Monthly Archives: November 2017

Gentrification in Downtown Brooklyn

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Ashley Jean-Francois

 

New York City is a place that’s well known for diversity. Food and entertainment. There are a lot of people from different backgrounds so its very hard to stay close minded in a city thats very in-your-face about all these different kinds of cultures. However, there are many juxtapositions in place, like an old building being right next to a new cafe. In New York City, gentrification isn’t actually a good thing and could ruin the lives of many who aren’t able to keep up with these changes.

The juxtapositions also lie in City Point’s popular, Dekalb Market. Usually, on Fulton street there are a lot of old, slightly run-down buildings that are mom and pop shops that the people around the area could afford. Compared to the rest of the neighborhood, City Point sticks out quite a lot because it’s in the makings of being tall luxury residential buildings with many amenities. Compared to the other old tenements that’s near by it’s a big juxtaposition. City point is a large food, shopping and entertainment destination. On Willoughby Street which is just near Dekalb, that one street is very dirty and is always crowded with a mixture of people white-collar workers and students. The food places around there are very tiny, and old but they have prices that are affordable for everyone. The socioeconomic status of people moving into Brooklyn versus the status of people who already live in Brooklyn is the biggest juxtaposition here, because City point has now become a ‘trendy’ place and as all trends do they push out the ‘old’ for the ‘new’ to have space.

While Brooklyn is now becoming a “little manhattan” the construction of City Point could be the potential downfall of all the other businesses surrounding it. City Point has a luxury food market that the majority of minorities in the area cannot afford, juxtaposed to Mcdonalds which isn’t too far and is always overflowing with people because they can afford it. Dekalb Market for the most part is very spacious as only a few people are able to truly enjoy it if they have a higher income. Of course most people will not see the problem because what’s on the surface is much more appealing and fun to talk about, it’s fun to go and explore the new luxury buildings and it’s fun to go to your favorite shopping stores that’s now new and available to Brooklyn thanks to City Point. However, there are and will be the unfortunate people who will both figuratively and literally be pushed out of the equation and it isn’t fair. Colson Whitehead opens up with, “the New York City you live in is not my New York City”(Whitehead). This is true for most people. Because their view of New York was much simpler and affordable juxtaposed to the other New York that younger generations see, they see the new cafes and stores opening up right near the old and rundown buildings that were those same shops before time eroded them into nothing.

Although, some people may say that City Point is a great addition to the neighborhood as it could bring in new people, more entertainment and more popularity which means more money would be put into the area to make it better. However, the migration of these new people will be the downfall of the locals who already can no longer afford to live in Downtown Brooklyn. The racial demographic of the area is 58.7% White, 23.8% Black and 16.3% Latino/Hispanic as of 2016 according to Macaulay.cuny.edu. The area has changed drastically where minorities are left with the lowest paying jobs and insufficient housing. Will Self of Charles McGrath’s article about him concedes that, “There is a deep sadness to American poverty, greater than the sadness of any other kind.”(Self/McGrath). This statement further supports the previously stated thesis statement because there is a large meal gap in the community where people have to cut down on the amount of food that is bought because of housing costs. Dekalb Market’s expensive food market will only become a useful amenity for the people who can afford it.

In Conclusion, Gentrification does more damage to people than helping. Property values may go up, new people may move in and the overall aesthetic value of the town may go up. There are people who are suffering because of those juxtapositions, although old and new can coexist that doesn’t mean that they should exist.

 

Works Cited Page.

  • 1) Website Title: The Real Gentrifiers of NYC.GENTRIFICATION PAPER #1.
  • 2) Website Title: The Gentrification of Downtown Brooklyn
  • 3) Website Title: The New York Times.: Brooklyn’s Food Gap.September 09, 2016. Ginia Bellafante
  • 4) Lupton, Ellen. “Why Collaborate.” Ellen Lupton. Elupton.com. October, 2009. Web. Originally published 2005.

5) McGrath, Charles. “A Literary Visitor Strolls in From the Airport.” The New York Times, December 6, 2006.

Brooklyn Bars

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Professor.Rosen

Herson Garcia

Project #3

New York City is one of the most diverse city in the united states  in my opinion . In New York you see buildings that look old and look new, neighborhoods that are this type of culture then another neighborhoods that is this type of culture. Restaurant that look brand new and have like a modern day type of menu and then restaurants that look old and have a old fashion menu and or are of this theme. You also will see bars, yes bars the place where you go have a fun time , make new friends, take some drinks chill out and enjoy life get messed up and hope you don’t wake up with the craziest hangover. Around Brooklyn near the area of Jay street and metro tech you will find a lot of bars most of different themes, some that are brand new to the area and some that have quite a history around this area.

Bars have been around for a long long long time period of time. They are a place where people go to watch games, hang out with friends, and Most importantly drink some alcohol from beer to shots to vodka etc. Some bars have different things than other some have a certain theme such as sport bars or restaurant and bars so you can eat and drink. In Brooklyn you will find bars in most parts. Each one of these bars are different than the other they have different themes, different type of architecture, as well as different type of formats. Some of these bars sell alcohol meanwhile others just sell strictly alcohol. Now I can’t say these bars each sell the same bottle or have different type of drinks because I’m 18 and I have a baby face so their not going to let me in.

Two bars that I found around the area where barcade and Pedro’s. Barcade opened in 2004 it is a mix between a bar and a arcade. And to be honest Barcade seems dope and I will most definitely try to get and play some video games meanwhile hopefully if I can get wasted. Now Pedro’s is a Mexican and Dominican Food restaurant that is also a bar. Each of these buildings are different Pedro’s looks more like a warehouse that has some graffiti on it meanwhile Barcade looks more like a garage mixed with a store. Barcade really has my attention more than Pedros. Meanwhile Pedro’s sells food and alcohol Barcade has video games machines that you would play back in the day in a arcade.That attracts my attention because I find video games interesting and find classical things assuming and things thats are from the past interesting I also like the idea of playing video games and drinking to be honest.

Barcade has its success off of it being a video game bar. Meanwhile Pedro’s is about there meals and drinks. They differ from other bars and restaurants around the Brooklyn area. Meanwhile Bars in Brooklyn now have that modern city type bar format both Pedro and Barcade have a unique type of style Pedro’s looks like your backyard with a balcony and tables with some umbrellas and graffiti over the building. Barcade looks like a garage base building its gray as well. I can’t really tell you much about these bars because I’m getting most of this information based off of pictures I’m of the age so I’m pretty positive they wouldn’t let me near any of these bars. But while I do walk around during my free time to get some food or kill some time I pass by these bar and some well most look like modern day city type bars and then there some that pop out like wow! This is different unique this looks dope.

Bars usually bring people together and Not all the time does the alcohol involve bringing people together. It is based on the energy the vibes the scenery the architecture and the theme that bring them together. I Have been to a bar not gonna mention how I got in or what the bar name is but what the bartender had to bring the customer together was playing playstation 4 together thats how we connected and yes we drank but we mainly connected by playing mortal kombat, call of duty zombies, And injustice. I also seen when I gone to watch basketball games in restaurant like buffalo wild wings the people by the bar connected by the sports team.

New York City is one of the most diverse cities in the United States. Not everything is the exact same and doesn’t have a meaning to it every building every corner every store to bar has a meaning to it. Just like Colton Whitehead said in his article “City Limits” when you pass by this and that building it makes you think of what it used to be to other they may see it as the building that it is now but to you, you see it as the building you before. Every part of the city has memory to it and meaning to it. Bar have meaning to them while some see them as thats the place imma get drunk tonight others see it as this is where I met so and so, here where I had my first drink. This bar is different from that bar the themes the stature and the environment. I chose bars because I have a great interest in them I want to be a bartender one day and hopefully open my own bar that is unique in everyday. Most of this project I was lost and confused and was like what am I gonna do and write about I didn’t understand it but towards the end I understood it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcade

“City Limits” Colton whitehead

A Million naked citys

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Different experiences of New York leads to different perspectives, just because some one has seen something on a particular street and its not there anymore doesn’t make them entirely wrong. The city is always changing and with those changes comes different points of view or routines might change. Its almost as a string is connected to all of the past buildings that use to be there and it always leaves a little part of it self when it leaves. New buildings get made constantly and put under construction rapidly as the city grows as time passes and moves forward. My personal experiences for this city has changed me and made me grow as a person, the city’s not perfect but it is a place I’m use to compared to other states or countrys, I tend to have a bitter sweet feeling twords the city, as much as this place feels like home I cant say I want to live here forever. Sure the attractions and the fast paced lifestyle might be fascinating for some and I can definitely see the appeal, I don’t think I can live my whole life that way.

I’m not going to give you my whole life story on how I see New York or I can explain it a million different times but it will never convey how I truly see this place. I have gotten use to the speed and adjustment of the city on how it works. They’re will be places you love and places you hate, areas you think that will stay there forever in your mind subconsciously even when they disappear. I’ve lived in the city since I was born and have yet to see what it still has to offer but I tend to miss the simplicity of just living in a quiet neighborhood and having the ability to travel somewhere with my friends or family. Everything is so close together that the destination becomes more important then the journey to the destination. I tend to find a lot of the time that I focus more on where I’m going rather then where I am now. Most of the time I am going somewhere I think to myself “where am I going, How will I get there” my mind wants to rush and tell me to get there at an expected time rather then look around me and the changes of  how A place looked when I was younger or what store use to be there. One example is my journey to Barclays Center in Atlantic ave.

It was a rather cold day. I had originally had no plan or location to go to so I decided to just walk straight out of the atrium building exit and just went to where my legs took me. From all I could hear was the traffic passing by me on my left side, walking down Tillary St. As I walk pass McLaughlin park as i start wondering what might have been there before. Its very odd to think about it but to realize how old an area must be and how it holds so much history to it makes me start to realize what this project starts to be about. I then made a right turn down Flatbush ave. and saw that it was more of a fast pace neighborhood and thought how long it must have taken to make it such a place. Because it was so close to Manhattan people are moving both in and out and passing by fair amount of university’s on the way. being close to Manhattan the place must have been similar too it and as you go lower into Brooklyn you start to feel the authentic Brooklyn experience . To me it almost feels like I’m in Manhattan. Once I saw the tall building and the giant odd shaped center I made it to Barclays center and decided this is where my perspective should lie. the place was littered with the noise of cars and people trying to get passed one another on such a busy street. The bright light wrapped around the loop, it was almost like a Manhattan style building. It was festive and full of life then the last time I remembered of it. Brown old warn down residential buildings. It was a lot more dangerous back then it is now with the high crime rate. It was a more dead and un-lively place that always tend to frighten me while I passed by it when I was little. apparently during that time there was a protest opposing the development of said Barclays center for the fear of people losing their houses and businesses. leaving a both positive and negative outlook on the area that sums up my feelings about the city of New York. Just because people say its an improvement twords the area does not mean that people wanted to sacrifice their jobs or living space.

I chose Barclays center as my point of interest because I really find that this was the place I began to understand the message behind the project. I truly find this was the place I started to comprehend the message behind the task. That everybody’s version of New York is distinctive as a result of the experience they have in the city, they create this picture of their own particular perspective of the city one more unique to the last. One persons experience could be the complete opposite of another.I understood its sort of an fascinating thought blended in conclusion and basically demonstrates the people identity towards their feelings over the city. For example Colson Whitehead’s  “city limits” essay at one point explains in the third paragraph: “only skyscrapers visible from your stroller were the legs of adults” that even at an early age an idea of a personal New York can exist. one individual could love the clamor and happiness of the city and consider it to be a place for circumstance, others can be the opposite twords the city and think that its misrepresented and the city does not fit the cliche of what others think. I’m some where in the middle. As much as I enjoy living here there are things I do dislike about it. That is how I see my New York. How crime rate is climed significantly and much of the controversy tends to drive people over the edge, homelessness, addicts, ect. much I would enjoy changing.  Another perspective of New York and the difference between them is also in “City Limits” is a passage found in the second page “There are eight million naked cities in the naked city — they dispute and disagree. The New York City you live in is not my New York City;” further explaining that no ones version of the city is exactly the same and how the city overlaps with one another showing the juxtaposition of the buildings that use to belong there. They may be similar but never the same. The ideas can argue with each other of what New York is really about and to appreciate that we are here and be grateful before our versions of New York change, the city is always having new buildings and tearing down others. That we should not take things for granted.

The city is always changing whether the residents want it or not it is going to happen, as much as I love the city I also dislike a lot of its features, which is why I cannot see my future in staying in here. my perspective of New York has changed over the years I’m sure but I do not feel like my feelings twords the city will change in the future, in a way it is my first home. Not perfect but a place that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Image result for barclays center

works cited:

Whitehead, Colson. “City Limits.” The Colossus of New York: A City in Thirteen Parts. New York: Random House, 2004. 1-12. Shared Google Doc.

Chinatown’s One Sided War

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Nicknamed “The Melting Pot,” New York City has become home to many communities of immigrants who have formed their own “Little New Yorks.” These “Little New Yorks,” were created to help immigrants of similar cultural backgrounds survive the harsh and competitive environment during the 1980s. For example, Chinatown has become home to many Chinese immigrants that have worked together to overcome their struggles. “Little New Yorks,” have since become an identifiable trait of New York City. The overlap created by communities interacting, as outlined by Colson Whitehead in “City Limits,” have created what we define as New York City. Colson Whitehead and Charles McGrath described these overlaps as a positive influence on New York City. However, as New York City has aged, these overlaps are seen as the destructive force known as gentrification.

To see an example of how gentrification has affected New York City, we can take a look at a small section of Chinatown. The corner of Canal and Essex Street was once a lively center for Chinatown’s working force. My father was among these hungry workers. Countless mornings were spent sharing meals with co-worker from the restaurant across the street and drinking soda from the nearest bodega. This corner was a staple for Chinatown’s blue and white collar workers. It didn’t matter if you worked in the tallest office building in Chinatown or if you worked in the basement of a noodle shop. This corner was where you shared a meal with friends, laughed, and gossiped. Unfortunately, all golden ages come to an end. Since then, this bustling corner of Chinatown’s history has become commonplace for the Lower East Side’s privileged. They are people who live leisurely and don’t have to worry about putting children through school. Now when I pass by this corner on my commute, I no longer get a sense of productivity and unity, but an unsettling sense of melancholy.

It’s no secret that Chinatown is getting smaller and smaller by the year. Due to high rent prices, businesses and homes are being vacated. The community recognizes this unfortunate reality surrounding them. As a response, many of the first generation are moving to more favorable communities such as Flushing and 8th Avenue. The sad reality of this is that it leaves behind the elderly, the ones who established Chinatown. The elderly that remain have few options to combat the rising rent and new tenants. This leads to gentrification being as rapid as it is. As opposed to parts of Brooklyn that are also affected by gentrification, Chinatown is one of the few communities with few fluent english speakers. The language barrier makes it extremely difficult for Chinatown’s elderly to understand and defend themselves against new greedy landlords and rising rent prices.

Another contributing factor is the alienation of Chinatown. East Asians are a very exclusive people, we often reject foreigners. However, this is to not only the fault of East Asians. While emigrating from China to America we have faced much discrimination, and have chosen to fence ourselves in. The combination of seclusion and unfamiliar culture causes us to be viewed as weird and alien. The outside-in perspective only perceives the East Asian culture as various fads that are perversions of the real culture. It’s apparent in online food blogs like Zagat, that Chinatown’s highest ranking restaurants serve Americanized food. Whitehead suggests that Americanized food is a sign of positive overlap. If you’ve ever spent time in one of these restaurants, you’d know that this food panders to non-East Asian people who have just finished clubbing. Other than these few staple restaurants, the Lower East Side views Chinatown as a tourist novelty. As time goes on these fads die and New York City’s Chinatown will be pushed aside to make room for new cafes and trendy brunch joints.

So, what can we do about it? We can try our best to preserve what is remaining of Chinatown, but in eight to ten years it’s unlikely that Chinatown would be any bigger than Mott Street. Like tending to an old grandparent nearing their end, we can sit by their bedside and comfort them. But in the end, we can really only try to make the transition as painless as possible. Take photos of the lunch joint you eat at with your friends. Make memories and have no regrets, because like Whitehead said, “At some point you were closer to the last time than you were to the first time, and you didn’t even know it.”(Whitehead). In a way, Chinatown has a very poetic meaning in it’s death. My father and mother told me that they immigrated from parts of China, and that their hope was to create a better life for their children. So as the first generation has moved on to college and begin integrating with other New Yorkers, fathers and mothers retire knowing they succeeded. While the decline of Chinatown is unfortunate, It succeeded in its mission of creating a better life for its first residents and their offspring.

Sources:

McGrath, Charles. “A Literary Visitor Strolls in From the Airport.” The New York Times, December 6, 2006.

Whitehead, Colson. “City Limits.” The Colossus of New York: A City in Thirteen Parts. New York: Random House, 2004. 1-12.

Manhattan

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Edwin Contreras

Prof. Rosen

English 1101

 

   The Brooklyn Heights Promenade is a place where people come to relax and enjoy the view of Manhattan. Observing Manhattan then looking at the area around me, I could see the big difference in height. Manhattan is the place for opportunities, they say if you can make it in New York then you could make it anywhere in the world. Having the chance to explore the area around City Tech, I believe the Brooklyn Heights Promenade has one of the greatest view in New York City. Everyone has their own perspective of the city we all love. Colson Whitehead wrote an article called “City limits” in which he explains that you have the ability to view the manhatten in your own individual way.

       Being able to live in New york City is a privilege, it’s the city that never sleeps, the city where your dreams come true, a place that I call home. Being able to see the Manhattan skyline from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade is great because it’s not to far away from my school. The Brooklyn Heights Promenade is a long walk way, right over the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. People come onto the promenade for a light jog, to take pictures, and to sit down on a benches to enjoy the view of the Manhattan skyline. Standing in the Promenaded other then seeing the Manhattan Skyline, you also able to see the Brooklyn bridge and also the Statue of Liberty. Depending on the weather conditions, if it gets so foggy or misty then only the Manhattan is visible with the top of the skyscrapers covered by the mist or fog.  

       The Brooklyn Heights Promenade has a spectacular view of Manhattan. Juxtaposing Manhattan to Brooklyn, Brooklyn seems like a small neighborhood compared to the tall skyscrapers that Manhattan contains. Being able to see them both from a view, I can see how Manhatten stands tall and proud while Brooklyn just stands still, without no motion of growth. In the article “City Limits” by Colson Whitehead, he states “The New York City you live in is not my New York City…”, the author states that not everyone sees the same New York. Everyone has their own perspective of New York City.

       Being able to look at something in a group, I notice that not everyone thinks alike. My friend Citlalli came with me once to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade and I told her about the project I was doing and asked for her help. I told her to to tell me what she sees when she looks at the Manhattan skyline. She said she saw “sadness” and a place where she “lost an opportunity to do something in life”. This was nothing compared to what I saw when I looked at Manhattan. I saw the opportunity to become someone in life and also a place where my dreams can come true. Citlalli told me that she saw sadness because one of her family members has cancer and she goes with her to Manhattan for her treatments, she also stated that her dream were crushed because she was not accepted to a college which is located in Manhattan. I on the other hand see a place for better life because my parents migrated from our homeland and came to New York for better opportunities.

     The manhattan skyline is always changing with time. In the late eighteenth century the manhattan skyline didn’t contain any buildings taller than ten stories high. The Brooklyn Heights Promenade contain pictures of the Manhattan skyline made out of stone, here you can see how manhattan has changing over time. The most recent change to the Manhattan skyline was the incident in 2001, when the twin towers were knocked down, in its place the Freedom tower now stands. When I see the Manhattan I see the Freedom Tower while someone who much older than me imagines the Twin Towers standing tall and proud. This reminded me of a quote in “City Limits” by Colson Whitehead which states “You are a real new Yorker when what was there before is more real and solid than what is here now.” Someone older than me would imagine the Twin Towers standing rather than the Freedom tower. Since I was not old enough to see the Twin Towers it’s difficult for me to imagine them in the Freedom towers place.

     When I see the Manhattan skyline, I see a place where anything is possible in life. In “City Limits” by Colson Whitehead argues “ … You have your own personal skyline“, not everyone sees the same Manhattan, we all think differently and have our own personal viewpoints. Citlali and I have two different viewpoints of the same city and someone else could have a different viewpoint from both of us.

References:

 

  • Whitehead, Colson. “City Limits.” The Colossus of New York: A City in Thirteen Parts. New York: Random House, 2004. 1-12. Shared Google Doc.

 

 

Before and After Project 3

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New York is a very fast paced state that is always changing due to gentrification and other various things. This could be for the better or for the worse. Juxtapositions happen all the time especially in our state New York. A juxtaposition is basically the act of placing two things side by side and comparing them. There are a lot of similarities and differences for this juxtaposition. These past and present pictures may look similar but they are more different than you may think.

As I walked down Brooklyn Heights, which is right near the Brooklyn Bridge, I saw a lot of different looking buildings. I came across this Peculiar looking Brick Building. This building looked totally different from the others in the area. The building was “standing out” from all of the others in the area. At first glance I had no idea what it was but it looked like it was built in the early 1900s. The building is called the Brooklyn Eagle Warehouse and Storage company And it is located on 28 Old Fulton Street. There was a plaque on the building that was given to Walt Whitman, that intrigued me to do some research on it later that day. After doing research I learned that there was actually a lot of history behind this building.

This Old Brick Building used to be the home of the Brooklyn Eagle. This was a very popular newspaper company at the time. One of the papers editors was a man named Walt Whitman. Walt Whitman was an American Poet and journalist that had different views and beliefs on topics from others. His boss and the readers didn’t totally agree with his views. He didn’t become popular until a couple years after he stopped working there. He basically didn’t get the recognition he deserved at the time. The Newspaper company moved and was purchased by The Brooklyn Eagle and Warehouse and Storage Company. The Renovations were completed in 1894 and cost them around $300,000. In 1977 the building was turned into a Landmark. This is one of Brooklyns most Iconic structures. As you can see in the two past pictures, the times were definitely different. People back then were dressed in suits, in the first picture there is a local hat cleaning shop which you probably won’t ever see in Brooklyn today. In the Second picture you can actually see the warehouse after it was renovated in 1894. All of those local shops that were near the Brooklyn Eagle were gone to make space for the huge warehouse. Even back then Brooklyn was being modernized and changed. This juxtaposition actually reminded me of another juxtaposition that happened two years ago in Manhattan. It reminded me of the Old Toys R us building in time square. I remember going there as a kid ill never forget the Huge Ferris wheel that used to be there. This actually used to bring in a lot of tourists and now they turned the building into a lot of different retail stores. Colson Whitehead said this perfectly in his article From the Colossus of New York “You are a New Yorker when what was there before is more real and solid than what is here now”.

In 1980 the Building was renovated into condominiums, this renovation cost them around $3 million. Currently the Apartment buildings are going for an “arm and a leg”. Right now there is a 2 bedroom that is going for $1.6 Million.This just goes to show how anything in New York can change in the blink of an eye. One Positive thing is that the Buildings outside look didn’t change from turning the warehouse into apartments. When we look at the building now we can still see some of the history behind it for those who know about it. I am also glad that they have that Walt Whitman Plaque up there to inform people what was once there before.

 

Manhattan -Draft

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Draft

Brooklyn is one of the oldest cities in New york, the Brooklyn Heights Promenade is a place where people come to relax and enjoy the view of Manhattan. Looking at Manhattan and then looking at the area around me , I could see the big difference in stature. Manhattan is a place for opportunity, they say if u can make it in new york then you could make it anywhere in the world. Having the chance to explore the area around City Tech, I believe the Brooklyn Heights Promenade has one of the greatest view in New York City. Everyone has their own perspective of the city we all love. Colson Whitehead wrote an article called “City limits” in which he explains that you have the ability to view the manhatten in your own individual way.

       Being able to live in New york City is a privilege, it’s the city that never sleeps, the city where your dreams come true, a place that I call home. Being able to see the Manhattan skyline from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade is great because the location is not to far away from my school. The Brooklyn Heights Promenade is a long walk way, right over the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. People come onto the promenade for a light jog, take pictures, and to sit down onto a benches to enjoy the view of the Manhattan skyline.

       The Brooklyn Heights Promenade has a spectacular view of manhattan. Juxtaposing Manhattan to Brooklyn, Brooklyn seems like a small neighborhood compared to the tall skyscrapers that Manhattan contains. Being able to see them both from a view, i can see how Manhatten stands tall and proud while Brooklyn just stands still, without no motion of growth. In the article “City Limits” by Colson Whitehead it states “The New York City you live in is not my New York City…” The author states that not everyone as the same image of manhattan. Everyone has their own perspective of New York City.

       Being able to look at something in a group, I notice that not everyone thinks alike. My friend Citlalli came with me once to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade and I told her about the project I was doing and asked for her help. I told her to to tell me what you see when you look at the Manhattan skyline. She said she saw sadness and also her dreams crushed. This was nothing compared to what I saw when I looked at Manhattan. I saw an opportunity to become someone if life and also a place where dreams come true. Citlalli told me that she saw sadness because one of her family members had cancer and she goes with her to Manhattan for her treatments, she also stated that her dream were crushed because she was not accepted to a college which is located in Manhattan.

     The manhattan skyline is always changing with time. In the late eighteenth century the manhattan skyline didn’t contain any building taller than 10 stories high. The brooklyn heights promenade contain pictures of the manhattan skyline made out of stone, where you can see how manhattan has changing over time. The most recent change in the manhattan skyline was the incident in 2001 when the twin towers were knocked down, in its place the Freedom tower stands. When I see the manhattan skyline i see the Freedom Tower while someone who much older than me imagines the twin towers standing tall and proud. This reminded me of a quote in “City Limits” by Colson Whitehead that states “You are a real new Yorker when what was there before is more real and solid than what is here now.” Someone older than me could imagine the twin towers standing rather than the Freedom tower. Since i was not old enough to see the twin towers then it’s difficult for me to imagine them.

     When  see the Manhattan skyline, I see a place where anything is possible in life. In “City Limits” by Colson Whitehead states “ … You have your own personal skyline“ Not everyone sees the same Manhattan Skyline, we all think differently and have our own personal viewpoints. Citlali and i have two different viewpoints of the same city and someone else could have a different viewpoint from us.

The overlapping piers

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As our country’s economic rises, changes started to happened whether it’s new construction happening or new project getting planned to replace an old department or a house. Ever since our country is discovered, changes and development start to take place to create a community for us to live in. For new developments to happen today, our community will often strike down an old building for a new one to rise one, we replace the old one for a better and improved one. Though some old buildings are being replace, there are also mass amounts of old building being kept for ages. With the changes, it bought some major effects to the community and the area. Whether what kind of effect it is, positive and negative outcomes will alway comes with it.

While you taking your sweet slow walk through your neighborhood, you’ll probably will notice there’s some changes in the community you live in. Whether it’s the deli across your house use to be another house or the apartment next door turn into a laundromat. These changes take times, it can be a year or less or maybe more. Not only just a community that changes, New York City is often evolving. One area contains the biggest change in my opinion is DUMBO. When you first enter DUMBO, you’ll notice the peaceful and quietness in that area but also it’s the most popular place for tourist to visit. DUMBO is a really huge park, when you’re standing in front of the entrance, the first view you’ll see is Manhattan, which the where tourists gather together and take a picture with the view. The park is divided into two different part in my opinion and each part has it’t unique environment. When you make a right turn in front of the entrance, you will enter the peace and quiet part of the park. This part is where most tourist gathers around and take pictures. There’s a indoor merry-go-round. Beside that, there’s a giant yellow sign of the word “ON”. This part of the park is best for people who want to relax, there’s a lot of grass field around, whenever you’re tired, you can lay on the grass and enjoy the breeze.

My first time visiting DUMBO was three years ago when my friend decided to give me a tour. When I first step out the station, I notice the peacefulness around the neighborhood. There are variety of restaurant around the area but most of it are closed during daytime. It’s a peaceful community and very high classed until all the bars open up at nighttime. Even though it’s winter, the park is still fill with locals and tourists. The breeze coming from the river gives me a chill in the vein. There’s a restaurant at the entrance, they have their own little garden seats which attractive tourists to have a brunch there and which bought some light to the area during nighttime. While I was walking down towards the pier, I saw some wooden docks are standing still in the water, some of it are covered in green seaweed. The wooden docks has a strong existences at DUMBO, it’s like a ugly duckling in the swans groups. There are larger amount of piers, each pier is a different sport. I was surprise at the size of the pier. Aside from the size, when you’re tired from playing, there’s benches at the end of the pier for you to sit and enjoy the view of Manhattan.

The DUMBO we see today are totally different centuries ago. The piers we see today used to be shipping docks. Long ago, ships traveled through the ocean, enter the East River and stopped at the piers to drop the gigantic packages and that’s the reason why the size of the piers are big. The wooden docks we also use to be part of the docks. It’s hard to imagine the pier we stood on today used to be a place for trading and labor work. Every new developments brings either positive or negative outcomes to the area.

In my opinion, replacing the docks into piers does not completely affect the community. DUMBO is a quiet community, with ships coming in can chase the peacefulness away. It might be the easiest way for the ships to drop packages because the East River is right next to it. However, the noise can affect not just DUMBO but also Manhattan. East River is between these two boroughs, if DUMBO is affected by the noise, Manhattan have a high chance of getting affect also. No one will like to live around the shipping docks. With that thoughts, the area will turn into a no man’s land anytime soon. The price of the community will decrease which will brings negative affect to the economic. The DUMBO today is choose as one of the best view for wedding photoshoots.

There are a lot of overlapping in our city but we never bother to stop and clearly look at it. Our community change frequently, what might be across your house might be gone the next day for new constructions. Some overlapping can bring negative or positive effects for the community but it all base on one’s opinion. In my opinion, turning the docks into a sport place has a positive outcome. The noise that’s occurred by the ship can ruined the peacefulness in the community and tourist will no longer stop by DUMBO and enjoy the view.

An insight to the Brooklyn Bridge

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An Insight to the Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge can be perceived in many different perspectives. Like the first chapter of “The Colossus of New York”, City Limits, Colson Whitehead talks about how those who are not from New York City may not be able to see the “changes” that the city itself has made, however, those who were born and raised in the city may have been able to see the progress in the city’s changes. The Brooklyn Bridge is one of New York City’s prominent monuments in which it attracts tourists from all over the place. Those who are traveling to and from Brooklyn to Manhattan would use this bridge. Being a “true” New Yorker, born and raised,  I have been able to witnessed the changes that have been made to the bridge itself throughout the years. The bridge is known to be able to see the Manhattan skyline and that is why it may attract tourists. Moreover, since I have lived here all my life, I have been able to truly understanding its history and what the bridge means to those who have lived in the city all their life.

Those who are visitors to the area may be clueless to know of any information about the bridge. They may see the bridge as simply just a “bridge.” Many tourists take pictures on the bridge and would just look at the view of the skyline of the city; or they may only think of it as something that is used for transportation. However, those who were born and raised here may know things about the bridge that others don’t. For example, those who are considered as “true” New Yorkers may know how long it takes to cross the bridge or when it would be the best time

to cross the bridge for a great view, no traffic, or simply just to take pictures of the view. Another example could be that they know what time the bridge is busiest or the attractions they hold at the end of each side of the bridge.

In contrast to a “true” New Yorkers perspective, those who are visiting, tourists, perceive the bridge differently. Tourists usually take pictures and they enjoy the skyline. Tourists may not know the history of the Brooklyn Bridge however those who were born in New York. The Brooklyn Bridge is a popular tourist attraction and destination. Those that are visiting may not know where to explore and look for popular attractions online, thus the Brooklyn bridge being on the list of top 10 popular attractions in New York.

From my experience as a New Yorker, the Brooklyn Bridge was a great experience because I used to walk on the bridge, take pictures, and have a lot memories there with my family. A lot of buildings around the Brooklyn Bridge were in construction and one of those buildings was a coffee shop. The coffee shop was unfortunately torn down for an office building where high corporates took over the property. The coffee shop was completely demolished and it was something that was special to me. What I’m trying to get at here is that to those who are visiting, the buildings and popular attractions really has no meaning to them; where as the coffee shop made an impact on my life.

Our city is constantly changing with its buildings, sightseeing attractions, demographics, and economic status. Tourists are blind of how they see New York’s change in development because they’re only here for the attractions and the aesthetics of the city itself for about a week or two. However, a New Yorker who has lived here all of his/ her life sees the changes New York has made. Another interesting experience of mine is when I was an amateur photographer in the summer on Brooklyn Bridge. It was very interesting because New Yorkers and tourists would ask me to shoot a photo with them on the Brooklyn Bridge. When I’m with a tourist, their reactions of seeing the bridge are different from that of a New Yorker’s because it was their first time seeing the skyline and exploring the Bridge. For me, the view didn’t excite me because I’ve been there a countless number of times. Another interesting contrast of my experience was when I was taking photos with a different tourist and he told me that the bridge was a very long walk. It was important to me because a New Yorker in the city would have to walk long distances and it seems like they don’t know how long they’ve walked for a day in the city.

Throughout this essay, I’ve explained the perspective of how a New Yorker may perceive the Brooklyn Bridge and the perspective of how a tourist may perceive the bridge. New Yorkers grew up here and are aware of the history behind the prominent monuments, such as the Brooklyn bridge. Where as in tourists only come to New York City because they enjoy the aesthetics of the city and/ or because it is very eventful.

Citations

  1. “Walking the Brooklyn Bridge | A Visitor Guide.” Free Tours by Foot, 6 Dec. 2017, www.freetoursbyfoot.com/walking-the-brooklyn-bridge/.

 

New York City’s Alteration

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Old buildings are being transformed into newer ones and new buildings are being constructed in order to maintain a modern outllook. In one instance there’s a large skyscraper under construction in the city of Manhattan that overlooks a shabby factory building located in Dumbo, Brooklyn. This is a good example of how , although the city of New York is advancing in architect there are still buildings that still stand from years ago. Many overlaps such as mine are described by Colson Whitehead and Patrick Mcgrath. Both giving their own perception on how New York goes through changes thus relating to my own juxtaposition.

Although New York is a modernized city there a still instances of pieces of history scattered all throughout the city. I came across an example of this while journeying through Downtown Brooklyn’s “DUMBO”.  On Water and Main Street there is a shabby and decrepit factory building that seems as if it were there from the 1800’s. At first it peaked my interest because Dumbo has already fell victim to gentrification and most buildings around it has already been modernized to fit the lifestyle of incoming yuppies and hipsters. What really got me interested was the large high-rise building being constructed in the distance. It precisely overlooks the factory building in such a way that it seems as if were meant to be built that way. It was my first time being in Dumbo so I was curious to see how long that building was there for. I went to google maps and I was amazed. I searched the address of the building and the latest image of it that came up was in September 2014. As I analyzed the photo the factory building was still in the same tattered and run-down fashion. What really amazed me was that the skyscraper that was being constructed wasn’t there.  This really appealed to me because it shows how fast a large change can be made in a city in just a matter of years.

 

In this day in age, especially in the city of New York, new buildings are being constructed in order to keep up with the modern era. An example of this is the skyscraper that overlooks the old factory building located in Dumbo, Brooklyn. The skyscraper is the Moinian’s Hudson Yards office tower located in 34th street Manhattan with a colossal height of 1,050 feet. The construction of this building began in 2016 (which is the reason why I couldn’t find it on Google Maps) and is projected to be completed in Fall of 2018. This building is being constructed in  the Hell’s Kitchen area of Manhattan which is known for its vast amount of actor and actresses and acting opportunists and also a hub for gay culture. I have been there once to watch my cousin perform at cousin perform at a cafe. I was really young at time and i’m pretty sure the are is nothing like what it used to be. ” Maybe one day we become New Yorkers the day we realize that New York will go on without us.” This was said by Colson Whitehead and he’s trying to say that as New Yorkers we shouldn’t fall victim to the change and keep traditions and cultures the same.

New York is home to many buildings that juxtapose one another. The denotation of juxtapose is to place two different things side by side as to either compare or contrast or to create and interesting effect. The Water and Main Street old factory building versus the Moinian Hudson Yards office tower is a suitable juxtaposition that emphasizes old vs. new. Although they are not exactly side by side, the angle in which the skyscraper is being built overlooks the old factory building in such a precise way it seems as if they are right next to each other. These two buildings are a fitting example of how city can be modernized but still withhold instances from history. New buildings are being created everyday, while old ones are being renovated to be replaced with a Starbucks or Trader Joe’s. Gentrification has been victimizing small pockets of the cities for years now and Dumbo, Brooklyn certainly is one of them. This old factory building is abandoned but still stands today. Why is that so? This building may become a historic landmark in the near future if it’s not transformed into something newer and up to date.

Although these two buildings are of far distance from each other, the overarching size of the sky scraper seems as if it is very close to the old factory building. This juxtaposition really is a good example of how old things will eventually be replaced with something of a more modern taste. Also it compares and contrast Old vs New , and it’s an instance of gentrification. Many people would just walk past this and pay little to no mind to this juxtaposition but this can be made into a bigger picture. A perspective on how cities are advancing and adapting to modern technology.

Whitehead, Colson. “City Limits.” The Colossus of New York: A City in Thirteen Parts. New York: Random House, 2004. 1-12. .

McGrath, Charles. “A Literary Visitor Strolls in From the Airport.” The New York Times, December 6, 2006.