EAST SIDE, west side, doesn't matter!
Today was an awesome class with gorgeous weather! Our first stop of the day was to visit the Museum of the City of New York. "The museum has changing exhibitions focused on the history of New York City...Founded in 1923, and originally housed in Gracie Mansion, the museum moved to its current location on fifth ave in 1932" (ENY 132). We went to the museum "to watch the well made twenty two minute documentary, Timescapes which provides an engaging multimedia history of NYC" (ENY 163). I personally found this movie every interesting. It was the first time I had a visual representation of how NYC was founded. I also thought that it was very enlightening to see exactly how NYC expanded its land. One of the most interesting facts that I learned was that Wall Street was named Wall Street because of the wall that originally stood in its place. It was built to protect the outsiders from attacking.
After we were done at the museum, we started to head down museum mile to another museum called El Museo del Barrio. Here we met our tour guide Luke. Luke was an awesome East Harlem native who used to actually work at the museum. He now does walking tours of East Harlem and travels the world to share his poetry. We got to see a lot of cool things but one of my favorites was a mural called The Spirit of Harlem. "Created by Hank Prussing in 1978, the mural captures the Latin influences on street light in East Harlem in the 1970's. Prior to painting this work, Prussing spent several days photographing people in El Barrio and some of these individuals ended up being incorporated into the work. (ENY 163). I thought it was cool to see this because as gentrification is taking over this neighborhood, people will still be able to see the "good old days" and was there culture of East Harlem really was.
Our last stop with Luke was a little store called Justo Botanica. This was a cool little holistic medicine shop that was a family business. It was a cool way for people who believe in this holistic type of healing to still be able to practice this. Now a days with all the pharmaceutical companies out there, I would imagine that it is hard for these people to find the needed materials for their holistic needs. Our next stop was lunch at El Aguila and boy were we hungry. We went to this little Mexican restaurant with delicious tacos! I was very authentic.
The last stop of the day was Central park! We entered the park through a gate which is the only part still standing of the Vanderbilt mansion! By entering though this gate, it brought us to the Conservatory Garden. "This garden- the only formal garden in central park- is named for an 1898 greenhouse or conservatory that once stood on this site, but was torn down in 1934" (ENY 151). My favorite part of the Garden was the statue of the kids from the book The Secret Garden.
The next site we saw in the park was the the Obelisk "the oldest monument by far in the city of New York. The obelisk was built on the Nile River in honor of Pharaoh Thutmose III. In 16 BC it was relocated by the Romans to Alexandria and placed near a temple built by Cleopatra...In a gesture of good will towards the United States, the Khedive of Egypt gave the obelisk to the City go New York in 1881 to facilitate good will and improved trade between Egypt and the United States" (ENY 153). I thought it was really cool that something that old can still be standing! How can I forget seeing Strawberry Fields. I really like the Beatles so I thought that it was very cool to see this site. We ended in the Bethesda Terrace. "regarded as the heart of Central Park- you'll see the Bethesda Terrace- a graceful promenade leading to Central Park Lake" (ENY 155). It was a beautiful terrace with a garden in the middle. It was a really beautiful place with a lot of people and activities going on. There was a ballerina, an opera singer and a guy with bubbles. It was sweet to see all the kids having such a fun time watching all of the entertainers. Overall it was a great class today and we were very fortunate to have such beautiful weather! I really enjoyed exploring parts of Central Park that I have not seen before.
After we were done at the museum, we started to head down museum mile to another museum called El Museo del Barrio. Here we met our tour guide Luke. Luke was an awesome East Harlem native who used to actually work at the museum. He now does walking tours of East Harlem and travels the world to share his poetry. We got to see a lot of cool things but one of my favorites was a mural called The Spirit of Harlem. "Created by Hank Prussing in 1978, the mural captures the Latin influences on street light in East Harlem in the 1970's. Prior to painting this work, Prussing spent several days photographing people in El Barrio and some of these individuals ended up being incorporated into the work. (ENY 163). I thought it was cool to see this because as gentrification is taking over this neighborhood, people will still be able to see the "good old days" and was there culture of East Harlem really was.
Our last stop with Luke was a little store called Justo Botanica. This was a cool little holistic medicine shop that was a family business. It was a cool way for people who believe in this holistic type of healing to still be able to practice this. Now a days with all the pharmaceutical companies out there, I would imagine that it is hard for these people to find the needed materials for their holistic needs. Our next stop was lunch at El Aguila and boy were we hungry. We went to this little Mexican restaurant with delicious tacos! I was very authentic.
The last stop of the day was Central park! We entered the park through a gate which is the only part still standing of the Vanderbilt mansion! By entering though this gate, it brought us to the Conservatory Garden. "This garden- the only formal garden in central park- is named for an 1898 greenhouse or conservatory that once stood on this site, but was torn down in 1934" (ENY 151). My favorite part of the Garden was the statue of the kids from the book The Secret Garden.
The next site we saw in the park was the the Obelisk "the oldest monument by far in the city of New York. The obelisk was built on the Nile River in honor of Pharaoh Thutmose III. In 16 BC it was relocated by the Romans to Alexandria and placed near a temple built by Cleopatra...In a gesture of good will towards the United States, the Khedive of Egypt gave the obelisk to the City go New York in 1881 to facilitate good will and improved trade between Egypt and the United States" (ENY 153). I thought it was really cool that something that old can still be standing! How can I forget seeing Strawberry Fields. I really like the Beatles so I thought that it was very cool to see this site. We ended in the Bethesda Terrace. "regarded as the heart of Central Park- you'll see the Bethesda Terrace- a graceful promenade leading to Central Park Lake" (ENY 155). It was a beautiful terrace with a garden in the middle. It was a really beautiful place with a lot of people and activities going on. There was a ballerina, an opera singer and a guy with bubbles. It was sweet to see all the kids having such a fun time watching all of the entertainers. Overall it was a great class today and we were very fortunate to have such beautiful weather! I really enjoyed exploring parts of Central Park that I have not seen before.
West Side of Manhattan and Harlem
Our day started at the Frick Museum. I was excited to go here because I had never heard of it before. Now this building stands as a museum, but it was once home to Henry Clay Frick. Frick was the head of the steel industry along with Carnegie. It was in Frick's will that when he died, he wanted his house turned into an art museum. One interesting fact that I learned was during the war, Frick had to obtain a "permission to buy from the enemy" permit to be able to be able to buy some of his works of art. One painting that I like was called Mistress and Maid by Vermeer. "Thew best preserved of the mansion-turned-museum is unquestionably the former home of Henry Clay Frick, which now houses the Frick Collection. When Frick had the house built in 1913, he told his friends that he was doing so to make the house of millionaire Andrew Carnegie on 91st st. 'look like a minors shack'. Designed by the architectural team of Carrere and Hastings, the mansion has been wonderfully preserved and provides a suitably upscale venue for viewing Frick's considerable collection of European art" (ENY, 130). I really enjoyed this museum. I don't really enjoy art museums, however I liked this one because you also had the history of the house. It was truly a look into the past to see what life was like for the wealthy back in the early 1900's. My favorite room in the museum was the Fragonard room. I thought that it was so elegant and beautiful. I also liked the garden room. It was beautiful and tranquil. Although interesting enough, this room did not exist when Frick lived there. It was built after as an addition to the museum. It was also cool to find out about the limitations included in Frick will in regards to the museum.
Our next stop was to walk down the streets of Hell's kitchen. On the way we stopped at the Metropolitan opera house. I thought it was really cool to see. I am very into theatrical arts and I was excited to be in the world renowned theatre. Even though Mike did not like the architecture I did. It was located right next to the New York City ballet and the world famous Juilliard! I felt like I was on sacred ground. We walked down Hell's kitchen to a restaurant called Yum Yum. Here we enjoyed a DELICIOUS authentic Thai lunch. After we finished eating, we walked up to the side of Times Square. I don't care how many times you have been to NYC and times square. You always get an amazing feeling when you step foot there. Your truly feel like New York City is the best city in the entire world! We then got onto the subway to head to Harlem.
As we were riding the subway into Harlem, honestly I was a bit nervous. I had heard about all of the crime that goes on there and I was very hesitant to go. We got off the subway and met our tour guide Jim. Anything there was to know about Harlem, he knew it! We started off talking about the history of Harlem. "Harlem was originally established as the Dutch community of Nieuw Haarlem by Peter Stuyvesant in 1658 and named thew city of Harlem in the Netherlands" (ENY 173). Our first sight to see was the Harlem Hospital. The hospital has this amazing mural on the outside that I thought was a great site for us to see since there are so many nursing students in our group. We then walked down a residential street to see the beautiful Mount Morris Brownstones. They were very pretty and looked like they were from a scene out of a movie. Our last major stop in Harlem was the Harlem walk of fame. I never even knew that this existed! "Commissioned by the Harlem Chamber of Commerce in 1995, the walk contains a series of bronze plaques designed by Otto Neals and Ogundipe Fayoumi to honor great African-Americans who have made notable contributions in music, science, arts and public service" (ENY 183). The most notable people that I saw plaques for were Malcom X, Billie Holiday and Bill Bojangles Robinson. Harlem was definitely different from what I expected it to be. Overall, we had a great day in class!
Our next stop was to walk down the streets of Hell's kitchen. On the way we stopped at the Metropolitan opera house. I thought it was really cool to see. I am very into theatrical arts and I was excited to be in the world renowned theatre. Even though Mike did not like the architecture I did. It was located right next to the New York City ballet and the world famous Juilliard! I felt like I was on sacred ground. We walked down Hell's kitchen to a restaurant called Yum Yum. Here we enjoyed a DELICIOUS authentic Thai lunch. After we finished eating, we walked up to the side of Times Square. I don't care how many times you have been to NYC and times square. You always get an amazing feeling when you step foot there. Your truly feel like New York City is the best city in the entire world! We then got onto the subway to head to Harlem.
As we were riding the subway into Harlem, honestly I was a bit nervous. I had heard about all of the crime that goes on there and I was very hesitant to go. We got off the subway and met our tour guide Jim. Anything there was to know about Harlem, he knew it! We started off talking about the history of Harlem. "Harlem was originally established as the Dutch community of Nieuw Haarlem by Peter Stuyvesant in 1658 and named thew city of Harlem in the Netherlands" (ENY 173). Our first sight to see was the Harlem Hospital. The hospital has this amazing mural on the outside that I thought was a great site for us to see since there are so many nursing students in our group. We then walked down a residential street to see the beautiful Mount Morris Brownstones. They were very pretty and looked like they were from a scene out of a movie. Our last major stop in Harlem was the Harlem walk of fame. I never even knew that this existed! "Commissioned by the Harlem Chamber of Commerce in 1995, the walk contains a series of bronze plaques designed by Otto Neals and Ogundipe Fayoumi to honor great African-Americans who have made notable contributions in music, science, arts and public service" (ENY 183). The most notable people that I saw plaques for were Malcom X, Billie Holiday and Bill Bojangles Robinson. Harlem was definitely different from what I expected it to be. Overall, we had a great day in class!
Money, Money Money, must be funny, in a rich mans world..... (NYC MANHATTAN/FINANCIAL DISTRICT)
Our day started off walking through the Financial District. "From its earliest days, the economy of New York was built upon commerce and finance. And no place if this connection more evident than in the Financial district" (ENY 47). During our tour through the district we passed a very famous building called the Woolworth Building. "The building which is Neo-Gothic in style, was designed by Cass Gilbert, who was inspired by middvil cathedrals that he had seen in France. This style is apparent from the building's entrance on Broadway, which actually resembles a European Cathedral entrance. When it was completed in 1913, it reigned supreme as the second tallest building in the world (after the Eiffel Tower) and was the tallest building in New York City for seventeen years until the Chrysler Building was completed in 1930. Because of it's gothic ornamentation, during it opening celebrations, the building was nicknamed the 'Cathedral of Commerce'" (ENY 46). I thought that this building was beautiful and I wish that we were able to see the inside of the building!
Our next stop was our tour of New York City Hall. After going through security, we met our tour guide who knew everything there was to know about NYC Hall. "This is actually New York's third city hall. The first was built by the Dutch in the 17th century on Pearl Street; the second was built in 1700 on Wall Street (and eventually became Federal Hall). When it came time to build a new city Hall for New York, a competition was held in 1802 and won by Frenchman Joseph Francoise Mangin, who also designed the old St.Patrick's Cathedral, and New Yorker John McComb jr., who was responsible for Castle Clinton in Battery Park" (ENY 40). Over all I thought that the tour of City Hall was pretty cool. Although it was a little boring, it was very cool to be in a place where so many famous important people in New Yorks history have been. In the main lobby just after you walk through the entrance doors, there is a statue of George Washington. It is said that when you pass it, if you rub his foot it is good luck. I made sure that I rubbed his foot before we left!
Our next stop was the African Burial Ground Museum. In 1991 an old African Burial ground was found coincidentally. Because I was not born until 1992, I had never heard about this before. It is crazy for me to conceive that NYC was built upon the resting place for so many African Americans. "From 1690 to 1794 an estimated 20,000 free Africans and slaves were buried in a 6.6 acre burial ground on this site, which at the time was outside the boundaries of the city of New York. Over time the burial ground was developed over and forgotten until it was rediscovered in 1991 during the construction of the Ted Weiss building. In 2007 a memorial opened in the building to highlight the important role that African slaves played in the development of New York" (ENY 45). Slavery to me is one of the most discussing things a human being can do to another human. It does''t matter what color, size or gender you are, we are all people and nobody should treat anyone that way. If slavery isn't bad enough people literally just built over their burial ground and pretended like it wasn't there! I am so happy that when the grounds were found, they made sure nobody would fogey this time. I really enjoyed this museum, especially the film they showed in it even though it was sad.
After lunch we had a walking tour of lower Manhattan. One of our first stops was St. Paul's Chapel. "The chapel was designed by Thomas McBean in Georgian-style out of Manhattan Schist ...completed in 1776, this is New York's only intact pre-Revolutionary war church. It's also the oldest surviving church in Manhattan as well as the oldest building in continuous use in New York City" (ENY 46). besides its age, this church has a special meaning to the city of New York. During terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2011; this church housed, fed and provided a prayer and support outlet fort the volunteers at ground zero. The Church opened its doors to all of these people and was their source of refuge. Being so close to ground zero, many people wonder how this church did not crumble when the building came down. “Although it was directly across the street from the World Trade Center, the chapel miraculously survived the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001 that destroyed the nearby twin towers without even a broken window. Supposedly St. Paul’s was spared by a sycamore tree that stood in it’s cemetery, which deflected debris from the church… After the attack, St. Paul’s served as a place of rest and relief for rescue workers at ground zero” (ENY, 47). I really enjoyed seeing this church the the commemorative 9/11 articles they had there. One thing I thought was really cool was in the weeks following 9/11 they offered massages for the rescuers. I can imagine how nice it would've been to rest for a while after not only grueling physical, but also mental work these heroes did. It was a really cool thing to see especially because I was young when 9/11 occurred, I do not remember seeing this story.
Next we walked a block or two to see ground zero. Where the two towers once stood, now there are memorial fountains placed respectably. On the memorial is all the names of the people who perished on that terrible day. "The 9-11 memorial, which opened in 2011, was the result of a competition launched by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation in 2003. From 5,201 submissions, a thirteen member jury selected a design by architects Michael Arad and Peter Walker that was called 'Reflecting Absence'. The memorial consists of two one acre pools set in the footprints of the original twin towers. Thirty foot waterfalls- the largest manmade waterfalls in the United States- descend into the pools draining into a center void. The names of the victims of the 9-11 attacks are inscribed in bonze around the edge of the waterfalls" (ENY 49). I really enjoyed going to this site. It's funny how you remember certain things from when you are little. I remember the morning of 9/11 was just like any other days as I went to my fourth grade classroom. I remember we were just settling into class when there was an announcement for all teachers to come into the hallway immediately. A couple minuted later my teacher returned into the classroom and I could tell that she had been crying. She said to us that we could have "free time" for the rest of the day. While most kids were beyond excited, I knew something was very wrong. We were all gossiping about what the big announcement could have been. I remember one boy in my class said "it's world war three"! A bunch of us girls started shrieking. Soon enough the day was over and my teacher took us to the cafeteria to be picked up by our parents. I remember running up to my mom asking what had happened. When we got home I saw the video of planes flying into the tall towers and people crying and screaming. I didn't know what to make of everything. I remember thinking how could two planes accidentally hit the twin towers. My young innocent mind could not fathom that this was done on purpose as an act of terrorism.My father travels a lot for business and once flights resumed, he had to start business trips. The morning he was leaving I started having a panic attack and was screaming how he wasn't allowed to go because he would die when the bad people took over his plane. Needless to say he was safe and still travels frequently to this day. But the attacks instilled fear into our minds. I don't remember much from fourth grade, but I do remember that day and how the world was never the same!
Next we walked by the Stock Exchange. "The present building that houses the stock exchange was designed by George B. Post in neo-classical style in 1903. Calling to mind a roman temple, post clearly envisioned this building as a kind of temple of American Commerce. On the triangular pediment above the columns is a sculpture entitled 'integrity protecting the works of man', which depicts integrity blessing those industries that produce wealth- science, industry, agriculture, and mining. Ironically, this is actually not the original pediment sculpture. By the 1930's, the original figures on the sculpture were deteriorating so badly, that their stone was replaced with sheet metal, secretly, so that the public would not know that any facet of the stock exchange was vulnerable (AIA Guide)" (ENY 51).
Our last stop was the Museum of the American Indian. We were not able to go into the museum, as it was closed for the day by the time that we got there but I really wanted to! My sister (who is adopted) is part native American and I would have loved to see it to learn about her culture. I really enjoyed today 's class. Not only did we learn a lot, but I went to some places in NYC that I have always wanted to go to.
Our next stop was our tour of New York City Hall. After going through security, we met our tour guide who knew everything there was to know about NYC Hall. "This is actually New York's third city hall. The first was built by the Dutch in the 17th century on Pearl Street; the second was built in 1700 on Wall Street (and eventually became Federal Hall). When it came time to build a new city Hall for New York, a competition was held in 1802 and won by Frenchman Joseph Francoise Mangin, who also designed the old St.Patrick's Cathedral, and New Yorker John McComb jr., who was responsible for Castle Clinton in Battery Park" (ENY 40). Over all I thought that the tour of City Hall was pretty cool. Although it was a little boring, it was very cool to be in a place where so many famous important people in New Yorks history have been. In the main lobby just after you walk through the entrance doors, there is a statue of George Washington. It is said that when you pass it, if you rub his foot it is good luck. I made sure that I rubbed his foot before we left!
Our next stop was the African Burial Ground Museum. In 1991 an old African Burial ground was found coincidentally. Because I was not born until 1992, I had never heard about this before. It is crazy for me to conceive that NYC was built upon the resting place for so many African Americans. "From 1690 to 1794 an estimated 20,000 free Africans and slaves were buried in a 6.6 acre burial ground on this site, which at the time was outside the boundaries of the city of New York. Over time the burial ground was developed over and forgotten until it was rediscovered in 1991 during the construction of the Ted Weiss building. In 2007 a memorial opened in the building to highlight the important role that African slaves played in the development of New York" (ENY 45). Slavery to me is one of the most discussing things a human being can do to another human. It does''t matter what color, size or gender you are, we are all people and nobody should treat anyone that way. If slavery isn't bad enough people literally just built over their burial ground and pretended like it wasn't there! I am so happy that when the grounds were found, they made sure nobody would fogey this time. I really enjoyed this museum, especially the film they showed in it even though it was sad.
After lunch we had a walking tour of lower Manhattan. One of our first stops was St. Paul's Chapel. "The chapel was designed by Thomas McBean in Georgian-style out of Manhattan Schist ...completed in 1776, this is New York's only intact pre-Revolutionary war church. It's also the oldest surviving church in Manhattan as well as the oldest building in continuous use in New York City" (ENY 46). besides its age, this church has a special meaning to the city of New York. During terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2011; this church housed, fed and provided a prayer and support outlet fort the volunteers at ground zero. The Church opened its doors to all of these people and was their source of refuge. Being so close to ground zero, many people wonder how this church did not crumble when the building came down. “Although it was directly across the street from the World Trade Center, the chapel miraculously survived the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001 that destroyed the nearby twin towers without even a broken window. Supposedly St. Paul’s was spared by a sycamore tree that stood in it’s cemetery, which deflected debris from the church… After the attack, St. Paul’s served as a place of rest and relief for rescue workers at ground zero” (ENY, 47). I really enjoyed seeing this church the the commemorative 9/11 articles they had there. One thing I thought was really cool was in the weeks following 9/11 they offered massages for the rescuers. I can imagine how nice it would've been to rest for a while after not only grueling physical, but also mental work these heroes did. It was a really cool thing to see especially because I was young when 9/11 occurred, I do not remember seeing this story.
Next we walked a block or two to see ground zero. Where the two towers once stood, now there are memorial fountains placed respectably. On the memorial is all the names of the people who perished on that terrible day. "The 9-11 memorial, which opened in 2011, was the result of a competition launched by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation in 2003. From 5,201 submissions, a thirteen member jury selected a design by architects Michael Arad and Peter Walker that was called 'Reflecting Absence'. The memorial consists of two one acre pools set in the footprints of the original twin towers. Thirty foot waterfalls- the largest manmade waterfalls in the United States- descend into the pools draining into a center void. The names of the victims of the 9-11 attacks are inscribed in bonze around the edge of the waterfalls" (ENY 49). I really enjoyed going to this site. It's funny how you remember certain things from when you are little. I remember the morning of 9/11 was just like any other days as I went to my fourth grade classroom. I remember we were just settling into class when there was an announcement for all teachers to come into the hallway immediately. A couple minuted later my teacher returned into the classroom and I could tell that she had been crying. She said to us that we could have "free time" for the rest of the day. While most kids were beyond excited, I knew something was very wrong. We were all gossiping about what the big announcement could have been. I remember one boy in my class said "it's world war three"! A bunch of us girls started shrieking. Soon enough the day was over and my teacher took us to the cafeteria to be picked up by our parents. I remember running up to my mom asking what had happened. When we got home I saw the video of planes flying into the tall towers and people crying and screaming. I didn't know what to make of everything. I remember thinking how could two planes accidentally hit the twin towers. My young innocent mind could not fathom that this was done on purpose as an act of terrorism.My father travels a lot for business and once flights resumed, he had to start business trips. The morning he was leaving I started having a panic attack and was screaming how he wasn't allowed to go because he would die when the bad people took over his plane. Needless to say he was safe and still travels frequently to this day. But the attacks instilled fear into our minds. I don't remember much from fourth grade, but I do remember that day and how the world was never the same!
Next we walked by the Stock Exchange. "The present building that houses the stock exchange was designed by George B. Post in neo-classical style in 1903. Calling to mind a roman temple, post clearly envisioned this building as a kind of temple of American Commerce. On the triangular pediment above the columns is a sculpture entitled 'integrity protecting the works of man', which depicts integrity blessing those industries that produce wealth- science, industry, agriculture, and mining. Ironically, this is actually not the original pediment sculpture. By the 1930's, the original figures on the sculpture were deteriorating so badly, that their stone was replaced with sheet metal, secretly, so that the public would not know that any facet of the stock exchange was vulnerable (AIA Guide)" (ENY 51).
Our last stop was the Museum of the American Indian. We were not able to go into the museum, as it was closed for the day by the time that we got there but I really wanted to! My sister (who is adopted) is part native American and I would have loved to see it to learn about her culture. I really enjoyed today 's class. Not only did we learn a lot, but I went to some places in NYC that I have always wanted to go to.
OUR LAST CLASS :'( Where it all began- Immigration
I can not fathom that it is our last day of class! I am going to be so sad this Friday when I have nothing to do!
We started our day off at the Tenement museum. We had an awesome tour guide who was very knowledgeable. The museum "provides a fascinating glimpse into the life of the immigrant families who lived in this building during the mid-19th century" (ENY 67). According to our tour guide a tenement is any building that houses three or more unrelated families where each of them have their own kitchen. Technically speaking, this would be any apartment building in NYC; however we associate tenements with poverty. The building that the museum is in was once a tenement building itself. It was shut down during the great depression. At this time a law passed that the building would have had to make changes regarding fire escapes and the owners did not have the money for this so it shut down. "In 1935 the landlord evicted tenants and sealed up the building rather than continue to update the building in compliance with new housing laws.During its almost eighty year history, 97 Orchard Street was home to estimated 7,000 people from over 20 countries- the majority coming from Ireland, Germany, Italy and Eastern Europe. The museum itself was founded in 1988 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994" (ENY 67).
The museum is presented through the stories of the families that lived in the apartments. The family that we learned about that interested me was the Levine family. The breadwinner of this family was the father. Originally from Russia, he was a dressmaker. The dresses he made and sold were made in their apartment. He would work himself with three employees as well as his wife and children residing in the house during the day. Half of our class (about ten people) could barely fit into this apartment let alone move around and work in these conditions. I can't even imagine how difficult this must've been for this family to operate by this. The dresses he sold were for fifteen dollars. Keeping in mind they only made about 6-8 dresses in a day! This means that the shop made about 90$ a day and that is not including paying for his workers, materials, rent etc. Overall the family basically just got by with their finances.
It was really cool, but sad at the same time to see the tenements. It was truly a glimpse into the past and you got to see how the other half lives. This inspired Jacob Riis' appropriately named "how the other half lives". This gave the middle and upper class a glimpse into the lives of the lower class. it was an eye opening experience to see the struggle.
After our tours had finished, we got to do our great Chinatown Adventure! It truly felt like we were transported into China! I think our class were the only non-Asians in China Town. "The influx of new arrivals from China in the late 20th century has helped swell the population of Chinatown. From what was once a small seven block enclave centered around Mott street, Chinatown in recent years has grown to become a sprawling 55 block area that had taken over many parts of what was formerly Little Italy and the Lower East Side" (ENY 73). Immediately as we walked into china town a man came us to us and asked if we wanted Michael Kors and Louis Vuitton bags. This man took us on a hike pup and down and around the blocks to a park. Here a woman met us and wanted 90$ for a knock off bag! That is so ridiculous, you can pay 200$ to get a real one so why would you buy a knock off for half the price? Needless to say we did not get the bags. It was the sketchiest thing I have ever done and was a colossal waste of time. I will never try to do this again but it was a learning experience! While we were in China Town we got a pork roll. It was not that bad, but not my favorite. Next we went to lunch at a authentic Chinese restaurant. I was not a big fan of the food. Because I try not to eat pork and I am allergic to seafood, there was not much food there that I was able to eat.
Once we were done with lunch, we met our tour guide to do a walking tour of the lower east side. We saw a lot of things on our tour but I had two favorites, one was the economy candy shop! They had delicious candy, reasonably priced; it was cool because they had a lot of candies I have not had since I was a kid. My absolute favorite site to see was the Henry Street Settlement; "was founded by Lillian Wald, a 25 year old nursing student who was appalled by the conditions that she encountered on the lower east side while volunteering to teach classes on home health care to immigrant women. In 1893 she founded the Nurses Settlement to bring nursing care, education and the arts to the immigrant population of the community. Two years later the organization would receive a permanent home- and a new name- when banker Jacob Schiff purchased the federal style row house at 265 Henry Street and donated it to the settlement in 1903. With the support of Schiff, Wald also began the Visiting Nurse Service to care for the sick- the novelty being that nurses would bring Health Care to people's homes, rather than having them come into a clinic to be cared for. (ENY 69). I really did enjoy seeing such a historic landmark in nursing history.
Our last stop of our ENTIRE semester would be the Elridge street Synagogue. "One of the architectural masterpieces of the lower east side, the Synagogue was constructed in 1887 and was the first synagogue in NY built by Eastern European Jews. Although the synagogue today is located in China Town, when it was built this are was heavily Jewish with street signs written in Yiddish. Designed by Peter and Francis Herter out of brick and terracotta, the synagogue bold combines Morrish and gothic influences. While the exterior rose window might seem like a christian influence, the symbolism in it- twelve stars lining the circumference of the window representing the twelve tribes of Israel- is distinctly Jewish, as are the numerous Starts of David used on the facade. The use of Morrish is also significant because it was a popular style in the 19th century for synagogues in order to clearly distinguish them from christian churches and Harkins back to the middle eastern routes of the Jewish fate' (ENY 71). What a great day in the class of Central New York.
We started our day off at the Tenement museum. We had an awesome tour guide who was very knowledgeable. The museum "provides a fascinating glimpse into the life of the immigrant families who lived in this building during the mid-19th century" (ENY 67). According to our tour guide a tenement is any building that houses three or more unrelated families where each of them have their own kitchen. Technically speaking, this would be any apartment building in NYC; however we associate tenements with poverty. The building that the museum is in was once a tenement building itself. It was shut down during the great depression. At this time a law passed that the building would have had to make changes regarding fire escapes and the owners did not have the money for this so it shut down. "In 1935 the landlord evicted tenants and sealed up the building rather than continue to update the building in compliance with new housing laws.During its almost eighty year history, 97 Orchard Street was home to estimated 7,000 people from over 20 countries- the majority coming from Ireland, Germany, Italy and Eastern Europe. The museum itself was founded in 1988 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994" (ENY 67).
The museum is presented through the stories of the families that lived in the apartments. The family that we learned about that interested me was the Levine family. The breadwinner of this family was the father. Originally from Russia, he was a dressmaker. The dresses he made and sold were made in their apartment. He would work himself with three employees as well as his wife and children residing in the house during the day. Half of our class (about ten people) could barely fit into this apartment let alone move around and work in these conditions. I can't even imagine how difficult this must've been for this family to operate by this. The dresses he sold were for fifteen dollars. Keeping in mind they only made about 6-8 dresses in a day! This means that the shop made about 90$ a day and that is not including paying for his workers, materials, rent etc. Overall the family basically just got by with their finances.
It was really cool, but sad at the same time to see the tenements. It was truly a glimpse into the past and you got to see how the other half lives. This inspired Jacob Riis' appropriately named "how the other half lives". This gave the middle and upper class a glimpse into the lives of the lower class. it was an eye opening experience to see the struggle.
After our tours had finished, we got to do our great Chinatown Adventure! It truly felt like we were transported into China! I think our class were the only non-Asians in China Town. "The influx of new arrivals from China in the late 20th century has helped swell the population of Chinatown. From what was once a small seven block enclave centered around Mott street, Chinatown in recent years has grown to become a sprawling 55 block area that had taken over many parts of what was formerly Little Italy and the Lower East Side" (ENY 73). Immediately as we walked into china town a man came us to us and asked if we wanted Michael Kors and Louis Vuitton bags. This man took us on a hike pup and down and around the blocks to a park. Here a woman met us and wanted 90$ for a knock off bag! That is so ridiculous, you can pay 200$ to get a real one so why would you buy a knock off for half the price? Needless to say we did not get the bags. It was the sketchiest thing I have ever done and was a colossal waste of time. I will never try to do this again but it was a learning experience! While we were in China Town we got a pork roll. It was not that bad, but not my favorite. Next we went to lunch at a authentic Chinese restaurant. I was not a big fan of the food. Because I try not to eat pork and I am allergic to seafood, there was not much food there that I was able to eat.
Once we were done with lunch, we met our tour guide to do a walking tour of the lower east side. We saw a lot of things on our tour but I had two favorites, one was the economy candy shop! They had delicious candy, reasonably priced; it was cool because they had a lot of candies I have not had since I was a kid. My absolute favorite site to see was the Henry Street Settlement; "was founded by Lillian Wald, a 25 year old nursing student who was appalled by the conditions that she encountered on the lower east side while volunteering to teach classes on home health care to immigrant women. In 1893 she founded the Nurses Settlement to bring nursing care, education and the arts to the immigrant population of the community. Two years later the organization would receive a permanent home- and a new name- when banker Jacob Schiff purchased the federal style row house at 265 Henry Street and donated it to the settlement in 1903. With the support of Schiff, Wald also began the Visiting Nurse Service to care for the sick- the novelty being that nurses would bring Health Care to people's homes, rather than having them come into a clinic to be cared for. (ENY 69). I really did enjoy seeing such a historic landmark in nursing history.
Our last stop of our ENTIRE semester would be the Elridge street Synagogue. "One of the architectural masterpieces of the lower east side, the Synagogue was constructed in 1887 and was the first synagogue in NY built by Eastern European Jews. Although the synagogue today is located in China Town, when it was built this are was heavily Jewish with street signs written in Yiddish. Designed by Peter and Francis Herter out of brick and terracotta, the synagogue bold combines Morrish and gothic influences. While the exterior rose window might seem like a christian influence, the symbolism in it- twelve stars lining the circumference of the window representing the twelve tribes of Israel- is distinctly Jewish, as are the numerous Starts of David used on the facade. The use of Morrish is also significant because it was a popular style in the 19th century for synagogues in order to clearly distinguish them from christian churches and Harkins back to the middle eastern routes of the Jewish fate' (ENY 71). What a great day in the class of Central New York.
MY NEW YORK EXPERIENCE!
Wow what a great six weeks this has been. Not only was this one of my favorite classes at Molloy so far, but it was truly a life changing experience! I learned so much about this city. My favorite things that we did in the class was the museum of the moving image, 9/11 memorial, exploring central park, the museum of the city of New York, Coney Island and Washington Square Park. I have lived in New York practically my entire life and I didn't know its history. I have been to cities all around the world and by far New York is my favorite!! Whether you go to NYC to make it big, or just get by this city can offer all of that and everything in between! I can now say that I have officially lived the New York Experience!!!