Journal #4: The Elegant Eastside

The Elegant Eastside

            When I got on the train this morning, it began to drizzle. The clouds were dark and I just got finished telling Maria that I was happy that I bought my raincoat and umbrella. Maria and I met everyone else in Penn Station. Damian and Mike proceeded to tell us that we were going to trench through the rain and make the best of our adventure. I mean a little rain can’t hurt anyone right?

            We began to make out way down 42^nd street. It was hot and humid and to tell you the truth I was hoping for a LITTLE rain (shhhuuushh). Our first stop was at the New York Public Library. In the front of the library there are two famous marble lions. Mayor Fiorello La Guardia named them Patience (south side) and Fortitude (north side). He gave them these names for virtues for the struggling public during the Depression (BG, 208). The library mounts brilliant exhibitions on literary, artistic, and historical subjects in Gottesman Hall on the ground floor and also upstairs in the smaller galleries (BG, 207).

 When we entered into the hall, it was covered in marble. Can you imagine how much that must of cost? The ceilings were magnificent, with different colors and textures that lined the room. It truly was breath taking. We then entered into the main reading room, this room has a collection of over 30, 000 reference books (BG, 208). We all were asked to sit down and write a HIKU poem based on our feelings on the library. “The ceilings above…Captivate and draw you in…The books of Unknown…” My second poem states “The mysterious…it surrounds the world as is…The world of the books.” While in the library I learned that the collection of books developed from two private libraries, the Astor and Lenox libraries (BG, 208). The marble, elaborate ceilings, and wide staircases really had me in awe and I hope that I will be able to study there next year for the nursing boards.

            We then made our way to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. My family and I always visit this church around Christmas time and it never gets old. This church is truly outstanding, from the outside structure to the inside décor, it's unbelieveable. Saint Patrick’s Cathedral was one of the two major churches in 1828 in New York City. The other major church was Saint Peter’s (BG, 254). When I walked into the church, I was happy that I was finally able to view a service. I am a practicing Catholic and have always wanted to experience what it would be like. I know that the church is a large tourist site, but the people who are looking at the church during the service are very distracting. I lit a candle and prayed for my family, classmates, animals, and friends. I asked god to keep up safe through our journey and thanked him for the wonderful life he has given me.

            Our next stop was 53^rd street. There were so many interesting and unique stores including Tiffany and Co., FAO Schwarz, Louis Vitton, BCBG, Gucci and many more. By this time it had started to poor! I guess I got what I asked for. I was thankful for my raincoat and umbrella that I grabbed before I left the house. My feet were soaking wet, but that was expected. We made our way into FAO Schwarz. FAO Schwarz was founded by Frederick August Otto Schwarz and his brothers in Baltimore around1862. It is known as the oldest toy store (and most expensive) in the United States. This store is every child’s dream. I was greeted with Spiderman and thought to myself “This is going to be a good time.”  There is a different toy and piece of candy for everyone who enters FAO Schwarz. There are stuffed animals, a dinosaur room, a Hello Kitty room, a dedication to Harry Potter, and an entire isle dedicated to magic show tricks. The class started to pig out on candy and Mike was nice enough to buy the entire class a little taste of what the store has to offer.  For $16 dollars a bag, the candy better be worthy!

            We then ventured to the Plaza hotel. I was kind of was embarrassed by the way I looked. It was this big ritzy place and I was soaking wet from head to toe. Mike informed us that even though it looks really expensive, the food there is reasonable. The Plaza Hotel offers 282 guest rooms, including 182 suites. It had the largest square footage of any other hotel in the city! Betsy Johnson, a clothing designer, designed a room in zebra print in one of the largest rooms the hotel has to offer. One day, when I am a successful nurse, I would like to spend a night or two at this beautiful and striking hotel.

            Our next stop was Central Park. We passed the horse and carriages. The horses were standing out in the rain, cold and wet. I don’t think being the animal lover I am, could ever take one of those carriage rides. At this point, not only was it pouring, but the winds started to pick up as well. As a class, we said hell to the rain and kept on chugging through. In 1844, a poet by the name of William Cullen Bryant wanted a public park. The architecture and population was taking over the city. He wanted a place where he could escape city life. In 1856, the city bought the park for $5 million dollars (Holy cow!).The park was intended for the relief of the working class. The Greensward Plan (1858) by Olmsted and Vaux was chosen. This plan would emphasize the importance of the picturesque landscape that was there (BG, 280-281). About 25 million people visit this park each year, which obviously takes a toll on the land. The Central Park Conservancy is a not-for-profit group that maintains the park and keeps it up to date and clean (BG, 281).We also ended up at the Belvedere Castle. Although we may have been lost at this point, it was interesting to find out the history of the castle. The Belvedere Castle  was “Originally designed in 1865 by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould. The Belvedere Castle was intended to be a Victorian Folly, a fantasy structure that provides a great backdrop and views, but without a real intended purpose.”  We passed the Central Park Zoo, which was torture because I wanted to go inside. I was able to see the sea lions that were swimming around in their tanks. We finally made it through Central Park and took a break for lunch. We all went to this inexpensive BBQ place. I had chicken fingers and fries and it just hit the spot after walking in the rain all day.

            The last Stop was the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is known to be the largest art museum in the world. The building “Occupies 1.5 million square feet and its collections include more than 2 million objects (BG, 326).” We then made our way through the Modern and Contemporary art wing. Mike and Damian educated us on all the different artists and what each one of them had to offer throughout time. I took a great interest in Jackson Pollock, because he painted with feelings. His drip art became famous and I really could see his raw emotion through his art work. I learned that he did not paint with brushes, but rather with objects in order to allow different types of textures. We then made our way into the Arica, Oceania, and the Americas art. The art was very unique to the culture and captured by eye. The galleries devoted to African art offer and array of exquisitely wooden sculptures (BG, 334). After I visit the African gallery, it was time to go home.

            Even though it was pouring rain today, I tried to make best of the situation. The City is an interesting place and just because I’m wet doesn’t mean I’m not going to have a good time. Today’s story is definitely one that I will be telling my friends and fellow classmates. Even though it rained, it was still better than sitting in the class room and we all got a really good laugh out of it.