Today was the first day of Gotham Core, the New York Experience class and I was enthused with many mixed-emotions. Before that first Thursday class, I asked myself many philosophical questions to foreshadow how I see this experience going. As I became more excited about the class, I realized a few simple things right from the start. I knew I would be walking [A LOT.] I also noticed I would be spending a lot more money than I would have hoped to be spending for a day in the city. But what I found to be most rewarding aspect of it all, is that I would be meeting new people and making new experiences that I wouldn’t get to achieve in over any summer adventure in just four weeks, let alone just seven classes.

Brooklyn was the first city borough the class and I were going to [attempt] to conquer. I was relieved when I saw that Brooklyn would be the new starting point to our course because I hold many memories in this area and can navigate myself throughout this borough with little to no difficulty. I have had many friends who have attended PACE University and for the last three years, I have always considered Brooklyn to be a second home or getaway for myself. 

The sun was shining when I left my house for the New Hyde Park train station. Forecasts predicted a decent evening followed by some rainfall towards the end of our scheduled class time. I took the 10:26 train to Penn and was first nervous that Mike and the group would be leaving without me. The train was scheduled to arrive at Penn at 10:58, and Mike had made it very clear during orientation and before the class began that the group would be leaving without anyone who found themselves to be even a minute past 11.

To my luck, the train arrived on time and I ran to meet the group. Of course I knew that this first encounter with the class in this setting would be somewhat awkward. It turns out that I was right! My classmates gave blank stares to one another, each one of us judging another to try and predict how the next four weeks would be like. 

After enduring Mike’s really long, first class “pow-wow,” the class headed outside Penn Station straight to the D-train. The D-train was taking us to Coney Island, the first stop to our Brooklyn Borough adventure. As detailed in the Blue Guide of New York [pg. 492], Coney Island is “the birthplace of the American hot dog and home of the world’s most terrifying roller coaster—a place remarkable for high energy and dubious taste.” Once we stepped on the beach, the wind picked up and made it very hard to pay close attention to what Mike was saying. Mike and Don began describing some highlights of the Island and some specific points of its content. Home to the Coney Island Museum, Nathan’s Famous – established in 1916 [BG pg. 492] which is known for their famous hot dogs, and the New York Aquarium. Once the Aquarium was brought up, immediately Mike told Don to be quiet and don’t even mention it because it was a crappy excuse of an Aquarium. Don tried to defend his opinion of it, remarking it as being a respectable Aquarium and thus began the evidence to showcase Mike and Don’s everlasting love-hate relationship. (All in good fun)

The group split up after our beach lecture to explore the area ourselves. A few classmates and I seized the opportunity to grab a bite to eat. We went to the original Nathan’s Famous hot dog stand where I ate a hefty meal. I ordered a corn dog, cheese dog, french-fries, and a soda. The Price was reasonable and the food was AMAZING! The small group I was traveling with went back on the boardwalk to meet the rest of the class and prepare for what was next. We then took the D-train to J-street. Once we hopped out onto the streets, Mike quickly got us lost. Thanks to the enlightenment made by Don, we suddenly found ourselves at the Fulton Mall area. This mall area was familiar to me because me and my friends from PACE would frequently bargain for good deals in the same shops that surrounded me and my classmates. Our next order of business was to enter the Transit Museum where a tour guide waited our arrival. Looking back now, this museum tour was one of my favorite over the course of the class. 

The New York Transit Museum is a “two-level subterranean museum, located in an unused subway station. It was inaugurated in 1976 for the bicentennial celebrations and proved too popular to close thereafter. Run by the Metropolitan Transit Authority, it includes exhibits on buses, bridges, and tunnels, but the emphasis is on the subway.” [BG pg. 468]  The tour guide was very compelling and made it easy for me to pay attention. I learned about how both above ground and below ground subways were built, what significance the sandhogs held for the creation of New York City’s transportation system, and some interesting “secrets of New York.” One of these “secrets” was that a small group of conductors from different generations would steal old railroad cars, thus how they were able to create the Transit Museum itself. The other secret was shared to us that the city’s first subway station, located under City Hall Park, can be seems ONLY by two ways. One way is through the Transit Museum’s special tour, where they take a small group down for an exclusive glimpse of the station that was supposed to be the center metropolis to the entire city. The second way is by taking the last stop of a specific local train (sorry I can’t remember which one she said) and ride it back the other way through City Hall Park, only if the conductor will allow you to, and even then you will only catch a 7 second view of the marvelous unnoticed station. Ending the tour was the train-car exhibit in which we were able to go on actual train cars from different decades. (There is a video I posted viewing some of the cars… Take a look!)

From the Transit Museum, the class took a break on the steps of the Neoclassic, Brooklyn Borough Hall. The view of the Brooklyn Bridge was incredible. We began again on foot passing Montague St., the home of “bank-row” and where we entered a Chase Bank known by Mike Russo as “the best bank ever.”

We ended at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, a place I have ended up after many never ending nights with my friends, and where the historic battle known as the Battle of Brooklyn-Long Island took place. The same location where George Washington admitted inevitable defeat and fled from the English at that point in the battle. . . 

The class walked through the promenade, staring with amazement at the beautiful site of the South Street Seaport and the City’s Skyline. A view of the Statue of Liberty and Elis Island could also be seen from the promenade. From then on, the rest of the day was claimed “dreadful” due to the miserable rain we encountered. We enjoyed the view and scenery of the promenade before making our way across the Brooklyn Bridge by foot. Mike took candid and not so candid shots of the class as we looked like the day would never end. 

Up the path we went. I stared at the beautiful structure and was fascinated by how many individuals chose to try the new “Citi Bikes” as their mean of transportation for the day. A little background information on the bridge; “it opened on May 25, 1883, was the largest suspension bridge in existence, held itself above 276 feet of water, and spans 1,595 feet across the East River.” [BG pg. 464] It took us 16 minutes to walk the bridge, and finalized the completion of our first day in class. The conclusion of this class led to an eventful night in the city, where some of my friends and I went out on 38th street to enjoy at late happy hour.

Ending the class was bitter sweet. Tired from a long adventurous day, but enticed for next class to explore more of New York City.

It was 72 degrees at 10:30am in New Hyde Park as I awaited my train’s arrival. The weather looked promising as I headed into class wondering what crazy things we would be getting ourselves into today. When I arrived at Penn Station, Mike greeted us with detailed insight on how the day was looking for us all. Greenwich Village, he said! Two words that put a smile on my face instantly.

We were about to travel to New York City’s gay and lesbian epicenter. “Because of its long-standing tolerance, the village had a large homosexual community for many years and has been a base for feminist and gay activists, but it also attracts middle-class and professional people who, perhaps because of the traditional Village sense of community, have frequently and visibly exercised themselves in political and social causes.” [BG pg. 129] I was somewhat familiar with the village, having been a frequent tourist for many years there, and also because I did my first paper in this class about the Stonewall Inn. (Which can be viewed at the PAPER 1 tab on the top of this webpage.)

We took the one subway downtown to West Houston Street. Once on Bedford Street in the West Village, we experienced its charm that holds a different sense of uniqueness against all other areas in New York City. I felt safe, I felt welcomed, I felt at home. The class first stopped at the White Horse Tavern in the far West Village. “Founded in 1880, the White Horse Tavern was once a watering hole for Norman Mailer, Jack Kerouac, and other writers.” [BG pg. 143] Places such as the White Horse Tavern still exist in the Village today because they hold nostalgia for the decades of people and influence that have swept those city streets.

We then traveled our way to the Village’s center, Christopher Street, also known as the heart of New York’s gay and lesbian community. The gay liberation movement started on this street, 53 Christopher Street to be exact, at the Stonewall Inn. The Stonewall Inn is the historic building I wrote my paper on, and the landmark that antagonized homosexuals in the 1960’s to liberate for their own equal rights. “The riots of Stonewall Inn, 53 Christopher St, were a turning point in the struggle for gay civil rights.” (Blue Guide, 130) The Stonewall Riots of 1969 was the single most important event that had sparked the liberation movement for gay rights.  (For complete information and story of the Stonewall Inn please read my paper located on the top tab of this webpage labeled, PAPER 1.) As I took a picture of the landmark, Don explained to the class where the word “faggot” came from. The words origin come from, “burning wood,” which was a slag term used against homosexuals in correlation to those in the early history of American society who were burned alive at the stake if they were proven guilty for being a homosexual. Don had shed some light on an interesting though and I really began to think about how intolerable people can be based on phantom ideologies they create themselves.

The class then set foot from Christopher Street to Washington Square Park, moving past Gay Street, Waverly, and Jefferson Market Garden. Surrounding the buildings of New York University, Washington Square Park still stands shadowed by tall trees, a beautiful fountain, and the famous Washington Arch, which was dedicated in 1895. “In the early 1950’s Robert Moses, the Parks’ Commissioner and always a highway advocate, decided to push a highway over, under, or through the park to ease down-town traffic on Fifth Avenue, a project that Villagers defeated after a decade-long struggle.” [BG pg. 131] Mike and Don told us social activist Jane Jacobs led these protestors against Moses and his intrusive highway plans.

Washington Square Park has also been home for the last several years to the National Pillow Day Fight, which is held each April as a charity event to get people to donate their pillows at the end of the event to then be dispersed to homeless shelters across New York City. (A video can be found below illustrating how intense the pillow fight actually got.)

Café Wha was our next destination. We stopped at 115 McDougal Street to admire the café, which was once the bohemian heart of the Village. Bob Dylan and other folk singers from the early 1960’s performed here regularly, creating an atmosphere for amazing talent and taste.

The Merchant House Museum tour followed our long walk throughout the village. At this point, some class members grew tired and impatient as the heat rose and our patience thinned. Our stamina for the rest of the day was significantly reduced and we weren’t aware for we were in store after our lunch break. (To see what I learned about the Merchant House Museum, look for the blog post below.) Lunch break was an hour and fifteen minutes long today. We were dining in St. Marks Place, where cheap food was found to be an understatement. Being very familiar with this area, I took some classmates to my favorite food shop, Pomme Frites, where we enjoyed the best Belgium fries New York has to offer.

After a fulfilling meal, the class lugged our now even more tired bodies to the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space. This was a new experience Mike was taking our class on, a tour in which the class has never done before. We learned about New York and its original squatters or what may also be known as the original ccc-squats. Our more then radical tour guide Bob also let us experience the 9th Street Community Garden Park. The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space was centered on the many active movements lead in the East Village over several decade long battles to preserve some urban space for the city dwellers to enjoy. Personally, I didn’t find the tour enjoyable since Bob held a different perspective of each topic being discussed that I myself could not relate to.

We ended our tour and our class that evening in Thompson Square Park. Bob in great detail went through the history of the park and the culmination of the ever so famous Thompson Square Park riots. “Throughout the years it has witnessed two historic riots and many political demonstrations—sparked by poor economic conditions, oppressive labor relations, the Vietnam War, and gentrification, among other causes.” [BG pg. 167] This park was a place for movement, a public entity where community members could gather and express their opinions in an open-forum style. These sanctions within New York City are what help preserve people’s freedom of speech and what has provoked change and demonstration from its people. 

As we ended our second class, some of the classmates and myself distressed during happy hour at a friendly bar-dive located in the Village.

                                                    Merchants House Museum
                                                 (What I learned from this tour)

The Merchant house on exhibit was built to sell in 1832, located near the ritzy area around Bond Street. The Tredwell’s owned the home, housing their family of eight children and four house-servants. Uncommon to a large family back at this time, the Tredwells were lucky enough to have all eight children survive to their adulthood.

The lower floor of the home was used strictly as the family floor. Located in the family floor is the living room, kitchen, and bunks for the servants to use. Normally visitors would not stay on the family floor of the house because all the nice fancy furniture and décor belonged upstairs. Rats and other rodents would reside in the bottom floor to invade the kitchen at night or the trash that was overflowed with many unsanitary conditions. 

The Federal Census Bureau had recorded four Irish women as house-servants to the Tredwells, all of who were new immigrants to America. What was interesting about the house is that it has a bell-service from the kitchen to each room in the top two floors. The Tredwell family would ring the bell, calling the servants to wait on there hand and foot whenever they were called upon.

Another interesting thing I learned about this time period was the use of a “call hour.” Family’s would have specific times during the day or week in which others could travel and stop in to say hello and chit-chat due to the lack of communication-technology they had in this time period. One person would go to a friend’s house and say hello. Then that friend would be socially obligated to visit the person who just visited them and so on.

We noticed as a class how different things were back when life seemed to be much more simplistic then how we all communicate today. 

Today was a rough start for myself. I barely got any sleep from the night before and was running so late I wound up not eating before making my train. The class met at our usual location, Penn Station where we took the one-uptown to 42nd street, Time Square, where we caught the S-shuttle train to the 6 and up-town again towards Harlem.

We ended up at the Museum of the City of New York, which was quite fascinating. It had a collection of interesting artifacts on display and the rooms were filled in interesting décor.

Timeline of New York City: (Notes taken from our NYC short history film.)

1609: Native Environment

1609-1783: Colonial City

·       New York City was purchased from the Native Americans for $24.

·       New Amsterdam became New York in honor of the Kings brother, the Duke of York.

1783-1825: The Great Port

·       After the revolution, the South Street Seaport became the most popular one from trade.

·       In 1811, the commissioner’s plan really mapped out the streets of New York City.

1825-1865: City of Strangers

·       The workforce populated due to the industrial era.

1865-1900: The Metropolis

·       Above ground trains or L’s as they would refer to them as, became popular.

·       The Brooklyn Bridge was built in the early 1880’s.

1900-1920: Modern City

·       Skyscrapers were created

·       New York City became the “first city of the sky.”

·       The lower east side became known as “immigrant central.” The sanitary conditions were terrible.

1920-1945: Cosmopolitan City

·       Artists populated to Greenwich Village.

·       African American Artists centered themselves in Harlem by the 1930’s.

·       In 1931 the Empire State Building was built.

·       After the Great Depression, the government had more of an impact and say on what went on in the city.

1945-1975:

·       In 1970 a new flight of immigrants migrated into New York City.

1975-2001:

·       On September 11, 2001 a little fewer than 3,000 people were killed during a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center buildings.

·       New York is more diverse then ever before.


We then went on a one-hour tour of “Spanish Harlem.” Our tour guide Luke is a poet, activist, and proud Puerto Rican. He took us to a community center to explore local art and during our walking tour; we examined murals that have been painted on the buildings of Harlem that each hold an individual story. One that struck me the most was a mural painted by elementary school kids. Luke explained how this one was so important to the areas culture because he feels everyone’s voice deserves to be heard in some way, shape, or form. After his tour, some classmates and I enjoyed an inexpensive meal off Third Avenue.

After lunch we walked through the northern part of Central Park, one of the worlds greatest public parks. “Central Park is the heartland of Manhattan, 843 acres set aside for the recreation of New Yorkers and visitors alike. Although the park seems “natural,” the largest surviving piece of Manhattan un-encrusted with asphalt and masonry, its landscape and scenery are completely man-made, based on designs by Fredrick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux.” [BG Pg. 279]

We passed through the Conservatory Gardens on 105st along the Central Park Reservoir until we hit the Guggenheim Museum. Continuing our walk down “museum mile,” we arrived at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on 82nd Street.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, generally called imply The Met, is the largest, most comprehensive art museum in the world. The building occupies 1.5 million square feet and its collections include more than two million objects, whose range includes the whole world and the entire sweep of civilization. Every year more then five million people visit.” [BG pg. 326]

At the museum, a PUNK exhibition was being featured. Articles of clothing were displayed; ones that mostly only Lady Gaga or Madonna would be seen wearing. The clothing were enriched with dark colors, black spikes, and even common household items such as plastic bags.

It was known as heaven for anyone interested in “plastic couture.”

We left the museum on foot and explored more of central park. We stopped by the boat pond, the lake, strawberry fields, and the famous Dakota where John Lennon was shot and murdered. Our last leg of this class was interesting. We had a short class lecture in Central Park given by Mike and when we got to strawberry fields, a man of homeless decent shared his visions and descriptions of the memorial ground, calling himself the mayor of strawberry fields.

I had enough of the walking (over 70 blocks total), I had enough of the crazy homeless men talking to us, and I had enough humidity/rain for the day. It was time to head home, and that we did.

By our fourth class, we all got into the swing of things. People have made friends and for the most part everyone knew each other by now. We all shared inside jokes about Mike and now we would cultivate as a pack when complaining about walking or the struggle of starvation in the early hours of class.

We met at Penn as usual and walked to 42nd Street, to explore Time Square. Mike and Don began the explanation of Time Square by sharing personal story’s the both of them had experienced over their years in the city. Mike even said at one point within his situation a cop turned to him and said “get out of here now because I don’t think I will be able to help you if you don’t.” Time Square was a popular center for theatre and entertainment in the 1940’s and 1950’s. By the late 1960’s, early 1970’s, it had become notorious for drugs, gang violence, prostitution, and pornography. Due to the efforts of the Giuliani administration, the streets of Time Square were cleaned up and the life of entertainment and theater began to flourish once again.

“Today Time Square is cleaner, safer, more profitable, and more visitor-friendly than it was a decade ago. While no one wishes for the return of crime and squalor, some observers lament what has become of the neighborhood—its increasing corporate homogeneity and loss of individuality, its bland lineup of chain stores, and its sense of being for tourists, not New Yorkers.” [BG pg. 218]

We left Time Square as a class and headed to the G.E. building, home of NBC studios. Here we went into the Rockefeller Plaza Shopping Mall and up to the lobby where Don told us that the lobby mural was repainted because its original had a communist connotation that was portrayed as disrespectful. “Rockefeller Center, a complex of commercial buildings, theaters, plazas, underground concourses, and shops developed principally during the depression, is the world’s largest privately-owned business and entertainment center. The first architecturally coordinated development in New York City, and a milestone in urban planning.” [BG pg. 243] Rockefeller Center is one of New York’s greatest public squares.

From Rockefeller Center we walked to MOMA, the New York Museum of Modern Art. “The Museum of Modern Art is one of the city’s premier cultural institutions, one of the greatest repositories not only of modern painting and sculpture, but of drawing, design, photography, and film.” [BG pg. 260] In MOMA, we saw art form classics such as Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, and Jackson Pollock. I didn’t realize how historic MOMA actually was. I learned that it is the most important museum in the world for 19th-20th century art.

I enjoyed seeing the original “The Starry Night” painted by Vincent Van Goe. I also enjoyed work from Claes Oldenburg from his Chicago art of 1960-1962. His pop-art exhibit, “From Street to the Store” was interesting to say the least. His art was a mixture of things, some more simple then others and then other pieces that would stem from its own original context.

After MOMA, lunch was on Mike and we ate as a class at Yum Yum, an authentic Thai restaurant.  I had a great peanut sauté dish that was so filing and very enjoyable. The class ended the day back in Harlem to explore the gentrification process that is underway. We had a short tour and ended class slightly early due to the weather. The tour guide was a man by the name of Jim. Jim took us to the overlooking sight of the Adam Clayton Powell Jr Building and went through the history and current process of Harlem and its gentrification. We also took note of the Hotel Teresa where Fidel Castro once stayed.

This was the end of class four which meant we were already half way through the course. I couldn’t be happier with this experience. I am learning so much and now I am more enticed to see and explore what New York City has to offer.