Lower Manhattan and Captivating Chelsea

Waking up today I was worried if I was going to be ok walking around, because I had been quite sick earlier in the week, but I knew I had to suck it up and not miss class. I very excited for all of the places we were visiting today. We met at Penn at our usual time and then we were off to explore Lower Manhattan.We took the subway downtown to the World Trade Center. As soon as we exited the subway the Freedom tower was right in front of us. I have wanted to go visit the site for a while now so I was really excited; I was amazed at how close I was to the tower. I plan on going back to visit the 9-11 memorial and museum sometime soon. 

Our first stop was to St. Pauls Church & Churchyard; it is Manhattan’s only remaining colonial church. It became the most important Anglican Church in the city and was used by George Washington following his inauguration at Federal Hall. (BG, 77).  After 9-11 the chapel served both as a place of refuge for workers at Ground Zero and a temporary memorial for visitors, who attached messages and memorials to the fence in front of the church. Walking through the churchyard you were really able to tell the age of the site because the tombstones were worn down and you were no longer able to read what was once on them. Once inside the church it was a memorial to the police officers and firefighters that lost their lives as well as worked on 9-11. The memorial was full of uniforms, patches, letters written offering hope and support, and pictures of some of those who lost their lives. I found this memorial to be emotional as well as providing hope that we can get through anything, even a major disaster.

We continued our walk and made our way to Zuccotti Park. Recently Zuccotti Park is known for the Occupy Wall Street Movement . The main issues are social and economic inequality, greed, corruption and the perceived undue influence of corporations on government. The OWS slogan, we are the 99% addresses the growing income inequality and wealth distribution in the U.S. between the wealthiest 1% and the rest of the population. Protesters were forced out of Zuccotti Park on November 15, 2011. After several unsuccessful attempts to re-occupy the original location, protesters turned their focus to occupying banks, corporate headquarters, board meetings, and college and university campuses. As we continued our walk to Wall Street I saw some protestors that were sleeping on the ground, and we were able to take some of the flyers they were handing out. Even though I do believe in the cause they are protesting for I would never be able to sleep outside on the ground for weeks. 

We stopped at Trinity Church , which is located at the head of Wall Street. Trinity church was once the tallest building in the neighborhood, but is now overshadowed by gigantic office buildings.  Trinity Church is probably New York’s most famous house of worship, because of its dramatic setting (BG, 65). Like St. Paul’s Churchyard some of the tombstones in the Trinity Churchyard were worn down from being so old. Some famous people are buried in the churchyard including Robert Fulton who proved that steamboat travel was economically viable. 

The coolest part of the church was the bronze doors, whose panels illustrate biblical scenes. Unfortunately we were not able to go inside.

Wall street has been synonymous with New York’s financial industry. Strolling in the financial district does give a sense of an earlier New York, though some of the building whose interiors were formerly open to visitors are no longer accessible, and security is extremely tight, especially around the New York Stock Exchange  (NYSE)(BG, 64). We did get to walk past the NYSE, which is the world’s largest exchange in terms of dollar value, is the only reason why New York is a preeminent city of the capitalist world (BG, 68). We stopped inside Federal Hall, which is one of New York’s most important historic sites. 

I though the coolest part of this building was that George Washington took the oath of office in 1789 on the second floor balcony. It was interesting to think of all the historic events that have taken place in that building and I was able to say I went there. Inside there was a presidential exhibit going on. A picture I was able to connect most with was one of George Bush after he had been told the World Trade Center was under attack. I was able to connect most with this picture because even though I was in 5^th grade when the attacks happens I remember the day vividly, and I remember the first time I ever saw that picture.

We continued walking till we got to Battery Park. The name Battery Park recalls a row of cannons that defended the original fort. The 23-acre park offers spectacular views of the harbor, and a group of monuments recalling New York’s maritime and commercial history (BG, 46). 

Inside the park we looked at Fritz Koenig’s Sphere, moved here temporarily from the plaza of the World Trade Center, where it was battered and buried by debris from the falling towers on 9-11.  The Sphere used to be seen as a sculpture but is now a monument to memorialize those who died in 9-11. By the sphere there is a eternal flame that was ignited on September 11, 2002 in honor of those who were lost. Looking at this I found it to be very emotional to see that damage that was done to a brass sculpture, and just imagine what it was like down by the World Trade Center that day. I thought this peace was beautiful representation of hope. We then made our way to walk down by the water, which is always my favorite because of the beautiful sights. Walking along I saw the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and some more amazing views of the Freedom tower. 

We stopped in the World Financial Center, with its palm trees and great glass windows. Debris from the fall of the Twin Towers severely damaged the 120-ft glass-domed atrium and the marble floor, and crushed the aerial bridge that formerly linked in to the World Trade Center (BG, 61). Inside I loved how the sun shined through the glass windows, and the whole atmosphere in general. I was upset that we were not able to look through the industrial glass overlooking the World Trade Center; even though it is construction going on I would have liked to see that view.

After some more walking we stopped to admire the Irish Hunger Memorial  created by Brian Tolle. It is designed to raise public awareness of the events that led to the famine of 1845-52 and to encourage efforts to address current and future hunger worldwide. I enjoyed seeing this memorial because I am Irish, and I would really enjoy visiting Ireland one day. We then made our way to The Poets House, which mike seemed very excited about. Founded in 1985, The Poets house hold a 50,000-volume poetry library. The collection is among the most comprehensive, open-stacks collections of poetry in the United States. The Poets House holds many readings, lectures, and performances all year round. Upstairs there is a quit room where you can look at the Poetry and do your work. I could imagine myself going to a place like this to get my schoolwork done.

 When Mike told us to find a poem that we could relate to  I found one that I thought was comical called “wishes for sons.” This poem explains a women menstrual cycle and wishing it upon men. For obvious reasons I was able to relate as well as get a laugh out of it. After the Poets house we jumped on the subway and made our way to Chelsea.

            Chelsea, along with the Meatpacking District, has undergone rapid change in the past decade. It has been transformed an industrial neighborhood once blighted by both street-level and elevated railroads to the city’s new SoHo, its streets enlivened by art galleries and chic shops (BG, 186). For me I know Chelsea for its clubs and nightlife. 

We broke up for lunch in the Chelsea Market . The Market is located in the former Nabisco factory, and filled with shops offering high-quality food, wine, kitchen wares, and flowers (BG, 186). I enjoyed how nicely the market was decorated for Halloween. For lunch I ended up getting a chicken creaser salad sandwich, but the most frustrating part was trying to find somewhere to sit. After walking through the whole market and finding no seating available Jennie and I had to resort to sitting on the floor. After finishing my lunch I stopped in Eleni’s Bakery and bought myself a delicious cupcake. After lunch we walked along The High Line. Built in the Mid-19^th century, the New York Central Railroad used to run at street level. The streets were clogged with traffic, the trains were dirty, and the tracks were dangerous. “West Side Cowboys” mounted on horseback preceded the engines waving flags, but accidents happened and Eleventh Avenue became known as “Death Avenue” (BG, 188). The High Line, a 13-mile viaduct for freight trans was constructed in the 1930s to solve these problems. I really enjoyed walking along the High Line, but I would have enjoyed it a whole lot more on a nice spring day. I thought it was cool how they still had the old railroad on it, and benches on the railroad that were able to move. This is a place I would definitely come back to during the warmer weather.

            After the High line we went to visit a few art galleries. I enjoyed the art in the galleries more than the art in the museums, because the art was so different, unique, and weird (I’m a big fan of weird). Even though most of these pieces are quite odd they are very expensive. One piece that caught my attention was one that appeared to be a floating human body lying horizontally covered in a white sheet. It was creepy yet cool at the same time. Another gallery consisted of one piece of art that was this black giant odd shaped structure.

 I asked mike where could someone possible fit this in his or her house. He told me that maybe artist make art like this not for someone to buy, but to get people to start talking and help get his or her name out there. Each gallery we looked at was very different from the other. One gallery consisted of sculptures of wood, while another had different presidential art. Overall I enjoyed each gallery we went into.

           After the galleries our day came to an end. So far this has been my favorite class. I enjoyed every place we visited and learned a lot. I cant believe we only have one more class left.