Journals 1-4
1. Impressions of NYC.
Although I was born and raised right here on Long Island and currently reside just about 40 minutes from NYC in Malverne, I honestly feel like a tourist in my own city. While some of my friends procured jobs in the city when we were in our twenties, I somehow managed to always live, work and play predominantly on Long Island. There were occasional nights in NYC - dinners, bachelorette parties, concerts attended- however, I rarely lingered in the city for long. I felt I was always "on a mission". I would attend whatever event it was and do it well, but, I was eager to get back on the LIRR and head back to Long Island where I felt secure and at home.
In my late twenties, I met a man that would become my husband. While I worked and had an apartment in Huntington on Long Island, Jim resided in Jersey City and worked in Manhattan. Meeting Jim helped to broaden my horizons. I actually took the LIRR into Penn, then the subway to the World Trade Center where I would catch the Path Train to Jersey City ALL BY MYSELF!
For some reason, we still gravitated toward spending our weekends together on Long Island. My party place was referred to by locals as "The Village", however it was far from Greenwich Village, is was Huntington Village. The bustling family- and singles-friendly neighborhood known as Huntington Village is neither incorporated nor an official government entity. But this restaurant-laden, shopper-happy 36-square-block cosmopolitan oasis is popular with residents and tourists as the downtown hub and the unofficial capital of the town of Huntington. It's quite a nice place in my opinion. It offers an excellent night life for singles in their twenties. Compared to other towns on Long Island, Huntington is a "cultural" town with some art galleries. In addition to the aforementioned restaurants, Huntington totes the lovely Heckscher Park where one can stroll through a small art museum of spread their blanket out on the lawn and listen to a variety of free concerts. Of course, the you twenty something in me loved the many bars and live music. Some of my favorite old stomping grounds were Meehan's of Huntington and Finley's of Greene Street.
Jim and I have now been married twelve years now and we have two beautiful children, Erin and James. This past summer, I took my children into the city for the day. Again, I was on a mission! This time it was to take them to see the Statue of Liberty. While I succeeded, I fear I spent much more money than necessary. My husband suggested (because he worries about our safety) that we take a cab down to Battery Park. I listened like the dutiful wife that I am. Somehow, we ended up purchasing tickets to Skyline Tours which allowed us a bus ride to the Piers where we caught a ferry ride around the harbor to see various sites. We enjoyed a fun-filled day. I kept my promise to the kids, we saw the Statue of Liberty and even more, but, I am certain that I could have done it differently and for less money.
What I hope to gain from this class is the ability and confidence to get around NYC so that I no longer feel like a tourist in my own town. I welcome all the upcoming experiences. I love to walk, but, I believe we may be doing just a bit more than I'm used to in one shot. Yes, I welcome the challenge. Bring it! Let the fun begin....
Here are some photos of me with my children taken just a few weeks ago when we visited NYC "tourist style".
In my late twenties, I met a man that would become my husband. While I worked and had an apartment in Huntington on Long Island, Jim resided in Jersey City and worked in Manhattan. Meeting Jim helped to broaden my horizons. I actually took the LIRR into Penn, then the subway to the World Trade Center where I would catch the Path Train to Jersey City ALL BY MYSELF!
For some reason, we still gravitated toward spending our weekends together on Long Island. My party place was referred to by locals as "The Village", however it was far from Greenwich Village, is was Huntington Village. The bustling family- and singles-friendly neighborhood known as Huntington Village is neither incorporated nor an official government entity. But this restaurant-laden, shopper-happy 36-square-block cosmopolitan oasis is popular with residents and tourists as the downtown hub and the unofficial capital of the town of Huntington. It's quite a nice place in my opinion. It offers an excellent night life for singles in their twenties. Compared to other towns on Long Island, Huntington is a "cultural" town with some art galleries. In addition to the aforementioned restaurants, Huntington totes the lovely Heckscher Park where one can stroll through a small art museum of spread their blanket out on the lawn and listen to a variety of free concerts. Of course, the you twenty something in me loved the many bars and live music. Some of my favorite old stomping grounds were Meehan's of Huntington and Finley's of Greene Street.
Jim and I have now been married twelve years now and we have two beautiful children, Erin and James. This past summer, I took my children into the city for the day. Again, I was on a mission! This time it was to take them to see the Statue of Liberty. While I succeeded, I fear I spent much more money than necessary. My husband suggested (because he worries about our safety) that we take a cab down to Battery Park. I listened like the dutiful wife that I am. Somehow, we ended up purchasing tickets to Skyline Tours which allowed us a bus ride to the Piers where we caught a ferry ride around the harbor to see various sites. We enjoyed a fun-filled day. I kept my promise to the kids, we saw the Statue of Liberty and even more, but, I am certain that I could have done it differently and for less money.
What I hope to gain from this class is the ability and confidence to get around NYC so that I no longer feel like a tourist in my own town. I welcome all the upcoming experiences. I love to walk, but, I believe we may be doing just a bit more than I'm used to in one shot. Yes, I welcome the challenge. Bring it! Let the fun begin....
Here are some photos of me with my children taken just a few weeks ago when we visited NYC "tourist style".
2. Underappreciated Queens
3. Bada Bing.....Brooklyn!
After meeting the class in Penn as usual we took off for a fun and exciting day in Brooklyn. Good thing I brought my energy "A game" because we did a lot of walking. The weather was notably cooler than the excruciating temperatures and train schedule debacles we battled the first week of class.
We were treated to the opportunity to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge and enjoy it's rich history, beautiful architecture and the vistas it affords. The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed/suspension bridge. It was completed in 1883 and it connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River. The bridge was designed by German immigrant, John Augustus Roebling (ENY, pg. 208). Unfortunately he sustained a crush injury to his foot when a ferry pinned it against a piling. After developing an infection which later resulted in his death, he placed his 32 year old son Washington Roebling in charge of the project. This family must have had bad luck because Washington suffered a paralyzing injury as a result of decompression sickness shortly after the beginning of construction. All this time John Roebling's wife, Emily (ENY, pg. 208). Emily provided the critical written link between her husband and the engineers on site. Under her husband's guidance, Emily studied higher mathematics and was able to perform the necessary calculations of catenary curves, the strengths of materials, bridge specifications, and the intricacies of cable construction. She spent the next 11 years assisting Washington Roebling, helping to supervise the bridge's construction. Upon the bridges completion, I believe it was strong- willed Emily that crossed the bridge by horse and carriage even before President Chester A. Arthur and Mayor Franklin Edson. Way to go, Emily!!! After crossing the bridge I treated myself to the best raspberry and mango sorbet I've tasted in my life at a wonderful Ice Cream Shop just opened up next door to Jacques Torres Chocolate. Holy party in my mouth! This area is still undergoing gentrification as evidenced by the modern glass cubed lofty style apartment buildings that are currently under construction. I found the area to be a little edgy, a combination of graffiti along with the promise of good things to come. We were then off to the Empire Fulton Ferry section of the Brooklyn Bridge park where Jane’s Carousel is housed in a gorgeous glass pavilion, designed by Pritzker-prize winning architect Jean Nouvel (ENY, pg. 207). I'm still regretting not having ridden the carousel that day. I will, however, take my children back to share these experiences and you can bet we will all ride the carousel on that day! As we ambled along the tree-lined streets of beautiful Brooklyn Heights, we came upon Plymouth Church located at 57 Orange Street between Henry and Hicks Streets. When the church was founded in 1847 by 21 transplanted New Englanders, the church was the third Congregationalist church to be organized in Brooklyn- then a separate city from New York. Its first pastor was Henry Ward Beecher (ENY, pg. 206). A little later that afternoon we entered the building of the Brooklyn Historical Society where on display was a piece of artwork that depicts a large terracotta bust of Sally Maria Diggs, nicknamed "Pinky" because of her lovely pale skin (ENY, pg. 205). Miss Diggs, who in 1860, at the age of 9 years old, was the first of a series of pale-skinned female slaves whom the Reverend Henry Ward Beecher "auctioned" to his congregation to buy their freedom. Sally Maria Diggs is framed by a wreath of poison ivy. The artwork on display at the Brooklyn Historical Society was inspired by the giant terracotta portraits of European cultural heroes surrounded by America plants that ornament the Society's 1880 building. The building's iconography pairs Michelangelo with tobacco and Beethoven with blackberries. The Historical Society's archive also contains the bill of sale for Sally Maria Diggs. I found this story so intriguing. We did so much more, but I've given you a nice little taste of our day in bodacious Brooklyn. As usual, Mike makes learning fun and exciting- not a chore! I wish both time and budget allowed for a visit to Peter Luger's Steak House. That would have been the icing on the cake of an already pretty terrific day. 4. The Village- Running Late!
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I've awarded myself extra points for not freaking out and finding the class- QUICKLY! Train schedule debacles caused me to be slightly late, however I was able to catch up with the class and met them before they ascending upon The High Line. The High Line (also known as the High Line Park) is a 1.45-mile-long linear park built on a section of a disused railroad spur called the West Side Line. Inspired by the 3-mile ) Promenade plantée, a similar project in Paris completed in 1993, the High Line has been redesigned and planted as an aerial greenway and rails to rails park. I personally think it's a pretty great re-purposing of the railway. The High Line was particularly crowded on this day which made Mike decide to bail. We dipped down into an area of Chelsea populated by many small art galleries. A gallery is a private space devoted to displaying and selling works of art (ENY, pg. 85).
For me the "piece of the day"- the one that grabbed me and made me think "this is SO cool" was a photographic collage created by the talented Mr. David Hockney.
For me the "piece of the day"- the one that grabbed me and made me think "this is SO cool" was a photographic collage created by the talented Mr. David Hockney.
I'll be honest with you, the Village wasn't my favorite class. I'm writing to you about a few things that I found to be pretty cool. La Plaza Cultural is a unique open-air theater located at the southwest corner of 9th Street and Ave. C. It is a green space that combines the functions of a community garden, a park and play area, wildlife refuge and performance venue. Thousands of people from diverse cultures use their space every year. Even local day-care centers, after-school programs and a growing number of parents with small children rely this space for learning and recreation.
The people that have stuck it out in this neighborhood have a sort of "screw you" attitude towards newcomers as they have stood their ground and were loyal to their space before it was considered trendy, hip or stylish. Gentrification, while good for property values...enrages the original inhabitors of the neighborhood.
The people that have stuck it out in this neighborhood have a sort of "screw you" attitude towards newcomers as they have stood their ground and were loyal to their space before it was considered trendy, hip or stylish. Gentrification, while good for property values...enrages the original inhabitors of the neighborhood.
I had never heard of Cooper Union. Yet, funnily enough, in the same week that Mike shows us the new building, tells us a little bit about the ideas behind the construction and we are allowed poke our heads in for a quick look....in that SAME week, my patient ends up being a brilliant young Asian man and a student at Cooper Union. What he told me was how difficult it is to get into the school because it was free. He must have gotten in just before the deadline because I looked it up and beginning in the Fall of 2014, all incoming students will receive a half-tuition scholarship. The value of this scholarship is approximately $20,000 per year ($10,000 per semester). Additional financial aid will be provided to the neediest students to help cover tuition, housing, food, books, supplies, etc. The amount of additional aid will be based upon a student’s demonstrated financial need. Cooper Union will offers merit scholarships to exceptional students and uses a need-blind admissions process meaning that a student's ability to pay will not impact their admissions decisions. You know I'll be looking into this further.
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