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.