Today was another hot
day, although it was not as bad because the sun was not shinning as bright as
usual. The humidity, however, was going to be the challenge today. I was really
excited that we were going to the Eastside and walking through Central Park.
Central Park is one of my favorite places to go in the city, and I knew that I
was going to learn things I didn’t know about today. When Mike showed up this morning he
brought along Don and Damian and informed us that they were going to be joining
us today. He proceeded to say that Don was going to educate us at our first
stop, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, or more commonly known as
The Met, is the largest and comprehensive museum in the world. Its collections
hold more than two million objects and the entire building occupies 1.5 million
square feet (BG, 327). I have been to the Met before but I was not interested
in it at all. I was hoping this time around I would find a little more
appreciation for it. As we entered the museum we headed up to the Modern and
Contemporary Art. Don made it very interesting explaining the artwork of Cindy
Sherman, Miriam Schapiro, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol and countless others.
Every time I go to a museum, I find myself just walking into room after room
not fully understanding anything around me, but Don kept my attention and I was
focused on my surroundings.
The
work of Jackson Pollock stuck out to me the most. I had seen the movie Pollock
in my Art History class and I was mesmerized at how tortured he was and how he
could paint art that was so powerful. My favorite piece of his was Autumn
Rhythm, which many see as one of his
greatest achievements. This piece was painted in October of 1950 and
exemplifies the extraordinary balance between accident and control Pollock
maintained over his technique. Don had mentioned that the artwork of Pollock
was simply just art, that there was no further meaning behind his paintings.
For some reason, when I looked at this piece of art, I could feel the pain and
anguish that Pollock had inside him and the raw emotions that he put into his
artwork. I also liked the work of Chuck Close and learned that he did most of
his artwork using his mouth after he became a paraplegic. It’s amazing the
amount of extra dedication and concentration that he had to put in to create
such masterpieces.
We where then told we had a half an hour to explore one
of the exhibits. A few of my classmates and I made our way to the Egyptian
Wing. I have always loved learning about the Ancient Egyptians and their
culture. Walking through the exhibit I saw fascinating artifacts. One of the
sculptures that caught my eye was titled Isis-Aphrodite.
This statute dates backs to the 2nd century A.D. I learned that this
goddess emphasizes the fertility aspects associated with Aphrodite, the Greek
goddess of love and desire. Isis-Aphrodite was concerned with marriage and
childbirth. Another statue I noticed was the Divinized Arsinoe II. Queens were
powerful political agents and dynastic and religious symbols. The queen is
holding an attribute that is associated with life and rebirth. The Egyptian
exhibit was astonishing and I wish I could have spent more time in it. I know
that I am going to have to come back again and explore the museum and see what
else I can learn from it.
After the museum we started our walk to the Westside
through Central Park. In 1844, William Cullen Bryant wanted to build a public
park so people could go and escape the city life that was being devoured by
commerce. In 1858, the Greensward Plan by Olmsted and Vaux was chosen. This
plan would help preserve the picturesque, dramatic qualities of the landscape
(BG 280-281). We then came across a pond, a beautiful pond that had sailboats
floating in it. This pond was transformed by Vaux and Olmsted from swampland
inhabited by a few impoverished immigrant families to a peaceful miniature lake
(BG, 285). The pond was perfect for families with little children to go to and
sail a boat in. Looking at couples and families on the row boats made me feel
warm inside. I always considered Central Park to be romantic, and the horse
drawn carriages going past us made me want to fall in love in the park. As we
were making our way to the edge of the park we came across Strawberry Fields.
After the assassination of John Lennon in 1980, the 2.5-acre area was named
Strawberry Fields to honor him. John Lennon was a songwriter, singer, and
member of the Beatles (BG, 290).
After lunch we headed for 5th Avenue, my
heaven on earth. We started at the Plaza Hotel. The Plaza Hotel
opened on October 1, 1907 and was considered to be the greatest hotel in the
world. I remember being a little girl and my parents would take my siblings and
me to walk around and admire this grand hotel. To walk through it again was
wonderful. It looked just as magnificent and beautiful as I remember it to be.
I consider it to be one of the most beautiful hotels in New York City. We then
crossed the street to FAO Schwartz, one of my favorite toy stores in the world.
FAO
Schwartz was founded in 1862, and is different than any
other toy store. It has a wide variety of toys, games, books, and an
old-fashioned charm. Walking into FAO
Schwartz is like walking into fantasy land. I still got all giddy when I saw
all the stuffed animals and wanted to have them all. In my opinion, I think
that FAO Schwartz is every child’s favorite toy store.
Continuing down 5th Avenue I began to drool. I
love clothes and fashion so walking down 5th was amazing. All my
favorite designers, Gucci, Fendi, Chanel, Prada, Cartier and many others, were
all right next to each other. I wish I could have gone into every one of those
stores and browsed around. When we walked through Tiffany’s I found myself wondering
around and looking at all the beautiful jewelry. It was a tease. I could have
stayed in there the entire day and admired it. We then walked into one of the
most stunning churches, St. Patrick’s Cathedral. St. Patrick’s Cathedral is a
famous city landmark and a symbol of the success in New York of its immigrant Irish
Catholic population. St. Patrick’s is the largest Catholic Cathedral in the
United States and the eleventh largest in the world (BG, 254). The outside of
the church is magnificent and has such detail. Walking into the cathedral I was
overtaken by its beauty. The interior of the church is so beautiful and
breathtaking. The stained glass windows were unbelievably gorgeous. I lit a
candle for my grandfather and prayed for him and my family. I also thanked God
for watching over me and keeping me safe. After I left the church I felt
peaceful and at ease.
Our last stop was the New York Public Library. 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). I had never seen such an elaborate and massive library
before in my entire life. The entrance hall is finished in white Vermont
marble, and has an elaborate vaulted ceiling (BG, 208). The library entrance in
itself was absolutely stunning. The Main Reading Room was gigantic and
decorated beautifully. The ceiling has clouds painted on it which gives it a
very peaceful feeling. I could see myself studying in there and being able to
concentrate.
Today’s class was amazing. I learned so much today about
places I had been to but never really understood or wanted to learn anything
about. I am so grateful that I was given a second chance to return to these
sites and learn about their history and importance.
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