I choose U.S. Post Office as the location for this project because when I first arrive to that location, it attracts me with its bright white appearance. The architecture feels like in the past centuries , because of the special design of the building. What I thought about of the building is it must has some stories or it may be a very important building back in time, for some reason the origin purpose of the building is gone, however people don’t want take down the building and make a new architecture. They probably think this building is part of the history, its priceless, so they make the building to a post office. From what I learned about this building is this building was build for both a post office and courthouse, designed the building in the Romanesque Revival style of architecture in 1885. From the article “City Limits” by Colson Whitehead, it states that “Go back to your old haunts in your old neighborhoods and what do you find: they remain and have disappeared.” Even though, we didn’t have the opportunity to see the changes of the post office, however the history would like to tell us about what part of the building have change. The building was built in 1885, after the almost fifty years later, in 1930, as the population continued to grow, officials determined more space of the building was needed, the addition extended to the north. The article also mentioned “Our old buildings still stand because we saw them, moved in and out of their long shadows, were lucky enough to know them for a time.” the statement have shown that it was luck enough that people can still see those old buildings as they walking through their long and short shadows.
Category: ENG1101 Project #2
Project#2 (Final)
Our world is made with many different pieces. New York is one piece of the world, Brooklyn is one piece of New York, and the two locations I choose are pieces of Brooklyn. The two locations are Adams street and the part of Jay street that between Tillary street and Sand street.
It is Jay street when you walk out of the Namm building of city tech. Turn left and on your right hand side, it’s the Amalgamated bank. Go across the Tillary street. There is a park called McLaughlin park. You can see people playing basketball and handball there. Next to the park, you can see the Cathedral Basilica of St. James, the the cathedral church of the Diocese of Brooklyn. Keep going straight on Jay street, there is another building of city tech. If you look forward, you will see the Manhattan bright. A lots of people walking on it. Turn right on the Sand street. There is an eyes catching long aisle between two buildings. Keep going down on Sand street, it is Brooklyn bright! And you can see the buildings in Manhattan from there. I think it would be awesome if you look at them at night. Turn left at the end of Sand street, it is the Adams street. There are many cars parking on that street. Keep going forward, there is a big park on the other side called Whitman park. But it is covered by a few buildings. Also you can see some government buildings like US Post Office, Surrogates Court, and Kings Country Supreme Court.
The route I chose to walk from city tech was joyful for me. Before I started the walk, I didn’t know what I would meet and experience. I didn’t carefully look at the map. So everything on the route were new for me. And I was really looking forward to it. But when I went across the Tillary street and looked all the way down along the Jay street. I felt like that was nothing special. I could see those surroundings anywhere in Brooklyn. And that made me a little disappointed. But after I kept walking for a while, I realized that there is Brooklyn, that is how it looks like. This route I chose is piece of Brooklyn. And many of these pieces made up Brooklyn. Every day I am on the same route from home to school. It keeps repeating and that almost makes me forget the name of the place I live. But when I carefully looked at the buildings, the parks, and the people on the route I chose, I felt like that they were reminding me that there is Brooklyn, the place I am living in. Then I walked on the Adams street. And it surprised me. The buildings were different  from the Jay street’s. The buildings looked more Modernized. And I felt like I saw a new face of Brooklyn. These two street’s buildings create a juxtaposition. The buildings on Jay street look plain. The buildings on Adams street look majesty, such as the US Post Office, the Surrogates Court, and the Kings Country Supreme Court.
The reason I chose these two subjects is that they look different. The buildings on Adams street are tall and complex. The US Post Office, the Surrogates Court, and the Kings Country Supreme Court all look solemn. The buildings on Jay street between Tillary street and Sand street are shorter and simpler. What strikes me the most is the St James Cathedral. And I want to know when is it built? why did they choose this location? what is the concept of this building?
In the reading “City Limits”, Colson Whitehead once said, “The New York City you live in is not my New York City; how could it be? This place multiplies when you’re not looking. We move over here, we move over there. Over a life time, that adds up to a lot of neighborhoods.” I said that the buildings on Jay street between Tillary street and Sand street seem like nothing special. I can see those surroundings anywhere in Brooklyn. The surroundings look like the same but actually they are different because of the neighborhoods. Whitehead also said, “All our old places are proof that we were here.” Even we live in a same street, the street can be different because it has different meanings for different people live in here. And those meanings are also pieces of the street. Like I said at the beginning, “Our world is made with many different pieces.”
Project #2: Including senses
This U.S. Post Office is just one street away, behind the Namm Hall building. The building took over the whole block. The post office is not the only part of the building, US Passport Agency, US Attorney’s Office, and US District Bankruptcy Court are also in the same building. The architecture feels like 19th centuries, because of its appearance. The whole building appears in white, it contains many features of the Romanesque Revival style. The building has seven stories tall.
I took this photo at a small park which is at the junction between Johnson St. and Cadman Plaza. In the photo, you can see the square corner tower rise above the roof line. Each level was distinguished with different belt courses around the building. In order to capture angle in the photo of the building, you must stand on the right hand side of the statue in the park I was talking about earlier.
ENG 1101 Classwork: Will Self and Project #2 drafting
To continue drafting and developing Project #2, please share with the class what your project is about. We will use that statement as a draft of a thesis statement.
We will also review Charles McGrath’s New York Times article, “A Literary Visitor Strolls in from the Airport,” and annotate a copy of it.
Project #2: homework
I have decided to tackle on the subject of two different social status being next to each other. I find this intriguing because when actually looking at this example in person it gives off a bizarre feeling. My location consists of two stores that are found in two completely different boroughs which is Manhattan and The Bronx. Both of these boroughs hold reputations that contrast against each other. Manhattan is known as a place where you can make all your dreams come true and filled with such extravagance. Meanwhile The Bronx is known for being impoverished and dangerous due to high crime rates. By knowing the reputations of the two boroughs it gives of an odd feeling of being together. But at the same time it makes sense to place the contrasting stores next to one another because what makes up New York City is the five boroughs, not Manhattan on its own as most people portray it. My location being in Brooklyn seems to unify the other two boroughs while being a borough on its own instead of just being a mash up. From the reading excerpt “City Limits” by Colson Whitehead, the author states that “Except that probably we’re neighbors. That we walk past each other every day, and never knew it until now”. By this statement, with my location most people would just brush pass by it without noticing the great contrast it holds while being next to each other. Whitehead also mentions that everyone has their very own New York. So with someone staying within the New York they know that’s all they get live. My location holds three New Yorks which two that overlap while the third New York unifies them. If someone were to come to this location it’s as if they are expanding their New York by intertwining with the other New Yorks.
Project #2: Homework
I chose this subject of how Brooklyn is a great example of borough that shows the difference in social system. I chose this because I thought it would be a great opportunity to differentiate between two borough. I have never done this before which it is refreshing, of how I can really see each borough in positive and negative ways. What stroked me was how Brooklyn was a place that I had never thought it was a intriguing place. I thought that story of Brooklyn was something more dangerous of that people say in the news, where there is shooting and such occurs. Guessing and seeing difference in place where you walk, makes the view of its place unique. Of what I saw, the story of Brooklyn is further more than what I had imagined. Such beautiful construction of each buildings and how historic the place makes the tourist like me, who stepped into the location for the first time makes the yearn for more knowledge of the place. I would want to learn how Brooklyn made the tittle of Brooklyn, I believe that if you want to know something, search the place from the beginning. This would be my first step to do any research.
From the reading expert, “City Limits“ by Colson Whitehead, the author explains to the reader that sees the New York different from other people. As he grew up, city itself also reformed where he saw the overlaps of the things that other people would not notice the change. Because of the walk we done in class, I can relate the overlaps that I saw in Brooklyn, like Colson Whitehead have saw. How he explains one of his paragraph that, old residents that he knew had been there disappeared overtime. As it relates to my overlap of T-mobile store had shutdown within about a week in Brooklyn, and not many people have noticed.
My Decision On My Subjects
I decided to choose these two subjects to juxtapose because they are so completely different to me. Walking down Jay Street my eye catches this big beautiful building which is the Brooklyn Fire Headquarters, and right next to it is a small café that you can miss you don’t look carefully. What strikes me the most is why they would build a small café right in the middle of these big tall buildings? It just does not fit right. What I want to know is, how long has the fire house and the café been there? What was there before the café was built there? Why did they chose to build a café in that location? As Whitehead said from City Limits “Go back to your old haunts in your old neighborhoods and what do you find: they remain and have disappeared. The greasy spoon, the deli, the dry cleaner you scouted out when you first arrived and tried to make those new streets yours: they are gone.” This applies to this location, because I did some research and discovered there use to be another building where the café now is, therefore when people return to Jay street one day they will want to know what happened to the place that the café replace. That building is now gone and a new one took its place. Whitehead also said “Maybe we become New Yorkers the day we realize that New York will go on without us.” Meaning New York is always changing thus leaving different sensory in our neighborhoods even though we do not want change sometimes New York will keep evolving in the future with or without us.
Project #2 (Location with sensory details)
This is not just a building or an alignment of buildings that create juxtaposition. This is an intersection between Livingston street, Boerum place, and Red Hook Lane. What really caught my attention is that the front building to the right looks old fashion, because of the way the roof top has a crown looking rim around it and how the windows look as if they were tucked into the building. There are also a lot of air conditioners in that building. Then in the background there are modern buildings forming. Which have more of glass windows and are very geometrical even on the roof. They do not have air conditioners either because of how central air has taken over in many new buildings. There is a pattern as well because the second building to the left looks very old fashion too with the beige color and round windows. The pattern is old, new, old, new building. To get to this locations it takes 10 min to walk to from City Tech. When you exit make a right, walking on Jay street straight to Livingston street where you would make a right turn. You will just walk one block and end up at the intersection of Red Hook Lane and Boerum Place on Livingston street.
I have actually never walked this way before. The reason I stumbled across it was because a friend of mine wanted to shop around the area so I followed. As I was walking IÂ thought to myself, let me see if I could find a place where I see juxtaposition. I had found a couple but it was this one that caught my eye the most. I actually did not like the intersection, because it was very busy full of cars beeping every where. It felt stressful just to cross the street.
What we want from peer feedback
What we might add: prompted by questions from peer, maybe focused on the argument, add more detail–especially about senses, how it’s a juxtaposition
a thesis statement:it establishes your main idea; points out your side of an argument; makes a straightforward point (vs argumentative); summarizes the claim; outlines what you’ll find in the rest of the essay; a road map to the rest of the project; a guide for the reader; specific. End of your introduction.
what’s up?
how come?
so what?
What we might remove: look for repetition. If we want to avoid a particular stance, eg first person. (especially I believe, I feel, I think)
remove aspects that don’t fit with the focus we’re choosing (ask–what does this have to do with your argument? your comparison? your main idea?)
language, grammar, sentence boundaries, vocabulary, usage, for clarity
vocabulary to add: to make it more sophisticated,
grammar, sentence boundaries, how to make it sound better
Eng Project #2: Draft
Everyday, new changes are happening and sometimes we are not aware of it. One place in particular that has been changing over the years is New York; particularly New York City. The city has been known as “The City of Dreams” or “Empire City”. There is always something changing in New York City whether it’s constructing new buildings or adding new businesses. Living in New York, we don’t realize the changes that are happening or we see it but don’t really care too much about it.Â
For this project, the place that I chose to do was the U.S. Polo Association Outlet Store on 468 Fulton Street in Brooklyn. From the City Tech building, it’s only a walking distance to the store. When you get out from the Namm building, you turn right and just walk straight until you’re at the corner of 2 Smith Street. When you’re walking from Jay Street, you’ll pass by the Supreme and Family Court, the Jay Street/MetroTech train station, and some stores on the way. When you get to the corner of 2 Smith Street, cross the street and continue to walk straight. On you’re walk, you’ll pass through many shops such as Gap, Foot Locker, Unique, Macy’s, American Eagle Outfitters, Kay Jewelers, Modells Sporting Shops, Journey’s. When you see Aldo’s, you’ll see the Polo Outlet Store right next to it. You won’t be able to miss it because of the cream colored building and the large blue polo logo on the store.Â
The U.S. Polo Association brand has been going on since 1890 and it continues to grow with many outlet stores opened in New York and other different states. From the five boroughs in New York, three outlet stores are opened in Manhattan, one in Queens, one in the Bronx, and one in Brooklyn. The Polo outlet store in Brooklyn is a fairly tall cream building with a large blue polo logo in the front. There are two glass doors at the front. It is also in between a sneaker shop and Aldo.
In Brooklyn, you see a mix of some name brand stores and some non-name brand stores. On Fulton Street you’ll see a line mixed with name rand and non-name brand stores. For example, the U.S. Polo Association Outlet Store, is between a name brand store called Aldo’s, non-name brand sneaker store and a non-name jewelry store. In Manhattan, you mostly see brand name stores that are next to each other such as Tiffany and Co., Armani, Coach, etc. While the other non-name brand stores are somewhere else and they’re all also next to each other.
