Urban Experience my thoughts of New York Now

           Before the class started I viewed Long Island, New York City, Brooklyn and Queens as entirely separate entities. What I have learned from the class is that although they belong to different boroughs, they all make up Long Island.  This is something that I teach to my friends and family and they still do not believe me.  After taking this seven week course I really learned to appreciate New York. The irony is that in order to appreciate New York as a whole, one has to appreciate the individualities first. In Brooklyn for example, DUMBO has become a wealthy area with upper class residents.  Travel down to Williamsburg, there is a huge population of Hipsters. There are so many different parts of New York that make it amazing.

            At the Museum of New York, the video Timescape really painted a picture of how much New York has changed. From a land bought from the Native Americans to the big hustle and bustle city that we all know and love today.  The trips allowed me to correct common misconceptions people have about New York, but at times lived up to its stereotypes.  Spanish Harlem lived up to its intimidating reputation when a random resident decided to follow and harass us the moment we got off the subway. We did however meet one of the well-known graffiti artists in person while he was working on his art.

Being an amateur artist, that was an amazing experience. I am a food enthusiast and enjoy trying new things as long as I am not allergic. Although the foods we ate were not new to me, I still enjoyed dining with my classmates and sharing opinions of the places we visited.  The biggest thing we learned about New York is Gentrification and how much it is changing New York. What was once considered poor places to live, are now so expensive that families that have been living and owning shops there for years can no longer afford it. We saw evidence of gentrification everywhere we went; from DUMBO, Chelsea and to even Harlem.

Meritta would tell us that she has been living in Chelsea for years. The meat packing district had so many buildings that handled and packaged meat but now have been closed and now in the process of being turned into apartments or restaurants of fine dining. Mike would also tell us how his grandparents moved out of their original home and when they tried to move back, it was way too expensive to live. An example would be the apartments we saw in Harlem. The first thing was the stoops that New York adapted from the Dutch. We learned that at first, the hired help such as maids would be living on the top floor. Now a adays people pay big money to live in rooms that maids once lived in.

This class was honestly one of my favorite experiences at my 4 year stay at Molloy. Since my freshman year, I've always wanted to go on a school trip, but because of the demand of nursing school I was never able full-fill that goal. This class enabled me to go on multiple trips and experience so many new things. For that I am grateful. I can’t express how much I will miss the people I’ve met. My Friday mornings will not be the same but nonetheless I will remember everything this class taught which has made me a proud New Yorker. 

Immigrant New York (Lower Eastside, the Bowery, Little Italy, and Chinatown)

Today was our last Gotham Core class and like all the ones before we met for the last time at Penn Station. For me, it was the last time I’d be meeting my fellow queens classmates at McDonald’s in Flushing. After meeting at Penn, the class took the F train headed to Delancy St. which brought us to our first stop, the Essexx Street Market. Located at the lower east side, the Essex Street Market was not always confined to just one building. Mike explained to us that originally, the Essex Street Market was nothing but peddlers pushing carts and selling their products hence “street market”. The streets were filled with not only garbage but now street vendors. In the 1930’s the markets were built in order to decrease the traffic clogging up the streets. Unfortunately today was not a great day for pictures. Not only was it raining, but in most places we visited, there was no photography allowed. Walking inside the market, it was like walking into an international “King Kullen”. “The market offers food for all tastes- Latino, Jewish, and upscale urbanite: chicken gizzards, nopales (cactus stems), sherry vinegar, fish cheeks, prime cuts of beef, and artisanal cheese” (BG pg123).  I bought a carton of mango juice because I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

The next stopped took us to the Tenement Museum. This was probably my most favorite museum out of the entire seven week class. This was the only museum that did not allow photography. American has always been known as a nation of immigrants. At one point all of America’s immigrants were considered to be minorities. Now a day I feel as though minorities are only those that are non-white. Although it may be stereotyping, I feel as though other minorities look at the world as white and others. I’ve been insulted by customers or other people solely on my race, but I know it it’s only out of ignorance. Like I said before, every race was considered a minority. In the Tenement Museum, we saw how a typical family lived. Tenements were “built to exploit all available space and maximize the return for the landlord” (BG pg 122). The actual museum is “pre-law” which means before 1879. This means that building had no requirements.

Upon entering the building the building you can already see how crowded the spaces were. Some artifacts that were found with the building were tooth brushes, milk bottle, olive oil shampoo bottle fragments and a lice comb. Our guide pointed out that the lice were almost a common thing. Children would have to be checked in school and sign papers that were checked. The guide explained that if a child of a certain race did not come to school clean, than the teachers would stereotype that child’s race and think that all children and people of that race were not clean. It was said before how the museum was “pre-law” which means before building restrictions. The guide pointed out how there were over 30 layers of wallpaper applied. This was not just for decorative purposes, but to possibly hide any flaws the building could have received from previous owners. One really cool part of the tenement museum, was the name of the child who lived in the building; her name was Ruth.

One race that experienced a lot of prejudice and turmoil was the Irish. They migrated to New York during the great potato famine. On arrival they thought America would be the land of opportunity where they could provide a better life for themselves and their children. We listened to music that Irish people made to cope with their lives. Some songs families would sing when their children would leave for America. It sounded sad, as if their children would die. Wakes would be held for those children back in Ireland. Other songs would talk about America being the land of opportunity or their frustration when they would look for jobs and the signs or bosses would say “no Irish need apply.” The museum recreated the living environment of the Moore family where their rent was said to be around $50 dollars a month. The family consisted of 2 parents and 3 children. One daughter was only 5 months old and went by the name Agnes. Unfortunately she became ill and ended up dying at an early age. She died from malnutrition. Back in those days, milk was called swill milk. The milk came from cows that were fed swill form the distillery. Our guide explained that to make the milk look better and whiter, chalk was added. When distributing the milk, to prevent the milk from spoiling ammonia was added.  This disgusting concoction was given to poor Agnes who died an early death.

In the Moore house, there was a replication of the living room where the wake and funeral would be held. Things that stood out were the coffin in the room, the windows open and the mirror was covered with a sheet. During the ceremony, a pipe would be offered and shared among friends and guests. The Irish did not believe in looking in the mirror because they believed that they would look at death. The open windows provide a safe easy passage for the soul to leave. While others found that room odd and creepy, it is something that Filipinos also do when a loved one dies. In the Philippines my Uncle’s Wake took place for a week with the body and coffin in the living room. Every morning we would say hi to our loved one, eat breakfast and go about or daily lives. Throughout the day and night, visitors would be able to come through the open days and pay their respects. In a way, the room kind of reminded me my own culture.

For lunch we had delicious Chinese food consisting of sesame chicken, noodles, roasted garlic chicken, fried rice and vegetables such as Chinese broccoli and bok choy. This was all at Congee Village where our awesome professors graciously picked up the tab. Later on we got to explore the area. My friends and I bought Bubble tea at Kung Fu tea; a milk shake that contains black tapioca balls that act as the bubbles. We even bought one for Meritta to try. After buying some Pork Buns for my family, we headed back to the restaurant where we would have our last tour. First off I did not realize that Asians were one on the biggest immigrant populations in the United States with Filipinos being top 3. That was news to me. We learned about Chinatown. For starters, Chinatown was founded by the Chinese immigrants that headed west from California. In the earlier days a lot of Jews lived within the area. Some Chinese buildings have some Jewish names on them dating back to when the Jews lived in the building. One example was the Chinese funeral parlor. Our tour guide pointed out that at the top of the building said the name of the Jews of a certain part of a country across the top of the building. One of the oldest synagogues in New York was built by 2 German Catholic architects which is what brought about the neo-gothic style and stained-glass windows to the Jewish temple of worship

One very influential person to come out of Chinatown was a man named Yung Wing; A Chinese immigrant then naturalized American who was the first Asian man to receive a college degree from Yale. After receiving his degree at Yale, he returned back to his hometown in China. What made him so influential was his belief in Western Education.  He had had the biggest influence on encourage children from China to travel to the United States to receive westernized education. Our guide explained that Yung Wing was sent back to the United States from China. He would end up meeting an American and eventually marrying her. Together they had two children. Yung Wing ended up taking his family back to China and he eventually had his American citizenship revoked. He was able to sneak his way back to the United States to watch his youngest son graduate. Yung Wing spent his remaining years living in America. After learning about this very influential man, the tour guide pointed out the school that was named after him. I believe that there was no better way to honor a man so passionate about western education than to name an American school after him.

Since there was such a huge influx of Asian Immigrants, the United States passed the ChineseExlusion Act of 1882. This was the only act in history that excluded a specific ethnic group. This act would exclude Chinese Immigrants from migrating to the United States for quite some time. The act was later disbanded after World War II when China became a US Ally. We explored the older parts of The Bowery. Lawyer Street is known as the most crooked street in New York because of it’s the way it was formed, not because of crime. However, at the dead ends It was said that gangs would gather there and blood would flow down to Bowery Street. Walking along the crooked street, we looked at the 3 oldest roads: Doyers, Pell and Mott St. We also learned that the Chuck Connor, the mayor was a white man who spoke fluent Cantonese. Although he was well liked, he would give tours to tourists or other Americans of Chinatown. However, before the tours h would set up scenes of how people portrayed the Chinese culture when in actuality, they were just like every other hard working race.  Our very last stop landed us in Little Italy. We walked down Canale St where we learned that Italians separated themselves according to the provinces they lived back in the old country. The area we explored was Little Naples. After snacking on some of the best canolies in New York, it was time bid farewell to our awesome professors. I could not have asked for a better class and group. I enjoyed every new experience and I am sad that it has to end.

Lower Manhattan and Captivating Chelsea

Lower Manhattan and Captivating Chelsea

            This is the second to last trip for this class and like always it started at Penn Station. We began our trip and saw the Freedom Tower or in Meritta’s case, The World Trade Center. I agree with Meritta in that New York must still call it by its original name. For me this has been the first time to have visited the World Trade Center since I visited back in August of 2001: only one month prior to the devastating day of 9/11. Right across the legend that is the World Trade Center, is a building that has its own place in history: Trinity Church.

            This church has definitely earned its place in history. It is one of the oldest churches that still stand. George Washington, America’s first president attended this church himself. One really interesting aspect of the church is the cemetery that contains three burial grounds. It holds some of the most influential and important persons in history.  Such people include: Alexander Hamilton, William Bradford, Franklin Wharton, Robert Fulton, Captain James Lawrence and Albert Gallatin.  Alexander Hamilton is one of the most influential men of early America. He was responsible for the establishment of national banks. For people of our generation, Trinity Church was a safe haven for those affected on the tragic events of 9/11. It housed the rescue firefighters and police officers that were on call and volunteering. In a way, Trinity Church stayed true to its name by allowing New Yorkers to come together during a time of tragedy.

            We then walked down Wall Street past the New York Stock Exchange to Federal Hall; where George Washington was inaugurated.  Wall Street got its name because it was originally a wall. The wall was built around the original settlement to keep away intruders such as the Native Americans. Many important events happened in this building such as the establishment of America’s first Congress and freedom of the press. This historical Neo-classical building can now be enjoyed for everyone to see. One particular piece that caught my eye was the exact bible used to swear in President Washington.  After leaving Federal Hall,  we headed toward Batterypark. Although we did not have a chance to go inside, we passed by the National Museum of the American Indian which contains “featured headdresses and buffalo-hide robes from the Plains Indians; masks and ceremonial wood carvings from the Northwest Coast robes; feather-work from the Amazon; and Peruvian and Navajo fabrics.”(BG,  p44)

            After Passing through Battery Park, we made our way to Castle Clinton. “Renamed to honor Dewitt Clinton, mayor of the city and later state governor,”(BG pg48) this was once built to protect America from the British and others from a naval invasion. Battery Park was very reminiscent of DUMBO. We were then brought to theWorld Financial Center. The one aspect that makes this building stand out is the glass windows and walls that make up the main entrance and lobby. Commonly known as the Winter Garden, its palm trees and great glass windows is sued for exhibitions and art events. Here Meritta told us that during 9/11, the glass was completely shattered. 9/11 really had a huge impact on NY. “The atrium itself became an escape route for thousands of workers in the towers who fled west toward the river.” (BG pg61)

 I can only imagine how it felt to be those who were inside the World Financial Center and witnessed the glass shatter. We then found ourselves at the Irish Hunger Museum. From the outside, it only looks like a coble stone balcony, but when you enter, it really looks as if you were Ireland. At least for me it looked like a scene out of the movie “P.S I love you”; a movie that had a scene in Ireland.

            The PoetsHouse, Mike and Damien’s favorite place in all of New York was the next stop. I appreciate some poetry. Some have very clever metaphors that really make a person think. I guess I can call myself a poet in a way because I have tried to write songs. One poem that I stopped to read was entitled “Close Your Eyes”.  One line stood out: “She’d given up long ago. But he hadn’t”. Although this poem was kind of hard to understand, it was about a girl who was told to close her eyes and forget the past and pretend that she is only four years old. She follows the man who had instructed her to close her eyes and followed him through a forest and swamp. Throughout the adventure she sees the same grey cat. To me this poem teaches that no matter how far you’ve come and how much things have changed, don’t forget where you came from and what got you to where you are now.

            We stopped for lunch in Chelsea in none else than the Chelsea Market. Meritta explained that we were in an area known as the meat packing district. Back then the area was packed with big warehouses that distributed meat. Now a days gentrification as taken place to the point where most of the meat packing buildings are now places for fine dining. After lunch a couple of gotham-ites and I explored and found a lot of bakeries known for their cupcakes.

            The last part of our trip brought us to multiple art galleries and an art store called “Printed Matter, Inc. To be honest, I can appreciate modern art but some pieces just look like they do not belong. At MOMA, I understood why those paintings were in such a prestige museum, but some pieces in the galleries did not look like much of anything. The stabbed canvas looked so ordinary and I really could not see that as art. My favorite gallery was the one filled with the burned wood all around. It reminded me of a huge fort bringing back to my child hood. My favorite piece of all the galleries was a piece that looked like a part of a tree being peeled off with the NYC skyline built inside. That was something I can proudly call a work of art. Next week is our final class and I am excited to see how we will end what is already been a fun adventure. 

Harlem and Morningside

            This week our class took place in Harlem and Morningside Heights. After meeting up at Penn Station we boarded the train and made our way into Harlem. At first, “the fertile soil and strategic advantages of the Harlem plain attracted gentlemen farmers and wealthy merchants”(BG 437). It wasn’t until the railroads were built that people started moving in.  After factories were built, people from other countries started to migrate to Harlem for work. “In successive years eastern Harlem became home to immigrants from Russia, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Hungary, Scandinavia, England and Spain, as well as Eastern European Jews”(BG 437)

Our first stop was at the  Museum of theCity of New York. Some things really caught my eye. The first was how much Long Island has changed the past hundred years. It went from being mainly farmland to one of the largest cities in the world. It also showed the plans for how they plan to expand the island in the next 40 plus years. If I did my math correctly, then I will be in my 70’s when NYC has  finished its plan for expansion. That’s pretty remarkable how human kind has become so advanced that we can expand an island in such a short period of time. I really enjoyed the short movie entitled Time scape. This movie described the growth of New York from the time that it was owned by Native Americans. It was interesting to me that this now great city was purchased for such a small amount of money. Nowadays there are clothes that are worth more than what the settlers paid. The last part of the museum was the little section dedicated to Lillian Wald; Creatorof the Henry Street Settlement. Lillian Wald is one of the entrepreneurs of Community Health Nursing. The Henry Street Settlement was the first of its kind to provide care for the immigrants. She became the one the first people to become the voices for the community.

The next stop brought us to Spanish Harlem. It started off rocky when were greeted by the local crazy person. He provided a comical but intimidating confrontation which fed into Harlem’s reputation of being a tough neighborhood. After a quick scare we ended up at a family owned store, known for selling prdoucts that provided healing physically and spiritually; Justo Botanica. Owned by Jose Vargas, this man was kind of enough to explain how the store came to be and spirituality in other cultures. He also explained how gentrification is affecting him to the point where his store that has been located here for years must now be relocated to a smaller location.

As we continued to walk, we stopped in front of a mural dedicated to Pedro Pietri; a poet. As one of our professors read a poem from said poet, I couldn't help but notice that each piece of art was signed by an artist named Delavega. Being an amateur artist myself I can appreciate each mosaic and graffiti art done by this man. It was a real honor when we stumbled upon the artist himself touching up one of his masterpieces Espirtu, to hear the perspective from a well-known artist such as him. He explained although the idea for the art was his own, when he creates his art onto the walls, it is for the people. It is also for them to show others and pass it down to their family. That was very inspirational to me.  This was probably my most favorite part of the entire day.  We also passed a school where graffiti art was promoted. Unlike 5-pointz where any artists can  express themselves, this wall was for artists that could be approved.

After lunch, we entered through Central Park where not many people go. The view was just as beautiful as other entrance. After more walking we ended up in front the Studio Museum in Harlem where we met our tour guide. He brought us around pointing out many landmarks. The ones that stuck out to me were the church where Kareem Abdul Jabber attended and the Apollo Theater, This theatre housed many of the great artists of our time. One interesting fact is how there is a tree stump that a performer must touch before beginning their act. If not they are exposed to ridicule from the audience. We were than showed different apartment complexes and how their old structures had to be changed because part of the building had fallen on top of a student and killed him.

He also explained that Harlem apartments were very crowded back then and how the maids and other help slept in the higher levels of the apartments. Now, people want to live on the upper level paying very high prices to do so. Another interesting aspect was how New York is one of only cities in the world that incorporate stoops. Although it may not seem like much stoops were popular hear because of the settlers that first arrived here. After visiting the Harriet Tubman statue we walked through Morningside Heights. After a long day of walking we walked up a long flight of stairs which reminded me of the stairs that Rocky Balboa climbed while training for his fight with Apollo Creed. We then ended our day at Colombia where we parted ways where we went home and rested to prepare for our second to last class of the semester.