Daily Archives: October 15, 2013

Double Session

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Today our Speech and English Class came together to visit for the second time to the BHS. On today’s visit we had the chance to be on the library to view some ancient maps. we learned about different kind of maps. There are different kind of maps such as manuscript maps, property maps, and many more like a old NYC subway transit map. When my class went inside the library we were instructed to get into our groups and we were assigned to a table where there were three maps that we had to examine. When observing the maps we had to answer some questions of the maps like who made it, when was it made, what materials were used to create the map, why is it important history, is it relevant today, and many more questions. We also learned the important details in a map like the compass, it is important to know where is north for you can know where you are heading. Also the legend that’s in a map that show us the key that helps us understand a map better. Looking at the three maps i noticed they were based on NYC the first map was from Pirrepont a manuscript map of City Techs neighborhood back in 1828, the second map was the streets of Brooklyn, and the third was a old transit map from the NYC subway in 1995. To end our visit to the BHS Prof Davis surprised my class and told us to give a impromptu speech so each group ended up giving a speech of what they each learned about the maps we observed in BHS.

Gleasons Gym

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At first I wasn’t sure what location to pick for project two but I’ve realized that Brooklyn has many extraordinary places that we don’t know about. After going on a walk around school something caught my eye. I had come across a gym, not any ordinary gym, it was Gleason’s gym! It is located on 77 Front Street, a 20 minute walk from City Tech. There is no other Gleason’s this is the only Gleason’s Gym in NYC! It’s the oldest active gym in the United States. This gym is exclusive because many famous boxers have stepped foot in it and have trained there to win their fights.

Getting to Gleason’s Gym is very simple to get to just by exiting City Tech through the main exit (Namm) and heading up towards Tillary Street. Once you get there make a left and walk all of Tillary Street until you get to Cadman Plaza E and make a right. From there walk straight up all Cadman Plaza E and continue walking up onto Washington St. You continue this walk until you get to Front St. and make a left and there you get to your destination, Gleason’s Gym. People may think that Gleason’s gym is contemporary but truth is Gleason’s gym is very unique.

Gleason’s Gym brought out existence to more than one hundred thirty two Professional world champions! Boxers such as Benny Paret, Jake LaMotta, Phil Terranova, Roberto Durán, Jimmy Carter, and other international boxers. Famous boxers also trained there like Adrian Broner, Mike Tyson, Miguel Cotto, and even Muhammad Ali who is known all over the world! Other than boxers there are artist/actors that go there today to train like Usher, Wesley Snipes. Many people who aren’t into boxing or going to the gym may not find interest in Gleason’s gym, but those who like to box or work out might want know about this particular gym or even decide go to Gleason’s Gym.

Gleason’s Gym first opened in 1937. The gym was founded by Peter Robert Gagliardi a former welterweight, who later in his career changed his name to Bobby Gleason. Today Gleason’s Gym is owned by Bruce Silverglade. When Gleason’s Gym first opened, the gym was located in the lower Bronx at 434 Westchester Avenue, near 149th Street and 3rd Avenue. In 1974, at age 82 Bobby Gleason decided to move the gym and moved to Manhattan. Gleason’s Gym was located at 252 W 30th Street. Where the gym was located began to change, the 30th Street building went co-op in 1984 and the gym was forced to find a new home. The gym moved to its current location, right under the Brooklyn Bridge on the Brooklyn side.

A friend, who is a boxer, and happens to train at Gleason’s Gym, is the reason I chose this place. I remember one day he mentioned to my friends and I that he was on the finals to fight for the Golden Glove tittle. The event was going to take place in Barclays Center and if we wanted tickets to witness his win we had to purchase them at Gleason’s gym. I immediately made my mind that I wanted to go but I had no idea how to get there. My plan to figure out the way to get there was look it up online and then afterwards I started my journey there. On my way there the walk was amazing, the view down from the gym was very delightful, you could spot the Brooklyn Bridge Park, you saw friendly people smiling, hotels, and many stores of all kind, restaurants, and the best view was the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridge. Once I got there I looked up and in large letters you read “Gleason’s Gym” and under was a little door. I went up some narrow stairs, then there was two metal grey doors. On the right one said Gleason’s Gym so I went inside and it was a pretty big place with dark red walls. I personally thought the gym was going to be smaller, but I was wrong. There are four full size rings, and 10 heavy bags that still don’t take up space. This would be a magical place for all people who enjoying going to the gym, because there is a ton of assortment of free weights, stair machines, treadmills, stationary bicycles and common boxing equipment like speed bags, double end bags and jump ropes.

The neighborhood is so marvelous, new buildings around and so many stores around it, but then something else caught my attention. It was an old big Warehouse that stood out of the all contemporary buildings a good picture of juxtaposition. Juxtaposition is the fact that two things placed together are with contrasting effect, for this example the old and new or well maintained and in disrepair. Gleason’s Gym and all of the buildings around the neighborhood were all well maintained besides that big warehouse that was really old that was built in the late 1800’s.

Colson Whitehead states in City Limits “I was born here and thus ruined for anywhere else” I can relate to this because all of New York City is full of marvelous places like the location of Gleason’s Gym makes you fall in love with New York! I been to Pennsylvania, California, Mexico, and New Jersey no matter what other place. It’s nothing compares to New York for me like Whitehead says I am ruined to like any other place but New York. Another quote from City Limits “You start building your private New York the first time you lay eyes on it” what Whitehead stated, is true because when I first walked to Gleason’s Gym it was remarkable I still remember everything I walked by and seeing the colorful painting on the wall in York St and Washington St. Also able to see the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge such a beautiful view and seeing the Brooklyn Bridge Park amazing! Inside Gleason’s Gym it was like everything I pictured a boxing gym like considering it as my first time entering a boxing gym ever! That when I added a new brick to my own private New York I wouldn’t leave it and definitely never forget it!

 photo 1 (2)photo 2

Works Cited:

 Whitehead, Colson. The Colossus of New York.2007. Print.

Brooklyn War Memorial- Project #2

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brooklyn-war-memorial-23778621

 

I was born in Brooklyn, raised in Brooklyn, and walked on foot as well. To be honest I’m not bored with the borough because each day I’m finding something cool and surprising around the hood. Near City tech their are so many amazing places that I have seen. For example : I didn’t know Brooklyn Bridge was so close to City tech, I thought it was far far away. There is also memorial parks and famous parks named after settlers. What’s surprising details that my Professor Rosen mentioned was that there was a theater literally 2 min walk away from college. Other then that she told us so many details about specific locations that made me shock. I woudl around on my own or soemtimes be with friends and explore Brooklyn. We explored other the city as well but Brooklyn is my main home. I will never get tired of it.

My adventure has started when my friends took me to this park. At that park we all started playing football and  after awhile I noticed this big wall. So I stopped the game and we went and took a glimpse of what it was. It was that people who served during the WW2 had died. So in honor of them they built this wall. It’s one of the Cadman Plaza parks. Here are the directions to get their:  When you get out of the college from the Namm Building, You head north on Jay Street towards Tillary Street. Then turn left onto Tillary Street. Then turn right onto Cadman Plaza W.Then turn right at Clark Street. Then turn left and then finally you will reach your destination.

A juxtaposition is the fact that two things being seen or placed together. The first thing that is being placed is honoring them. The wall clearly dedicates that “THIS MEMORIAL DEDICATED TO THE HEROIC MEN AND WOMEN OF THE BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN WHO FOUGHT FOR LIBERTY IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR 1941-1945 AND ESPECIALLY TO THOSE WHO SUFFERED AND DIED MAY THEIR SACRIFICE INSPIRE FUTURE GENERATIONS AND LEAD TO UNIVERSAL PEACE.” This wall was built for the people who helped and gave their lives during the World War II through the years 1941-1945. The second thing that is being placed is erased. It’s being erased because people think this isn’t important. The way that the memoir is written on the wall, it’s unbelievable because it’s really really light like you could barely see it. That just shows how not that many people care. Only the ones who do care will actually go up, read it, admire it, and understand why they were so helpful back then.

Colson Whitehead states in City Limits “Maybe we become New Yorkers the day we relaize that New York will go on without us.” It basically says how no matter where we are in the worl…New York City will never change. It will remain the way it is. He states another statement saying ” History books and public television documentaries are always trying to tell you all sorts of “facts” about New York.” Basically says that these are the people who helped out during the World War II. It shows interesting facts about New York City. These 2 quotes relates to the Brooklyn War Memorial because even though the people who died during the war New York still kept on going. it didn’t stop because of them. So for their honor, this monument was built.

 

Project 2

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Project 2 Choice

Project 2 Choice

Henry Li Prof. Rosen
ENG 1101 10/10/2013
Project 2

The Landmark I chose was the Brooklyn Bridge. It is a scenic but short walk from City Tech. It is such a magnificent sight that it catches my eye instantly as I passed it every time I travel from Brooklyn to Manhattan and back. It was the longest bridge of its time when it was first opened on May 24, 1883 and it’s the first steel-wire suspension bridge. You can see the Staten Island Terminal, The Statue of Liberty, and the development of the new piers when you are on the bridge itself. I have been living in New York for all my life. I have seen most of the city itself. But I haven’t been to downtown Brooklyn until I was enrolled to my college, New York City College of Technology. It’s quite the walk to the Brooklyn Bridge from City Tech. From the Jay St. Metrotech train station you walk up Jay St. and take a left on Tillary Street. On Tillary Street you walk up the block and there it is the Brooklyn Heights Promenade where you can see the magnificent Brooklyn Bridge itself.
On the walk itself you can see important buildings such as the Supreme Court, The Walt Whitman Park, and the NYC office of Emergency. After seeing the area from Jay St. to the Brooklyn Bridge I can relate between the juxtaposition of the park that was made by nature and the manmade building which is the Supreme Court 320 and the NYC Emergency building. A juxtaposition is the fact that two things being seen or placed together with contrasting effect. The park was inevitably edited by man. This added benches and bathrooms. The manmade building such as the Supreme Court 320 is made with limestone, glass windows, spinning doors. This clearly resembles the difference between the manmade and the natural landmarks and also how we humans are able to use our ideas and resources we have gathered from around the world to create glamorous buildings such as the Supreme Court 320.
After 10-20 minutes of hiking from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade was at the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge. It was an amazing experience to be walking on the bridge I’ve been crossing via public transportation all my life. Since the Brooklyn Bridge is connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn, you have an amazing view; you can see the Staten Island Ferry, the Statue of liberty. The experience of walking without a doubt beats passing the bridge by car or public transportation are very different as you cannot miss any of the details of the view if you are rushing past in a vehicle.
The Brooklyn Bridge was designed by a German immigrant John Augustus Roebling. The Bridge is made of Iron and Steel coupled with steel cables and stone masonry piers while the towers are built of limestone, granite and Rosendale cement. The towers are of a neo-Gothic style with pointed arches above the passageways through the towers. The Brooklyn Bridge took a grand total of thirteen years to build (January 3rd, 1870 – May 24, 1883). The bridge cost 15.5 million dollars to construct and an estimated number of twenty seven people died constructing the bridge including its original designer. The bridge’s main span over the East River is 1,595 feet and 6 inches. After a recent safety inspection the bridge was deemed in need of repairs by the federal government which led to the Brooklyn Bridge Rehabilitation project, a four year plan, 500 million dollar safety and aesthetic improvement program that began 2010.
“You start building your own New York the time you lay your eyes on the city itself” was once said by the author of The Colossus of New York: “City Limits”. This quote means that you start to develop your own way of how you interpret the city of New York the moment you see something in the city that catches your eye, or the city itself. This quote relates to my reason of choosing the Brooklyn Bridge as the main idea of my project because not only does the bridge allow people to cross over to other boroughs of New York, it allows people to perform their duties such as their jobs or to allow people to visit their relatives whom reside in either of the boroughs.
“The New York City you live in is not my New York City” is another quote also once said by Colson Whitehead which also relates to another reason that why I chose the Brooklyn Bridge for my project. It relates because I see the Brooklyn Bridge as a gateway to the other parts of New York, without it the city would not function how it does with it. As some people might not share that vision with me because they live elsewhere.
I may have read about the Brooklyn Bridge, wrote about it, seen it but never have walked on it until this project. Colson Whitehead’s passage has taught me to view New York and it’s landmarks with a different perspective. It has made me more interested in the history and what the landmarks really represent. Now I want to know if there are plans to create more bridges that are similar to Brooklyn Bridge thus, increasing the number of tourist that come every year to sight see and to allow alternate routes into Manhattan other than taking the crowded Brooklyn Bridge every morning. Now THAT would be exciting!

Works Cited
“Brooklyn Bridge.” History.com. Ed. History. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.
Whitehead, Colson. “City Limits.” The Colossus of New York [New York City] n.d.: n. pag. Print.

Forgotten and Celebrated

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Brooklyn is filled with many areas that have great historical value and meaning. Most of these areas have various overlaps that can help as analyze them in a different way and understand their importance to the community of Brooklyn. My location is the Brooklyn War Memorial located in Cadman Plaza Park. The process to arriving here is very simple. First exit City Tech on Adams Street, then make a right and walk to the end of the corner. Make a left onto Tillary Street and walk about 50 feet, then cross the street and enter Cadman Plaza Park where after walking straight you will find this significant monument in the middle of the park. At this location I see various things. I see a big monument with two statues on each side of a huge wall. The statue on the left is of a male warrior and the one on the left is a female holding a baby while in the middle of the wall there is an important message in scripted. My photograph captures this entire memorial as a whole including the steps and grass that lead up to it. It captures my juxtaposition of celebrated and forgotten because while the grass and steps leading to the statue look to be in great condition, the words are barely visible which means maintenance of the statue may have been forgotten.

A juxtaposition is the fact that two things being seen or placed together with contrasting effect. There are two major elements in the juxtaposition are celebrated and forgotten for this specific location. The first element is the celebration of this location. The meaning and celebration of this location is what allows there to be a juxtaposition. The celebration of this location is to stand and honor the men and women who gave their lives during World War II from 1941 to 1945. This is shown in the inscription placed in the middle of this memorial yet the words are barely visible. The inscription states “THIS MEMORIAL DEDICATED TO THE HEROIC MEN AND WOMEN OF THE BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN WHO FOUGHT FOR LIBERTY IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR 1941-1945 AND ESPECIALLY TO THOSE WHO SUFFERED AND DIED MAY THEIR SACRIFICE INSPIRE FUTURE GENERATIONS AND LEAD TO UNIVERSAL PEACE.”[1] This memorial was created to forever hold in honor those who gave their lives in the wall, their lives were intended to be celebrated. The second element in this juxtaposition is forgotten. In my photograph there is no one around it showing how forgotten this memorial has become. The faded inscription shows the city has shown no interest to better that and make it more visible for the people of Brooklyn. You would expect that they would be clear to read considering the important meaning behind it. Has the city giving up on showcasing this memorial? Why has it lost interest?

I chose this location and its juxtaposition because it caught my eye on my walk in Brooklyn. I chose it for personal admiration for history and the way it interests me. I saw how it was specifically dedicated to the victims of World War II that were from the Borough of Brooklyn and the statues around it showed clearly that was the purpose of the memorial. I wanted to be able to analyze it even closer on why there’s the juxtaposition of celebrated and forgotten for such an important memorial which has a grand meaning. The story of the memorial tells me that the men and women of Brooklyn played a heroic role in World War II and that their lives should inspire future generations and eventually lead to universal peace.

Colson Whitehead states in City Limits “They are a part of the city we carry around”[2]. This relates to my juxtaposition of celebrated and forgotten because at one point my location was celebrated and looked up as something huge for the city. As the years went by it was not celebrated as much but whatever person that witnessed this memorial and spent time analyzing what it represent would surely carry this part of the city with them. The evidence lies in the fading of the inscription and how steps to preserve it were clearly not taken. Now a days you don’t really see people celebrating this memorial as much as when it was once celebrated. At times when you’re at this location, you still witness some people admiring it and others just bluntly ignoring it. This is where the celebrated and forgotten comes in play because although it’s still standing not everyone celebrates it or forgets it. Whitehead also states “Seek ourselves in this city each time we reminisce about what was there fifteen, ten, forty years ago, because all our old places are proof that we were here.”[3] This relates to my location because this memorial was dedicated 62 years ago in 1951. Some people who once celebrated this memorial can probably still seek themselves in this monument because they were present at one point which is proof that they were a part of this city. Others who probably weren’t present when this monument was a big deal probably don’t reminisce as much as other people would because although they might have seen it in the past, they don’t care about it as much. This is what brings out the celebrated and forgotten.

 

 

Works Cited:

[1] “Cadman Plaza Park.” Monuments. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2013.

[2] Whitehead, Colson. The Colossus of New York.2007. Print.

[3] Whitehead, Colson. The Colossus of New York.2007. Print.

Happiest/Saddest place in NYC

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One of the happiest place I’ve seen in NYC is Times Square. Everyone is smiling, laughing and enjoying their time at Times Square. You will see people taking pictures of themselves, of the beautiful view etc. Whenever I go there I also enjoy a lot. It is also a great place for tourist to come and observe the beauty of NYC. There are many stores from which people can spend their time shopping. Madame Tussauds is also located in Times Square which is an awesome place to visit and see the amazing wax figures of celebrities and famous people all around the world. I would recommend people to go there at night because it looks even more beautiful at night with all the lighting of the stores. Also on New Year, there is a ball drop at which thousands of people go and see.

The saddest place in NYC would be Briarwood, Queens. I go there most of the times and every street is very quiet. Many people walking around don’t seem that happy. I never heard noise in the streets of Briarwood.

View of the World from 9th avenue

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One the map we can see that 9th Avenue and 10th Avenue are very busy areas. We see many people walking and cars moving around. The title of the picture View of the World from 9th avenue doesn’t really match with the picture because we can’t just see two avenues and say that’s the world. What he probably meant by giving that title is that how these two avenues are so busy every time that it seems like the whole world is over here. If you see very closely you can see that he placed Jersey right next to Hudson river which doesn’t go correctly. Also that on the left side of jersey it says Mexico and on the right it says Canada. Far in the back we see Pacific Ocean and above it we see Russia, Japan and China. It doesn’t seem correct but I think he wanted to show that these countries and states are also busy areas like these two avenues are in NYC.

Old To New Buildings

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photo

 

New York City is surrounded mostly with water. It is home to many low-rise and high-rise buildings. These city buildings come in a variety of shapes, styles and colors thus enabling us to a very artistic view. Whether buildings are built for historical purposes or religious purposes, every building has a story. The term juxtaposition can relate to buildings across New York City.
            Juxtaposition is an adjective describing the positioning of objects. It is an instance of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effects. There are many examples displaying juxtaposition near my school, but these two buildings in particular caught my attention. They caught my attention because they both stood out very drastically.
            To understand how I stumbled upon these overlapping buildings, you have to know the location is around my school. First, you must make your way out of the school building. Second, you should make a right onto Jay Street. Third, you must cross the street and thus arriving at Johnson Avenue. After arriving at the cross section of Jay Street and Johnson Avenue, you have to look up diagonally. Consequently, you will find yourself looking at the two buildings that are describing the juxtaposition effect.
            The first building is extremely tall and is almost entirely made up of glass. It also contains many windows and is approximately forty stories tall. This building has many dimensions, meaning it has a lot of different curves. The color of the building is mostly grey and reflects the color of the sky. When I think about the positioning and thoughts surrounding this building, a quote comes to mind from the story “City Limits” from “The Colossus of New York” written by Colson Whitehead. The quote says “Our buildings still stand because we saw them, moved in and out of their long shadows, we are lucky enough to know them for a long time. They are a part of the city we carry around. It is hard to imagine that something will take their place, but at this very moment the people with the right credentials are considering how to fill the craters. The cement trucks will roll up and spin their bellies, the jackhammers will rattle, and after a while the postcards of the new skyline will be available for purchase.” This quote stood out to me because I feel like it describes the area of where these buildings are located. I feel that way because a lot of buildings around here are being remodeled and no matter how they remodel the buildings, people will always remember it how they first saw it. Another quote that reminds me of these buildings is also from the story “City Limits.”  “One day the city we built will be gone, and when it goes, we go. When the buildings fall, we topple, too. I chose this quote because I feel as if it also relates to the objects I chose. My thoughts are instead of breaking down the red building and erasing all of its significant values, they should try working on renovating the building instead. This would help to maintain not only historical value but also add a modern day twist to the pre-existing building. By doing this, you can represent a new city life that will come with the new building attached to the old.
            The second building is a lot shorter than the first. Physically, it is a red orange color. It is located directly in front of the first building. One similarity between the two buildings is that they both have a great amount of dimension. Moreover, they are weirdly shaped in the sense they both have all sorts of curves and pieces that are sticking out all around them.
            These two buildings I believe describe juxtaposition because they are overlapping and placed close together with a contrasting effect. The contrasting effect I see is the difference in height, one is tall and one is short. The color also has a contrasting effect. One reflects the color of the sky and one is red. Also, the short building has much more dimensions than the tall building. I chose these buildings because I feel they were the best examples displaying juxtaposition that I’ve seen so far. It was striking to me because the juxtaposition was very obvious. These two buildings stood out more than any other two objects.
            In conclusion, I have learned the meaning of the word juxtaposition, although it almost defines itself. I was able to visually see two buildings that I thought showed juxtaposition. I also learned to be more aware of objects around me and pay attention to things I didn’t before. There are a lot of things I want to know about the two buildings. Types of information such as: what are the historical values behind these two overlapping buildings, year built, possible purposes, and maybe even what it looked like before in earlier times.
Work Cited:
Whitehead, Colson. The Colossus of New York. S.l.: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2007. Print.

10-7 speech class summary

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In speech class, we had a discussion of the patterns of organization that we can use during speech. The patterns are chronological, spatial , causal, and topical. These patterns all have a specific use and all are used in specific scenarios. Chronological order is usually for how to speeches how to. These are going by order from what happened first or according to time sequence. Spatial is when you are trying to describe something but must use a specific order. For example, if you are trying to explain the order of operations to someone, you tell that person PEMDAS. You would not go in different order because that does not make sense and will end up confusing them. If you were just trying to explain operations, then the best choice will be to use Topical. You can pick any operation and tell them during any time because order does not matter in a Topical speech. Spatial speeches require a specific pattern while a Topical speech does not concern with order. The last type of organization is casual.  Casual speeches go by cause to effect or vice versa.  We also learned about sources. Some sources include newspapers interviews and surveys. The crediblity of these sources will be up to us to determine if they are reliable or not. We were also given the assignment of having to have a outline for our upcoming informative speech. We must have sources for our topic and this is basically what we did that class.

sentiment

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sentiment – noun – an attitude or opinion

Soruce http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sentiment

For instance, three cemeteries- Palisades, Weehawken,and Holy Cross—  attracted among the strongest Twitter sentiment on the list.
From : The Saddest and Happiest Places of New York City According to Twitter

The author was trying to speak of strange anomolies in the study in the article. The strongest feelings of the strange anomolies according to Twitter users is the previous said cemeteries.