What I found the most difficult out of the project was finding a place that I could personally feel somewhat attached to and could write about as my personal New York. As for finding the Juxtaposition in the Metro tech area and that was pretty easy as many places easily felt out of place with Jay Street’s modern look. When it came down to it I found this project really fun, I was able to learn more about places that while a still familiar were still very foreign to me. Overall what I feel will need improvement is in quoting and using quotes as a means of support to my essays.
Category: ENG1101 Project #2
Everyone has an opinion and therefore everyone sees the world in a different way. Everyone has their own New York and will vary from person to person, for someit may be the towering buildings of Manhattan or the beautiful walls of what used to be the 5 Pointz building, whatever it may be they all have one thing in common it’s someone’s New York. Colson Whitehead author of “The Colossus of New York” explains what his New York is and the experiences behind them, Whitehead explains that the moment you start to remember fondly about an old establishment in New York. By Whitehead saying this he implies that everyone’s New York is constantly overlapping one another and that no “New York” is the real “New York”. By walking around the Jay Street area we are able to slowly discover our New York and at the same time discover a little about the many neighborhoods that juxtapose one another and the variety that it creates.
When beginning my journey I had an easy time finding things that juxtapose one another but my main issue was finding experiences that actually meant something to me because of this I was able to find the location but not the meaning or feeling that such a walk should have. After a couple of days it clicked to me my New York was my friends that I’ve made here in college but my friends aren’t a location rather the places we went to are the locations that make up my New York and will continue to do so as I spend time with them here in City Tech. The location of these places are pretty simple to follow, one must first start off by exiting out of the Johnson side of City Tech upon doing so you should be greeted by sounds of construction and the sight of a yet unfinished project, make a left and keep on going straight you should cross a train station with connections to the A,C and R trains. As you walk for a minute or two you will see a concession stand with people at times however there is another train with connection to the number lines, head over there but do not go in the train instead head straight through the trail with trees. Once you encounter the Five Guy’s restaurant make a left and walk. Upon walking the Juxtaposition should start to become evident with the buildings starting to look a little more run down and less new than they are in Jay Street. Continue walking straight and a few things you will see are the Asa Learning Center, a blood donation center if you walk even further you will eventually come across the Fulton Mall. My original journey was slightly longer but had no real attachment to the area since I had no memories that were particularly important to me, however once I made a few friends and went around making a few friends I see that my New York is slowly but surely becoming evident.
My location lies between Fulton mall and Lawrence Street to me this a rather unique juxtaposition it shows a small section that in a sense is slowly being consumed by it’s surroundings, the name of this place is Willoughby street. Change is always constantly happening and Whitehead experiences this with many of the buildings he never got to say goodbye to “I never got to say goodbye to some of the old buildings. Some I lived in… I thought they would always be there.” Willoughby Street looks rather old compared to the scenery around it, everyone here was mostly casually dressed and seemed to be of a somewhat normal income with the occasional professional who is by making their way to work. The Willoughby area is saturated with small stores like 99c stores, corner stores and raggedy looking restaurants however there is also some chain restaurants like Tio Pio here and there but oddly enough no franchises such as Mcdonalds, at least where I walked through. As for the sounds I heard it ranges from voices to car noises with the occasional construction here and there which in a way serves to remind that Wiloughby street is slowly disappearing. As it begins to be consumed by it’s surrounding it makes me wonder is it really such a good thing? Will I, just like Whitehead not be able to say goodbye to my New York?
On the other side of the spectrum in the Fulton Mall is much more varied with people of all walks of life, age and cultures . Unlike Willoughby street Fulton mall is full of franchises that are otherwise not found in Willoughby street. The way one feels upon entering Fulton mall is like entering a whole new world with such the drastic change in scenery. As far as noise goes it buses are now thrown into the mix and are constantly making noises as they pick up passengers, not to mention the many people shopping and chatting as they walk. When I look at the Fulton Mall I can’t help but wonder what this place looked like before and whose New York did it used to belong to? Such as how Whitehead remarked on how the Pan Am building and how others who refer to it as the Met Life building are wrong ” I still call it the Pan Am building…that titan squatting over grand central is the Met life building….She is wrong of course” which is contradictory to what Whitehead implied about no New York being the real one. The way this juxtaposes with Willoughby is really evident not only in the way it looks but how it feel as you walk through what seems to be this new world, Willoughby feels old and in a sense a step back in time while the Fulton Mall seems more progressive in the way it looks, yet this experience could be the complete opposite of what someone else feels.
The surroundings we live in change constantly change and shape our ideals, the same applies to our own New York. By being able to see the juxtaposition in every neighborhood one can see the difference in lifestyles for each person, someone in a suit in the Jay Street Metro-tech area could be an intern or a student off to college level classes while those in the Fulton Mall area could be anyone that is simply looking to shop. Many things affect the way a person see something from the experiences they have to what they deal with on a daily basis. Everyone has their own New York and no one New York is truly correct, the only thing everyone can all agree on is that their New York belongs to them.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion therefore everyone is entitled to their own New York. Every New York has it’s story and will vary from person in accordance to their experiences as a New Yorker. For some it may be the towering buildings of Manhattan or the beautiful walls of what used to be the 5 Pointz building, whatever it may be it has one thing in common it’s someone’s New York. Colson Whitehead author of “The Colossus of New York” explains what his New York is and the experiences behind them are. My task was to follow Whitehead’s footsteps and find my New York with the added twist of a juxtaposition and how it makes New York even more unique in the way it merges poorer neighborhoods with the more richer ones.
When beginning my journey I had an easy time finding things that juxtapose one another but my main issue was finding my New York the experiences that actually meant something to me because of this I was able to find the location but not the meaning or feeling that such a walk should have. After a couple of days it clicked to me my New York was my friends that I’ve made here in college but my friends aren’t a location rather the places we went to are the some of the locations that make up my New York and will continue to do so as I spend time with them here in City Tech and Jay street. The location of these places are pretty simple to follow, one must first start off by exiting out of the Johnson side of City Tech upon doing so you should be greeted by sounds of construction and the sight of a yet unfinished project, make a left and keep on going straight you should cross a train station with connections to the A,C and R trains. As you walk for a minute or two you will see a concession stand with people at times however there is another train with connection to the number lines, head over there but do not go in the train instead head straight through the trail with trees. Once you encounter the Five Guy’s restaurant make a left and walk. Upon walking the Juxtaposition should start to become evident with the buildings starting to look a little more run down and less new than they are in Jay Street. Continue walking straight and a few things you will see are the Asa Learning Center, a blood donation center if you walk even further you will eventually come across the Fulton Mall. My original journey was slightly longer but had no real attachment to the area since I had no memories that were particularly important to me, however once I made a few friends and went around making a few friends I see that my New York is slowly but surely becoming evident.
My location in specific lies between Fulton mall and Lawrence Street to me this a rather unique juxtaposition it shows a small section that in a sense is slowly being consumed by it’s surroundings Whitehead experiences this with many of the buildings he never got to say goodbye to “I never got to say goodbye to some of the old buildings. Some I lived in… I thought they would always be there.” This small section between Lawrence and Fulton looks rather old compared to the areas around it, everyone here was mostly casually dressed and seemed to be of a somewhat low income with the occasional professional who is by assumption making their way through to make it to a job or coffee. The Willoughby area is saturated with small stores like 99c stores, corner stores and raggedy looking restaurants however there is also some chain restaurants like Tio Pio here and there but oddly enough no franchises such as Mcdonalds in the Willoughby area which is odd as restaurants like these tend to thrive off the low income ares such as this one. As for the sounds I heard it ranges from voices to car noises with the occasional construction here and there which in a way serves to remind that Wiloughby street is slowly disappearing. As it begins to be consumed by it’s surrounding it makes me wonder is it really such a good thing? Will I, just like Whitehead not be able to say goodbye to my New York?
On the other side of the spectrum in the Fulton Mall is much more varied with people of all walks of life, age and cultures. Unlike Willoughby street Fulton mall is full of name brand clothing such as gap, banana republic, Aeropostale and Express. The way one feels upon entering Fulton mall is like entering a whole new world with such the drastic change in scenery. As far as noise goes it varies a little bit more as buses are now thrown into the mix, and since Fulton mall is slightly more lively there is also many people shopping and talking as they walk through the streets. When I look at the Fulton Mall I can’t help but wonder what this place looked like before and whose New York did it used to belong to? Such as how Colson remark on how the Pan Am building and how others who refer to it as the Met Life building are wrong ” I still call it the Pan Am building…that titan squatting over grand central is the Met life building….She is wrong of course”. The way this juxtaposes with Willoughby is really evident not only in the way it looks but how it integrates with the surroundings, Fulton Mall makes Willoughby’s scenery stick out like a sore thumb. Everything from the condition of the street to the people that walk through it shows the difference in people and the way they go about their day.
The New York one has varies from person to person and can be good or bad depending on that person’s experience there. By looking at two locations that juxtapose one another one is able to see how people live and to some point can even tell what their New York is. With their being so many people, there is so many New Yorks all with different experiences and locale how one decides to look at it all varies.
Starting my walk today I went around City Tech with no actual plans to where I wanted to go since I don’t really know the area as well as I would like to, that being said let me describe my tiny adventure around Jay Street! First off exit from the Johnson Street side, the one with the construction going on as you walk towards this street you’ll be greeted with sounds of cars, trains and indistinguishable voices. Now keep on going after a bit of minutes of walking you can look to your left and see a concession stand with people waiting on line to get some food you’ll also be able to see or take the subway if you desire. As you might see there is some trees and much leaves go through there, as you walk you will come across people being people and enjoying the day. Now keep on going and you’ll see a Five Guys, now why a Five Guys? I was hungry that’s why. Now make a right you should be able to see many buildings out into the distance also if you look to your left there will be a nifty map to help you out in case you are ever to get lost. Now keep walking and go past the metal poles and keep on walking you’ll come across a blood donor center in which you can go donate blood to save a few lives. Now here is one of the instances I see in which I see two New York’s the building behind the small one makes it look as if a line that divides the newer and more nicer looking building from the ones that are more run down and have more history behind them. As you keep walking north the divide becomes more evident the buildings aren’t as nice looking as they were around City Tech, once you pass the ASA learning center look to the sky and to look at a towering building that in a sense makes it look as this area is closed in similar to an oasis in the desert, only that in this case the desert is the newer Jay Street and Willoughby Street is the oasis in the desert. Now walk north towards Willoughby Street and keep walking north till you come across Lawrence Street make a left and you’re in the Fulton Mall. Keep on walking north and you’ll be greeted by various noise ranging from people to buses along with the many noises you might also be greeted with delicious smells depending on your tastes, I found it rather delicious but then again I was hungry. Now as you walk you will eventually come across Bridge Street make a left and see another entrance to the train station this time it’s the 2 and 3 lines ignore this for now or take it if you’d like. As you walk you’ll see a building that is currently under construction and along with that building there is many noises from industrial equipment. For our last stop keep on going straight and take the R train lines.
, and now where? Well for me it’s home and that was my adventure around the neighborhood that surrounds City Tech.
