Journals 5-9
5. The Evolving East Side
We are headed to the East Side of Manhattan. There is a large group of Latinos that reside here and the area has been “known as Spanish Harlem or, more colloquially, “El Barrio”” (Essential New York pg.161) It was a very lively area and many locals just out and about. This area only dramatically changed “after World War I, when an influx of Puerto Ricans arrived in East Harlem, transforming it into El Barrio” I was excited to experience this area of the city, I never really ventured this far north.
Our first stop for the day was the Museum of the City of New York. On our walk over to the museum we had to walk through the Carver Houses. These houses are a “housing project of 13 buildings that was created for low income residents of the neighborhood.” (Essential New York pg.162) When walking through, it definitely did not feel like the safest place but many people use it as a cut through. Inside the museum we watched a documentary “Timescapes” “which provides an engaging multimedia history of New York City.” (Essential New York pg.163) It was definitely worth it to just go to the museum just for that. It was a panoramic display with three screens that all changed individually as the story was told. It kept your attention throughout the whole 22 minutes. It showed you how the city has changed and grown over the years to become the city that we know today.
We go from one museum to another. We walked a little farther north to the El Museo del Barrio to meet our tour guide for the rest of the day; Luke. This museum was along one of the famous blocks in Spanish Harlem known as Museum Mile. Luke was a local resident who loved the area and new a lot about the area. He introduced him self and told us that he is a poet that expresses his feelings a tries to spread his peace. Luke had a real passion for El Barrio section of the city. He told us how there is no other place in the city like this. From the artwork on walls, to the people socializing at every corner this place was unique. To emphasize how friendly the locals are he approached a man that was at a park table and just started a conversation with him and asked a few questions. He then brought us to a little community garden. This garden is known as the “Modesto “Tin” Flores Garden, which is operated in collaboration between Hope Community and GrowNYC. The park was originally a vacant lot and dumping ground when it was converted by East Harlem resident Ernesto.” (Essential New York pg163) These community gardens give the local residents a place to relax and unwind from the city.
Before we break for lunch Mike had to make a stop in his Justo Bontanica for his skull bracelets. This place was filled from floor to ceiling, with religious figures to witch craft remedies. It was an interesting store, a little too cluttered for my comfort. For lunch we went to a local tacoria. This was good authentic Mexican food.
After lunch we went for a walk through the northern part of Central Park. I had known this but every time I hear it amazes me, that this entire park was man made. Along our walk through the park we passed the oldest object in the park; the Egyptian Obelisk. “The Obelisk was built on the Nile in honor of Pharaoh Thutmose III. In 16 B.C. it was relocated by the Romans to Alexandria and placed near a temple built by Cleopatra (hence its nickname, Celopatras Needle). In a gesture of good will towards the United States, the Khedive of Egypt gave the Obelisk to the City of New York in 1881 to facilitate good will and improved trade between Egypt and the United States.” (Essential New York pg.153) It was a shame to see that this amazing piece of history from the hieroglyphics era of Egyptians is being destroyed by our New York’s weather conditions. With all the pollutants and contaminants in the air the hieroglyphics that are engraved on the side of the needle are being eroded and will be lost forever.
We continued our walk through the park and we walked down to Bethesda Terrace. I have never been to this area of the park but it was beautiful. From the tunnel where we heard a woman sinning opera, to the ballerina dancing around. This was such a tranquil place but so much going on. This is defiantly a place in the park I would like to come back to and spend some more time just enjoying the scene.
We are headed to the East Side of Manhattan. There is a large group of Latinos that reside here and the area has been “known as Spanish Harlem or, more colloquially, “El Barrio”” (Essential New York pg.161) It was a very lively area and many locals just out and about. This area only dramatically changed “after World War I, when an influx of Puerto Ricans arrived in East Harlem, transforming it into El Barrio” I was excited to experience this area of the city, I never really ventured this far north.
Our first stop for the day was the Museum of the City of New York. On our walk over to the museum we had to walk through the Carver Houses. These houses are a “housing project of 13 buildings that was created for low income residents of the neighborhood.” (Essential New York pg.162) When walking through, it definitely did not feel like the safest place but many people use it as a cut through. Inside the museum we watched a documentary “Timescapes” “which provides an engaging multimedia history of New York City.” (Essential New York pg.163) It was definitely worth it to just go to the museum just for that. It was a panoramic display with three screens that all changed individually as the story was told. It kept your attention throughout the whole 22 minutes. It showed you how the city has changed and grown over the years to become the city that we know today.
We go from one museum to another. We walked a little farther north to the El Museo del Barrio to meet our tour guide for the rest of the day; Luke. This museum was along one of the famous blocks in Spanish Harlem known as Museum Mile. Luke was a local resident who loved the area and new a lot about the area. He introduced him self and told us that he is a poet that expresses his feelings a tries to spread his peace. Luke had a real passion for El Barrio section of the city. He told us how there is no other place in the city like this. From the artwork on walls, to the people socializing at every corner this place was unique. To emphasize how friendly the locals are he approached a man that was at a park table and just started a conversation with him and asked a few questions. He then brought us to a little community garden. This garden is known as the “Modesto “Tin” Flores Garden, which is operated in collaboration between Hope Community and GrowNYC. The park was originally a vacant lot and dumping ground when it was converted by East Harlem resident Ernesto.” (Essential New York pg163) These community gardens give the local residents a place to relax and unwind from the city.
Before we break for lunch Mike had to make a stop in his Justo Bontanica for his skull bracelets. This place was filled from floor to ceiling, with religious figures to witch craft remedies. It was an interesting store, a little too cluttered for my comfort. For lunch we went to a local tacoria. This was good authentic Mexican food.
After lunch we went for a walk through the northern part of Central Park. I had known this but every time I hear it amazes me, that this entire park was man made. Along our walk through the park we passed the oldest object in the park; the Egyptian Obelisk. “The Obelisk was built on the Nile in honor of Pharaoh Thutmose III. In 16 B.C. it was relocated by the Romans to Alexandria and placed near a temple built by Cleopatra (hence its nickname, Celopatras Needle). In a gesture of good will towards the United States, the Khedive of Egypt gave the Obelisk to the City of New York in 1881 to facilitate good will and improved trade between Egypt and the United States.” (Essential New York pg.153) It was a shame to see that this amazing piece of history from the hieroglyphics era of Egyptians is being destroyed by our New York’s weather conditions. With all the pollutants and contaminants in the air the hieroglyphics that are engraved on the side of the needle are being eroded and will be lost forever.
We continued our walk through the park and we walked down to Bethesda Terrace. I have never been to this area of the park but it was beautiful. From the tunnel where we heard a woman sinning opera, to the ballerina dancing around. This was such a tranquil place but so much going on. This is defiantly a place in the park I would like to come back to and spend some more time just enjoying the scene.
6. To the West Side... To the wall... to the wall... Central Harlem down to my...
Our first stop of the day was to the Frick House. Walking into this place was incredible to think that this was originally a person’s home back in the day. When Frick hired a contractor to build this mansion for him, he had always intended for his house to be left as a museum to live on. The house is on 70th street and 5th avenue and is one of the few mansions remaining in New York City. Mr. Frick had a huge fascination with artwork and paintings. Every room in the house had artwork on the walls, some from floor to ceiling. Our tour guide pointed out that even in the library of the house, it wasn't a typical looking library. A traditional library had bookshelves from floor to ceiling and wrapped all the way around room but in the Frick house the library had half bookshelves. This way Mr. Frick was able to store his books and have room to put some paintings up above the bookshelf. I thought it was interesting to see how he would make any accommodation to make more room for a painting. Our tour guide had also told us about this one painting that Mr. Frick went through a lot of trouble to acquire it. In 1919 during the First World War, Mr. Frick had to get “permission to purchase from enemy” in order to import this painting and add it to his collection. I thought that this was really interesting how he was able to get this approved during the war; it just showed how powerful he was.
After this we went to the old opera house in Lincoln Center. There was nothing special about this place than to just imagine an opera show going on. This was quick brief stop and then we went to Hells Kitchen for lunch. The history of this area is not the greatest from violence to poor living conditions. “By the 1960’s Irish gangs like the Westies (allies with the Gambino Crime Family) came to dominate the area, and tensions between the older Irish and Italian inhabitants of Hell’s Kitchen and newly arrived immigrants from Puerto Rico would frequently erupt into violence (the inspiration for the musical West Side Story).” (Essential New York pg.122) With the mix of all these different cultures comes a bright side to the ethnic clash and brings us an abundant amount of restaurants allowing us to sample different dishes from all over the world. For our class we went to a Thai restaurant. I have had Thai food before and enjoyed it. This place was good I enjoyed the food I ordered. I have gone back to Thai food and haven’t had a bad experience with it, so ill continue to try other Thai dishes.
After lunch we met up with our tour guide Jim. He brought us through Harlem and showed us what this place has to offer. We walked down some blocks with some of the best-preserved row houses. These are known as the Striver’s Row Houses. “Each house backs to a service alleyway with entrances located at various points along the street. On several of the columns leading into the alleyway, you’ll see warnings to “walk your horses,” reminding us these homes were built well before the automobile quickened the pace of life in the city.” (Essential New York pg.182) I really enjoyed walking past these homes and admiring the old architecture and detail that was put into them. We ended our tour with a walk down the Harlem Walk of Fame. “The stretch of 135th street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and Frederick Douglas Boulevard is known as the Harlem Walk of fame. 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, the arts, and public service.” (Essential New York pg.183) This was cool to see some names that I recognized and see that they were honored with a plaque here.
Skeet Skeet
Our first stop of the day was to the Frick House. Walking into this place was incredible to think that this was originally a person’s home back in the day. When Frick hired a contractor to build this mansion for him, he had always intended for his house to be left as a museum to live on. The house is on 70th street and 5th avenue and is one of the few mansions remaining in New York City. Mr. Frick had a huge fascination with artwork and paintings. Every room in the house had artwork on the walls, some from floor to ceiling. Our tour guide pointed out that even in the library of the house, it wasn't a typical looking library. A traditional library had bookshelves from floor to ceiling and wrapped all the way around room but in the Frick house the library had half bookshelves. This way Mr. Frick was able to store his books and have room to put some paintings up above the bookshelf. I thought it was interesting to see how he would make any accommodation to make more room for a painting. Our tour guide had also told us about this one painting that Mr. Frick went through a lot of trouble to acquire it. In 1919 during the First World War, Mr. Frick had to get “permission to purchase from enemy” in order to import this painting and add it to his collection. I thought that this was really interesting how he was able to get this approved during the war; it just showed how powerful he was.
After this we went to the old opera house in Lincoln Center. There was nothing special about this place than to just imagine an opera show going on. This was quick brief stop and then we went to Hells Kitchen for lunch. The history of this area is not the greatest from violence to poor living conditions. “By the 1960’s Irish gangs like the Westies (allies with the Gambino Crime Family) came to dominate the area, and tensions between the older Irish and Italian inhabitants of Hell’s Kitchen and newly arrived immigrants from Puerto Rico would frequently erupt into violence (the inspiration for the musical West Side Story).” (Essential New York pg.122) With the mix of all these different cultures comes a bright side to the ethnic clash and brings us an abundant amount of restaurants allowing us to sample different dishes from all over the world. For our class we went to a Thai restaurant. I have had Thai food before and enjoyed it. This place was good I enjoyed the food I ordered. I have gone back to Thai food and haven’t had a bad experience with it, so ill continue to try other Thai dishes.
After lunch we met up with our tour guide Jim. He brought us through Harlem and showed us what this place has to offer. We walked down some blocks with some of the best-preserved row houses. These are known as the Striver’s Row Houses. “Each house backs to a service alleyway with entrances located at various points along the street. On several of the columns leading into the alleyway, you’ll see warnings to “walk your horses,” reminding us these homes were built well before the automobile quickened the pace of life in the city.” (Essential New York pg.182) I really enjoyed walking past these homes and admiring the old architecture and detail that was put into them. We ended our tour with a walk down the Harlem Walk of Fame. “The stretch of 135th street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and Frederick Douglas Boulevard is known as the Harlem Walk of fame. 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, the arts, and public service.” (Essential New York pg.183) This was cool to see some names that I recognized and see that they were honored with a plaque here.
Skeet Skeet
7. Lower Manhattan
Today was not the best morning for me. I was running late from the start of my day and it started with me missing my first train into the city. Once I saw that train pull away from the station as I am coming down the block I got a text from my cousin asking where I was, what cart I was in. I let her know that I missed the train and I will meet the class to wherever we were headed. Once I got into to penn station I gave Maria a call and she told me that we were going to City Hall and to get my ass there! I took the subway to lower Manhattan and met the class just as they all were going through the security check before we entered City Hall premise.
When I heard that we were going to City Hall and getting a tour I was so excited. I’m not the biggest fan of history but when it comes to governmental topics I become interested. We got a little brief history about the building in front from our tour guide. She said that this building was finish in 1811, and “this is the oldest city hall in the United States (Essential New York pg.41). As well as “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)” (ENY pg.40) When we first walked into the building there was a statue of George Washington. Our tour guide said that this statue casted in bronze is the most accurate depiction and proportionally correct statue there is of George Washington because the artist that made it took plaster molds of him to create it. I thought that was interesting but the architecture from inside the building just kept drawing my eye away. Another architectural feature that was amazing that they were able to create back then was the omega staircase. These stairs were solid marble and just protruded out from the wall, they were essentially floating. We continued the tour up the stairs and went into a meeting room. There were amazing original paintings and plaster sculptures on the ceiling in this room. When we were sitting in there I was able to imagine a debate going on in there and the head person banging the gavel to regain order. We finished our tour in the governor’s room. This room had an entire wall of windows that over looked the from of the building. The tour guide said that back in the day this room was created so the president can walk out on the balcony of this room and look over all his citizens and give speeches. Also in this room was a lot of “historic furniture – most notably, the desks of George Washington and Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia – and large portraits of some 19th century New York’s most prominent citizens.” (Essential New York pg.41) Our next stop was the African Burial Ground National Monument. In this place we watched a short film telling us about the hardships African Americans had in New York and how this burial ground was discovered. It was really disturbing to watch and hear how these people and their bodies were mistreated and given no respect. This was brief stop and then we were off to St. Paul’s Chapel.
I knew about St. Paul’s Chapel and how it survived the terrorist attack on the twin towers just a couple hundred feet away and not even a window broke. This chapel is the cities oldest building in continuous use, today it is memorial for all the people that lost their lives on 9/11. While we were there, there was the fire department photographer doing a book signing. After a quick walk through we exited through the back and continued our walk to the 9/11 memorial.
This memorial was opened to the public in 2011. I have been down here while they were still in the building phase of the memorial, so this was going to be my first experience here. “From 5,201 submissions, a 13 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. 30-foot waterfalls – the largest manmade waterfalls in the United States – descending into the pools draining into a center void.” (Essential New York pg.49) As we were walking through memorial it all just felt too peaceful. It had to be the quietest part of the city, it gave this place an irie feeling. Although it is obvious with the two huge waterfalls with all the victims names engraved on the bronze sides, I feel like this place will turn into an everyday gathering place and we all must not forget the tragedy that happen here on September 11th. I thought this memorial was beautiful and very nice but it did not impact me returning here as I hoped it would. As we left the memorial site we continued our walk and we walked past a cast of a trees root system. These roots specifically were from the trinity roots from the sycamore tree that saved St. Paul’s Chapel from destruction of the falling towers.
We ended our walk on Wall Street. “The Stock Exchange was established as a way to pay back the $80 million in bonds that had been issued by Congress to pay Revolutionary War debts” (Essential New York pg.51) According to legend a group of 24 brokers met in 1792 on Wall Street beneath a buttonwood tree and formalized what has come to be known as a “Buttonwood agreement,” creating the stock exchange. The Small tree to the left of the entrance to the Stock Exchange on Broad Street memorializes this agreement.
Today was not the best morning for me. I was running late from the start of my day and it started with me missing my first train into the city. Once I saw that train pull away from the station as I am coming down the block I got a text from my cousin asking where I was, what cart I was in. I let her know that I missed the train and I will meet the class to wherever we were headed. Once I got into to penn station I gave Maria a call and she told me that we were going to City Hall and to get my ass there! I took the subway to lower Manhattan and met the class just as they all were going through the security check before we entered City Hall premise.
When I heard that we were going to City Hall and getting a tour I was so excited. I’m not the biggest fan of history but when it comes to governmental topics I become interested. We got a little brief history about the building in front from our tour guide. She said that this building was finish in 1811, and “this is the oldest city hall in the United States (Essential New York pg.41). As well as “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)” (ENY pg.40) When we first walked into the building there was a statue of George Washington. Our tour guide said that this statue casted in bronze is the most accurate depiction and proportionally correct statue there is of George Washington because the artist that made it took plaster molds of him to create it. I thought that was interesting but the architecture from inside the building just kept drawing my eye away. Another architectural feature that was amazing that they were able to create back then was the omega staircase. These stairs were solid marble and just protruded out from the wall, they were essentially floating. We continued the tour up the stairs and went into a meeting room. There were amazing original paintings and plaster sculptures on the ceiling in this room. When we were sitting in there I was able to imagine a debate going on in there and the head person banging the gavel to regain order. We finished our tour in the governor’s room. This room had an entire wall of windows that over looked the from of the building. The tour guide said that back in the day this room was created so the president can walk out on the balcony of this room and look over all his citizens and give speeches. Also in this room was a lot of “historic furniture – most notably, the desks of George Washington and Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia – and large portraits of some 19th century New York’s most prominent citizens.” (Essential New York pg.41) Our next stop was the African Burial Ground National Monument. In this place we watched a short film telling us about the hardships African Americans had in New York and how this burial ground was discovered. It was really disturbing to watch and hear how these people and their bodies were mistreated and given no respect. This was brief stop and then we were off to St. Paul’s Chapel.
I knew about St. Paul’s Chapel and how it survived the terrorist attack on the twin towers just a couple hundred feet away and not even a window broke. This chapel is the cities oldest building in continuous use, today it is memorial for all the people that lost their lives on 9/11. While we were there, there was the fire department photographer doing a book signing. After a quick walk through we exited through the back and continued our walk to the 9/11 memorial.
This memorial was opened to the public in 2011. I have been down here while they were still in the building phase of the memorial, so this was going to be my first experience here. “From 5,201 submissions, a 13 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. 30-foot waterfalls – the largest manmade waterfalls in the United States – descending into the pools draining into a center void.” (Essential New York pg.49) As we were walking through memorial it all just felt too peaceful. It had to be the quietest part of the city, it gave this place an irie feeling. Although it is obvious with the two huge waterfalls with all the victims names engraved on the bronze sides, I feel like this place will turn into an everyday gathering place and we all must not forget the tragedy that happen here on September 11th. I thought this memorial was beautiful and very nice but it did not impact me returning here as I hoped it would. As we left the memorial site we continued our walk and we walked past a cast of a trees root system. These roots specifically were from the trinity roots from the sycamore tree that saved St. Paul’s Chapel from destruction of the falling towers.
We ended our walk on Wall Street. “The Stock Exchange was established as a way to pay back the $80 million in bonds that had been issued by Congress to pay Revolutionary War debts” (Essential New York pg.51) According to legend a group of 24 brokers met in 1792 on Wall Street beneath a buttonwood tree and formalized what has come to be known as a “Buttonwood agreement,” creating the stock exchange. The Small tree to the left of the entrance to the Stock Exchange on Broad Street memorializes this agreement.
8. Immigration of New York
This was the last week of the class. It was a bittersweet feeling going into the city today. Happy knowing that this was going to be the last Friday I would have to wake up early and catch a train but then sad when I knew that this was going to be the last time I will ever see any of these great people. As I was on my train we got delayed at one of our stops and it caused us to come into Pennsylvania station late and I saw that the class had left without me.
The race began for me to catch up but I couldn't have been that far behind cause I was only about 10 minutes behind. I had to of been the train behind our class on the F train because when I got off at Delancy street and started walking towards the Tenement museum I saw two blocks ahead our big group crossing the street to enter the museum. This building was built in 1863 and was preserved from then. All the tenants were kicked out of the building in 1935 because the landlord did not want to bring the building up to code. As we were walking through the apartment building I felt that the building was going to collapse on us or one of us were going to fall through the floor. In the first apartment that we toured had no furniture and was only three rooms. Our tour guide told us that about 8 to 10 people lived here at one point. These were some poor conditions that these people lived in. There was no running water in this building and this apartment didn't even have a kitchen sink. The second apartment we toured was a little better looking in the quality of life but when you hear the story of the family that lived here they did not have it any better. In the second apartment there were 10 people living there and they all worked in that same apartment making garments. These people would work and live in the same place, which gave them the ability to work longer hours, up to 10 hours a day. These conditions are basically equivalent to a sweatshop.
After our tour of the tenement museum we had a scavenger hunt to do! We had to hunting in Chinatown. This was exciting news when we had to split up and venture off on our own. I’ve been to Chinatown many times with my family, going to the vendors to get a knock off product or going out to the restaurants to try some authentic food. On our walk to canal street we walked through Confucius Park and there was statue of Confucius. We continued our hunt to find the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory; little did anyone know we had Jane on our team and she was our personal tour guide, she knew this part of the city inside and out. Once we got to the Ice Cream factory she recommended to try a sweet bread from Mel Lai Wah Bakery that was right across the street and they were delicious. After we completed all the check points on our scavenger hunt we were ready to head back to Congee Village where we had to meet for lunch. On our walk back we went through some side streets that had cooked ducks and piglets in the windows. There was also a fish market that had some live crabs in buckets on the sidewalk you don't see that everywhere in the city. After all our groups met up we got some authentic Chinese food. It was alright, ill stick with my regular Chinese food for when I’m in the mood for Chinese.
After lunch we met up with our awesome tour guide Jim again. He brought us through the Lower East Side of Manhattan. “Between 1880 and 1924 two and a half millioin Ashkenazi Jews came to the United States, the vast majority of whom settled on the Lower East Side.”(Essential New York pg.65) There was a lot of character that the Jews brought over with them that was still evident in the neighborhood. We took a quick stop in the famous Economy Candy Shop. A lot of the people in our class knew about this store and were really excited to go but I have never heard of it before and felt left out, I didn't know what to expect. This place was great, so much old candy, the stuff you don't see anymore.
Our final stop of the day was to the Eldridge Street Synagogue. This building was amazing with all the detail and color of stone they used but felt out of place. Since the Jews originally occupied this place it belonged but now this place is filled with the Chinese and the synagogue has no use. “One of the architectural masterpieces of the Lower East Side, this synagogue was constructed in 1887 and was the first synagogue in New York built by Eastern European Jews. Although the synagogue today is located in Chinatown, when it as built, this area was heavily Jewish with street signs written in Yiddish.” (Essential New York pg.71) Its nice to see that even though the Chinese don't practice the same beliefs they were able to keep and admire this synagogue for its beauty.
This was the last week of the class. It was a bittersweet feeling going into the city today. Happy knowing that this was going to be the last Friday I would have to wake up early and catch a train but then sad when I knew that this was going to be the last time I will ever see any of these great people. As I was on my train we got delayed at one of our stops and it caused us to come into Pennsylvania station late and I saw that the class had left without me.
The race began for me to catch up but I couldn't have been that far behind cause I was only about 10 minutes behind. I had to of been the train behind our class on the F train because when I got off at Delancy street and started walking towards the Tenement museum I saw two blocks ahead our big group crossing the street to enter the museum. This building was built in 1863 and was preserved from then. All the tenants were kicked out of the building in 1935 because the landlord did not want to bring the building up to code. As we were walking through the apartment building I felt that the building was going to collapse on us or one of us were going to fall through the floor. In the first apartment that we toured had no furniture and was only three rooms. Our tour guide told us that about 8 to 10 people lived here at one point. These were some poor conditions that these people lived in. There was no running water in this building and this apartment didn't even have a kitchen sink. The second apartment we toured was a little better looking in the quality of life but when you hear the story of the family that lived here they did not have it any better. In the second apartment there were 10 people living there and they all worked in that same apartment making garments. These people would work and live in the same place, which gave them the ability to work longer hours, up to 10 hours a day. These conditions are basically equivalent to a sweatshop.
After our tour of the tenement museum we had a scavenger hunt to do! We had to hunting in Chinatown. This was exciting news when we had to split up and venture off on our own. I’ve been to Chinatown many times with my family, going to the vendors to get a knock off product or going out to the restaurants to try some authentic food. On our walk to canal street we walked through Confucius Park and there was statue of Confucius. We continued our hunt to find the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory; little did anyone know we had Jane on our team and she was our personal tour guide, she knew this part of the city inside and out. Once we got to the Ice Cream factory she recommended to try a sweet bread from Mel Lai Wah Bakery that was right across the street and they were delicious. After we completed all the check points on our scavenger hunt we were ready to head back to Congee Village where we had to meet for lunch. On our walk back we went through some side streets that had cooked ducks and piglets in the windows. There was also a fish market that had some live crabs in buckets on the sidewalk you don't see that everywhere in the city. After all our groups met up we got some authentic Chinese food. It was alright, ill stick with my regular Chinese food for when I’m in the mood for Chinese.
After lunch we met up with our awesome tour guide Jim again. He brought us through the Lower East Side of Manhattan. “Between 1880 and 1924 two and a half millioin Ashkenazi Jews came to the United States, the vast majority of whom settled on the Lower East Side.”(Essential New York pg.65) There was a lot of character that the Jews brought over with them that was still evident in the neighborhood. We took a quick stop in the famous Economy Candy Shop. A lot of the people in our class knew about this store and were really excited to go but I have never heard of it before and felt left out, I didn't know what to expect. This place was great, so much old candy, the stuff you don't see anymore.
Our final stop of the day was to the Eldridge Street Synagogue. This building was amazing with all the detail and color of stone they used but felt out of place. Since the Jews originally occupied this place it belonged but now this place is filled with the Chinese and the synagogue has no use. “One of the architectural masterpieces of the Lower East Side, this synagogue was constructed in 1887 and was the first synagogue in New York built by Eastern European Jews. Although the synagogue today is located in Chinatown, when it as built, this area was heavily Jewish with street signs written in Yiddish.” (Essential New York pg.71) Its nice to see that even though the Chinese don't practice the same beliefs they were able to keep and admire this synagogue for its beauty.
9. The End
I can't believe this class is over. It was a nice routine waking up every Friday Morning and hopping on the train to go into the city. I always thought I knew a lot about the city but then after taking this class I have learned a lot about the history there was in the city. I remember talking to a lot of Molloy College Students and they always gave me a heads up about the core class unless you can get into the Gotham class. I am so happy that I was able to get a seat in this class and I have learned so much. There are a lot of places that I would like to return to and possibly in the near future I will be going back to the DUMBO area because there is a free light show going on there. Everyone should go check it out. All in all I really enjoyed this class and appreciate the experience we got.
I can't believe this class is over. It was a nice routine waking up every Friday Morning and hopping on the train to go into the city. I always thought I knew a lot about the city but then after taking this class I have learned a lot about the history there was in the city. I remember talking to a lot of Molloy College Students and they always gave me a heads up about the core class unless you can get into the Gotham class. I am so happy that I was able to get a seat in this class and I have learned so much. There are a lot of places that I would like to return to and possibly in the near future I will be going back to the DUMBO area because there is a free light show going on there. Everyone should go check it out. All in all I really enjoyed this class and appreciate the experience we got.