The Wild West Side
Today’s class we went to the Museum of Modern Art, which not only was filled with modern painting and sculptures but also drawings, designs, photography and film. There are collections between the 19th and 20th centuries, and there are five floors in the building. The best way to go about the museum is to start at the fifth floor and travel down. Although there were many pieces of art that captured my interest, there were a few that I really enjoyed. I liked Pablo Picasso’s Head of a Warrior, which was made in 1933, out of plaster, metal and wood. The story behind this painting was that the warrior motif and the plaster/s resemblance to pristine white marble allude to classical sculpture, but this work is built from an assortment of found objects. A tennis ball forms the shape of each eye, x-ray analysis has revealed that a crowbar was lodged into the warrior’s neck, and the ridges toward the base of the sculpture are formed from corrugated metal or cardboard. Also, the warrior’s headdress is supported by a piece of chicken wire. Although there were many different paintings and sculptures from different artists, this one was particularly my favorite, along with the interesting chair that I was able to capture a picture of.
We also went to the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, which was absolutely gorgeous. One of my favorite aspects of the city is viewing the difficult architecture and designs in Church’s because the colors and patterns are always incredible. This Cathedrals architectural style is Gothic Revival, and the architects were Christopher Grant LaFarge, and George Lewis Heins (Blue Guide p419-422).
Columbia University is an American Ivy League research university that is probably one of the most gorgeous colleges I have ever seen. In my opinion, it didn’t even look like a college; it had beautiful brick buildings, with trees and green patches throughout the whole thing. It was a little bit of a tease going to that college, when one of those buildings is about the size of Molloy. Overall, that college is definitely a dream college, and has a beautiful campus.
Another thing we saw was the Harriet Tubman Memorial, which was a huge sculpture located in Harlem. It’s a two-ton statue of Tubman titled "Swing Low," was placed in Harlem. Dedicated on November 13, 2008 it reflects her work in the Underground Railroad, Tubman’s body pushes forward like a locomotive, her arms churning at her side like the pistons of the train wheels. Her skirt is slightly pulled up at the front, showing her petticoats like the cow-catcher of a steam locomotive. Tubman’s face stares straight forward in resolve to attain her goal. Saar, the artist, covered Tubman’s skirt with the faces of freed slaves (Blue Guide). This sculpture is definitely uplifting and powerful with all the meaning behind it.
Today’s class we went to the Museum of Modern Art, which not only was filled with modern painting and sculptures but also drawings, designs, photography and film. There are collections between the 19th and 20th centuries, and there are five floors in the building. The best way to go about the museum is to start at the fifth floor and travel down. Although there were many pieces of art that captured my interest, there were a few that I really enjoyed. I liked Pablo Picasso’s Head of a Warrior, which was made in 1933, out of plaster, metal and wood. The story behind this painting was that the warrior motif and the plaster/s resemblance to pristine white marble allude to classical sculpture, but this work is built from an assortment of found objects. A tennis ball forms the shape of each eye, x-ray analysis has revealed that a crowbar was lodged into the warrior’s neck, and the ridges toward the base of the sculpture are formed from corrugated metal or cardboard. Also, the warrior’s headdress is supported by a piece of chicken wire. Although there were many different paintings and sculptures from different artists, this one was particularly my favorite, along with the interesting chair that I was able to capture a picture of.
We also went to the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, which was absolutely gorgeous. One of my favorite aspects of the city is viewing the difficult architecture and designs in Church’s because the colors and patterns are always incredible. This Cathedrals architectural style is Gothic Revival, and the architects were Christopher Grant LaFarge, and George Lewis Heins (Blue Guide p419-422).
Columbia University is an American Ivy League research university that is probably one of the most gorgeous colleges I have ever seen. In my opinion, it didn’t even look like a college; it had beautiful brick buildings, with trees and green patches throughout the whole thing. It was a little bit of a tease going to that college, when one of those buildings is about the size of Molloy. Overall, that college is definitely a dream college, and has a beautiful campus.
Another thing we saw was the Harriet Tubman Memorial, which was a huge sculpture located in Harlem. It’s a two-ton statue of Tubman titled "Swing Low," was placed in Harlem. Dedicated on November 13, 2008 it reflects her work in the Underground Railroad, Tubman’s body pushes forward like a locomotive, her arms churning at her side like the pistons of the train wheels. Her skirt is slightly pulled up at the front, showing her petticoats like the cow-catcher of a steam locomotive. Tubman’s face stares straight forward in resolve to attain her goal. Saar, the artist, covered Tubman’s skirt with the faces of freed slaves (Blue Guide). This sculpture is definitely uplifting and powerful with all the meaning behind it.
Lower Manhattan and Captivating Chelsea
New York City Hall is the oldest city hall in the United States that still houses its original governmental functions. Constructed from 1810 to 1812, New York City Hall is a National Historic Landmark and both its exterior and interior are designated New York City landmarks. Although Mangin and McComb designed the building, which was constructed between 1810 and 1812, it has been altered numerous times over the years, with the alteration often designed by noted architects. Located inside City Hall, there is a statue of George Washington, created by a French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon. The original statue is carved from Carrara marble. It depicts a standing life-sized Washington. In his right hand is a cane, his left arm rests on a fasces on which is slung his cape and sword, and at the back is a plow. He is shown wearing his military uniform, as Washington wished to be depicted in contemporary attire, rather than that of antiquity popular in Neo-classical asculpture (Blue Guide p 83-85).
The dome that was located inside New York City was absolutely incredible, the design that went into it and the calm colors made it so elegant. There were also 10 large columns that held the dome upwards. There was also a gorgeous stairway that I would love to have in my house one ay, it starts as one staircase and split into two.
Governor’s Room contains several portraits that are displayed, and a reception space and gallery on the second floor that features historic furnishings including pieces by Charles Christian and Honoré Lannuier as well as George Washington’s writing desk. The rooms coloring looked like a Tiffany’s blue, and there were paintings done by John Trumbull. He was a famous portrait painter and did the famous George Washington painting. We were also able to see the Bullpen, located beside the Governors room, which has served as a courtroom. This was interesting because it looked like the courtrooms that were in Law and Order and other crime shows.
After we left City Hall, we went to St Paul’s Chapel, which was located right near ground zero. This was not the first time I have been to this church, but the inside of it still amazes me. I think it’s incredible that it is filled with flags, signs, posters, family pictures, and other items of individuals that were lost in 9/11. I think the inside of this church is gorgeous, and there are so many aspects of it that are incredible. One of my favorite parts of this church was the “statute” that was made out of patches of different fire and police departments. I think that the lives that were lost, and those that helped individuals stay safe are shown their importance in this church.
As we left St. Paul’s Chapel, we went to Ground Zero, which is the memorial for the World Trade Center. The memorial had both the north and south towers recreated as pools of water, and all the names of lost individuals along the sides of the buildings (Blue Guide p62). We then walked down Broadway to the Museum of the American Indian, which was unfortunately closed due to the Government being shut down.
Chelsea Market was also an interesting area to walk through, although I have been there before, it seemed different than the last time I had gone. There were several food places, including gourmet, fruits, wine and desserts. The girls and I were able to stop at one of the food places called Friedman's Lunch and got delicious cheeseburgers (Blue Guide p186). We ended the day off by stopping at different artists shops that hall different elements and forms of "art." Some of the art seemed rather bizarre, random objects put together that are worth thousands of dollars, yet they don't capture my interest. But there are also some images that are captivating which I took a few pictures of. One of my favorite stops of the day was Printed Matter, which had a bunch of different notebooks with really interesting images on the front of them.
New York City Hall is the oldest city hall in the United States that still houses its original governmental functions. Constructed from 1810 to 1812, New York City Hall is a National Historic Landmark and both its exterior and interior are designated New York City landmarks. Although Mangin and McComb designed the building, which was constructed between 1810 and 1812, it has been altered numerous times over the years, with the alteration often designed by noted architects. Located inside City Hall, there is a statue of George Washington, created by a French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon. The original statue is carved from Carrara marble. It depicts a standing life-sized Washington. In his right hand is a cane, his left arm rests on a fasces on which is slung his cape and sword, and at the back is a plow. He is shown wearing his military uniform, as Washington wished to be depicted in contemporary attire, rather than that of antiquity popular in Neo-classical asculpture (Blue Guide p 83-85).
The dome that was located inside New York City was absolutely incredible, the design that went into it and the calm colors made it so elegant. There were also 10 large columns that held the dome upwards. There was also a gorgeous stairway that I would love to have in my house one ay, it starts as one staircase and split into two.
Governor’s Room contains several portraits that are displayed, and a reception space and gallery on the second floor that features historic furnishings including pieces by Charles Christian and Honoré Lannuier as well as George Washington’s writing desk. The rooms coloring looked like a Tiffany’s blue, and there were paintings done by John Trumbull. He was a famous portrait painter and did the famous George Washington painting. We were also able to see the Bullpen, located beside the Governors room, which has served as a courtroom. This was interesting because it looked like the courtrooms that were in Law and Order and other crime shows.
After we left City Hall, we went to St Paul’s Chapel, which was located right near ground zero. This was not the first time I have been to this church, but the inside of it still amazes me. I think it’s incredible that it is filled with flags, signs, posters, family pictures, and other items of individuals that were lost in 9/11. I think the inside of this church is gorgeous, and there are so many aspects of it that are incredible. One of my favorite parts of this church was the “statute” that was made out of patches of different fire and police departments. I think that the lives that were lost, and those that helped individuals stay safe are shown their importance in this church.
As we left St. Paul’s Chapel, we went to Ground Zero, which is the memorial for the World Trade Center. The memorial had both the north and south towers recreated as pools of water, and all the names of lost individuals along the sides of the buildings (Blue Guide p62). We then walked down Broadway to the Museum of the American Indian, which was unfortunately closed due to the Government being shut down.
Chelsea Market was also an interesting area to walk through, although I have been there before, it seemed different than the last time I had gone. There were several food places, including gourmet, fruits, wine and desserts. The girls and I were able to stop at one of the food places called Friedman's Lunch and got delicious cheeseburgers (Blue Guide p186). We ended the day off by stopping at different artists shops that hall different elements and forms of "art." Some of the art seemed rather bizarre, random objects put together that are worth thousands of dollars, yet they don't capture my interest. But there are also some images that are captivating which I took a few pictures of. One of my favorite stops of the day was Printed Matter, which had a bunch of different notebooks with really interesting images on the front of them.
Immigrant New York
On our last class we started off the day at the Essex Market, which was located on Essex St and Delancey. As we walked in the store seemed a little overwhelming since everything was close together and overfilled. This market had every type of food imaginable, from different interesting cheeses, all types of meat, and different fresh fish. The food seemed to be so fresh and homegrown, and there were so many options of different things to purchase. There was a cute little coffee shop inside which I was able to get a hot chocolate that was really delicious. The food and drinks in the market were so cheap and reasonable that I wish I could’ve taken more fruit and vegetables home.
We also stopped at Economy Candy, which is a very famous candy shop. This candy shop looked like a miniature Charlie and the Chocolate Factory type of candy shop. It had so many different types of candy, everything imaginable from chocolate covered pretzels, to jelly rings, and suck on candies. All of the candy was also really cheap, I managed to spend ten dollars on a few different types of candy. I purchased chocolate covered gummy bears which I was really excited about because their so difficult to find, and I also got sour straws and twizzler’s.
During our walking tour we stopped outside the Bialystoker Synagogue, which had a really pretty exterior. This Synagogue was built in 1826 and was originally the Willet Street Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1905, the Jewish Congregation from Bailystok bought over the building (Blue Guide, p 123).
The Henry Street Settlement was built for prosperous shop-owners and ship captains. Lillian Wald founded the Henry Street Settlement, and she devoted herself to help the poor individuals. She fought ignorance, disease, rats and malnutrition. She raised money to help with these settlements and helped these individuals with housing and a health care (Blue Guide, p 125).
We were then given time to walk around near Canal Street, which is China Town, and if you walked a little further you can walk into Little Italy. Gina, Laura, Joann and I walked down Canal Street and saw all the shops, which every person in the streets were asking if we wanted “LV, Coach, Gucci.” We walked to Ferraras and got really good gelato, I had a scoop of Pistachio and Hazelnut and it was amazing. We then met the group for lunch at Congee Restaurant. I think we got more enjoyment out of the “lazy susan” than many other things that occurred throughout the day. The food here was really good, and we were all so hungry that we ate like savages.
We ended the day by going to the Tenement Museum, which was one of the most interesting things that we have encountered throughout the class. I enjoyed not only the museum itself how well it was kept for being as aged as it was, but also the people that worked there. We acted as if it was 1916 and we were a Russian Jewish Family, and we were asking a “young girl” about the living conditions. It was interesting to see the woman act as a 14 year old girl that lives in the apartment. There were four apartments on each floor, each apartment having three rooms. There were also two toilets in the hallways on each floor. I truly give immigrants credit for the living conditions they faced when they immigrated to America. I do not think that I, along with several other family members would ever be able to leave in such tight living conditions that the actress, Victoria lived in. I also think its brave of the woman back that, that although there were gangs, and prostitutes across the street, they were still able to walk home alone. That is something that even today I do not feel I would be comfortable doing. I also enjoyed the fact that she was stating how the men did the work outside of the house and that the woman took care of everything inside the house. I like that these things have changed today and that both spouses are responsible for both of these tasks. I enjoyed this Museum because I liked that everything was up to date, and we were able to see old pictures, the kitchen, how they washed their clothing and how they all slept. I also found Victoria entertaining, especially when she was saying that her “brother” would play with the fish up until they would have to kill them for supper. I thoroughly enjoyed this museum.
On our last class we started off the day at the Essex Market, which was located on Essex St and Delancey. As we walked in the store seemed a little overwhelming since everything was close together and overfilled. This market had every type of food imaginable, from different interesting cheeses, all types of meat, and different fresh fish. The food seemed to be so fresh and homegrown, and there were so many options of different things to purchase. There was a cute little coffee shop inside which I was able to get a hot chocolate that was really delicious. The food and drinks in the market were so cheap and reasonable that I wish I could’ve taken more fruit and vegetables home.
We also stopped at Economy Candy, which is a very famous candy shop. This candy shop looked like a miniature Charlie and the Chocolate Factory type of candy shop. It had so many different types of candy, everything imaginable from chocolate covered pretzels, to jelly rings, and suck on candies. All of the candy was also really cheap, I managed to spend ten dollars on a few different types of candy. I purchased chocolate covered gummy bears which I was really excited about because their so difficult to find, and I also got sour straws and twizzler’s.
During our walking tour we stopped outside the Bialystoker Synagogue, which had a really pretty exterior. This Synagogue was built in 1826 and was originally the Willet Street Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1905, the Jewish Congregation from Bailystok bought over the building (Blue Guide, p 123).
The Henry Street Settlement was built for prosperous shop-owners and ship captains. Lillian Wald founded the Henry Street Settlement, and she devoted herself to help the poor individuals. She fought ignorance, disease, rats and malnutrition. She raised money to help with these settlements and helped these individuals with housing and a health care (Blue Guide, p 125).
We were then given time to walk around near Canal Street, which is China Town, and if you walked a little further you can walk into Little Italy. Gina, Laura, Joann and I walked down Canal Street and saw all the shops, which every person in the streets were asking if we wanted “LV, Coach, Gucci.” We walked to Ferraras and got really good gelato, I had a scoop of Pistachio and Hazelnut and it was amazing. We then met the group for lunch at Congee Restaurant. I think we got more enjoyment out of the “lazy susan” than many other things that occurred throughout the day. The food here was really good, and we were all so hungry that we ate like savages.
We ended the day by going to the Tenement Museum, which was one of the most interesting things that we have encountered throughout the class. I enjoyed not only the museum itself how well it was kept for being as aged as it was, but also the people that worked there. We acted as if it was 1916 and we were a Russian Jewish Family, and we were asking a “young girl” about the living conditions. It was interesting to see the woman act as a 14 year old girl that lives in the apartment. There were four apartments on each floor, each apartment having three rooms. There were also two toilets in the hallways on each floor. I truly give immigrants credit for the living conditions they faced when they immigrated to America. I do not think that I, along with several other family members would ever be able to leave in such tight living conditions that the actress, Victoria lived in. I also think its brave of the woman back that, that although there were gangs, and prostitutes across the street, they were still able to walk home alone. That is something that even today I do not feel I would be comfortable doing. I also enjoyed the fact that she was stating how the men did the work outside of the house and that the woman took care of everything inside the house. I like that these things have changed today and that both spouses are responsible for both of these tasks. I enjoyed this Museum because I liked that everything was up to date, and we were able to see old pictures, the kitchen, how they washed their clothing and how they all slept. I also found Victoria entertaining, especially when she was saying that her “brother” would play with the fish up until they would have to kill them for supper. I thoroughly enjoyed this museum.
Reflection
Although I have been into NYC several times throughout my lifetime, I can truly say that I have been and experience more things this class than I have with all my times going into the city. There was several areas that we went to that I think I would return to, but there were also areas that I think one time visit was enough for me.
Although we went to several sites, one of the sites that we went to that I would definitely go back to is Coney Island. Although the amusement park was closed when we went, I enjoyed the boardwalk and all the shops along it. I thought it was a nice relaxing day being able to have a beer and a hot dog. I also enjoy the scenery, that it was located right by the water, even though we were also in the City. I think that when the weather gets warmer, I would definitely enjoy going back to Coney Island to check out the nightlife, but also go on the rides at the amusement park.
Another area that I really enjoyed was Brooklyn and crossing over the Brooklyn Bridge. I thought the views were gorgeous of the Manhattan Skyline. I would definitely cross the Brooklyn Bridge again because the views were outrageous. I think that if I were to ever move into the city for a few years out of my life, I would prefer to live in Brooklyn rather than Manhattan. I feel like it is cleaner and it seems more homey and comforting than Manhattan, in my opinion.
The New York Public Library was a stunning library that I could see myself studying for my NCLEX exam when I graduate from Molloy. It is so quiet, and it is an oversized, clean library that I found incredible. I would definitely like to go back there to concentrate on my studies.
I also really enjoyed going to Long Island City, and seeing all the graffiti on the buildings. The talent that some of those artists have, and the fact that they just need a spray can bottle and a building wall, and are able to make these magnificent images, and paintings is incredible to me. Some of the images looked three dimensional, and the talent that is expressed was incredible. I would love to bring my friend that is an art major here before it closes down because he would love it.
Lastly, one of my favorite aspects of the city is going into Central Park, which we managed to walk the entire length of. Although the walk was quite long, I enjoy Central Park. I will definitely go back here, whether the weather is warm or cold, I feel that Central Park is always a nice place to go to. I think its amazing that although the city is so large and filled with towering buildings, that you can walk into central park where there are ponds, benches, and so much greenery and plants. I also feel that there is always something going on in Central Park, whether its people taking wedding pictures, or couples taking horse ridge carriages, movies in the park, or even picnics, I feel that when going into Central Park there is always something to do.
Since there were many places that I did enjoy doing to, there were a few that I could do without going again. Firstly, I was not a big fan of Harlem. Although the reputation I had of Harlem was more intimidating that it actually appeared to be while walking through, I was still not a big fan. I felt that it was still unsafe, and I didn’t enjoy that many of the buildings were covered in either graffiti or paintings. I also felt that the restaurants that were around the areas we were walking didn’t see to clean or up to date.
Many of my opinions of New York City has changed, mostly positive thoughts. As I expressed earlier, there are many areas that we went to that I would definitely go back to. There were also many things that we saw that I was unaware that even existed. The exciting part about this class was seeing all these new museums, parks, and recreational areas. I think that this class helped me to step outside the box when going into the city and to go to places that aren’t as “popular” and “well known” and to experience new things because there are so many places to go to into the city and it’s important to try new places rather than continuously going to the same place or going to a place that everyone goes to. Although some portions of the class was painful when it came to walking several miles, for example working nearly 10 miles in Central Park, I thoroughly enjoyed the class and most of the places that we had gone to. I would definitely recommend the class to students that enjoy the city and want to learn more about it because I did gain knowledge on places to go, and how to get around the city.
Although I have been into NYC several times throughout my lifetime, I can truly say that I have been and experience more things this class than I have with all my times going into the city. There was several areas that we went to that I think I would return to, but there were also areas that I think one time visit was enough for me.
Although we went to several sites, one of the sites that we went to that I would definitely go back to is Coney Island. Although the amusement park was closed when we went, I enjoyed the boardwalk and all the shops along it. I thought it was a nice relaxing day being able to have a beer and a hot dog. I also enjoy the scenery, that it was located right by the water, even though we were also in the City. I think that when the weather gets warmer, I would definitely enjoy going back to Coney Island to check out the nightlife, but also go on the rides at the amusement park.
Another area that I really enjoyed was Brooklyn and crossing over the Brooklyn Bridge. I thought the views were gorgeous of the Manhattan Skyline. I would definitely cross the Brooklyn Bridge again because the views were outrageous. I think that if I were to ever move into the city for a few years out of my life, I would prefer to live in Brooklyn rather than Manhattan. I feel like it is cleaner and it seems more homey and comforting than Manhattan, in my opinion.
The New York Public Library was a stunning library that I could see myself studying for my NCLEX exam when I graduate from Molloy. It is so quiet, and it is an oversized, clean library that I found incredible. I would definitely like to go back there to concentrate on my studies.
I also really enjoyed going to Long Island City, and seeing all the graffiti on the buildings. The talent that some of those artists have, and the fact that they just need a spray can bottle and a building wall, and are able to make these magnificent images, and paintings is incredible to me. Some of the images looked three dimensional, and the talent that is expressed was incredible. I would love to bring my friend that is an art major here before it closes down because he would love it.
Lastly, one of my favorite aspects of the city is going into Central Park, which we managed to walk the entire length of. Although the walk was quite long, I enjoy Central Park. I will definitely go back here, whether the weather is warm or cold, I feel that Central Park is always a nice place to go to. I think its amazing that although the city is so large and filled with towering buildings, that you can walk into central park where there are ponds, benches, and so much greenery and plants. I also feel that there is always something going on in Central Park, whether its people taking wedding pictures, or couples taking horse ridge carriages, movies in the park, or even picnics, I feel that when going into Central Park there is always something to do.
Since there were many places that I did enjoy doing to, there were a few that I could do without going again. Firstly, I was not a big fan of Harlem. Although the reputation I had of Harlem was more intimidating that it actually appeared to be while walking through, I was still not a big fan. I felt that it was still unsafe, and I didn’t enjoy that many of the buildings were covered in either graffiti or paintings. I also felt that the restaurants that were around the areas we were walking didn’t see to clean or up to date.
Many of my opinions of New York City has changed, mostly positive thoughts. As I expressed earlier, there are many areas that we went to that I would definitely go back to. There were also many things that we saw that I was unaware that even existed. The exciting part about this class was seeing all these new museums, parks, and recreational areas. I think that this class helped me to step outside the box when going into the city and to go to places that aren’t as “popular” and “well known” and to experience new things because there are so many places to go to into the city and it’s important to try new places rather than continuously going to the same place or going to a place that everyone goes to. Although some portions of the class was painful when it came to walking several miles, for example working nearly 10 miles in Central Park, I thoroughly enjoyed the class and most of the places that we had gone to. I would definitely recommend the class to students that enjoy the city and want to learn more about it because I did gain knowledge on places to go, and how to get around the city.