Even Lower Manhattan & Meat Packed Chelsea

   Our seven week adventure is sadly almost at its end! We hoped on the E train, and arrived at the World Trade Center, a place that holds devastating memories for New York City. The most famous buildings of the World Trade Center's seven buildings were the Twin Towers, two boxy 110-story office buildings designed by Yamasaki, which initially drew criticism for their size and ungainliness, but eventually became familiar icons for the city and even the nation (BG, p62). The towers were destroyed on September 11,2001, when Islamic terrorist deliberately crashed two fully fueled Boeing 767s into the towers (BG,p62). We observed at what stands at the site now, the Freedom Tower. Construction for Daniel Libeskind's Freedom Tower , 1,776 ft high to symbolize the date of American independence began in 2006 (BG, p62). Behind us stood St. Paul's Chapel, opened in 1776, it is the oldest public building in continuous use! It is so old and historic that George Washington actually prayed in it! Mike informed us that during the 9/11 attack, firefighters, construction workers, and members of the police department stayed here to rest and recover. Mike also informed us that the chapel did not even damage a window during the terrorist attacks, which is indicative of some type of miracle this chapel contains. We went inside to see the 9/11 memorial, and I was amazed at the amount of people who come to visit! The memorial contained hundreds of banners sent from all over the country to support New York during its time of need. My favorite part of the memorial was seeing all the letters and notes written to all the courageous firefighters, police officers, and troops to express the gratitude felt for them.

  

    After we visited the chapel, we began walking towards Wall Street, a short street, about a third of a mile long, which runs between Broadway and the East River (BG, p64). Ever since the New York Stock Exchange moved here in 1903, this thoroughfare has been synonymous with New York's financial industry (BG, p64). As we walked, we actually passed right by the New York Stock Exchange ! The most famous and largest stock exchange and is right in the heart of NYC! We discussed how Wall Street has become even more famous because of the protest movement known as Occupy Wall Street. This movement was started to combat financial greed, inequality, and corruption in New York City. As we continued walking we still saw protesters laying down on the ground, not giving up on their beliefs!We arrived at our first stop in Wall Street, Trinity Church, probably New York's most famous and wealthiest house of worship, because of its dramatic setting (BG, p65). We discussed that the architectural style of the church was Neo-Gothic, and Mike informed us that it was actually the tallest building in the city in the 1890's. The present church is actually the third on site. The first (1698) was burned down and remained in ruins for a while,and the second (1790) was demolished after it was extensively damaged (BG, p65). We headed to the churchyard, two acres of welcoming green space in the financial district (BG, p66). We saw the graves of very popular men, such as Robert Fulton, the inventor of the steamboat, and Alexander Hamilton, the first treasurer in the US. We were lucky enough to admire the gorgeous bronze doors that welcome visitors into the church. The doors are modeled after Lorenzo Ghiberti's famous bronze doors of the baptistery of the cathedral in Florence (BG, p65). We left the historic church and continued on our voyage onto the Federal Hall National Monument. Mike informed us that this is the exact location where George Washington was inaugurated in 1789, how cool! This sever and elegantly proportional building is one of the finest examples of Greek Revival temple architecture in the nation (BG,p69). We were welcomed into the building by a powerful sculpture of George Washington, by John Quincy Adams Ward. Inside is a very informative exhibit with actual objects from Washington's inauguration! My favorite object I saw was the huge bible that Washington used during his inauguration. I learned that that exact bible has also been used by presidents preceding him, even George Bush Sr! The exhibit included models of the original City Hall, and information on more current presidents as well. I really enjoyed reading about the first inauguration, and being able to see actual memorabilia.

    We continued our walking adventure, and passed by the National Museum of the American Indian, and Mike informed us that it was formally the Alexandar Hamilton Custom House.The museums astonishing collections range geographically from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego and chronologically from prehistoric times to the present (BG, p44). We continued our on foot adventure, and arrived at Battery Park, a 23- acre park that offers spectacular views of the harbor, and a group of monuments recalling New York's Martime and commercial history (BG, p48). When we arrived at the park, we were welcomed by a large metallic sculpture known as The Sphere. Mike informed us that this sculpture had actually survived the attacks of 9/11, and now it stands as a memorial. Mike and Meritta informed us that Battery Park got his name from the row of cannons that defended the original fort. As we walked a bit further, we arrived at Castle Clinton who's walls were raised before the War if 1812 to protect the harbor from a naval invasion (BG, p48). We were able to look at the Castle Clinton exhibit, which talks about the many changes the location has undergone, and shows us how they built those famous walls! As we proceeded we passed by the famous immigration gate Ellis Island and the most tourist attracting sculpture, the Statue of Liberty. We headed towards our next stop, the World Financial Center, who's five office towers were designed by the firm of Cesar Pelli between 1985 and 1988 (BG, p.61). Meritta informed us that the building was extensively damaged during 9/11, and had to be closed for renovations. We continued on to the Irish Hunger Memorial, which Meritta informed us is dedicated to create awareness of the Great Irish Famine, which killed millions of people in Ireland. It was such a lovely experience being able to walk through this monument, and I definitely felt as If I had just time traveled to Ireland! After our time traveling experience, we headed to the Poets House. The Poets House is an unique organization that really shows passion and devotion to poetry. This place has an amazing collection of any type of poem one can think of! A poetry book that caught my eye was tittled I'm Tired of Being Quiet by Alejo Rodriguez. I really enjoyed reading the poems in this book, especially since I found most of the poems gave a sense of empowerment to women. My favorite poem in the book was titled Who's Nagging? and it speaks about men constantly telling women that they are naggers, when in fact they are just speaking the truth! I really enjoyed the relaxing time at the Poets House, and I am already planning to visit again!

      After our relaxing time at the Poets House, it was time to break for lunch! We headed to Chelsea Market, a place filled with ton of food! As we arrived at the Meatpacking District, Mike informed us that back in the day it was filled with prostitution and warehouses, and that now it is extremely gentrified! It gentrified rapidly during the 1990s with stylish bars and restaurants, high concept clothing and design stores, and art galleries spilling south from Chelsea (BG, p184). We arrived at the Chealsea Market, the former Nabisco owner who reopened in 1995 with ground floor filled with shops offering high-quality food, wine, kitchen wares, and flowers (BG, p186). We had a delicious Hale & Hearty meal, and had full and happy bellies. After lunch, we headed to the High Line, and Mike informed us that it used to be a railroad on the street in which people would get hit. West Side Cowboys mounted on horseback preceded the engines waving flags, but accidents happened and it became known as the "Death Avenue" (BG, p188). It is now a relaxing park in which people can sit and take naps if they wanted to!.

 

    Our remaining time was spent gallery hoping! I had fun hoping through the galleries and experiencing each different kind of art that each gallery tried to sell. I found a lot of the art weird, and this experience definitely opened up my mind to the kinds of art that are out there. My favorite work of art was the body under the blanket in the middle of the room. It was creepy looking because the details make it look so real! My favorite gallery was the one that used wood pieces and chunks, and some where large enough to cover an entire wall! I enjoyed observing the creativity and uniqueness the artist from these galleries have. They are definitely breaking barriers when it comes to the idea of typical art!