1. Impressions of NYC
In my opinion, NYC is the greatest city in the whole entire world. I have been living in Queens
my whole entire life and luckily live 10 minutes from the nearest F train station. Due to the
how close the proximity from my house to nearest subway was, I was
always very fortunate to have been able to experience the city numerous
times every since I was very little.
I remember my first time in the city like it was yesterday. I was 3 years old and went to the
flagship Macy's store to go see Santa and take pictures with him. Afterwards we went to the ice
skating rink in Rockefeller center to skate and to go see the tree as well. I remember
being amazed by how beautiful the city looks at night and especially the appearance
of Manhattan when the sun goes down. My first experience in NYC as a 3 year old catapulted
my interests and willingness to always go back to the city as frequent as possible.
Overall, I love the vibes and feel that I get every single time I am in Manhattan. I love the fast pace
and the overall crowded streets of the city. There is always so many things to do at any given time
during the day and night. Whether you are interested in fine dining, entertainment, or simply just
browsing around the city, you will always find something fun and interesting to do. It's
called the city that never sleeps for a reason. I couldn't picture myself living anywhere else where
almost every place closes before 10pm. When I visit my relatives and close family friends
in other states, I would notice that many places of entertainment and leisure would always close
so early as compared to places in New York City. That's one of the best things I love about living
in New York in which there is alwayssomething fun to do every single day of the week and at any
given time
In my opinion, NYC is the greatest city in the whole entire world. I have been living in Queens
my whole entire life and luckily live 10 minutes from the nearest F train station. Due to the
how close the proximity from my house to nearest subway was, I was
always very fortunate to have been able to experience the city numerous
times every since I was very little.
I remember my first time in the city like it was yesterday. I was 3 years old and went to the
flagship Macy's store to go see Santa and take pictures with him. Afterwards we went to the ice
skating rink in Rockefeller center to skate and to go see the tree as well. I remember
being amazed by how beautiful the city looks at night and especially the appearance
of Manhattan when the sun goes down. My first experience in NYC as a 3 year old catapulted
my interests and willingness to always go back to the city as frequent as possible.
Overall, I love the vibes and feel that I get every single time I am in Manhattan. I love the fast pace
and the overall crowded streets of the city. There is always so many things to do at any given time
during the day and night. Whether you are interested in fine dining, entertainment, or simply just
browsing around the city, you will always find something fun and interesting to do. It's
called the city that never sleeps for a reason. I couldn't picture myself living anywhere else where
almost every place closes before 10pm. When I visit my relatives and close family friends
in other states, I would notice that many places of entertainment and leisure would always close
so early as compared to places in New York City. That's one of the best things I love about living
in New York in which there is alwayssomething fun to do every single day of the week and at any
given time
2. Queens
As a resident of Queens, New York for 21 years, I truly believe that I live in one of the best
counties throughout the United States. You will never find another county in North America that
provides the same ethnic and cultural diversity that Queens has to offer. There is so much you can
learn about different ethnic backgrounds just by driving around through the various neighborhoods
of Queens. I feel that the fact that I have been living in Queens my whole life makes me extremely
open to trying new things. One of today's experience proved exactly just that. Today my class and I
went to the Jackson Diner that is located in Jackson Heights by 74th street and 37th avenue. "The
Indian Community around 74th street is particularly large, and subsequently that part of
Jackson Heights is now known as New York's "Little India" (217, Russo & Cullinan)." It was an
opportunity to try Indian food for the first time. I was always very skeptical about Indian food due
to the spicy and strong aroma that it gives off. My doubts were put aside concluding the meal. Dr.
Russo gets an A++ for a tremendous restaurant choice. The food was absolutely delicious and I felt
3 months pregnant after the meal. Everything from the chicken, the spicy chick peas, the beef stew with
a touch of curry tasted amazing. It was definitely my first and not my last time I would be making
an appearance at the Jackson Diner.
My class and I also were able to ride on the 7 train line. The 7 train has been nicknamed the "International
Express" because its route takes passengers through some of the most ethnically diverse communities in North
America (Russo & Cullinan, 215). As a little kid growing up , I would always take the 7 train numerous times
to go to many Mets game in Shea Stadium now called Citi Field and to see family that I had living around the
Jackson Heights area and around Roosevelt Avenue. As you continue to ride the 7 train through Elmhurst
(90thstreet) and Corona (Junction Blvd- Willetts Point), this part of Queens takes on a much more Latin American
flavor, with waves of immigrants coming from Colombia and Mexico (Russo & Cullinan, 216).
This statement by the textbook happens to be very true in which the neighborhood where my family is from
happen to all be Colombian.All their neighbors and people that live in the same neighborhood as my family
members happen to be Mexican, Ecuadorian, and from all other parts of South America. Its amazing how the
ethnic backgrounds of each neighborhood that the 7 train goes through drastically changes as you go from one
subway stop to the other. As a kid growing up, I would usually take the 7 train starting from the northern part of
Flushing at the tip of Main Street. As you get on that stop, you would notice that the neighborhood there
is dominated heavily by Asian Americans. As you leave the Main Street station, you start entering neighborhoods
dominated by Caucasian Americans by around college point. As the 7 train moves a long Roosevelt avenue
and through parts of Jackson heights, Woodside, and Sunnyside, the demographics change drastically
as you start seeing more people from South America. Its so awesome seeing so many different ethnic
backgrounds in one county just by riding one subway line. As a class, we ended up taking the 7 train
from the city into Flushing Meadows Corona Park where we would learn a lot about its history.
As my class and I got off the 7 train line, we approached a beautiful scenery filled with open green grass
a long with the US Open & Citi Field upon the horizon. This park is best known as Flushing Meadows
Corona Park. In fact, the park is the fourth largest of New York's public parks (after Pelahm Bay Park in the Bronx,
the Staten Island Greenbelt, and Van Cortland Park in the Bronx) (Russo & Cullinan, 217). This is another
place I used to go to a lot as as child to have outings with my family and to play organized league
soccer for many years. Its a beautiful park to just spend time with family and friends. Besides the
beautiful amenities that the park may provide for everyone, there is a bit of history that goes behind
the park as well. Flushing Meadows Park was best known as the place that served as the hosts for
three World Fairs. World's Fairs were annual expositions held in different parts of the world during
from the mid -19th to mid 20th centuries (Russo & Cullinan, 219). The major symbol of the World's Fair
in Flushing Meadows Park included the famous Unisphere. The fair was best known to symbolize a grand consumer
show portraying many products produced in America relating to transportation, living, and consumer electronic needs.
There was a large turnout in which approximately 50 million people were able to attend the fair. Still today, remains of
the World Fair are still intact in which the Unisphere still stands and serves as the major icon of Flushing Meadows Park.
Today, the trip to the Queens Museum of Art was definitely something that stood out to me as well. It
was a pretty interesting fact that the same building was created for the 1939-1940 World's Fair and also
served as the temporary headquarters of the United Nations from 1946-1951 (221, Russo & Cullinan).
One thing that I really loved about the museum was seeing the Panorama of the 5 boroughs of New York.
The panorama was created for the 1964-1965 World's Fair and was built to a scale of 1 inch to 100 feet
and includes every building in New York constructed before 1992. (221, Russo & Cullinan). I found the
panorama to be extremely breathtaking due to how real it looks. It felt like being in a plane at around 30,000
feet altitude looking down at the best city in the world. I found it awesome pinpointing my high school and
the 2 neighborhoods that I grew up in right there on the panorama itself. I was so impressed by how detailed
every single neighborhood was portrayed relating to building structure and layout.
Another trip that we took today that caught my attention was our destination to The Museum of the Moving
Image. The museum - by far the most popular tourist attraction in Queens - boasts one of the largest collections
of film artifacts in the world (224, Russo & Cullinan). It was awesome seeing the different artifacts of my favorite
movies growing up. For example, the artist that designed Robin William's face mask in Mrs. Doubtfire displayed
the same exact replica of the mask in the museum. That was definitely something that caught my eye.
Seeing the exact wardrobe that famous actors and actresses would wear were in display as well. I was able to see
some of the costumes that were worn in the movie Moulin Rouge. Besides the whole movie aspect of the place,
something I was really able to appreciate the section that provided for video game entertainment. I found this
really awesome to see especially because I have been a consistent video game player ever since the age of 4.
On the display, there were many of the first video games such as Pong, the first Super Mario game to ever been
created, Galatica, and a lot of the first video games I grew up playing. You were really able to see how far
the video game industry has come along and the technological advancements that have taken place throughout
the past 25- 30 years. Overall, The Museum of The Moving Image really deepened my appreciation for the
overall aspects of movies such as the history and technology of film. Seeing the evolution of both the movie
and video game industry is something I will never forget.
As a resident of Queens, New York for 21 years, I truly believe that I live in one of the best
counties throughout the United States. You will never find another county in North America that
provides the same ethnic and cultural diversity that Queens has to offer. There is so much you can
learn about different ethnic backgrounds just by driving around through the various neighborhoods
of Queens. I feel that the fact that I have been living in Queens my whole life makes me extremely
open to trying new things. One of today's experience proved exactly just that. Today my class and I
went to the Jackson Diner that is located in Jackson Heights by 74th street and 37th avenue. "The
Indian Community around 74th street is particularly large, and subsequently that part of
Jackson Heights is now known as New York's "Little India" (217, Russo & Cullinan)." It was an
opportunity to try Indian food for the first time. I was always very skeptical about Indian food due
to the spicy and strong aroma that it gives off. My doubts were put aside concluding the meal. Dr.
Russo gets an A++ for a tremendous restaurant choice. The food was absolutely delicious and I felt
3 months pregnant after the meal. Everything from the chicken, the spicy chick peas, the beef stew with
a touch of curry tasted amazing. It was definitely my first and not my last time I would be making
an appearance at the Jackson Diner.
My class and I also were able to ride on the 7 train line. The 7 train has been nicknamed the "International
Express" because its route takes passengers through some of the most ethnically diverse communities in North
America (Russo & Cullinan, 215). As a little kid growing up , I would always take the 7 train numerous times
to go to many Mets game in Shea Stadium now called Citi Field and to see family that I had living around the
Jackson Heights area and around Roosevelt Avenue. As you continue to ride the 7 train through Elmhurst
(90thstreet) and Corona (Junction Blvd- Willetts Point), this part of Queens takes on a much more Latin American
flavor, with waves of immigrants coming from Colombia and Mexico (Russo & Cullinan, 216).
This statement by the textbook happens to be very true in which the neighborhood where my family is from
happen to all be Colombian.All their neighbors and people that live in the same neighborhood as my family
members happen to be Mexican, Ecuadorian, and from all other parts of South America. Its amazing how the
ethnic backgrounds of each neighborhood that the 7 train goes through drastically changes as you go from one
subway stop to the other. As a kid growing up, I would usually take the 7 train starting from the northern part of
Flushing at the tip of Main Street. As you get on that stop, you would notice that the neighborhood there
is dominated heavily by Asian Americans. As you leave the Main Street station, you start entering neighborhoods
dominated by Caucasian Americans by around college point. As the 7 train moves a long Roosevelt avenue
and through parts of Jackson heights, Woodside, and Sunnyside, the demographics change drastically
as you start seeing more people from South America. Its so awesome seeing so many different ethnic
backgrounds in one county just by riding one subway line. As a class, we ended up taking the 7 train
from the city into Flushing Meadows Corona Park where we would learn a lot about its history.
As my class and I got off the 7 train line, we approached a beautiful scenery filled with open green grass
a long with the US Open & Citi Field upon the horizon. This park is best known as Flushing Meadows
Corona Park. In fact, the park is the fourth largest of New York's public parks (after Pelahm Bay Park in the Bronx,
the Staten Island Greenbelt, and Van Cortland Park in the Bronx) (Russo & Cullinan, 217). This is another
place I used to go to a lot as as child to have outings with my family and to play organized league
soccer for many years. Its a beautiful park to just spend time with family and friends. Besides the
beautiful amenities that the park may provide for everyone, there is a bit of history that goes behind
the park as well. Flushing Meadows Park was best known as the place that served as the hosts for
three World Fairs. World's Fairs were annual expositions held in different parts of the world during
from the mid -19th to mid 20th centuries (Russo & Cullinan, 219). The major symbol of the World's Fair
in Flushing Meadows Park included the famous Unisphere. The fair was best known to symbolize a grand consumer
show portraying many products produced in America relating to transportation, living, and consumer electronic needs.
There was a large turnout in which approximately 50 million people were able to attend the fair. Still today, remains of
the World Fair are still intact in which the Unisphere still stands and serves as the major icon of Flushing Meadows Park.
Today, the trip to the Queens Museum of Art was definitely something that stood out to me as well. It
was a pretty interesting fact that the same building was created for the 1939-1940 World's Fair and also
served as the temporary headquarters of the United Nations from 1946-1951 (221, Russo & Cullinan).
One thing that I really loved about the museum was seeing the Panorama of the 5 boroughs of New York.
The panorama was created for the 1964-1965 World's Fair and was built to a scale of 1 inch to 100 feet
and includes every building in New York constructed before 1992. (221, Russo & Cullinan). I found the
panorama to be extremely breathtaking due to how real it looks. It felt like being in a plane at around 30,000
feet altitude looking down at the best city in the world. I found it awesome pinpointing my high school and
the 2 neighborhoods that I grew up in right there on the panorama itself. I was so impressed by how detailed
every single neighborhood was portrayed relating to building structure and layout.
Another trip that we took today that caught my attention was our destination to The Museum of the Moving
Image. The museum - by far the most popular tourist attraction in Queens - boasts one of the largest collections
of film artifacts in the world (224, Russo & Cullinan). It was awesome seeing the different artifacts of my favorite
movies growing up. For example, the artist that designed Robin William's face mask in Mrs. Doubtfire displayed
the same exact replica of the mask in the museum. That was definitely something that caught my eye.
Seeing the exact wardrobe that famous actors and actresses would wear were in display as well. I was able to see
some of the costumes that were worn in the movie Moulin Rouge. Besides the whole movie aspect of the place,
something I was really able to appreciate the section that provided for video game entertainment. I found this
really awesome to see especially because I have been a consistent video game player ever since the age of 4.
On the display, there were many of the first video games such as Pong, the first Super Mario game to ever been
created, Galatica, and a lot of the first video games I grew up playing. You were really able to see how far
the video game industry has come along and the technological advancements that have taken place throughout
the past 25- 30 years. Overall, The Museum of The Moving Image really deepened my appreciation for the
overall aspects of movies such as the history and technology of film. Seeing the evolution of both the movie
and video game industry is something I will never forget.
3. Brooklyn
Thank goodness that the weather conditions in today's trip to Brooklyn were so much better than last
weeks! Humidity is definitely my worst enemy. Today's trip to Brooklyn was very enjoyable. The
beautiful 72 degree weather helped play a major role as well. Although a resident of Queens
throughout my whole entire 21 years of living, I have honestly only been to Brooklyn less than 10 times.
It's so funny that it right next door to Queens yet I have probably been to a nail salon with my mom
to keep her company more times than I have ever been to borough of Brooklyn itself. With 2.5 million
people, Brooklyn(officially referred to as Kings County) is the most populous of New York City's five
boroughs as well as being the second most densely populated county in the United States (after Manhattan).
In fact, if it were an independent city, Brooklyn would rank as the third most populous city in the United States
(Russo & Cullinan, 191).
Completed in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge is the oldest suspension bridge in the United States (Russo &
Cullinan, 208). I have always been on the Brooklyn bridge as a passenger or behind the wheel in the car,
but I have never actually been able to walk on the bridge itself. For the first time ever, me and my gotham
class took the stride across the 1.1 mile long bridge. The views from the bridge overlooking the city and
the east river were remarkable. I was always caught up trailing so far behind the class because of the
numerous amount of pictures I was taking. I felt like a photographer for the day. Besides the breathtaking
views and the enjoyable walk that the Brooklyn Bridge provides, there is also a rich history that goes
behind the Brooklyn Bridge that often goes under appreciated. John Roebling was the one who was credited
for the actual plans of constructing the Brooklyn Bridge. Unfortunately, an injury was a major setback to
his plans and later on died and passed the projected project to his son, Washington Roebling. He
was able to start the project on January 3,1870 but ironically, Washington suffered from a decompression sickness
that led to a premature departure from the supervision of the workload that was to be done for the construction
of the new bridge. He then died from such sickness. His wife Emily acted as a liaison between her husband and
construction crew members. During the next 11 years, Emily would be forced to study construction and mathematics
in order to effectively take charge of the building of the bridge (Russo & Cullinan, 208).
It took approximately 14 years to finalize the bridge and with a cost of 15 million dollars. (Russo & Cullinan, 208).
Throughout the 14 years, about 600 workers would work tirelessly on the bridge daily and would only get paid
$2.00 a day with the working conditions being sub-par at best. Many construction workers suffered from
different maladies such as joint pin, limb numbness, and speech impediments due to all the filthy air from the
construction that they were taking into their lungs. During this process, 27 men died, mainly of the decompression
sickness that incapacitated Washington Roebling. (Russo & Cullinan, 209). The bridge was finally completed in 1883
after a long 14 years of hard labor.
Another aspect of Brooklyn that really enjoyed was Brooklyn Heights. One of New York City's most elegant
and picturesque neighborhoods, Brooklyn Heights is an architect buff's delight with block after block of some of the most
attractively situated homes in the city. Indeed the architectural richness of Brooklyn H eight sis so prominent
that the neighborhood was one of the first in the City to be protected by New York's 1965 Landmarks Preservation Law.
(Russo & Cullinan, 201). As a class, we were able to walk around the neighborhood and enjoy the view of the city.
The main thing I loved about the neighborhood was the architectural styles of the houses and the location it had
in Brooklyn overlooking the city. The architectural style was known as brownstone houses. I was shocked when Dr. Russo told us the approximate price range between for each house. Looking at these brownstone houses automatically shifted my future plans on where I want to live until I heard the outrageous price tag. I instantly fell in love with the style of homes that were situated
in this neighborhood. Dr. Russo went over the purpose of each house having a stoop to prevent flooding. Also
he went over that the royal families of the time would enter the house through the stoop while the people
that would work for them would always enter from underneath towards the basement. Also, another interesting thing
I learned was that the wealthy family would always be situated towards the first floor or on ground level while the workers
would be situated on the top floor due to the amount of steps they would have to go through just to access their
living quarters. I found this interesting because nowadays, you pay more for rent and mortgage to obtain the top
floor of any building in order to get a better view of the outside and the city.
Today's adventure in DUMBO park was also fascinating. Dumbo is an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass.
This section of Brooklyn Bridge Park in Dumbo is particularly attractive, because it affords fabulous views of both the Brooklyn and
Manhattan Bridges as well as a spectacular view of Manhattan across the river (Russo & Cullinan, 207). I couldn't agree more
of how the book describes this particular part of the Brooklyn Bridge Park. It was so beautiful that I even
contemplated proposing to my future wife at around this area. After visiting this place with my class, I would definitely say I
would come back again with some friends and family. It provides such a nice walk that gives a captivating view of both the Manhattan
and Brooklyn bridges. Throughout the park, there are also many places of recreational activities that I would bring me back along with
some friends. I was able to witness numerous professional sized basketball courts as well as a professional sized soccer field. I
can't wait to go back here when I have the free time to.
Thank goodness that the weather conditions in today's trip to Brooklyn were so much better than last
weeks! Humidity is definitely my worst enemy. Today's trip to Brooklyn was very enjoyable. The
beautiful 72 degree weather helped play a major role as well. Although a resident of Queens
throughout my whole entire 21 years of living, I have honestly only been to Brooklyn less than 10 times.
It's so funny that it right next door to Queens yet I have probably been to a nail salon with my mom
to keep her company more times than I have ever been to borough of Brooklyn itself. With 2.5 million
people, Brooklyn(officially referred to as Kings County) is the most populous of New York City's five
boroughs as well as being the second most densely populated county in the United States (after Manhattan).
In fact, if it were an independent city, Brooklyn would rank as the third most populous city in the United States
(Russo & Cullinan, 191).
Completed in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge is the oldest suspension bridge in the United States (Russo &
Cullinan, 208). I have always been on the Brooklyn bridge as a passenger or behind the wheel in the car,
but I have never actually been able to walk on the bridge itself. For the first time ever, me and my gotham
class took the stride across the 1.1 mile long bridge. The views from the bridge overlooking the city and
the east river were remarkable. I was always caught up trailing so far behind the class because of the
numerous amount of pictures I was taking. I felt like a photographer for the day. Besides the breathtaking
views and the enjoyable walk that the Brooklyn Bridge provides, there is also a rich history that goes
behind the Brooklyn Bridge that often goes under appreciated. John Roebling was the one who was credited
for the actual plans of constructing the Brooklyn Bridge. Unfortunately, an injury was a major setback to
his plans and later on died and passed the projected project to his son, Washington Roebling. He
was able to start the project on January 3,1870 but ironically, Washington suffered from a decompression sickness
that led to a premature departure from the supervision of the workload that was to be done for the construction
of the new bridge. He then died from such sickness. His wife Emily acted as a liaison between her husband and
construction crew members. During the next 11 years, Emily would be forced to study construction and mathematics
in order to effectively take charge of the building of the bridge (Russo & Cullinan, 208).
It took approximately 14 years to finalize the bridge and with a cost of 15 million dollars. (Russo & Cullinan, 208).
Throughout the 14 years, about 600 workers would work tirelessly on the bridge daily and would only get paid
$2.00 a day with the working conditions being sub-par at best. Many construction workers suffered from
different maladies such as joint pin, limb numbness, and speech impediments due to all the filthy air from the
construction that they were taking into their lungs. During this process, 27 men died, mainly of the decompression
sickness that incapacitated Washington Roebling. (Russo & Cullinan, 209). The bridge was finally completed in 1883
after a long 14 years of hard labor.
Another aspect of Brooklyn that really enjoyed was Brooklyn Heights. One of New York City's most elegant
and picturesque neighborhoods, Brooklyn Heights is an architect buff's delight with block after block of some of the most
attractively situated homes in the city. Indeed the architectural richness of Brooklyn H eight sis so prominent
that the neighborhood was one of the first in the City to be protected by New York's 1965 Landmarks Preservation Law.
(Russo & Cullinan, 201). As a class, we were able to walk around the neighborhood and enjoy the view of the city.
The main thing I loved about the neighborhood was the architectural styles of the houses and the location it had
in Brooklyn overlooking the city. The architectural style was known as brownstone houses. I was shocked when Dr. Russo told us the approximate price range between for each house. Looking at these brownstone houses automatically shifted my future plans on where I want to live until I heard the outrageous price tag. I instantly fell in love with the style of homes that were situated
in this neighborhood. Dr. Russo went over the purpose of each house having a stoop to prevent flooding. Also
he went over that the royal families of the time would enter the house through the stoop while the people
that would work for them would always enter from underneath towards the basement. Also, another interesting thing
I learned was that the wealthy family would always be situated towards the first floor or on ground level while the workers
would be situated on the top floor due to the amount of steps they would have to go through just to access their
living quarters. I found this interesting because nowadays, you pay more for rent and mortgage to obtain the top
floor of any building in order to get a better view of the outside and the city.
Today's adventure in DUMBO park was also fascinating. Dumbo is an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass.
This section of Brooklyn Bridge Park in Dumbo is particularly attractive, because it affords fabulous views of both the Brooklyn and
Manhattan Bridges as well as a spectacular view of Manhattan across the river (Russo & Cullinan, 207). I couldn't agree more
of how the book describes this particular part of the Brooklyn Bridge Park. It was so beautiful that I even
contemplated proposing to my future wife at around this area. After visiting this place with my class, I would definitely say I
would come back again with some friends and family. It provides such a nice walk that gives a captivating view of both the Manhattan
and Brooklyn bridges. Throughout the park, there are also many places of recreational activities that I would bring me back along with
some friends. I was able to witness numerous professional sized basketball courts as well as a professional sized soccer field. I
can't wait to go back here when I have the free time to.
4. Chelsea & The Village
Today my class and I were able to have the chance to go through The Village and Chelsea. What
Chelsea is primarily known for today is its numerous art galleries. (Russo & Cullinan, 85). For those not
familiar with the concept, a gallery is a private space devoted to displaying and selling works of art.
(Russo & Cullinan, 85.)These quotes serves true from the book in which there were many art galleries that we were
able to run into as we walked through the blocks of Chelsea. I found this very interesting because I have
always have had a strong interest for art especially paintings. Ever since I was little, my parents
would enroll me in arts and craft classes to further pursuit my interests. I would even watch
a lot of painting shows in my spare time such as Bob Ross. He was the one that really
catapulted my strong interests into painting and having a strong appreciation for art. I was ecstatic when we
were going through the various art galleries. Some people might look at some of the art pieces
I was interested in and say " Geez, that's not a work of art, I can do that in my sleep." Some of the
paintings we saw would come across most people's views as something that " is very easy to do" or
something that is " very basic." What they don't understand is that there is a lot of meaning and
emotion that the artist is trying to portray in a painting that someone might just call" basic". My
favorite pieces of art was the ones shown on display at a particular gallery that all had the same theme.
All the paintings in this gallery portrayed a trail leading towards somewhere. Although a lot of these
paintings were abstract and not heavily detailed, there is a lot that can come to mind when looking
at these paintings. The way I comprehended the paintings in this gallery was that these trails symbolized
aspects in one's life. I believe that these paintings tried to show people that the actions you choose now
portray the type of terrain on the path that you will continue to live. Basically saying, you choose to
do good deeds, and good deeds will follow to reward you. On the other hand, if you choose to do wrong,
karma will come back to bite you when you least expect it to.
Another gallery we stopped into was called The Printed Matter. The Printed Matter,
a non-profit artists bookstore, which has the most bizarre collection of books and magazines that
you are not likely to find anywhere else in the United States (Russo & Cullinan, 86).
There were many paintings and pieces of art that I found very different and unorthodox. But of course,
from having a man's point of view, I wasn't complaining with the sexual content that was portrayed in a lot of these paintings.
I just found it amazing how this place remained open for so many years. Why do I say that? Because this place
is a non-profit gallery that is situated in a neighborhood in Manhattan in which the cost of rent is beyond
skyrocketing.
As my class and I left Chelsea, we approached GreenwIch Village, or better known to most New Yorkers, as The Village.
One thing that really stood out to me about The Village was The Stonewall Inn. It was interesting learning the
great deal of history that goes behind this place when relating to the gay rights movement. This site is considered the
birthplace of the gay rights movement in the United States and is now a national historical monument (Russo & Cullinan, 91).
I was shocked when I learned from Dr. Russo about how gay couples were treated back in the mid 1900's. The
penalty for breaking these laws could be fierce, with those found guilty being put to death by strangulation, burning,
or being drowned by the river (Russo & Cullinan, 92). This quote from the book portrays the way gay people
were punished if they were ever caught showing affection in public or if anyone from the public found out
their sexual orientation deviated from the norm. I was shocked when Dr. Russo was telling the class and I all of this.
I feel strongly about this because I believe people should be treated equally no matter what race or sexual orientation
one might come from. As we continued to go forth in our adventures, we crossed the street and checked out
Christopher Park. The statues there were quite interesting in which they depicted the gay rights movement. The
statues showed genders of the same sex showing public display of affection for one another. Fortunately today, the times have changed and the respect for equality is much stronger. Today, New York has the largest gay community in the United States
and one of the largest of any city in the world. (Russo & Cullinan, 90).
Later on , we stopped by the Merchant's House Museum. This museum is a reminder of a time in the early 19th century
when the East Village had more than its share of elegant neighborhoods (Russo & Cullinan, 99). It was a federal style
house that was furnished with the original decorations and pieces of furniture since the 1800s. It was pretty neat
seeing this house due to the fact it has stayed the same way since the 1800s. It was interesting to see how a family
lived back in the 1800s without all the technological advancements we have today in our society. The house was originally
owned by the Tredwell family and started with Seabury Tredwell after he bought the house from Joseph Brewster in
1832 (Russo & Cullinan, 99). Seabury lived in the house with his wife and eight children a long with four servants
and relatives until his death in 1865 (Russo & Cullinan, 99.) Although a big house, I couldn't believe that approximately
18 people we able to live in that house all at once ! The house was then taken over by Gertrude Tredwell
who owned it until the year of 1933. She ended up living for 93 years. There was a lot of family memories and growth
that took place in the house. The tour guide showed us almost every aspect of their house. Starting from the kitchen,
living room, dining room, their bedrooms, and the room where the kids played. From a person like myself being
very interested in History, I found it very interesting seeing the way people lived back in the 1800s and early 1900s
just by having a tour of this house. The fact that they pretty much preserved this house to its originality from the old
times was incredible. It gives you a big appreciation for how much advancements we've made as a society.
After we left the Merchant's House Museum, we took a visit to the building at 41 Cooper Square. The first
thing I was amazed at was its unorthodox structured architecture. The facade is a stainless steel curtain wall wrapped around the entire building. It i s made up of horizontal metal bands that can open and close to control the flow of light into the building and dramatic gash-like opening (Russo & Cullinan, 101). This building that we saw is officially called the
New Architecture Building whose design was symbolic of the college's focus on the advanced studies in architecture and
engineering. This school's history is significant in which it was the only free private college in the United
States at the time.