Journals 1
Impressions of New York
I have lived on Long Island all 22 years of my life in Rockville Centre. I am not the biggest fan of New York City due to its crowdedness and the congestion. However, I am a big New York Rangers fan and do enjoy going to Ranger games. I own a cabin up in the catskill area in which I go hunting with my cousins. I feel that people disassociate upstate New York with the city and I feel that type of mindset is what separates the state.
Going to the city to me just seems very expensive whether you are going to see a show or going out for dinner and drinks. I feel that Long Island is cheaper for someone to live on rather than living in Manhattan. I am looking forward to this class a lot so it opens my eyes up to the inner beauty of the city. I would like to enjoy going to the city on the weekends with my friends, as well as seeing a show here or there. With that being said walking the great city of New York will be a great experience for myself. I am a die heart Yankee fan and I am familiar going to the Bronx by train and then subway. I am also a die heart Giants fan and know how to get to the Meadowlands by the train and then the New Jersey transit.
I enjoy learning about the history of New York such as Robert Moses being the first City;s Parks commissioner. From the textbook I found it interesting that Verrazano was actually looking for a shortcut to the Far East parts of Asia. Also from the textbook I did not know that New York was the second largest of the 13 colonies with 20,000 inhabitants. The five points I find very interesting because of the movie Gangs of New York. That movie is a great film that portrays the city and how all these different ethnic groups collided and fought for territory. I would like to visit the area where the Five Points are. I never realized how many people where actually killed or injured during this time in history.
As i said before the city is not my favorite place to visit on the weekend or just to explore but I am sure that this class will change my mind about the city. I am very open minded to learn and grow as a New Yorker and not just a Long Islander.
I have lived on Long Island all 22 years of my life in Rockville Centre. I am not the biggest fan of New York City due to its crowdedness and the congestion. However, I am a big New York Rangers fan and do enjoy going to Ranger games. I own a cabin up in the catskill area in which I go hunting with my cousins. I feel that people disassociate upstate New York with the city and I feel that type of mindset is what separates the state.
Going to the city to me just seems very expensive whether you are going to see a show or going out for dinner and drinks. I feel that Long Island is cheaper for someone to live on rather than living in Manhattan. I am looking forward to this class a lot so it opens my eyes up to the inner beauty of the city. I would like to enjoy going to the city on the weekends with my friends, as well as seeing a show here or there. With that being said walking the great city of New York will be a great experience for myself. I am a die heart Yankee fan and I am familiar going to the Bronx by train and then subway. I am also a die heart Giants fan and know how to get to the Meadowlands by the train and then the New Jersey transit.
I enjoy learning about the history of New York such as Robert Moses being the first City;s Parks commissioner. From the textbook I found it interesting that Verrazano was actually looking for a shortcut to the Far East parts of Asia. Also from the textbook I did not know that New York was the second largest of the 13 colonies with 20,000 inhabitants. The five points I find very interesting because of the movie Gangs of New York. That movie is a great film that portrays the city and how all these different ethnic groups collided and fought for territory. I would like to visit the area where the Five Points are. I never realized how many people where actually killed or injured during this time in history.
As i said before the city is not my favorite place to visit on the weekend or just to explore but I am sure that this class will change my mind about the city. I am very open minded to learn and grow as a New Yorker and not just a Long Islander.
Journal 1: Queens
Our first class was rather interesting since we arrived in Penn Station and we had learned about the original building that is no longer there. On page 30 of ENY we learn and see what the original Penn Station building. Seeing that picture of how it used to be in like day and night compared to Penn Station now. For a city that has such rich history and the amount of people Penn Station see's every day, you would think they would like to have an iconic looking building.
Next stop on the list of midtown was visiting Grand Central Terminal. Grand Central is a much nicer looking building that was built in 1913 by Commodore Vanderbilt. This building is more appealing than Penn Station to me. The fourth and fifth picture that I have in the slideshow are very appealing. The windows are spectacular along with the sets of stairs on each side of the terminal. The Untouchables the film was filmed in grand central terminal which was a very big shootout scene.
Roosevelt Island was the next stop on the trip and this might of been my favorite part of our class. Getting to Roosevelt Island was rather interesting and I had never been on the Sky tram. Seeing the different areas of the island was interesting, the ruins of the old building I really liked. Its interesting seeing how a building used to stand there and now it is in ruins. The park itself was beautiful and my favorite part of the day. When Mike was saying that it is shaped in the form of a ship I was not sure what he had meant by that. Now after seeing it and walking the park I understand what he had meant. It ended up being a beautiful day out and we had the perfect weather to be walking the park. I loved the view and how you could see Long Island City and Manhattan.
The Indian food was wonderful.
The museum of the moving image was interesting and I enjoyed the make up and costumes of the different types of movies. However there were some things in the museum that I didn't understand of give as much effort to try and understand.
Final stop was Long Island City. I remember going to LIC a few years back and it was not the same neighborhood. I enjoyed walking along the waterline and seeing the city from the other side. Standing in front of that Pepsi-Cola sign was rather neat. It is a very big sign when you stand up close to it. My second to last picture in the slide show is my favorite picture I took during the day. The whole NYC skyline is in the picture along with a few Molloy students.
Our first class was rather interesting since we arrived in Penn Station and we had learned about the original building that is no longer there. On page 30 of ENY we learn and see what the original Penn Station building. Seeing that picture of how it used to be in like day and night compared to Penn Station now. For a city that has such rich history and the amount of people Penn Station see's every day, you would think they would like to have an iconic looking building.
Next stop on the list of midtown was visiting Grand Central Terminal. Grand Central is a much nicer looking building that was built in 1913 by Commodore Vanderbilt. This building is more appealing than Penn Station to me. The fourth and fifth picture that I have in the slideshow are very appealing. The windows are spectacular along with the sets of stairs on each side of the terminal. The Untouchables the film was filmed in grand central terminal which was a very big shootout scene.
Roosevelt Island was the next stop on the trip and this might of been my favorite part of our class. Getting to Roosevelt Island was rather interesting and I had never been on the Sky tram. Seeing the different areas of the island was interesting, the ruins of the old building I really liked. Its interesting seeing how a building used to stand there and now it is in ruins. The park itself was beautiful and my favorite part of the day. When Mike was saying that it is shaped in the form of a ship I was not sure what he had meant by that. Now after seeing it and walking the park I understand what he had meant. It ended up being a beautiful day out and we had the perfect weather to be walking the park. I loved the view and how you could see Long Island City and Manhattan.
The Indian food was wonderful.
The museum of the moving image was interesting and I enjoyed the make up and costumes of the different types of movies. However there were some things in the museum that I didn't understand of give as much effort to try and understand.
Final stop was Long Island City. I remember going to LIC a few years back and it was not the same neighborhood. I enjoyed walking along the waterline and seeing the city from the other side. Standing in front of that Pepsi-Cola sign was rather neat. It is a very big sign when you stand up close to it. My second to last picture in the slide show is my favorite picture I took during the day. The whole NYC skyline is in the picture along with a few Molloy students.
Journal 2: Brooklyn
Day two of our class was very fun and I had a great time. When we had arrived at Penn Station I understood we had about an hour or so of commute time on the subway. This was my second or third time taking the subway from Penn Station to go to Coney Island. However I have been to Coney Island a few times and I enjoy it very much. When visiting Coney Island I feel that you have to go to Nathan's. It is such an iconic landmark in Coney Island. Fourth of July and this Nathan's hosts one of the most intense sporting events- The Hotdog eating contest. This contest is very funny and yet it happens right here in Coney Island.
Although this time when visiting Coney Island I did not go on any of the rides, I have in the past. Riding the Cyclone a few years ago was a great experience but it was very rough. That roller coster tosses you back and fourth but everyone should ride it at least once in their lifetime. The weather held up for the class and it was very nice to walk the boardwalk and to see all the people on the beach enjoying their day. I did not know until this trip that Coney Island was not an island. I found that rather interesting because everyone I feel now-a-days wouldn't begin to imagine it being a peninsula. I also did not realize before the subway and bridges and other roadways that it would be an all day event in order to get to Coney Island and then enjoy your stay there.
When we were walking the streets and looking at different building and brownstone Mike had mentioned that Federal is his favorite type of building.
Next stop was the transit museum which was a lot more interesting than I had expected when I first heard we were going there. Seeing all the different subway train cars throughout the years was very interesting. I did not realize how many different cars there were and how many different times the cars changed. My favorite car was from the 1960's and it seemed so cold and it could of been used to ship inmates from place to place. The cars were very grey and dark and they did not have any seat cushions. It was interesting to see all the turnstiles throughout the history of the subway. My favorite were the wooden ones that were from the early part of the 1900's.
The last stop and my favorite stop of the day was crossing the Brooklyn bridge.The Roebling family had created the longest suspension bridge at the time when it was made. It is the oldest suspension bridge in the United States which to me is hard to imagine its over 100 years old. Walking that 1.1 mile walk over the bridge was something I thought I would never do. If it was not for this class I am not sure if I would of walked the Brooklyn Bridge.
Day two of our class was very fun and I had a great time. When we had arrived at Penn Station I understood we had about an hour or so of commute time on the subway. This was my second or third time taking the subway from Penn Station to go to Coney Island. However I have been to Coney Island a few times and I enjoy it very much. When visiting Coney Island I feel that you have to go to Nathan's. It is such an iconic landmark in Coney Island. Fourth of July and this Nathan's hosts one of the most intense sporting events- The Hotdog eating contest. This contest is very funny and yet it happens right here in Coney Island.
Although this time when visiting Coney Island I did not go on any of the rides, I have in the past. Riding the Cyclone a few years ago was a great experience but it was very rough. That roller coster tosses you back and fourth but everyone should ride it at least once in their lifetime. The weather held up for the class and it was very nice to walk the boardwalk and to see all the people on the beach enjoying their day. I did not know until this trip that Coney Island was not an island. I found that rather interesting because everyone I feel now-a-days wouldn't begin to imagine it being a peninsula. I also did not realize before the subway and bridges and other roadways that it would be an all day event in order to get to Coney Island and then enjoy your stay there.
When we were walking the streets and looking at different building and brownstone Mike had mentioned that Federal is his favorite type of building.
Next stop was the transit museum which was a lot more interesting than I had expected when I first heard we were going there. Seeing all the different subway train cars throughout the years was very interesting. I did not realize how many different cars there were and how many different times the cars changed. My favorite car was from the 1960's and it seemed so cold and it could of been used to ship inmates from place to place. The cars were very grey and dark and they did not have any seat cushions. It was interesting to see all the turnstiles throughout the history of the subway. My favorite were the wooden ones that were from the early part of the 1900's.
The last stop and my favorite stop of the day was crossing the Brooklyn bridge.The Roebling family had created the longest suspension bridge at the time when it was made. It is the oldest suspension bridge in the United States which to me is hard to imagine its over 100 years old. Walking that 1.1 mile walk over the bridge was something I thought I would never do. If it was not for this class I am not sure if I would of walked the Brooklyn Bridge.
Journal 3: The Village and Chelsea
When we first exited Penn Station and started walking to the Chelsea area of the city I could picture the music video "Welcome to the Jungle" by Gun's N Rose's. When Mike was explaining how the area was before gentrification is what made me think of the music video.
Walking the High Line was a moment that I will probably never forget. I know for sure if it was not for this class I would of never walked it. Before this class I had never heard of the High Line. It was an interesting concept to make an old train line into a beautiful garden/walkway. The walkway reminded me of the World Trade Center base which was called the tridents. They look like a 3 pronged fork which really hit home to me. Just seeing that reminded me of the trade center. When we had sat down for the five minute break seeing the traffic beneath us through the window was very interesting.
Once we were done with the High Line and started viewing the galleries is where I was losing interest. Art is not my favorite area of study but I do try to appreciate it. The first gallery that we had entered I liked the skull painting. It had looked like the earth's crust with a skull in it. The gallery that had all the photos of the sex picture I could of did without. It was defiantly interesting but seemed like it belonged in San Fernando Valley.
My favorite pieces of art that we had saw were in the Gagosian Gallery. The picture of the dead sunflower and all the seeds falling off was one of my favorite pieces of art in general just not in the gallery. It was interesting how it seemed depressing yet when you think of a sunflower you think of beauty. The painting of the mountains though was my favorite in the gallery. The painting is huge and it makes you feel that you are actually on another mountain taking a photo of that across from you.
The picture of Jack Nicholson that was just on the the side of the road was very interesting. It combines both the joker character from Batman and his character Johnny from The Shining.
The trip to the merchant house was my favorite part of the day. I love learning about historic things within the country. I could not believe that I was standing in one of the oldest houses in the city. Learning about how those people lived and how they weren't even the richest people in the area. Learning how the water got from the outside in the back courtyard then it was piped upstairs I found very interesting. Seeing all the crown molding was one of my favorite things in the house. As a craftsman myself I find it unreal how these people 100 years go or so made these cuts and groves into the molding.
When we first exited Penn Station and started walking to the Chelsea area of the city I could picture the music video "Welcome to the Jungle" by Gun's N Rose's. When Mike was explaining how the area was before gentrification is what made me think of the music video.
Walking the High Line was a moment that I will probably never forget. I know for sure if it was not for this class I would of never walked it. Before this class I had never heard of the High Line. It was an interesting concept to make an old train line into a beautiful garden/walkway. The walkway reminded me of the World Trade Center base which was called the tridents. They look like a 3 pronged fork which really hit home to me. Just seeing that reminded me of the trade center. When we had sat down for the five minute break seeing the traffic beneath us through the window was very interesting.
Once we were done with the High Line and started viewing the galleries is where I was losing interest. Art is not my favorite area of study but I do try to appreciate it. The first gallery that we had entered I liked the skull painting. It had looked like the earth's crust with a skull in it. The gallery that had all the photos of the sex picture I could of did without. It was defiantly interesting but seemed like it belonged in San Fernando Valley.
My favorite pieces of art that we had saw were in the Gagosian Gallery. The picture of the dead sunflower and all the seeds falling off was one of my favorite pieces of art in general just not in the gallery. It was interesting how it seemed depressing yet when you think of a sunflower you think of beauty. The painting of the mountains though was my favorite in the gallery. The painting is huge and it makes you feel that you are actually on another mountain taking a photo of that across from you.
The picture of Jack Nicholson that was just on the the side of the road was very interesting. It combines both the joker character from Batman and his character Johnny from The Shining.
The trip to the merchant house was my favorite part of the day. I love learning about historic things within the country. I could not believe that I was standing in one of the oldest houses in the city. Learning about how those people lived and how they weren't even the richest people in the area. Learning how the water got from the outside in the back courtyard then it was piped upstairs I found very interesting. Seeing all the crown molding was one of my favorite things in the house. As a craftsman myself I find it unreal how these people 100 years go or so made these cuts and groves into the molding.