Impressions of New York
Like many at Molloy, I took this class because it was recommended to me by many others. I thought it would be a great class to take because I generally love the city. Although I enjoy going to the city, I find myself going to the same spots over and over again. Time Square, Rockefeller Center, Madison Square Garden, Broadway. Yet, seldom do I take the time to venture to places i've never been before. I'm not sure why i've never taken the time to see most of the city. Possibly the fear of the unknown or getting lost. There's always been a stigma towards certain parts of the city as being unsafe.I also have no idea how the subway systems work and usually tend to get lost every time i'm there. Maybe it's always been a time related issue. With so much going on in our busy lives, i've always taken the city for granted. I'm excited to see another side of New York that I haven't yet.
Like many at Molloy, I took this class because it was recommended to me by many others. I thought it would be a great class to take because I generally love the city. Although I enjoy going to the city, I find myself going to the same spots over and over again. Time Square, Rockefeller Center, Madison Square Garden, Broadway. Yet, seldom do I take the time to venture to places i've never been before. I'm not sure why i've never taken the time to see most of the city. Possibly the fear of the unknown or getting lost. There's always been a stigma towards certain parts of the city as being unsafe.I also have no idea how the subway systems work and usually tend to get lost every time i'm there. Maybe it's always been a time related issue. With so much going on in our busy lives, i've always taken the city for granted. I'm excited to see another side of New York that I haven't yet.
Journal 1: Queens
Today was the first day of our class, I took the LIRR from Wantagh train station to Penn. Upon entering Penn I got myself a metro card for the subway system. When I met up with the class we were all very anxious to start, it was a rainy morning but it looked like it was going to clear up. Once we all arrived, we stopped for a few minutes to "admire" Penn Station. We talked about the architecture of the building and the design. I've been to Penn Station dozens of times but I never really stopped to think about how it's all set up. There os no central focus of the station and no seats to sit and wait for your train to come. For such a large transportation place you would think it would be set up a lot better. After this discussion we started our journey. Our first stop was Grand Central Station. From the moment we walked in the vibe was so different then Penn. Everyone seemed calm and it was very peaceful. The inside of the building was beautiful. The lighting was great with the high ceilings and the windows. Its no wonder its been used in various movies. It looks the way a station should look with benches and places to eat downstairs. We also learned about the ceiling and the astrological signs painted on it. We also learned about Jackie Kennedy and her fight to save the building because of her love for it. I wished that Penn Station was more like Grand Central. It would be such a nicer place to sit and wait for a train after a long day. It makes you excited for travel.
After leaving Grand Central we walked and looked at the architecture of various other buildings in the city. In 1902 New York started to begin to build upward. This was when many of the major architectural styles became present in the city. (ENY pg 20) One of the ones that I remember most was the General Electric building. The design of the outside of the buildings is much like others in the city. The lobby of the building is supposed to be the nicest one in New York. After that we went into the Waldorf Hotel. The bathrooms were emasculate and there was a lot of history in the lobby as well. I started to notice a theme in the architecture of most of the buildings we saw.
Next we took the tram to Roosevelt Island. I had no idea that there even was a tram in New York City. I'm a snowboarder so i've been on many trams at numerous different ski resorts. It was incredible being on one overlooking the city. The view was absolutely amazing and by that point in the day the sun was shining with no sign of rain in sight. The tram was definitely my favorite part of the day. Roosevelt Island was awesome. I loved walking next to the water on our way to the memorial and the memorial itself was beautiful. I had no idea that it even existed. From there we could see both Manhattan and Long island City.
After getting lunch we went into Astoria to the Museum of Moving Image. Here we were able to see all the variations of cameras and movie production equipment. The top floor of the museum was my favorite where we were able to create videos. We also watched a short film on the worlds fair which I thought was pretty cool. I think it would have been awesome to go to. Next we went to PS1 to the MOMA exhibit. I felt like we were in hipster paradise. We learned about gentrification and how Astoria and Long Island City are up and coming places to live because of the prices for apartments. I had never been to either place before this class but I thought it would be a great place to live. We ended our day in Long Island city looking over the NYC skyline, it was beautiful.
Today was the first day of our class, I took the LIRR from Wantagh train station to Penn. Upon entering Penn I got myself a metro card for the subway system. When I met up with the class we were all very anxious to start, it was a rainy morning but it looked like it was going to clear up. Once we all arrived, we stopped for a few minutes to "admire" Penn Station. We talked about the architecture of the building and the design. I've been to Penn Station dozens of times but I never really stopped to think about how it's all set up. There os no central focus of the station and no seats to sit and wait for your train to come. For such a large transportation place you would think it would be set up a lot better. After this discussion we started our journey. Our first stop was Grand Central Station. From the moment we walked in the vibe was so different then Penn. Everyone seemed calm and it was very peaceful. The inside of the building was beautiful. The lighting was great with the high ceilings and the windows. Its no wonder its been used in various movies. It looks the way a station should look with benches and places to eat downstairs. We also learned about the ceiling and the astrological signs painted on it. We also learned about Jackie Kennedy and her fight to save the building because of her love for it. I wished that Penn Station was more like Grand Central. It would be such a nicer place to sit and wait for a train after a long day. It makes you excited for travel.
After leaving Grand Central we walked and looked at the architecture of various other buildings in the city. In 1902 New York started to begin to build upward. This was when many of the major architectural styles became present in the city. (ENY pg 20) One of the ones that I remember most was the General Electric building. The design of the outside of the buildings is much like others in the city. The lobby of the building is supposed to be the nicest one in New York. After that we went into the Waldorf Hotel. The bathrooms were emasculate and there was a lot of history in the lobby as well. I started to notice a theme in the architecture of most of the buildings we saw.
Next we took the tram to Roosevelt Island. I had no idea that there even was a tram in New York City. I'm a snowboarder so i've been on many trams at numerous different ski resorts. It was incredible being on one overlooking the city. The view was absolutely amazing and by that point in the day the sun was shining with no sign of rain in sight. The tram was definitely my favorite part of the day. Roosevelt Island was awesome. I loved walking next to the water on our way to the memorial and the memorial itself was beautiful. I had no idea that it even existed. From there we could see both Manhattan and Long island City.
After getting lunch we went into Astoria to the Museum of Moving Image. Here we were able to see all the variations of cameras and movie production equipment. The top floor of the museum was my favorite where we were able to create videos. We also watched a short film on the worlds fair which I thought was pretty cool. I think it would have been awesome to go to. Next we went to PS1 to the MOMA exhibit. I felt like we were in hipster paradise. We learned about gentrification and how Astoria and Long Island City are up and coming places to live because of the prices for apartments. I had never been to either place before this class but I thought it would be a great place to live. We ended our day in Long Island city looking over the NYC skyline, it was beautiful.
Journal 2: Brooklyn
Today in class we got into Penn Station and then took the subway to Coney Island. I had never been to Coney Island before, only ever seeing it in movies. Although the weather was calling for rain it was perfect weather to walk around and explore. A bunch of us decided to go on the Cyclone, Coney Island'd historic wooden roller coaster. I have been to multiple amusement parks so I wasn't expecting a lot but it was a lot faster than I thought. After the roller coaster we went to Grimaldi's for lunch for pizza. After our free time was up we got back on the subway went to the subway museum. The museum was nice i really enjoyed seeing the old train cars from the years past. The progression of the technology and design was really cool to see. Also the advertisements on the cars which were relevant to the time periods were cool too. My favorite one was the BRT Brooklyn Union Elevated car. The design of the inside was so different fro what we have today and it felt a lot more cozy. I can imagine transportation being exciting and fun back then where as now its a daunting task. We also saw the progression of the subway turnstiles and the subway coins which now we use the MTA cards. After the museam we walked around and saw these beautiful houses. I remember thinking how incredible it must be to live there considering the costs of rent. After walking for a few blocks and stopping for much needed Starbucks, we made our way to the Brooklyn Bridge. Before getting onto the bridge we walked by the seaport and saw the fence with all the locks on it which I thought was really cool. We also had a great view despite the foggy weather. Our last stop before the bridge was for ice cream. I had never walked the Brooklyn Bridge before that day but it's something I would absolutely do again. The bridge was packed with walkers, bikers and runners and the view was amazing. I would suggest it on a nice day for something to do because its very easy to take the subway there as well.
Today in class we got into Penn Station and then took the subway to Coney Island. I had never been to Coney Island before, only ever seeing it in movies. Although the weather was calling for rain it was perfect weather to walk around and explore. A bunch of us decided to go on the Cyclone, Coney Island'd historic wooden roller coaster. I have been to multiple amusement parks so I wasn't expecting a lot but it was a lot faster than I thought. After the roller coaster we went to Grimaldi's for lunch for pizza. After our free time was up we got back on the subway went to the subway museum. The museum was nice i really enjoyed seeing the old train cars from the years past. The progression of the technology and design was really cool to see. Also the advertisements on the cars which were relevant to the time periods were cool too. My favorite one was the BRT Brooklyn Union Elevated car. The design of the inside was so different fro what we have today and it felt a lot more cozy. I can imagine transportation being exciting and fun back then where as now its a daunting task. We also saw the progression of the subway turnstiles and the subway coins which now we use the MTA cards. After the museam we walked around and saw these beautiful houses. I remember thinking how incredible it must be to live there considering the costs of rent. After walking for a few blocks and stopping for much needed Starbucks, we made our way to the Brooklyn Bridge. Before getting onto the bridge we walked by the seaport and saw the fence with all the locks on it which I thought was really cool. We also had a great view despite the foggy weather. Our last stop before the bridge was for ice cream. I had never walked the Brooklyn Bridge before that day but it's something I would absolutely do again. The bridge was packed with walkers, bikers and runners and the view was amazing. I would suggest it on a nice day for something to do because its very easy to take the subway there as well.
Journal 3: The Village
Today in class we went straight downtown to Chelsea. We walked on the high line which to me felt like a boardwalk. It almost didn't feel like we were in the city because we were away from all the streets and noises. We stopped in a few art museums and saw some really interesting things. Art can be interpreted in many different ways and what some people consider art, others may not. The cool thing about Chelsea is that there is a complete freedom of expression. Some of the things we saw were beautiful, others were shocking but regardless it was all art. I try to think about who the artist felt while making these pieces and the message he/she was trying to send out. After the art galleries we walked though Greenwich Village and saw multiple buildings which had historical meaning to the gay rights movement.(ENY 103). It was crazy to think about how this movement is still going on and it all started right there. Then stopped for lunch near NYU and had Insomnia cookies which were incredible. Then we went to the Museum and learned about the family that lived in the house back then. It was cool how they restored it back to how they think it originally was. It must have taken a lot of research to find out so much information about them but our tour guide seemed so passionate about it which as great. She was so knowledgable about everything we asked it was incredible. Next we walked though Washington Square park, saw more houses and stopped under the big arch to talk about the two statues of Washington on each side. We ended the day at the "Big Gay Ice Cream Shop".
Today in class we went straight downtown to Chelsea. We walked on the high line which to me felt like a boardwalk. It almost didn't feel like we were in the city because we were away from all the streets and noises. We stopped in a few art museums and saw some really interesting things. Art can be interpreted in many different ways and what some people consider art, others may not. The cool thing about Chelsea is that there is a complete freedom of expression. Some of the things we saw were beautiful, others were shocking but regardless it was all art. I try to think about who the artist felt while making these pieces and the message he/she was trying to send out. After the art galleries we walked though Greenwich Village and saw multiple buildings which had historical meaning to the gay rights movement.(ENY 103). It was crazy to think about how this movement is still going on and it all started right there. Then stopped for lunch near NYU and had Insomnia cookies which were incredible. Then we went to the Museum and learned about the family that lived in the house back then. It was cool how they restored it back to how they think it originally was. It must have taken a lot of research to find out so much information about them but our tour guide seemed so passionate about it which as great. She was so knowledgable about everything we asked it was incredible. Next we walked though Washington Square park, saw more houses and stopped under the big arch to talk about the two statues of Washington on each side. We ended the day at the "Big Gay Ice Cream Shop".