A literary visitor strolls in from the airport is a article from the New York times by Charles Mcgrath. It talks about Will Self and his new novel but most importantly his travel to New York and his experiences. Unlike most people Self likes to walk rather than taking mass transportation, Self’s reasoning behind this is that in a post-industrial age walking is one of the very few forms of exploration that still exist. Self’s walks are not only for exploration but for relaxation as he states that it keeps him away from drugs and alcohol and the pleasure that he gets from it is much greater than what drugs have ever given. Self also talks about what he sees and smells such as the “afflatus of the city’s bowels” and how they are getting into the real body of the city. In the end it is mostly about his experiences of walking through the city.
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While reading the article by Charles Mcgrath which talks about Will Self’s exploration of New York City, I can’t help but relate to his Self’s experiences. For one Self talks about the pleasure he derives from his walks and how it surpasses the pleasure he once obtained from drugs, on my end I would takes walks as a way to relax my inner turmoil without having to do drugs, not that I ever did mind you. Self’s stance on walking and exploration is that walking is one of the very few forms out there that represent true exploration in today’s post-industrial age, with this I also agree with as well. Self talks about his walk to the airport and his walk to the hotel which was more dangerous than he had first expected it to be, from my own experiences I too agree with him and his stance. By walking home from school during high school I was able to see new sights and experience other things that I otherwise would not have experienced if I had taken a method of mass transportation. Overall what stood out to me the most is his journey and the way it connects to me, but not only that but how it also connects to a reading we have made before in class.
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.
In today’s busy world finding the most quickest route is crucial and familiarizing ourselves with is important if we want to save time, but by doing this we’re essentially missing out on our beautiful surroundings. Getting lost is by far the only way to get to know what is around us but as we all know that consumes far too much time, but what about getting “lost” in an area that passes through your commute? We shall be exploring such route and without further ado, lets begin!
Our rout shall run from Jay Street Metrotech station in where the A,C, F and R trains run to the Dekalb station on Flatbush in which the B,D,N,Q and R trains run. Upon exiting the Jay Street station make a left and walk straight until you see Myrtle Avenue on the other side of the street and head over on to the Metrotech center. From there walk straight on Myrtle as you walk there will be art exhibitions that were donated to Polytech NYU, food franchises such as Five Guys and at this point in time the Metrotech center is beautifully decorated with many Christmas themed decorations to celebrate the holidays. As you progress to end of the street you will see a curved road from there make a left and walk straight, from here being “lost” is quite rewarding. The sight you will most definitely see is a couple of houses and a church that are awfully out of place, but have quite a lot of history behind them first let’s begin with the church. The church you will see here is named The Oratory Church of Saint Boniface was originally built during the 1870’s by German immigrants eventually became ran down but was restored by priests and brothers of the Order of Saint Phillip Neri who too were looking for a home and thus the Oratory Church of Saint Boniface was born. This Neo gothic church has received lots of attention for the sheer amount of people who have attended on Palm Sunday and the distances they travel just to get there. Now on to the other three houses that are located right next to the Oratory Church of Saint Boniface, these four buildings( They’re commonly referred to as the 180-184 Duffield houses) which are remnants of a neighborhood that no longer exist were originally located on the corner of Johnson Street between Bridge and Lawrence street, which has now become Tech Place. The first three buildings(180-183) were build by Rev. Samuel Roosevelt Johnson in 1838 and1839, lastly the fourth building was built by a merchant, Francis Chichester. As the Metrotech place was being built in the early 1980’s these pieces of history were in danger of being erased from history, however in 1990 they were moved to their present location and as of 2001 they have been landmark as a group. For those wondering if these buildings are currently being occupied, they have been occupied in the past and still are only now are occupied by non-profits, agencies, and business offices. Continue walking straight and make a left upon Willoughby street and continue for a bit, another stop we shall make is at the Chase building which is only a minute or two away, (A word of warning, if you have experienced anything similar to an epileptic seizure I strongly recommend that you skip this stop) inside there is a bunch of monitors that display various images that look as if they belong in some kind of music video. Upon exiting continue walking the same path while walking you’ll come across the Institute of Design and Construction, upon coming to the end of the street look to your left and you can see a building with a pretty cool design, and in the middle of the road there is wire frame cubes. Continue on to the car wash that is offering $5 dollar discounts if you decide to print out your won coupon. Make a right on to the Flatbush exit or on the car wash, from there continue straight to eventually find the Dekalb train station, however this is not the station we shall be stopping at. Continue forward until you find the next train station, as you walk you’ll see Long Island University which surprisingly is not located in Long Island, as you walk you will eventually approach the station that marks the end of your journey, not only have you explored a familiar area you have also found a different way in and learned a little about the neighborhood.
Getting lost is one of the very few ways out there to truly explore our surroundings but often getting lost takes up too much time. Being lost can help a person discover the beauty of their surroundings, simply being lost in a familiar area can bring about discovery and help an individual learn about something new
Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/08/nyregion/oratory-church-of-st-boniface-draws-congregants-from-outside-the-parish.html?pagewanted=all
http://www.oratory-church.org/aboutus_history.asp
http://www.oratory-church.org/aboutus_history_brooklyn.asphttp//
www.brownstoner.com/blog/2011/11/building-of-the-day-182-188-duffield-street/
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/20/nyregion/fyi-437735.html
Unheralded-Adjective
Not getting the praise or appreciation that is deserved
http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/unheralded
Encounter: This word was encountered during the reading of Reading Lucy Jennifer Egan
The word Unheralded is used to explain that something that doesn’t happen or is unexpected. An a person who is Unheralded does not receive the credit they deserve.
Querulous- Adjective
Habitually complaining
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/querulous
This word was found during the reading of Reading Lucy by Jennifer Egan. The world querulous is defined as someone that is constantly complaining about an issue, the easiest way to remember this word is to think of somebody who is always complaining about something.
Obituary– Noun
An article in a newspaper about the life of someone who has recently died.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obituary
This word was first encountered in Reading Lucy by Jennifer Egan. The word Obituary relates to death and the media, to be specific an article in the newspaper about the life or a person who has recently passed away.
Corollary– Noun
Something that naturally follows or results from another thing
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corollary
This word was first encountered in the reading of Reading Lucy by Jennifer Egan
This word deals with things that relate to one another and a more simplified definition would be cause and effect.
Mystification-Noun
The quality or state of being mystified
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mystification
This word was encountered in the list of words assigned by Professor Rosen as part of the glossary project.
Mystification relates to causing utter confusion upon somebody, therefore someone who is experiencing Mystification is someone who is experiencing confusion
