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.