Bodacious Brooklyn

Brooklyn

            Today’s class started off at Brooklyn’s legendary Coney Island  “The birthplace of the hot dog and home of the world’s famous terrifying roller coaster- a place remarkable for high energy and dubious taste.”(BG, 492)  Although a must-see sight for any New Yorker, those with no car will find the trip to be a bit long. My day started with the bus which again brought me to Main Street Flushing where my companions and I took the 7 train then transferred to the F train. This ride took roughly one hour and 45 minutes. Although the ride took quite some time, we were able to make it before the rest of the group. This was not my first time going to Coney Island and trying the World Famous Nathan’s Hotdog. In fact I came here quite often with my family growing up. My sisters and I were quite fond of the aquarium; and what better way to end the day looking at aquatic life than with hotdogs from the only place that should sell hotdogs. 

Other than filling up our stomachs, we also ventured on our own for a bit where we stumbled upon a flea market. Although there weren't much people, there’s a certain vibe that one gets walking along that boardwalk. There’s a sense of history. One can feel that this boardwalk and miniature amusement park has seen a lot in its lifetime. After ending Coney Island with an ice cream cone from Coney’s Cones, we headed off to our next destination: The New York Transit Museum. This was probably one of my favorite stops of the day. “This two-level subterranean museum, located in an unused subway station, was inaugurated in 1976 for the bicentennial celebrations and proved too popular to close.(BG, 468) apart from learning how the subways were first created.

 The first subway was opened around 1904. The first subway system was actually created in London. Our tour guide also spoke about how hard it was to create such a system. To create the tunnel systems that the current subway now runs on took a lot of manual labor. Back then, workers had to manually dig holes above and underground. In order to dig tunnels, workers used dynamite. Once the tunnel was made, one leader would take a poker and tap at the ceiling to look for loose rocks and weak spots that would cause debris to fall and cause a cave in. This job was very dangerous. To use a mere pointed stick to determine the safety of so many men is risky to say the least.  

Another very interesting fact was how tunnels were made under bodies of water. The workers would basically end up in a hot box that was equivalent to one hundred plus degrees Fahrenheit. The workload would be so physically demanding that work time would be no more than two hours. Stations back then were also built with such quality. The detailed tile work at each station looks beautiful and I can’t imagine how it looked when they were first opened. This museum offered more than just a history lesson, it kept trains different decades. It even allowed you to sit in these vintage trains and fee like others that road them in the past.  From the looks of the cart, riding the subway was a way for the wealthy to travel. Judging from the woven seat cushions and the spinning ceiling fans, the subway was clearly for the upper class. Although the ceiling fans probably blew nothing but hot air, I imagined that when people traveled on this trains, they were well dressed.

Our next stop brought us to Brooklyn Heights where we learned about the popular building styles used in the earlier years; Neoclassical, Neo-gothic and Art Deco. An example of Neoclassical was Brooklyn Borough Hall. The columns mimicked that of the Parthenon or any other Greek building. Neo-gothic was a church that we passed on the way to the Brooklyn Historical Society. Art Deco was seen in the Chrysler Building; the curved arches along the sides bring about a futuristic look to the building. We learned that Brooklyn was called “New York’s first suburb, it also become its first designated historic District (1965)(BG 4 66). There were many churches in Brooklyn during the late 1800’s making it known for its families and churches.

One very important fact was that Brooklyn played quite a big role during the revolutionary war. The reason is that we lost that war badly to say the least. “The battle of Brooklyn, August 27, 1776 in which American forces were surrounded and slaughtered, the remaining colonial army retreated to Brooklyn Heights( BG 467).  The Brooklyn Historical Society was a “museum and an education center dedicated for Brooklyn history and culture.” To me, the 2 most interesting aspects of the museum were the Terra- Cotta busts of Johann Guttenberg, Benjamin Franklin, Michael Angelo, Christopher Columbus, Shakespeare and Beethoven and the Vintage library. The library was beautiful with its ball shaped lights and its quality wood work. I even felt a bit of nostalgia looking at the cubbies that organized the cards you would sign when borrowing a library book. The coolest part of the library was that it was still functional as part of the historical research and education center.

The last part of our day, ended up at DUMBO, Brooklyn. This stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. This is my favorite part of Brooklyn. I’ve come here a couple times and each time I’ve tried something new. The locals will tell you that Grimaldi’s Pizza and Jacques Torres Ice cream. That is my absolute favorite place to get ice cream in New York. DUMBO is the part of Brooklyn that is never really talked because it has bad reputation of being a tough place. This long day ended with a not so long 1.43 mile walk across the bridge. What better way to reward our long day of walking with a spectacular view of the sun setting on the Manhattan skyline.

The Enchanting East Side

            This week’s class was all about the “enchanting east side”.  This day started like the other Fridays; with the 7 train. Instead of meeting up with the group at the Metropolitan Museum, my fellow “Queens” comrades and I met up with the others at Penn Station. As it was previously stated, the first stop of the day landed at the Metropolitan Museum.

            According to the Blue Guide, “the Metropolitan Museum of Art of Art, generally called simply The Met, is the largest, most comprehensive art museum in the world.” (BG, 327). After walking through only a small portion of the museum, one can agree with that statement. The building itself is enormous with its neo-classic style of architecture. The one area that we spent the most time in was the modern art exhibit. Artists that we looked at included Jackson Pollock , Robert Rauschenberg and AndyWarhol. Jackson Pollock was most known for his “drip and splash” style. This style was completely different than any other style used by any other artist. Pollack would pain with his canvas on the floor or wall and let the paint pour from the cans. Pollock would then manipulate the paint using sticks, towels or knives instead of brushes. It was during this style of work where the artist truly expressed themselves. Although many of us argued than any regular person could produce these “masterpieces”, one art major defended the piece. She explained how one must look at the strokes and how the paint was manipulated. It was in those details that you could feel how the artist felt.

            The next artist was one that I really enjoyed. He went by the name of Robert Rauschenberg. The piece that I had the opportunity to see was entitled Canyon. Rauschenberg was famous for his “pop-art” style. First popular in Britain then the United States, pop art was the style of taking certain objects of the “pop” culture and putting them together in a type of collage. In the particular piece Canyon, Rauschenberg used everything from paint, photos, metal, wood and even a dead bald eagle. Although I do not know the real meaning of the artwork, I believe that the eagle represented the media and how its power. The media would be like a bald eagle looking down above everyone searching for a good story. The last artist was probably the most famous of all: Andy Warhol. He too was made famous through pop-art. The exhibit had many of his works but the one I liked was “silver clouds”. This was my favorite because it was interactive. To be able to touch and push the balloons into the sky was fun.

            There were 2 other pieces of art that were very appealing to me. There was a neon sign that that wrote out “DEATH”. While Death was lighted with blue, the word “EAT” was lighted in Orange. This piece had no artist listed but I believe that this was the most important piece of all because it relates to society today. Obesity continues to be a rising problem faced by all Americans including children. The food portions in this country are much larger than any other country. This also interested me because I am in my last semester in Nursing, and obesity is one of the biggest health concerns. The other piece of artwork was from the India exhibit; Architectural Ensemble from a Jain Meeting Hall, last quarter of 16th century. Walking through this structure, you could really see beautiful detailed work done in the wood. I appreciated this because it baffles me how even back in the ancient day with no technology the human brain can create something that intricate.

The next stop was the famous Central Park. Sometimes referred to as the heart of Manhattan, the legendary park was created by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. Central Park is one of the most attractive parts of the city. It allows one to take a step back and appreciate nature. The city can be so busy and fast paced that one can forget about the beauty of New York. We learned that back in the 70’s Central Park was not a good place at all. The park was a very dangerous place compared to the peaceful family oriented park that we know today. Since the dark times, the park has been revitalized.

One of the highlights of Central Park came from Strawberry Field. It is here where we saw the John Lennon Memorial. This was the area where John Lennon was killed. The legendary member of the beetles is still remembered even today. There is always a man putting flowers on the memorial every day. Today However, we were able to witness something very special; a Japanese tea ceremony. What makes it so special is that it allows someone to connect with people in a tranquil setting while enjoying a shared experience in art. In this case, connecting with people through tea over the great musician who touched millions with his music. St. Patrick’s Cathedral was the next stop. I’ve been to this church before and every time I blown away by the structure and size.  Coming from a catholic household, I could feel a spiritual presence upon entering. I enjoyed it very much because I was able to give thanks for where I am in life.

The last stops were FAO Schwartz, Tiffany and Co, Grand Central Terminal and New York Library. Growing up FAO Schwartz was one of the greatest places to go. There was one in Roosevelt Field Mall but since they filed for bankruptcy, the one in the city is the last one. Whether you’re in college or retired, it’s always fun to be a kid once in a while. Tiffany and Co. and The Plaza Hotel were the two places were both intimidating. Grand Central Terminal was very interesting as well. One interesting fact was that while they were renovating it, the workers purposely left a spot untouched. They did this to show visitors how the terminal looked before and after the renovation. It shows how much hard work was put into it. The library though very beautiful in its design, we were not able to go inside.

Queens!

Queens

            Although I’ve lived in Nassau County for most of my life, Queens has never been a far reach. All I knew about Queens was Jamaica, Shea Stadium, the US Open and the World’s Fair. It wasn’t until recently where I started to venture out into Flushing with some friends, where I saw a huge Asian population of Chinese and Korean Culture. That in itself opened to my eyes to just how multicultural Queens can be.

(After) This week’s class had me start in Flushing. I took the n20 bus which dropped me off at Main Street, where I took the 7 train to Flushing Meadow Park; the first meeting place. Although I did not take the 7 train from the city, the book explains that this particular train is known as the “International Expressway”(BG,493) because of the different ethnic groups that can be seen. After Mike had a misunderstanding with one of the employees, we started our adventure. Our first stop was at the tennis court found at Flushing Meadow Park  I learned here that if you are a resident of Queens, one is allowed to use said courts while they are not being used for the US Open.  Although I am an amateur tennis player, it is good to know I have places to play tennis.  I also learned that “Queens is the second most populous borough, surpassed only by Brooklyn”. (BG,493)

                The next stop was at the huge Unisphere in the middle of the park created for the World’s Fair. It was a beautiful structure that I had only seen from Shea Stadium. It was created to represent unity. We then visited the Queens Museum. To be honest, I was not aware Queens even had a Museum at all. The model of how New York’s water supply works. From the model, lights lit up showing the path of which the water took. The water started from the top part of the mountains and worked its way down.  The next model we saw was an exact 1/100^th replication of the five boroughs of New York. This impressive was so exact; it even had planes coming in and out of the airports. The Panorama was “commissioned by Robert Moses for the 1964 World's Fair  It contains 895,000 buildings-every building constructed before 1992 in each of the following boroughs” (BG, 498). Although it was missing one portion because of a slight miscalculation, you can appreciate all the hard work that was put into making this piece of art. I learned that New York was made accessible by its residents because of a man named Robert Moses.  Such highways included: “the Grand Central Parkway, Interborough (Now Jackie Robinson) Parkway, Clearview Expressway, Cross island parkway, Laurelton Parkway, Long island Expressway, Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and the Whitestone Expressway.” (BG, 493) We then had lunch at the Jackson Diner where we enjoyed Indian cuisine in buffet form. Coming from a culture that has some weird foods, I was not afraid to try new things. I enjoyed the food very much. 

                After a good lunch, the next stop landed us in Astoria. We learned that in this area was known for making movies. It was the spot to be back in its hay day. The Museum of Moving Images was a place that I had visited while in grade school. Learning about how much work goes into making movies, TV shows and sports programs. Creating your own still life movie made you appreciate how much work it took for people to make movies not too long ago. It’s amazing to see how much technology as changed in such a short period of time. The last two spots were 5 pointz and the dock overlooking the river. 5 points is building that is used for graffiti artists to express themselves. We were lucky enough to have an actual artist explain how 5 points got started and how others can show their artwork. He was also kind enough to point out works done by artists from other countries such as France, Spain and even Japan.  This was probably my favorite stop of all. Our final destination after a long day was at Long Island City and the beautiful view it gave overlooking the city. Although I have been to this location numerous times, it was still a sight to see. I enjoyed the first day of this class and I look forward to what new adventures are in store.