Journal #2: Quixotic Queens

              My alarm woke me up at 7:00 this morning. I knew that it was going to be a very hot day and a long day. Even though it was going to be unbearably hot walking around, I wasn’t going to let it stop me from this grand experience I was about to encounter. Rose and I arrived at the New Hyde Park train station to catch a 9:30 train to Penn Station. Upon arrival at Penn Station, I was filled with different emotions. I was anxious to get started on our journey, but at the same time, I was scared at not knowing exactly what I was going to be encountering. I knew that this class was going to be the best class I ever took during my college experience, and I couldn’t wait to get started.

            Mike informed us that we were going to be taking the 7 subway train which has been named the “International Express” because it runs through so many different ethnic communities (BG, 493). I rarely ever ride the subway so I was very excited to see how the subway system works and hopeful that I would be confident enough after this class to ride it myself. As we were approaching our stop I looked to my left and saw Citi Field. I am not a Mets fan but looking at the stadium was really a great site to see. Our first stop was Flushing Meadow Park. I have never heard of this park and was beyond surprised to see how beautiful it was. I never would have thought that Queens of all places would hold one of the most beautiful parks I have ever seen. I was shocked to find out that this beautiful piece of land was once covered in trash and marsh in the 1920s. It was Robert Moses who in the 1930s transformed this land covered in trash into the land to host the World’s Fair (BG, 497). 

As we were making our way to the Queens Museum of Art we passed the Unisphere. The only place I have seen the Unisphere was on the titles to the show King of Queens and I didn’t even know what it was! Mike told us that we were very lucky because the fountains were on and he said that they are almost never on. There were children running around in the water and enjoying this beautiful summer day. The view of the Unisphere was breathtaking and made me happy to see how people were enjoying themselves. Just by looking at it I didn’t realize that it was 12 stories high and 120 ft in diameter (BG, 497). That’s pretty big. I was happy enough to get a picture of it and that is a picture I am going to save and not forget. In the Queens Museum of Art we were guided to the Panorama. The Panorama was constructed in 1964 by Robert Moses to be showcased in the World’s Fair and holds 895,000 buildings. It is an exact replica of the five boroughs before 1992 when it was updated (BG, 498). I was amazed to see how exact everything was and how everything was right where it was supposed to be. I never thought about how big the boroughs were and how many different little pieces make it a whole. The Panorama took a lot of work and a lot of thought to be put together.

Then it was time for lunch. Mike had told us that we would be going to Jackson Heights and having Indian food. I have never had Indian food before but was willing to give it a shot. Thankfully I was standing next to Mike and he was telling me what everything was. I gave everything a try except for the goat curry. I was a little worried that I was not going to like it since I can be a picky eater when I am trying new food. I was determined that I was going to give it a shot and to my amazement the food was absolutely delicious. Everything tasted so good and the spiciness was the cherry on top. I am so grateful that this class exposed me to a new and interesting cuisine and I will most definitely be eating it again.

After lunch the sun was blazing down on us but we were continuing our adventure. Our next stop was Astoria. I was excited and confused at the same time. We were visiting the Museum of Moving Image and I had no idea what it was or what it entailed even though it is one of Queens’ biggest tourist attractions (BG, 499). The Museum of the Moving Image advances the public understanding and appreciation of the art, history, technique, and technology of film, television, and digital media. As I was walking around the museum I saw the many different aspects that go into making a film. I began to understand why Astoria of all places housed this museum. Astoria was the main center of the film making industry before World War II when the government took it over (BG, 499). It was remarkable to find out how the head of Regan MacNeil in the Exorcist turns a complete 360 degrees, to see how certain characters were made for movies such as Mrs. Doubtfire and the Elephant Man, and it was also very interesting to see the many different guns that were used in the movie Men in Black. I especially loved the old video game machines that were there. When I was little I loved to play Sonic the Hedgehog on Sega and Super Mario Brothers on Nintendo. It’s amazing to see how far the movie industry has come and how it is constantly evolving and finding new and improved ways to make movies. If it wasn’t for this class, I still wouldn’t know that the Museum of Moving Image existed or anything about it.

My favorite part of the day was definitely 5pointz. 5pointz is a place where artists from all around the globe can come and extract their art on the 200,000-square foot building. I believe that individuality and freedom of expression should be a loud and bold thing and think that it is a wonderful thing that people can go and express themselves however they feel. It was remarkable at how detailed the pictures were and how the bright bold colors stopped you dead in your tracks. Looking at each of the pictures, I could actually feel the pain and emotions that went into each and every one of them. There were paintings with Batman and Alice in Wonderland and then people sitting around a tree. Each and every picture meant something to the artist and it is an honor to be able to go and admire their works of art. It was absolutely stunning.

It was around 5:30 when the sun really starting to be a killer. We were walking through Long Island City and the heat was becoming unbearable. Mike kept telling us that we were almost at Gantry Plaza State Park that over looked the East River. The park had a playground for children to play, hammocks to take a load off and relax, and piers for fishing. The park was beautiful and looked as if it was new and up and coming just like Long Island City itself. The view of New York City from the park was incredible. The sun was starting to set and was hitting the water and making it shine bright. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

As I sat on the train for my ride come I was thinking about what an amazing day I had had. In eight hours I learned about places and things I never knew existed. I learned more today than I ever have sitting in a class room listening to a teacher rant. The way this class is designed it is impossible not to learn new things and actually understand what is going on around you. Everything I learned today came from hands on experience and I am forever grateful. I cannot wait to share my experience and knowledge with others and my anticipation for the following classes is unbearable.