The Wild Westside: 06/18/2013
Today's class started in a very well known part of New York City, Times Square (see photo below)! I've been to Times Square many times before, so I was not surprised by what I saw. I do think it would have been nice if we spent more time than we did in this area. It would have been great to explore the multiple stores in Times Square. By reading the Blue Guide, I was able to learn about the history of this popular area. I did not previously know that the area was called Longacre Square before 1904 (pg. 217). The area was renamed when "in 1904 the subway arrived along with the New York Times, whose publisher persuaded the city to rename the area for his newspaper" (BG pg. 217). There was a time when the crime rate was high, however it has improved over the years. "Today Times Square is cleaner, safer, more profitable, and more visitor-friendly (as many as 20 million tourists visit annually [!]) than it was a decade ago" (BG pg. 218). It was great to see an area set off that's just for pedestrians. These pedestrian friendly streets were decided by Mayor Bloomberg. Street vendors were worried about the car traffic on Broadway, however, it doesn't seem as problematic as they originally thought.
One of our stops was the GE Building. This is a famous building because it was the "first building constructed at Rockefeller Center...originally [called] the RCA Building (1933)" (BG pg. 248). We were told that the architectural design of the GE Building is an Ardeco style. Although we didn't have time to look around the shops along the way, we did get about 10 min. to look inside the NBC studios store. I've already been there, but of course they added new stuff over the years.
We next took a short walk to the New York Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). "The museum gradually became more conservative: its strengths became thos of conserving the past and offering a historical view of art from Post-Impressionism to relatively recent times" (BG pg. 260-261).
Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
(Ladies of Mignon)
One of the galleries we visited had examples of early Analytical Cubism, which was a "radical style developed largely by Picasso and Braque, in which forms were analyzed into geometrical components and rendered, for the most part, in subdued colors" (BG pg. 262). I learned that Cubism (1910-1914) had major influence from African masks. The painting to the left is a piece by Picasso entitled, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. "The painting was bought by MoMA in 1939 at the time of its first Picasso show" (BG pg. 262). We were told that Picasso based this painting off of a street in Barcelona that he used to often go to.
Painting by Jackson Pollock
Jackson Pollock was discovered by Peggy Guggenheim, He was a well known painter and abstract artist from the 1930s-1940s. Pollock is one of my favorite artists. I love his drip-style of painting. This is where he lays a blank canvas on floor and would stand above it and simply drip paint onto it, "labyrinthine arcs of paint were dripped, poured, and flung at the canvas" (BG pg. 266). He had his technique and was able to control the dripping. Unfortunately, Pollock died at the height of his career by drunk driving into a tree.
I had difficulty hearing everything our tour guide was saying, but I managed to catch some information about two of the buildings we were actually able to see. The White building to the left is Hotel Theresa. I was unable to find information about the hotel in the Blue Guide, but according to our tour guide Fidel Castro stayed at this hotel once. Also, the tour guide mentioned about a "Spitball War" happening in front of Hotel Theresa.
The photo to the right is Blumstein department store. I was also unable to find information about this building in the Blue Guide. One thing our tour guide informed us about that I found interesting was that in 1958 Martin Luther King was stabbed outside of this department store. |
Unfortunately, it was decided that the rain was too much to handle, so class was dismissed early. We were unable to complete our tour of Harlem.
Lower Manhattan and Captivating Chelsea: 06/20/2013
The photo above shows City Hall. This was our first stop of the day. We were able to get a guided tour of the building, City Hall was used for governmental purposes only, it was not a home to anyone. It was also not the first city hall. How this city hall was designed was very interesting. According to our tour guide, the building design was chosen through a contest in 1803. The winners were given $350, they were two Americans (one from America and one originally from France). The design was first made from marble, but was later replaced with limestone. Architecture wise, the building is a "Federal style." Apparently, this building is considered to be the most beautiful city hall in America. "City Hall (1811), one of the New York's architectural treasures, houses a noteworthy collection of portraits of city mayors and 19th-century celebrities...the most important works in the collection hang in the Governor's Room on the second floor" (BG pg. 83). The Governor's room can be seen in the photo to the left. When going inside, we were greeted with a gorgeous staircase. It was interesting to learn that when it was first built, it was called "the floating staircase" because people didn't know what was holding it up. The Governor's room is appropriately considered as a "portrait gallery" because of all of the portraits hanging along the green-painted walls.
The photo to the right shows the City Council Chamber. This room is used for public meetings, ceremonial events and receiving dignitaries. Near the building we also saw the Woolworth Building. It has a Neogothic style and was one of the first skyscrapers. "The Woolworth Building...was the world's tallest when completed, and though it was eclipsed in 1930 by the Chrysler Building, it remains one of the city;s most luxuriantly detailed skyscrapers" (BG pg. 79). It was the largest building from 1913-1930. |
I'm glad that we went to the 9/11 memorial. I have been wanting to go there, and this class provided that opportunity.
The Bill of Rights (seen to the left)is located in Federal Hall. This is also where George Washington was first sworn in as president. "On the steps is a heroic statue of George Washington (1883) by John Quincy Adams Ward...shows the president at the moment of the inauguration, lifting his right hand from the Bible on which he swore his oath" (BG pg. 70). The actual Bible that the president swore on is also on display at the Inaugural Gallery. Like City Hall, this ceiling is also that of a rotunda.
We went to Chelsea market for lunch. It took a while to find something that was reasonably priced and looked good to eat.
This area became popular, but it wasn't at first. It became a more desirable area of the city because of the High Line and galleries. We had a chance to visit the High Line, which looked like a beautiful place to just lay out and relax under the sun. There were many plants and flowers. It's interesting that it is built directly on an old railroad pass, and when looking down you can even see that tracks as you walk. The High Line is "13-mile[s long]...was constructed in the 1930s...[and] was built not directly over the avenue but mid-block, between buildings or right through them" (BG pg. 188).
This area became popular, but it wasn't at first. It became a more desirable area of the city because of the High Line and galleries. We had a chance to visit the High Line, which looked like a beautiful place to just lay out and relax under the sun. There were many plants and flowers. It's interesting that it is built directly on an old railroad pass, and when looking down you can even see that tracks as you walk. The High Line is "13-mile[s long]...was constructed in the 1930s...[and] was built not directly over the avenue but mid-block, between buildings or right through them" (BG pg. 188).
As a conclusion to our day, we went gallery hopping. According to Don, a gallery is a place that a group of people rent for art business. The good thing about having a gallery is that the artists can support any work they want to, without having to worry about sales.
We visited nine galleries. Unfortunately, I do not remember any of the names of the galleries we went to, however I am able to give my brief description of the type of art we saw in each. 1st: This first gallery had cool looking drawings, for the most part, My favorite was one of a guy without a face, but he was holding three faces stacked, with different emotions. I regrettably did not take a photo. 2nd: This gallery had different types of pottery in various colors. 3rd: Was filled with black and white photos. 4th: I wasn't a big fan of this gallery. There were a lot of photos of naked people, and all of the pictures had the same drawing on them of. what looked like, a sun and a boat-type thing in a brownish color. 5th: This gallery was easy to relate to, and was not very complicated. It had giant gold seashells, like the one to the left. 6th: I really liked this gallery. There were many psychedelic paintings that were really cool and colorful, like the one to the right. 7th: This gallery was interesting. The art looked like photos of real people. They looked almost lifelike, and were posed in front of a painted background of buildings and walls. 8th: This gallery had an upstairs and a downstairs. The upstairs had lifelike sculptures of women with swimming caps on. Downstairs had photos of poster-like statements along the walls. 9th: The final gallery we went to was memorable because they served wine to drink, while looking at the art. I think that we did not have enough time to look through some of the more interesting galleries. |
Immigrant New York: 06/25/2013
The first place we visited today was Essex market (photo above). This market was "built in 1940 to house pushcart peddlers whom Mayor Fiorello La Guardia legislated off the streets, the market offers food for all tastes-Latino, Jewishm and upscale urbanite" (BG pg. 123). Before we actually went into the market, we were told that the area had been the most densely populated area in the world during the 1800's. It was mostly populated by Irish and German immigrants, but also had a huge Jewish population. Today, many immigrants in the area area from Latin America.
We had the opportunity to explore the market, which was filled with a variety of food options. One spot in particular I liked was a specialty cake store. I was unable to take a photo, but this place had cakes decorated for all sorts of occasions, and they looked great.
After roaming the market, we were given a tour of the area. We were told about the many farms that used to be in the area, including the Delancy farm. In 1820, the farm was broken up and separated into different lots and buildings. At that time, the area was extremely dense. There were about 5,000 people living on each block (traffic light to traffic light)! Today, however, there are no more than 3,000 people per block.
We were told that the area was very populated because of the New York East river, which was best used for shipping and trade, especially with Brooklyn.
We had the opportunity to explore the market, which was filled with a variety of food options. One spot in particular I liked was a specialty cake store. I was unable to take a photo, but this place had cakes decorated for all sorts of occasions, and they looked great.
After roaming the market, we were given a tour of the area. We were told about the many farms that used to be in the area, including the Delancy farm. In 1820, the farm was broken up and separated into different lots and buildings. At that time, the area was extremely dense. There were about 5,000 people living on each block (traffic light to traffic light)! Today, however, there are no more than 3,000 people per block.
We were told that the area was very populated because of the New York East river, which was best used for shipping and trade, especially with Brooklyn.
Along our walk of the neighborhood, we stopped at candy store (photo to the right). This candy store, called Economy Candy, had a variety of sweets. They ranged from very old brands, to newer brands of candies and looked delicious.
Next, we stopped and learned about the model tenements. "Tenements, built to exploit all available space and maximize the return for the landlord" (BG pg. 122) were used to house multiple, normally unrelated, people in one home. Living conditions in these tenements were poor, and diseases easily spread. Teddy Roosevelt, who was not president at the time, went around and saw people living like that. "In 1867 the city passed an act that promised improvement" (BG pg. 122). It was required that fireproof staircases were needed for new buildings that had 6 or more stories. The old buildings needed to add fire escapes (as seen in the photo to the left) since the entire building could not be rebuilt. Appropriately, New York is sometimes known as the "city of fire escapes."
To try to get people out of poverty, there were also settlement houses. The first settlement house in the United States was called the Neighborhood Guild (photo to the right), before changing it's name to University Settlement House. Here it was required that for every 20 tenants, there must be one bathroom and running water. Coal was also burnt and the ashes were combined and sold for commercial value. |
We also stopped at a Romanian Synagogue (photo above), of lower East side. This Synagogue is located on Rivington Street. The style is "second empire-ish," and the building was erected in 1903. We were told by our tour guide that parts of building were made of copper.
We took a break for lunch at Congee Village (photo to the right). Overall the food was pretty good. However, the first plate that arrived had a chicken head on it, so it was a little off-putting. However, the other available foods tasted great.
Later in the day, we took a nice stroll over yet another bridge. This time, we walked across the Williamsburg Bridge (photo to the left), which was heavily decorated in graffiti art. This bridge allowed us to cross over into Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I learned that this area is well known to be a "hipster area. " There was lots of graffiti along the bridge. In the past, this bridge was very helpful, mainly for the Jewish population. For some time,
the bridge was even called "Jews highway" because many Jews would walk across the bridge as their form
of transportation.
the bridge was even called "Jews highway" because many Jews would walk across the bridge as their form
of transportation.
We stopped shortly at the Brooklyn Art Library. This art library is very well known for their sketch book project. I was extremely intrigued and impressed with this project. It entails anyone who wishes to participate, to add any type of art into sketch books (like in the photo to the right). These books are then taken on a mobile library, which tours all over the world. People can also search through the sketch books to find one they might be interested by looking for it based on its' theme. The man working in the library at the time we were there made an interesting statement that I really liked. He said, "anyone can be an artist." This project seems like a really good concept and something fun that I would like to do, if it was not so expensive. I don't remember the exact price, but I think it was around $60.00.
Today's journey back to Penn. Station was quite eventful. First, my Metro card seemed to not work, but thankfully it eventually did. However, I along with Amanda and Tom missed the subway that the rest of the class, who also left, were on. Then we just waited for the next subway and it was an exciting ride. This is mainly because we saw people doing a performance! It was amazing to watch how these guys were able to dance and use the bars as part of their routine, even while in motion. Unfortunately, after that excitement we ran into a little bit of trouble. Amanda and I were almost stuck on the subway as when we tried to out, the doors started to close on us. Thankfully, Tom was able to help us hold the doors before they trapped us in until the next stop.
Quixotic Queens: 06/27/2013
Today was bittersweet as is was our last class. We started today by walking to Bryant Park (photos to left and right). Bryant Park was "named after William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878), editor, writer, abolitionist, and proponent of such projects as Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art" (BG pg. 209). This park had a different name at first. "Before 1844, these 9.6 acres were called Reservoir Park after the Croton Reservoi (1837-1900), which stood where the library is now (B pg. 209). Here we sat and had a chitchat about what we thought of the class. We had the opportunity to relax and express what we thought about the class.
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After our talk, we made our way into the New York Public library (photo above). "It is officially the Humanities and Social Sciences Library of the New York Public Library, one of the NYPI's four major research facilities, world famous for its collections and much admired for the architecture of its building...the library mounts exceptional exhibitions on literary, artistic, and historical subjects in Gottesman Hall on the ground floor, and upstairs in special smaller galleries.The architectural style of the library itself is neoclassic.
We were told that it was made to be a "people's place of triumphant glory."
When at the library we were directed to the Rosary Room and were asked to write a haiku about New York City. A haiku is a poem that has three lines, the first line has five syllables, the second has seven, and the third has five.
The haiku about New York City that I came up with is:
New York City is
A place where dreams can come true
Only if you try
We were told that it was made to be a "people's place of triumphant glory."
When at the library we were directed to the Rosary Room and were asked to write a haiku about New York City. A haiku is a poem that has three lines, the first line has five syllables, the second has seven, and the third has five.
The haiku about New York City that I came up with is:
New York City is
A place where dreams can come true
Only if you try
After the library, we continued walking and made brief stops at the following locations.
Grand Central TerminalGrand Central Terminal (Station) (photo above) "covers three city blocks-42nd to 45th Sts between Vanderbilt and Madison Aves-and beneath it are electric power facilities, steam, water, sewage, and the station" (BG pg. 229). Grand Central has a much different atmosphere than Penn Station. Grand Central seems to be a much more upscale station. Even the ceiling of Grand Central, which is astronomical, is much nicer than the one at Penn (which I haven't really noticed anything special). It just looks and gives off the impression that it is nicer and safer than Pennsylvania Station. |
The Chrysler BuildingThe Chrysler building (photo above) was the tallest building in New York, until 1931. The architecual style of the building is Art Deco. The building "was built by automobile manufacturer Walkter O. Chrysler to express both the luxury and mechanical precision of the automobile in its Jazz Age incarnation. [It was] designed by William Van Alen and completed in 1930" (BG pg. 231).
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The News BuildingWe also stopped at The News Building. Here there was a black glass dome around a giant globe (as seen in photo above). It is known to be the largest indoor globe in the world.
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The United NationsAnother building we briefly saw was the United Nations (see photo above). "UN Headquarters can be visited only by guided tours"
(BG pg.275). |
We took the Roosevelt Island tram to Roosevelt island. Roosevelt Island "is a two-mile slice of land that was long used as a place of exile for madmen, criminals, and incurables" (BG pg. 382). Now, Roosevelt Island looked as if barely anyone lives or hangs around in the area.
The tram going to the island was slightly terrifying, but also exciting because we were able to get a beautiful view from high up. While there, we visited FDR Four Freedom's Park! This was a beautiful place which was all white. It was almost blinding to look at when the sun shone on it. This area was also very relaxing and gave off a peaceful vibe. |
We managed to make it until the last day of class without losing someone. But unfortunately, when going to Steinway station (photo to the left) we managed to lose about half of the class. Thankfully, they were able to make their way and meet up with us once again.
The Museum of Moving Images (photos above) was one of the best places we went to in this class. "Its core exhibit, Behind the Screen, looks at the technical aspects of producing movies and TV" (BG pg. 499). I had the most fun when playing with the interactive equipment. It was fun making short dancing clips like this one. I also really enjoyed seeing how animations were created and being able to make my own. Astoria was a big film center, so it made sense that the museum was placed in that area. Shows like Sesame Street and the Cosby Show were filmed there! |
MoMA P.S. 1 (photo to the right) was...interesting. Some of the art we saw was kind of disturbing and I really did not like having to see some of it. However, what I may not like, others may love, and art is art.
5 Pointz (one photo to the left) is an old factory that allows graffiti artists to put their art on the building.
I LOVE graffiti art and think it's a great way for artists to express themselves, so I really enjoyed looking at the decorated walls. It was also really cool that there were people painting when we were there, so we got to see the artists in action!
I LOVE graffiti art and think it's a great way for artists to express themselves, so I really enjoyed looking at the decorated walls. It was also really cool that there were people painting when we were there, so we got to see the artists in action!
Unfortunately, I was unable to find information about MoMA P.S. 1, or 5 Pointz in the Blue Guide.
A while after we visited 5 Pointz, we ended our last class of the course.
A while after we visited 5 Pointz, we ended our last class of the course.
Ending Impressions
I had a lot of expectations for this class. I learned so much about that city, and saw many places that I may have never even known about if not for this class!
The city is really not such a terrible place, as some people may believe. It is also not as crime-ridden as the news and more make it seem to be. Some days walking around was grueling and some places were boring, but overall I had a good experience in this class. Since I took a class similar to this my freshman year, I had a general idea what I was getting myself into. However, I think I liked this class more than that one. This is primarily because we spent each class in the city, instead of being in the classroom every other week. Also, the classwork was bearable and the course was only one month, so it was not too terrible for a summer course. There are many places that we stopped at for a short while that I would definitely want to revisit! I do not regret taking this class and I really enjoyed it, overall!
The city is really not such a terrible place, as some people may believe. It is also not as crime-ridden as the news and more make it seem to be. Some days walking around was grueling and some places were boring, but overall I had a good experience in this class. Since I took a class similar to this my freshman year, I had a general idea what I was getting myself into. However, I think I liked this class more than that one. This is primarily because we spent each class in the city, instead of being in the classroom every other week. Also, the classwork was bearable and the course was only one month, so it was not too terrible for a summer course. There are many places that we stopped at for a short while that I would definitely want to revisit! I do not regret taking this class and I really enjoyed it, overall!