Columbian neighborhoods. Corona is a Latin community and finally Flushing is mostly Chinese (ENY 215-216)
Once we finally made our way to Corona Park we were greeted by The US Open and Citi Field! (The home of my favorite baseball team!) First we made a stop and had a little chat. This is where we talked a little more about the history of Corona, which is where the World’s Fair took place in 1939 and 1964. We were also introduced to a very important figure in New York's History: Robert Moses. We then headed over to the Unisphere, which was built for the 1964 World’s Fair. We were also lucky enough to see it with the fountains on. (it was very nice to cool off in that heat!!) The Unisphere is something I have driven by hundreds of times and never thought twice about. But learning about it was pretty cool. It was designed by a man named Gilmore D. Clarke. The sphere is 12 stories high, 120 feet in diameter and weighs in at a whopping 900,000 pounds (ENY218). It is really interesting how he had to design it. They came into a problem when building the Unisphere. Because the continents on it were so heavy they had to strategically place them on top. Placing the continents this way made the structure more stable.
We then went into the Queens Museum. The actual building served many purposes before being the museum. First it was the New York City building for the 1939 World’s Fair. It also served as the headquarters for the United Nations after WWII. Today it is the Queens Museum. The museum houses the Panorama of The City of New York. The Panorama is 9,335 square feet on a scale of 1:1200 where one inch equals 100 feet, and includes more than 895,000 buildings! (ENY 218) To see this was pretty amazing. First of all to imagine someone had to make this all alone is mind boggling. I think I would go crazy doing a project like that. But it was a good way to see the layout of New York. It is a great visual. Especially for the bridges!!! BMW-QT helped me so much. Because yeah I know the names of the bridges, but I don’t often travel that way. So it was nice to see where everything goes to. I also found it interesting that when they constructed it they color coded things. For example all the public housing is red. They did this to highlight and show off certain aspects of New York City.
After the Queens Museum we back tracked to the International Express to Jackson Heights. Jackson Heights is very diverse. As I mentioned early it has a large mix of residents, people from Argentina, Columbia, Asia, and India. This is where we had lunch in “Little India”. I was excited for lunch. When I was 15 I went to London with an AP History class and I had Indian food there that was really good. Trying Indian food for the second time was another great experience. The food was great and not too spicy. I cleaned my plate. The combination of walking and delicious food made it hard to resist overeating.
After we ate we took the subway over to Astoria. Here we learned Astoria is undergoing what is called gentrification. Gentrification is the shift of an urban community towards wealthier residents or investors which drives up property values. Astoria also used to be the hub of the film industry before it was moved out to Hollywood. This is where we went to the Museum of the Moving Pictures. I loved walking through the Chuck Jones exhibit. I grew up watching Looney Tunes on Saturday mornings and re-runs with my dad after school. It’s very interesting to see the process that went into making these cartoons. I saw on one of the pictures before Jones would sent the drawings to animation he would write short hand on them so the animators knew how fast or slow to move the characters. For example he would write BAL short for balance. That meant he wanted the animators to have the character to stand still for a little bit before springing into action. I also loved seeing all the old masks and costumes. I also was glad I got to see Mrs.Doubtfire’s mask that Robin Williams wore.
The first class was a success! I am so excited to get into more of what New York City has to offer! My favorite part was Jackson Heights and Astoria by far! It is residential but has a lot going on and a lot to do. I cannot wait for next week!
Today was our first Gotham class, and it was intense! For this class we ventured into Queens, the red headed step child of New York City. Before going into Queens I never thought it was anything special. I have split my time between Long Island and Woodside since I was 10. I just thought it was boring. More residential like Long Island just built up more.
The very first thing that we learned was that trying to take the 7 train also known at the “International Express” can have a few mishaps especially on the weekends. The reason why the 7 train is called the “International Express” is because it takes you through many ethnically diverse communities. The 7 train was even selected to be part of the National Millennium Trial. The National Millennium Trail is part of a total of sixteen trails in the United States that reflect our diverse culture and history. The 7 train starts at 42nd Street Times Square, and goes through and ends in Flushing. As you go from stop to stop, you go through Long Island City which is a very up and coming neighborhood. Then in Sunnyside you have a mix of Caucasian, Latino and Asian inhabitants. Woodside is a predominantly Irish neighborhood with growing Asian, Thai, Filipino and Korean residents. Next stop: Jackson Heights. It is filled Indian, Asian, Argentinean and Columbian neighborhoods. Corona is a Latin community and finally Flushing is mostly Chinese (ENY 215-216)
Once we finally made our way to Corona Park we were greeted by The US Open and Citi Field! (The home of my favorite baseball team!) First we made a stop and had a little chat. This is where we talked a little more about the history of Corona, which is where the World’s Fair took place in 1939 and 1964. We were also introduced to a very important figure in New York's History: Robert Moses. We then headed over to the Unisphere, which was built for the 1964 World’s Fair. We were also lucky enough to see it with the fountains on. (it was very nice to cool off in that heat!!) The Unisphere is something I have driven by hundreds of times and never thought twice about. But learning about it was pretty cool. It was designed by a man named Gilmore D. Clarke. The sphere is 12 stories high, 120 feet in diameter and weighs in at a whopping 900,000 pounds (ENY218). It is really interesting how he had to design it. They came into a problem when building the Unisphere. Because the continents on it were so heavy they had to strategically place them on top. Placing the continents this way made the structure more stable.
We then went into the Queens Museum. The actual building served many purposes before being the museum. First it was the New York City building for the 1939 World’s Fair. It also served as the headquarters for the United Nations after WWII. Today it is the Queens Museum. The museum houses the Panorama of The City of New York. The Panorama is 9,335 square feet on a scale of 1:1200 where one inch equals 100 feet, and includes more than 895,000 buildings! (ENY 218) To see this was pretty amazing. First of all to imagine someone had to make this all alone is mind boggling. I think I would go crazy doing a project like that. But it was a good way to see the layout of New York. It is a great visual. Especially for the bridges!!! BMW-QT helped me so much. Because yeah I know the names of the bridges, but I don’t often travel that way. So it was nice to see where everything goes to. I also found it interesting that when they constructed it they color coded things. For example all the public housing is red. They did this to highlight and show off certain aspects of New York City.
After the Queens Museum we back tracked to the International Express to Jackson Heights. Jackson Heights is very diverse. As I mentioned early it has a large mix of residents, people from Argentina, Columbia, Asia, and India. This is where we had lunch in “Little India”. I was excited for lunch. When I was 15 I went to London with an AP History class and I had Indian food there that was really good. Trying Indian food for the second time was another great experience. The food was great and not too spicy. I cleaned my plate. The combination of walking and delicious food made it hard to resist overeating.
After we ate we took the subway over to Astoria. Here we learned Astoria is undergoing what is called gentrification. Gentrification is the shift of an urban community towards wealthier residents or investors which drives up property values. Astoria also used to be the hub of the film industry before it was moved out to Hollywood. This is where we went to the Museum of the Moving Pictures. I loved walking through the Chuck Jones exhibit. I grew up watching Looney Tunes on Saturday mornings and re-runs with my dad after school. It’s very interesting to see the process that went into making these cartoons. I saw on one of the pictures before Jones would sent the drawings to animation he would write short hand on them so the animators knew how fast or slow to move the characters. For example he would write BAL short for balance. That meant he wanted the animators to have the character to stand still for a little bit before springing into action. I also loved seeing all the old masks and costumes. I also was glad I got to see Mrs.Doubtfire’s mask that Robin Williams wore.
The first class was a success! I am so excited to get into more of what New York City has to offer! My favorite part was Jackson Heights and Astoria by far! It is residential but has a lot going on and a lot to do. I cannot wait for next week!
3.Brooklyn
Brooklyn!!!! This week was week two of class. After battling the oppressive heat last week we were faced with another challenge—Rain! I have never spent much time in Brooklyn. I have an Aunt who is a nun and lives just over the Verrazano Bridge and I have a cousin who lives in Williamsburg. Other than that I never ventured around Brooklyn much. I also never realized how much history there is there! Now before I get into what I learned (and I learned a lot!!), since this is a journal entry I need to be honest. I was very frustrated by my fellow classmates this week. Signing up for this class we all know and were given fair warnings that these days are long. That there is a lot of walking but it is totally worth it! It is very frustrating for me when my fellow classmates dampen my experience by complaining about everything. From being hungry (pack some snacks in your bag and eat breakfast), to their feet hurting (wear something with arch support and I guarantee you’ll feel better), to being tired (don’t go out partying the night before class), right down to the wet weather (its water it will not kill you). We are all adults here. I very much felt like I was on an elementary school field trip, with a bunch of snotty, complaining six year olds. To the point that we ended class early because my classmates didn’t have the attention span or energy to continue the full length of class. I would have liked to continue on and see more of what Brooklyn had to offer. Maybe I am being a little harsh here and I probably could be a bit more understanding. But I left class yesterday feeling like I did not get the full experience of Brooklyn that I could’ve had because of others. ---END RANT.
We started off our day in Penn Station. Where Mike gave us our pep talk and psyched us up for the day ahead. We started off by taking the 2 train over towards the Brooklyn Bridge. But when we got off of the bridge we made a pit stop in front of City Hall. This is where Mike gave us the low down. First of all City Hall is facing south because when the Dutch originally settled New Amsterdam it was concentrated in lower Manhattan. North of City Hall was mostly fields and farmland. Then in 1811 is when DeWitt Clinton established the grid system with Avenues running from north to south and streets running from east to west. Once those streets were laid out New York City began to take on what we think of it to be today. By 1883 New York stretched up to 14th street. There was a need to provide another way of transportation because there were more people commuting into New York City. They had to take a ferry to get back and forth.
So in 1883 was when the Brooklyn Bridge was completed. It is a 1.1 mile suspension bridge. The bridge was designed by a German immigrant, John Roebling. However at the start of the project while he was surveying his foot got crushed by a ferry. Thinking he could cure himself, John Roebling poured cold water on his foot leading to it needing to be amputated. He ended up dying. His son Washington Roebling who was 32 at the time took over construction. Construction began on January 3, 1870. In order to build a suspension bridge, there are two towers that need to go underwater. To build them workers had to go underwater in boxes and when they ran out of oxygen they had to be brought up to the surface as soon as possible. Resurfacing, the depth and length of time they were underwater allowed gases to dissolve into their tissues resulting in extreme joint pain, possible speech impediments, paralysis and even death. Washington Roebling was affected by the bends and his wife Emily Roebling supervised the rest of the bridge construction. Emily had to learn engineering and mathematics to take charge. Total the Brooklyn Bridge cost 15 million dollars which equals 320 million today. There were 600 workers, 27 of whom died mostly because of decompression sickness. In 1883 when the bridge was completed, President Chester A. Arthur and Governor Grover Cleveland were supposed to be the first to go across the bridge. However Emily Roebling beat them to the punch. The morning of the opening ceremonies she rode across the bridge in a horse and carriage with a rooster on her lap.(ENY)
From the Brooklyn Bridge we moseyed on over to DUMBO. DUMBO stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. This is an area between the Brooklyn and the Manhattan Bridge. We walked through where it used to be a largely industrial area. Here the factories produced machinery, paper boxes and Brillo soap pads. However when industry and manufacturing declined in New York around 1970, many artists moved in and used these huge buildings as a place to open up their own studios. This lead to the gentrification of the DUMBO area. Since this area has been gentrified it has been designated by the Landmarks Preservation Committee as the 90th arts and historical district. It is also home to many IT firms.(ENY) We continued on over to Brooklyn Bridge Park and Jane’s Carousel. Here we learned that this park has been under development since 2006 thanks to Bloomberg. Here at Brooklyn Bridge Park you can see BMW- the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge and the Williamsburg Bridge. There is also Jane’s Carousel. A carousel from the 1920’s from an amusement park in Ohio. In 1984 Jane Walentas bought it and took 20 years restoring it. Directly opposite the carousel is an old civil war era building. It was an old tobacco inspection warehouse that is now being developed for retail. (ENY)
After Brooklyn Bridge Park we walked uphill into Brooklyn Heights. This area is BEAUTIFUL! I fell in love with the buildings and the neighborhood. We learned about the different types of architecture. There is Neo-Gothic, Neo-Classic: Greek revival or Boauzart (I really don’t even know if I spelt or pronounce that right). We saw many of the Brownstone homes that were home to the White protestant elite. When the Irish came to America they were often servants living on the top floors of these homes. We walked around more and came to Plymouth Church. Here is a statue of Henry Ward Beecher. Henry Ward Beecher was a famous preacher and abolitionist. His sister was Harriet Beecher Stowe. Henry Ward Beecher preached at Plymouth Church from 1849-1887. He was so famous that there were “Beecher Boats”. These boats would be filled with people and would bring people from Manhattan to Brooklyn to hear his sermons.(ENY) Even Abraham Lincoln came to hear him speak. Behind Plymouth Church is the famous site where Walt Whitman wrote Leaves of Grass.(ENY) We continued on and also walked to the site where George Washington withdrew American troop from Brooklyn into Manhattan under the cover of night in the Battle of Long Island. Washington lucked out because dawn came and he still had troops in Brooklyn, however fog rolled in and the remaining troops made it over to safety.
We then moved on to the Brooklyn Historical Society where I learned even more about Brooklyn and its history. It was founded in 1863 by Henry Pierrepoint as the Long Island Historical Society. IT was renamed in 1985. The Historical Societies Building was designed by George Post from 1878-1881. My favorite part about this museum was the Library.(ENY) It was breathtakingly beautiful. Very old, it reminded Gabriella and me of the library in Beauty and the Beast. In the exhibit downstairs I learned a lot reading and looking at the paintings. Even though New York gradually began abolishing slavery in 1799 (females worked until 25 males until 28) and fully abolished slavery by 1827 (which was late compared to other northern states) New York was a hub for slavery. It is hard to remember that New York was not the metropolis we know it as back then. Lower Manhattan was populated, and the population in Brooklyn was growing however there were a lot of rural areas, and a lot of farm land the required slave labor to survive. We ended our tour at the Brooklyn Historical Society at a sculpture by Meredith Bergmann. The sculpture is a bust of a slave Sally Maria Diggs nicknamed pinky by Henry Ward Beecher. In 1860 he staged a “mock slave auction” at Plymouth Church in order to reveal the horrors of slavery. He “auctioned” pinky for $900, today that is somewhere around $2,000.
We ended our day in front of Brooklyn Borough Hall formerly known as Brooklyn City Hall before the consolidation of New York in 1898. Brooklyn Borough Hall is a Greek Revival style building. It was built from 1845-1848 by Gamaliel King.(ENY) I cannot wait to see what is in store for us next week!
Brooklyn!!!! This week was week two of class. After battling the oppressive heat last week we were faced with another challenge—Rain! I have never spent much time in Brooklyn. I have an Aunt who is a nun and lives just over the Verrazano Bridge and I have a cousin who lives in Williamsburg. Other than that I never ventured around Brooklyn much. I also never realized how much history there is there! Now before I get into what I learned (and I learned a lot!!), since this is a journal entry I need to be honest. I was very frustrated by my fellow classmates this week. Signing up for this class we all know and were given fair warnings that these days are long. That there is a lot of walking but it is totally worth it! It is very frustrating for me when my fellow classmates dampen my experience by complaining about everything. From being hungry (pack some snacks in your bag and eat breakfast), to their feet hurting (wear something with arch support and I guarantee you’ll feel better), to being tired (don’t go out partying the night before class), right down to the wet weather (its water it will not kill you). We are all adults here. I very much felt like I was on an elementary school field trip, with a bunch of snotty, complaining six year olds. To the point that we ended class early because my classmates didn’t have the attention span or energy to continue the full length of class. I would have liked to continue on and see more of what Brooklyn had to offer. Maybe I am being a little harsh here and I probably could be a bit more understanding. But I left class yesterday feeling like I did not get the full experience of Brooklyn that I could’ve had because of others. ---END RANT.
We started off our day in Penn Station. Where Mike gave us our pep talk and psyched us up for the day ahead. We started off by taking the 2 train over towards the Brooklyn Bridge. But when we got off of the bridge we made a pit stop in front of City Hall. This is where Mike gave us the low down. First of all City Hall is facing south because when the Dutch originally settled New Amsterdam it was concentrated in lower Manhattan. North of City Hall was mostly fields and farmland. Then in 1811 is when DeWitt Clinton established the grid system with Avenues running from north to south and streets running from east to west. Once those streets were laid out New York City began to take on what we think of it to be today. By 1883 New York stretched up to 14th street. There was a need to provide another way of transportation because there were more people commuting into New York City. They had to take a ferry to get back and forth.
So in 1883 was when the Brooklyn Bridge was completed. It is a 1.1 mile suspension bridge. The bridge was designed by a German immigrant, John Roebling. However at the start of the project while he was surveying his foot got crushed by a ferry. Thinking he could cure himself, John Roebling poured cold water on his foot leading to it needing to be amputated. He ended up dying. His son Washington Roebling who was 32 at the time took over construction. Construction began on January 3, 1870. In order to build a suspension bridge, there are two towers that need to go underwater. To build them workers had to go underwater in boxes and when they ran out of oxygen they had to be brought up to the surface as soon as possible. Resurfacing, the depth and length of time they were underwater allowed gases to dissolve into their tissues resulting in extreme joint pain, possible speech impediments, paralysis and even death. Washington Roebling was affected by the bends and his wife Emily Roebling supervised the rest of the bridge construction. Emily had to learn engineering and mathematics to take charge. Total the Brooklyn Bridge cost 15 million dollars which equals 320 million today. There were 600 workers, 27 of whom died mostly because of decompression sickness. In 1883 when the bridge was completed, President Chester A. Arthur and Governor Grover Cleveland were supposed to be the first to go across the bridge. However Emily Roebling beat them to the punch. The morning of the opening ceremonies she rode across the bridge in a horse and carriage with a rooster on her lap.(ENY)
From the Brooklyn Bridge we moseyed on over to DUMBO. DUMBO stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. This is an area between the Brooklyn and the Manhattan Bridge. We walked through where it used to be a largely industrial area. Here the factories produced machinery, paper boxes and Brillo soap pads. However when industry and manufacturing declined in New York around 1970, many artists moved in and used these huge buildings as a place to open up their own studios. This lead to the gentrification of the DUMBO area. Since this area has been gentrified it has been designated by the Landmarks Preservation Committee as the 90th arts and historical district. It is also home to many IT firms.(ENY) We continued on over to Brooklyn Bridge Park and Jane’s Carousel. Here we learned that this park has been under development since 2006 thanks to Bloomberg. Here at Brooklyn Bridge Park you can see BMW- the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge and the Williamsburg Bridge. There is also Jane’s Carousel. A carousel from the 1920’s from an amusement park in Ohio. In 1984 Jane Walentas bought it and took 20 years restoring it. Directly opposite the carousel is an old civil war era building. It was an old tobacco inspection warehouse that is now being developed for retail. (ENY)
After Brooklyn Bridge Park we walked uphill into Brooklyn Heights. This area is BEAUTIFUL! I fell in love with the buildings and the neighborhood. We learned about the different types of architecture. There is Neo-Gothic, Neo-Classic: Greek revival or Boauzart (I really don’t even know if I spelt or pronounce that right). We saw many of the Brownstone homes that were home to the White protestant elite. When the Irish came to America they were often servants living on the top floors of these homes. We walked around more and came to Plymouth Church. Here is a statue of Henry Ward Beecher. Henry Ward Beecher was a famous preacher and abolitionist. His sister was Harriet Beecher Stowe. Henry Ward Beecher preached at Plymouth Church from 1849-1887. He was so famous that there were “Beecher Boats”. These boats would be filled with people and would bring people from Manhattan to Brooklyn to hear his sermons.(ENY) Even Abraham Lincoln came to hear him speak. Behind Plymouth Church is the famous site where Walt Whitman wrote Leaves of Grass.(ENY) We continued on and also walked to the site where George Washington withdrew American troop from Brooklyn into Manhattan under the cover of night in the Battle of Long Island. Washington lucked out because dawn came and he still had troops in Brooklyn, however fog rolled in and the remaining troops made it over to safety.
We then moved on to the Brooklyn Historical Society where I learned even more about Brooklyn and its history. It was founded in 1863 by Henry Pierrepoint as the Long Island Historical Society. IT was renamed in 1985. The Historical Societies Building was designed by George Post from 1878-1881. My favorite part about this museum was the Library.(ENY) It was breathtakingly beautiful. Very old, it reminded Gabriella and me of the library in Beauty and the Beast. In the exhibit downstairs I learned a lot reading and looking at the paintings. Even though New York gradually began abolishing slavery in 1799 (females worked until 25 males until 28) and fully abolished slavery by 1827 (which was late compared to other northern states) New York was a hub for slavery. It is hard to remember that New York was not the metropolis we know it as back then. Lower Manhattan was populated, and the population in Brooklyn was growing however there were a lot of rural areas, and a lot of farm land the required slave labor to survive. We ended our tour at the Brooklyn Historical Society at a sculpture by Meredith Bergmann. The sculpture is a bust of a slave Sally Maria Diggs nicknamed pinky by Henry Ward Beecher. In 1860 he staged a “mock slave auction” at Plymouth Church in order to reveal the horrors of slavery. He “auctioned” pinky for $900, today that is somewhere around $2,000.
We ended our day in front of Brooklyn Borough Hall formerly known as Brooklyn City Hall before the consolidation of New York in 1898. Brooklyn Borough Hall is a Greek Revival style building. It was built from 1845-1848 by Gamaliel King.(ENY) I cannot wait to see what is in store for us next week!
4. The VillageThis week we went to Chelsea and the village. Before Chelsea became what we know it to be today, it was formerly owned by a British army captain Thomas Clark. He has named the 94-acre property after his town in England. Then the property was eventually passed on to his grandson Clement Clark Moore- the author of “Twas the Night Before Christmas”. Moore was the one who developed the estate. Homes started to be built up. Then in 1847 the Hudson River Railroad tracks cut through Chelsea, turning it into an industrialized area. Once this area was industrialized more Irish immigrants began to come here to look for work in slaughterhouses, and various factories that were being built. This drove out the elite white, protestants that had been living in the area. Turning Chelsea into a working class area filled with Irish immigrants. (ENY 83-84)
In the 1990’s however art galleries began to open up in Chelsea and this is where our day began. First we walked over to the High Line at 30th street and 10th avenue. In the mid 1800’s this is where the freight line ran through to transport goods. This freight line however caused many deaths. It was in a crowded area and many people were hit by the train nicknaming 10th avenue, “Death Avenue”. In the 1930’s the line was elevated, and then by the 1980’s it was no longer used. In 1999 a non-profit group formed to turn the abandoned freight line into a park. It was opened in 2006 and showcases all plants native to New York. I wasn’t able to fully enjoy our walk across because it was so crowded! However I am sure if I go back in the spring it would be beautiful!
Next we walked into a few Art Galleries which were very interesting to say the least. I am not used to that type of art. When I was in high school I went to Paris and visited many art galleries. The art in Paris in comparison to the art in Chelsea are extremely different. We went into a Gallery called PACE. The gallery was displaying art work by David Hockney, the name of the collection was The Arrival of Spring. This included charcoal sketches, iPad prints, and a video illustration showing the change from winter to spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire. These pieces I thought were paintings only to find out he made them all on an iPad. I have to admit had to have taken some talent, anything I draw on an iPad looks like a three year old drew it.
We traveled onward stopping at St.Peter’s Episopical church to take attendance. St.Peter’s was beautiful. I thought it was interesting that all the stone used on the church are materials found in New York. We also walked around Greenwich Village, The West Village, Meat Packing District and alphabet city, but I want to leave room to talk about my favorite part of the day: The Merchants House.
So I have mentioned before that I was a history major before changing to nursing and this class is really reminding me why I love history so much! So we went to The Merchant’s House, which is a federal style house. It was originally built in 1832 by Joseph Brewster. And Seabury Tredwell bought it in 1835 for $18,000. Here he lived with his wife and eight children, four servants, and relatives until he died in 1865. The house then passed on to his daughter Gertrude, who lived in the home until 1933. Gertrude never married and left the home exactly as it was in 1835. We started the tour in the basement. Here is where the family would have spent most of their time. In the family area and kitchen. It is also important to note that there would have been no bathroom in this house, they would have had an outhouse in the back. On the main floor is where mostly entertaining would take place and on the next floor up was the parent’s bedrooms. Above that would be the children’s bedrooms and above that would have been the servant’s rooms.
The servants were again mostly Irish Immigrants. They had to carry heavy buckets of coal up all those stairs to keep the house warm. It was hard labor but they were able to live off of pennies a day. This is because they were paid, room and board was covered, and they often received hand-me-downs.
The life as Mrs.Tredwell is not one that I envy at all. She was responsible for raising the children, managing the household, grocery lists, shopping and helping to keep the family in good standing socially. If someone came to the house they left a calling card. That was their way of either just saying hello, or they would wait until the lady of the house would see them. If the lady of the house did not return a visit, or take the calling card it was considered to be a huge slap in the face. I found The Merchants House to be like stepping into a time capsule. It is amazing to see how they lived first hand.
In the 1990’s however art galleries began to open up in Chelsea and this is where our day began. First we walked over to the High Line at 30th street and 10th avenue. In the mid 1800’s this is where the freight line ran through to transport goods. This freight line however caused many deaths. It was in a crowded area and many people were hit by the train nicknaming 10th avenue, “Death Avenue”. In the 1930’s the line was elevated, and then by the 1980’s it was no longer used. In 1999 a non-profit group formed to turn the abandoned freight line into a park. It was opened in 2006 and showcases all plants native to New York. I wasn’t able to fully enjoy our walk across because it was so crowded! However I am sure if I go back in the spring it would be beautiful!
Next we walked into a few Art Galleries which were very interesting to say the least. I am not used to that type of art. When I was in high school I went to Paris and visited many art galleries. The art in Paris in comparison to the art in Chelsea are extremely different. We went into a Gallery called PACE. The gallery was displaying art work by David Hockney, the name of the collection was The Arrival of Spring. This included charcoal sketches, iPad prints, and a video illustration showing the change from winter to spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire. These pieces I thought were paintings only to find out he made them all on an iPad. I have to admit had to have taken some talent, anything I draw on an iPad looks like a three year old drew it.
We traveled onward stopping at St.Peter’s Episopical church to take attendance. St.Peter’s was beautiful. I thought it was interesting that all the stone used on the church are materials found in New York. We also walked around Greenwich Village, The West Village, Meat Packing District and alphabet city, but I want to leave room to talk about my favorite part of the day: The Merchants House.
So I have mentioned before that I was a history major before changing to nursing and this class is really reminding me why I love history so much! So we went to The Merchant’s House, which is a federal style house. It was originally built in 1832 by Joseph Brewster. And Seabury Tredwell bought it in 1835 for $18,000. Here he lived with his wife and eight children, four servants, and relatives until he died in 1865. The house then passed on to his daughter Gertrude, who lived in the home until 1933. Gertrude never married and left the home exactly as it was in 1835. We started the tour in the basement. Here is where the family would have spent most of their time. In the family area and kitchen. It is also important to note that there would have been no bathroom in this house, they would have had an outhouse in the back. On the main floor is where mostly entertaining would take place and on the next floor up was the parent’s bedrooms. Above that would be the children’s bedrooms and above that would have been the servant’s rooms.
The servants were again mostly Irish Immigrants. They had to carry heavy buckets of coal up all those stairs to keep the house warm. It was hard labor but they were able to live off of pennies a day. This is because they were paid, room and board was covered, and they often received hand-me-downs.
The life as Mrs.Tredwell is not one that I envy at all. She was responsible for raising the children, managing the household, grocery lists, shopping and helping to keep the family in good standing socially. If someone came to the house they left a calling card. That was their way of either just saying hello, or they would wait until the lady of the house would see them. If the lady of the house did not return a visit, or take the calling card it was considered to be a huge slap in the face. I found The Merchants House to be like stepping into a time capsule. It is amazing to see how they lived first hand.