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| Brooklyn Bridge |
Walking the Brooklyn Bridge was not as bad as I thought it
would be. I have only walked it once, for the NEDA walk, and it seemed longer
than. It was very hot but once I was hydrated I was more willing to walk
across. I read in
The Hudson that the
man who constructed the Brooklyn Bridge was a graduate from RPI. What
The Hudson didn’t discuss was that the
man’s wife was the one who ran everything after his injury. She was such a
crucial part in the development of the Brooklyn Bridge and yet was not
mentioned in the book. I’m glad I was able to walk across the bridge without
feeling faint or dizzy because of the heat. I pushed myself through the heat
and felt as though I deserved to watch the Broadway show later that night.
Phantom of the Opera was good but I still wish I was able to see Chicago. The
Phantom was amazing and his voice almost put me to sleep (or maybe I was just
really tired). Anyhow, that was my first Broadway show and I’m happy I was able
to enjoy it with friends.
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| Stop and Frisk art on wall in Harlem |
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| Nigerian carved door in Harlem |
I felt as though the Harlem tour was extremely long and
degrading. I didn’t like how he gave us the tour assuming that we have never
seen a black neighborhood in our lives. Maybe it is just because I grew up in
those areas that it felt humiliating for me to hear him say “Now here is a
barbershop selling art” or “Across the street is Conway, a local department
store” like we’ve never seen a barbershop. Conway is a cheap clothing store for
people in the neighborhood. I didn’t like how he was exposing it, because
people shop there every day. What I found interesting was that Harlem was once
a separate city. Sometimes I still treat it as though it is separate and I laughed
to myself when the guide complained about people doing that. Harlem was also
once the third largest Jewish community. When they “allowed” blacks to move in
is when the African American culture in Harlem began. According to The Restless City, by 1914, for the
first time in NYC history, blacks dominated an entire neighborhood and had
access to good housing. The time of the Harlem Renaissance strengthened black
pride and fostered hope. Now, the people of Harlem focus on issues such as stop
and frisk, reducing crime rate, and etc.
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| The Statue of Liberty |
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| The Statue of Liberty |
I have always passed the Statue of Liberty but never got a
chance to go to the island. I was surprised by the way the island looked. I imagined
it to look somewhat like Bannerman’s Island, with trails instead of actual
walkways and vending carts. What I didn’t know what that the Statue of Liberty
is on top of the remains of Fort Wood, originally one link in a chain of
defenses protecting NYC and its harbor. The fort acted as a lookout position
with harbor guns entrenched near the shore. This reminds me of the chains at
West Point and the need to secure the Hudson River. I was sad yet glad that we weren’t
going to climb the Statue; sad because I wanted to see the view and glad
because my body wasn’t physically prepared for that trip. I was mostly excited
to go to Ellis Island because I am always fascinated at how many immigrants came
to America. There is always a story behind every immigrants travel to America
and Ellis Island is a part of many of those stories. I was able to sit down at a
computer and search my family name to see if one of my family members came
through Ellis Island. I found three names of Giuseppe Giarratano, all of which
came from Sicily. I figured one of them has to be my ancestor, I just didn’t know
which one. Either way I thought it was really cool to see that name there and
know that’s how one side of my family came to America. I was so anxious to
leave that day because later in the evening I would attend the 7th
annual Project HEAL Gala. My roommate and I just started a chapter here on
Russell Sage campus for Project HEAL. At the gala, I was able to meet the
founders of Project HEAL, our chapter mentor, and many other amazing people apart
of such a great foundation. How perfect was the timing that the gala would be
around the same time we were in the city. I’m so happy I was finally able to
introduce myself and get to know everyone apart of Project HEAL.
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My roommate, Talia Lusterman, and I at the
Project HEAL Gala |
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