Journal 2
"There is something in the New York air that makes sleep useless"-Simone De Beauvoir
East of the Park
Okay! Seriously the hottest day ever, but I was able to make it through! 110 degree weather can never defeat me! This class began in East Harlem. I can easily say that I never knew this area existed, so I was very excited to go. In the 1970's, East Harlem had the highest crime and unemployment rate. East Harlem is the largest spanish community, possibly in the United States. Large projects were built for people who cannot find jobs and for those who do not have money.
We found our way to the Museum of New York. I really enjoyed this museum because it gave me guidance for the future when I move to New York CIty. I learned that 33% of households in New York City consist of single people living alone. That is a bit of a high number because it is hard to afford larger apartments in the city. There was a modeled apartment inside the museum that was able to fit one person. It was called micro-housing. It is 500-800 sqft. for a single adult.
After that small tour, the class and I watched this video that taught us all about the history of New York. In 1609, Henry Hudson sailed through two bays and later the connection was named the Hudson River. The English took over New York City shortly after this occurrence. A man named Clinton created a map of 2000 city blocks that can house one million people. In the 1840's, New York City became the largest industrial city. During this process, elevated trains would transport thousands of people everyday all around the city.
After this museum, we went to El Museo del Barrio. Here we met up with a tour guide to guide us through East Harlem. We went to many gardens that had paintings that symbolized East Harlem life and what people did to form peace within the community. A man named Russing took portraits of different people that lived in the neighborhood. It was the spirit of East Harlem.
Kelsey and I made our way to El Paso for lunch. It was a small lunch spot where we experienced amazing burritos that were bigger than our heads. They were a mess, but it was well worth it.
We all later made it to the MET. This place was huge! We visited the Punk section. I did not really connect with that area so I made it out really quick. I did not enjoy the darkness as much as I thought. I made my way to a very nice section of the museum. It is called Medieval Art. According to the Blue Guide, the works of this section were created around the time of the fall of Rome to the beginning of the Renaissance. There were stained glass windows and many religious figures. The Ivory Virgin & Child was one figure I looked at. The Ivory Virgin was reigning as queen. The figured symbolized the soul and its resurrection. The other figure I looked at was the Gilded Silver Double Cup. This was from 1570. It bears the hallmark of Nuremberg. One cup portrays Sigmund Richter and his family's arms are represented in a medallion of the other cup.
After our adventure was over, our class decided to try something different. Some of us found our way to this new karaoke lounge 2 blocks away from penn station. This was clearly the best day ever. The class and I sang so much, I actually lost my voice later that night. I am very happy to hear that Mike Russo might be adding this experience to later classes in the future.
To sum up everything, today was an excellent class. Even though it was hot, I learned so many interesting facts that will stay with me for a long time. This class helped me think even more about moving to New York City in the future.
We found our way to the Museum of New York. I really enjoyed this museum because it gave me guidance for the future when I move to New York CIty. I learned that 33% of households in New York City consist of single people living alone. That is a bit of a high number because it is hard to afford larger apartments in the city. There was a modeled apartment inside the museum that was able to fit one person. It was called micro-housing. It is 500-800 sqft. for a single adult.
After that small tour, the class and I watched this video that taught us all about the history of New York. In 1609, Henry Hudson sailed through two bays and later the connection was named the Hudson River. The English took over New York City shortly after this occurrence. A man named Clinton created a map of 2000 city blocks that can house one million people. In the 1840's, New York City became the largest industrial city. During this process, elevated trains would transport thousands of people everyday all around the city.
After this museum, we went to El Museo del Barrio. Here we met up with a tour guide to guide us through East Harlem. We went to many gardens that had paintings that symbolized East Harlem life and what people did to form peace within the community. A man named Russing took portraits of different people that lived in the neighborhood. It was the spirit of East Harlem.
Kelsey and I made our way to El Paso for lunch. It was a small lunch spot where we experienced amazing burritos that were bigger than our heads. They were a mess, but it was well worth it.
We all later made it to the MET. This place was huge! We visited the Punk section. I did not really connect with that area so I made it out really quick. I did not enjoy the darkness as much as I thought. I made my way to a very nice section of the museum. It is called Medieval Art. According to the Blue Guide, the works of this section were created around the time of the fall of Rome to the beginning of the Renaissance. There were stained glass windows and many religious figures. The Ivory Virgin & Child was one figure I looked at. The Ivory Virgin was reigning as queen. The figured symbolized the soul and its resurrection. The other figure I looked at was the Gilded Silver Double Cup. This was from 1570. It bears the hallmark of Nuremberg. One cup portrays Sigmund Richter and his family's arms are represented in a medallion of the other cup.
After our adventure was over, our class decided to try something different. Some of us found our way to this new karaoke lounge 2 blocks away from penn station. This was clearly the best day ever. The class and I sang so much, I actually lost my voice later that night. I am very happy to hear that Mike Russo might be adding this experience to later classes in the future.
To sum up everything, today was an excellent class. Even though it was hot, I learned so many interesting facts that will stay with me for a long time. This class helped me think even more about moving to New York City in the future.
The Wild Westside
This class was quite a difference maker. We began our journey with learning about Broadway. It was the heart and soul of New York. As we walked through Broadway, we also learned that Rudy Giuliani started the pedestrian zone. This led to tables and chairs in the middle of the street, as well as bike lanes on the side of the road. Time Square used to be called Long Acre Square until the name was changed in 1904.
The class found their way to MOMA. In 1929, art was known to be very vulgar and was not appreciated. Art later had an $858 million restoration. While visiting the museum, I came across many paintings that caught my eye. Warholl has a piece that consisted of Campbell Soup. All of the soup types were displayed next to each other in rows. I also noticed that Picasso had many paintings that displayed female prostitutes. This made me wonder whether or not his career was based on displaying prostitutes. Picasso was also interested in many different cultures of art.
There were two artists that made me change my perception in art. Rauschenberg was a very detailed painter who used quilts and eagles in a few of his pieces. Johns focused on the bulls-eye perspective, as well as the American flag. As I walked through the gallery, I came across a painting that displayed the term “oof.” I can completely relate to that painting because I say “oof” whenever I walk into walls and doors (my everyday problem) which seems to become an ongoing problem…
After the museum, the class went to Yum Yum to enjoy some Thai food. Of course, I end up ordering one of the spiciest entrees on the menu, but it was so delicious. We all later went to meet up with our tour guide, Jim. He gave us a short tour around Harlem giving us some amazing facts. According to the Blue Guide, Nieuw Haarlem was founded in 1658, ten miles north of New Amsterdam. It also stated that the land attracted wealthy merchants and farmers in the 18th-19th century. 125th Street was known as Commercial Harlem. Before the 1930’s, Harlem was the 2nd largest Jewish community. It was soon taken over by the African Americans. Jim then told us about the Tree of Hope. When performers would rub the tree stump, they would receive good luck. If they did not rub it, the people would receive bad luck. We were shown house units in the center of Harlem that were being sold for about $3 million.
We came across the Apollo Theater after a small walk. According to the Blue Guide, The Apollo Theater was first opened for only white audiences. According to the website, the Apollo went under new management in 1978, but closed again in 1979. After years of changes, black and white audiences are welcome in the Apollo Theater. The Blue Guide also stated that the Apollo Theater fell through hard times in the 1970's. It was later turned into a movie theater. In 1983, the Apollo was granted Landmark status. Now it is run as a not-for-profit foundation that takes in millions of visitors every year.
This class ended with much exhaustion. There was a lot of walking, but I learned so much in between all of it. Harlem might not be my place to live in the future, but it was a great area to learn about.
The class found their way to MOMA. In 1929, art was known to be very vulgar and was not appreciated. Art later had an $858 million restoration. While visiting the museum, I came across many paintings that caught my eye. Warholl has a piece that consisted of Campbell Soup. All of the soup types were displayed next to each other in rows. I also noticed that Picasso had many paintings that displayed female prostitutes. This made me wonder whether or not his career was based on displaying prostitutes. Picasso was also interested in many different cultures of art.
There were two artists that made me change my perception in art. Rauschenberg was a very detailed painter who used quilts and eagles in a few of his pieces. Johns focused on the bulls-eye perspective, as well as the American flag. As I walked through the gallery, I came across a painting that displayed the term “oof.” I can completely relate to that painting because I say “oof” whenever I walk into walls and doors (my everyday problem) which seems to become an ongoing problem…
After the museum, the class went to Yum Yum to enjoy some Thai food. Of course, I end up ordering one of the spiciest entrees on the menu, but it was so delicious. We all later went to meet up with our tour guide, Jim. He gave us a short tour around Harlem giving us some amazing facts. According to the Blue Guide, Nieuw Haarlem was founded in 1658, ten miles north of New Amsterdam. It also stated that the land attracted wealthy merchants and farmers in the 18th-19th century. 125th Street was known as Commercial Harlem. Before the 1930’s, Harlem was the 2nd largest Jewish community. It was soon taken over by the African Americans. Jim then told us about the Tree of Hope. When performers would rub the tree stump, they would receive good luck. If they did not rub it, the people would receive bad luck. We were shown house units in the center of Harlem that were being sold for about $3 million.
We came across the Apollo Theater after a small walk. According to the Blue Guide, The Apollo Theater was first opened for only white audiences. According to the website, the Apollo went under new management in 1978, but closed again in 1979. After years of changes, black and white audiences are welcome in the Apollo Theater. The Blue Guide also stated that the Apollo Theater fell through hard times in the 1970's. It was later turned into a movie theater. In 1983, the Apollo was granted Landmark status. Now it is run as a not-for-profit foundation that takes in millions of visitors every year.
This class ended with much exhaustion. There was a lot of walking, but I learned so much in between all of it. Harlem might not be my place to live in the future, but it was a great area to learn about.
Lower Manhattan & Captivating Chelsea
Our first stop on today's adventure was the elegant City Hall. We all met up with a tour guide named Deirdre who gave us a lot of information about City Hall. We learned that in 1653, a tavern was the first city hall. The building today is Federal Style. There were millions of dollars spent in the 1800's to renovate the building. As we walked into City Hall, I noticed that the original marble was still in the building. It was absolutely beautiful. According to the Blue Guide, the second floor was served as an office for the governor when he came to visit the city. The Blue Guide also explains that the Rotunda is within the lobby that contains the circular staircase and the marble.
We made our way to Chelsea and stopped at the market for lunch. According to the Blue Guide, Chelsea runs from West 14th Street through the West 20's and from the Hudson River to 6th Avenue. Once again, I ate Thai food because it is absolutely addicting. After my spicy meal, I had to get some ice cream at this small ice cream shop inside the market. I had some time to kill so I decided to go spice shopping at 'Spice & Tease.' I ended up buying Curry Bombay for an affordable price. After our lunch, the professors had a whole line of museums for us to visit. There were two museums that I connected with. The museum named 'Sunset and Pussy' really stood out. Right when you walk in the door, you see pictures of naked women and their private parts in every photo. Some people might not think it is art, but it really is. They are modeling the outer and inner beauty of women. Another museum that caught my eye was the gallery that specialized in AIDS. All of the pictures had people who were diagnosed with AIDS. The people were either suffering alone or they had their loved ones or partners by their side in the photos. I see this as art because of the emotions and feelings you can see through the people that are being photographed.
Before our day ended, we stopped at this exotic book store that sold books that not many people have heard of. Many of these books had to do with emotions and everyday life. We were asked to pick out a book that related to us. The book that I chose was 'You Owe Me A Feeling.' The cover consisted of a middle aged man staring at a orange with a face on it. Since I did not have time to read the book, I am guessing that this book is telling the reader to live their life to the fullest and to enjoy everything that they do. All of the activities that someone performs should result in different feelings every time.
During this class, we also walked the high line. At first, I had no idea what this was, but it was beautiful. The high line was an abandoned railroad that was turned into a walkway and a garden for residents. The high line stretches for many blocks and the sights get more beautiful as you walk. As we walked, we noticed that many of the tracks were left in the cement and plants were growing in them. Who said history can't be beautiful?
We also made our way to the 9/11 memorial. I will admit that some tears were falling, but that's okay. The professors gave us some time to walk around and take pictures. I immediately made my way to find the name of New York's ex-captain who died in 9/11. He was a close friend of the family and I am very happy that I was able to find his name engraved on the wall. Before we left, I stopped and prayed for all of those who died in 9/11.
This was a class that will make me think differently about art for the rest of my life. It made me realize that art is infinite and your imagination can take you many places. After visiting the 9/11 memorial, I will definitely make more time to go back and visit. The workers did an excellent job on the memorial.
We made our way to Chelsea and stopped at the market for lunch. According to the Blue Guide, Chelsea runs from West 14th Street through the West 20's and from the Hudson River to 6th Avenue. Once again, I ate Thai food because it is absolutely addicting. After my spicy meal, I had to get some ice cream at this small ice cream shop inside the market. I had some time to kill so I decided to go spice shopping at 'Spice & Tease.' I ended up buying Curry Bombay for an affordable price. After our lunch, the professors had a whole line of museums for us to visit. There were two museums that I connected with. The museum named 'Sunset and Pussy' really stood out. Right when you walk in the door, you see pictures of naked women and their private parts in every photo. Some people might not think it is art, but it really is. They are modeling the outer and inner beauty of women. Another museum that caught my eye was the gallery that specialized in AIDS. All of the pictures had people who were diagnosed with AIDS. The people were either suffering alone or they had their loved ones or partners by their side in the photos. I see this as art because of the emotions and feelings you can see through the people that are being photographed.
Before our day ended, we stopped at this exotic book store that sold books that not many people have heard of. Many of these books had to do with emotions and everyday life. We were asked to pick out a book that related to us. The book that I chose was 'You Owe Me A Feeling.' The cover consisted of a middle aged man staring at a orange with a face on it. Since I did not have time to read the book, I am guessing that this book is telling the reader to live their life to the fullest and to enjoy everything that they do. All of the activities that someone performs should result in different feelings every time.
During this class, we also walked the high line. At first, I had no idea what this was, but it was beautiful. The high line was an abandoned railroad that was turned into a walkway and a garden for residents. The high line stretches for many blocks and the sights get more beautiful as you walk. As we walked, we noticed that many of the tracks were left in the cement and plants were growing in them. Who said history can't be beautiful?
We also made our way to the 9/11 memorial. I will admit that some tears were falling, but that's okay. The professors gave us some time to walk around and take pictures. I immediately made my way to find the name of New York's ex-captain who died in 9/11. He was a close friend of the family and I am very happy that I was able to find his name engraved on the wall. Before we left, I stopped and prayed for all of those who died in 9/11.
This was a class that will make me think differently about art for the rest of my life. It made me realize that art is infinite and your imagination can take you many places. After visiting the 9/11 memorial, I will definitely make more time to go back and visit. The workers did an excellent job on the memorial.
Immigrant New York
Our final class ended up being a scavenger hunt... literally. Before our hunt, we made our way to Delancey Street. In the late 1800's, this area was disgusting. Waste used to be thrown into the streets. The town would constantly smell and leave a bad first impression.
On our way to the Essex St. Market, we passed by the Williamsburg Bridge that would be my post class adventure. As I went into the market, I noticed that it is just like going grocery shopping. The only thing that was different was that they put a barber shop in the middle of the market. The market stretches four blocks and this was an attempt to get push carts out of the street. During this trip, we met up with Jim, the tour guide again. He was by far the best tour guide. He knew everything about New York and made the class so interesting. He began explaining that China town has a population of 100,000 asians. According to the Blue Guide, Chinatown remains plagued by poverty and is slowly deteriorating. He also explained that Little Italy has a very small population of about 10,000. According to the Blue Guide, Little Italy has turned into a tourist drawn community.We all passed by the Bialystoker Synagogue that was originally a Methodist Church. During this journey, Jim shared a fact that actually shocked me. Many years ago, before people got married, they had to bathe in rain water for many days before the ceremony.
After the tour ended with Jim, it was time for the scavenger hunt. My group and I had to take a subway down town and go near Wall Street. We had to take pictures near the Statue of Liberty, Financial Building, etc. It was a very long battle, but we were able to get through it. My team and I were running late for lunch so we had no choice but to take a taxi back to the restaurant. What a move!!!
After lunch, we went to the Tenement Museum. An actress dressed up and acted like a girl from the early 1900's who lived in these tenements. Victoria was born in 1902 and had trouble speaking english. Victoria immigrated in 1913 to the United States. She was Jewish and was born in Greece. The actress told us that the Jewish and the Italians lived in separate neighborhoods because they had different beliefs. She told us that is was bad to clean clothes in the East River because it was very dirty. Victoria slept in the kitchen near the stove and all of her brothers slept in one small bedroom. We were told that Victoria got married at 19 and her marriage was arranged. This was very common back in the day. She raised a son and daughter in Brooklyn and lived until she was 87.
After the tour at the museum, class was unfortunately over. A group of us, including the professors and their long time peers took a walk over the Williamsburg Bridge. We stopped one million times to take pictures and live the amazing moment. When we finally made our way across the bridge, we went to this pub restaurant to hangout and talk about our 7 class adventure. We then went to the clothing exchange and a library. It was a great way to end a fantastic class. Thank you Mike Russo and Damian Hey for an amazing experience!
On our way to the Essex St. Market, we passed by the Williamsburg Bridge that would be my post class adventure. As I went into the market, I noticed that it is just like going grocery shopping. The only thing that was different was that they put a barber shop in the middle of the market. The market stretches four blocks and this was an attempt to get push carts out of the street. During this trip, we met up with Jim, the tour guide again. He was by far the best tour guide. He knew everything about New York and made the class so interesting. He began explaining that China town has a population of 100,000 asians. According to the Blue Guide, Chinatown remains plagued by poverty and is slowly deteriorating. He also explained that Little Italy has a very small population of about 10,000. According to the Blue Guide, Little Italy has turned into a tourist drawn community.We all passed by the Bialystoker Synagogue that was originally a Methodist Church. During this journey, Jim shared a fact that actually shocked me. Many years ago, before people got married, they had to bathe in rain water for many days before the ceremony.
After the tour ended with Jim, it was time for the scavenger hunt. My group and I had to take a subway down town and go near Wall Street. We had to take pictures near the Statue of Liberty, Financial Building, etc. It was a very long battle, but we were able to get through it. My team and I were running late for lunch so we had no choice but to take a taxi back to the restaurant. What a move!!!
After lunch, we went to the Tenement Museum. An actress dressed up and acted like a girl from the early 1900's who lived in these tenements. Victoria was born in 1902 and had trouble speaking english. Victoria immigrated in 1913 to the United States. She was Jewish and was born in Greece. The actress told us that the Jewish and the Italians lived in separate neighborhoods because they had different beliefs. She told us that is was bad to clean clothes in the East River because it was very dirty. Victoria slept in the kitchen near the stove and all of her brothers slept in one small bedroom. We were told that Victoria got married at 19 and her marriage was arranged. This was very common back in the day. She raised a son and daughter in Brooklyn and lived until she was 87.
After the tour at the museum, class was unfortunately over. A group of us, including the professors and their long time peers took a walk over the Williamsburg Bridge. We stopped one million times to take pictures and live the amazing moment. When we finally made our way across the bridge, we went to this pub restaurant to hangout and talk about our 7 class adventure. We then went to the clothing exchange and a library. It was a great way to end a fantastic class. Thank you Mike Russo and Damian Hey for an amazing experience!
Impressions of New York Aftermath
Wow! I actually finished the Gotham Experience Class. This class was clearly the greatest class ever. After experiencing this class, Mike Russo and Damian Hey taught me so much during the seven classes. I loved New York City before the class began. Now that I learned everything about New York City, I love the area even more now. This class gave me excellent guidance on where I should buy an apartment. The amount of information that I learned within 3 weeks will certainly changed my life forever. I never realized that there is so much that you can do within one city. When given the opportunity to walk around a city that never sleeps for 9 hours is an amazing feeling. The hair on the back of your neck stands up because you never know what you will expect in New York City.
The class that took place in Brooklyn was definitely my favorite class. A huge part of my family came from Brooklyn so it was nice to go back and see how they lived many years ago. I never realized until now how beautiful Brooklyn is. As I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, I was able to see the beautiful view of Brooklyn, as well as Manhattan. The one fact that shocked me about Brooklyn was that many houses and apartments are selling for over one million dollars. Maybe I will buy a house there one day... if I win the lottery of course.
Another experience that I enjoyed was visiting the 9/11 memorial. I was anxiously waiting for this moment to come because I have not been to the memorial in many years. When I went this year, it is amazing how much it has changed. The memorial is becoming more and more beautiful everyday.
For everyone who is thinking about taking this class in the future, I highly recommend it! Even though the walking could be a little overwhelming because of the weather, it is totally worth it. The amount of work that the professors and the tour guides put into this class is amazing. This class was an excellent learning experience and I hope I can lead a class like this one day.
The class that took place in Brooklyn was definitely my favorite class. A huge part of my family came from Brooklyn so it was nice to go back and see how they lived many years ago. I never realized until now how beautiful Brooklyn is. As I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, I was able to see the beautiful view of Brooklyn, as well as Manhattan. The one fact that shocked me about Brooklyn was that many houses and apartments are selling for over one million dollars. Maybe I will buy a house there one day... if I win the lottery of course.
Another experience that I enjoyed was visiting the 9/11 memorial. I was anxiously waiting for this moment to come because I have not been to the memorial in many years. When I went this year, it is amazing how much it has changed. The memorial is becoming more and more beautiful everyday.
For everyone who is thinking about taking this class in the future, I highly recommend it! Even though the walking could be a little overwhelming because of the weather, it is totally worth it. The amount of work that the professors and the tour guides put into this class is amazing. This class was an excellent learning experience and I hope I can lead a class like this one day.