Last but not least

Waking up this morning I realized that today was the last day of class I was a little excited but disappointment hit when I realized that I would probably never see the people I met in this class again. As I dragged myself out of bed it was raining and all I could think of is I hope today doesn’t get washed out and we are not doing too much walking today. Meeting at Penn Station I felt as if everyone felt the same way relieved that the class was coming to an end but sad that it is coming to an end.           

Today’s class we toured through Little Italy, Chinatown and the Bowery so I was excited to explore. I love the Bowery the lower east side. Taking the F train we started our day at the Essex Street Market. This market began in 1940 with an effort by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia to find a new place for merchants to do business. The market offers food for all tastes such as Latino, Jewish and upscale urbanite (BG, 123).Walking around the market you can see the culture fusion of the Latino, Korean, Asian and Italian. The little bakery shops engulfed my nostrils and the aromatic smell took over the front of the market. In the rear of the market the fresh meat look pink and ready to be cooked nothing like the frozen meat I find in the regular grocery story.

 

Our next stop was the Tenement Museum. This museum was a former tenement founded in 1988 to preserve the heritage of the nation’s immigrants, honoring the millions who lived in the Lower East Side and in other immigrant ghettos (BG, 122). I was very excited to go to the museum I love history and was excited to actually visit the house where a family actually lived. Each floor housed four families, while each apartment consisting of three small rooms, a bedroom, kitchen and living room.  If the family needed water or use the bathroom they would have to walk down 5 flights of stairs to then bring water back to the home or use the bathroom.

We entered the house of Bridget and Joseph Moore. The Moore’s had three daughters; our specific attention was on Agnes Moore the baby, after moving to the tenement they had to deal with hard living conditions and shortly after the death of their newborn daughter Agnes due to poisonous milk given to the poor living in the neighborhood. The main struggles of the people living in the tenements were to keep their family healthy in such small confinements. During this time the type of medicine that was available for struggling immigrants consisted of opium and alcohol. It took a lot of money and months before a doctor would be able to visit. Next it was time for lunch my classmates ate at Congee Village authentic Chinese Food; I was not really in the Chinese mood so I opted to eat somewhere else.

Next was our walking tour thankfully the rain subsided and we had a great tour guide.  While many of Manhattan's other ethnic areas are shrinking, Chinatown is expanding eastward beyond its original boundaries into the Lower East Side and northward into Little Italy (BG, 106). Chinatown is the area in NYC known for the most illegal immigrants. Most people believe that Chinatown was founded by Chinese from China, but actually Chinese from California who could no longer find work there after the Gold Rush founded Chinatown. While walking around the neighborhood we passed the Yung Wing school, named after Yung Wing  the first Chinese to every obtain a degree from a American College, and the first to get a degree from Yale University. Following the school we walked along Doyers Street; one of the most crooked streets in NYC and was originally a cart lane (BG, 112). This street was known for high crime and the Chinese once said that they could see the blood running down the street when the gangs would fight.

Lastly, was the Transfiguration Church. I think the name fits the church perfectly it was in a constant flux. The church has undergone many changes, originally a Lutheran church, the church became Catholic in the 1850’s. Shortly after Italians moved into the area and as the newbies on the block, the Irish would make them worship in the basement until Italians became the dominant population. Now, the church being in the heart of Chinatown has become the Chinese Catholic church. Services for this church are spoken in Cantonese, Mandarin and English (BG, 112).

We walked a couple blocks east and entered Columbus Park, named after Christopher Columbus the park was previously named Mulberry Bend Park, located in the area known as 5 points. The park had a 5 point intersection, which no longer exists. This area was primarily Irish and African American who were poverty-ridden. Nowadays the park is used to practice Tai chi, play mahjong or enjoy the passing scene (BG, 112). Last was Little Italy, the Italian population has aged or moved away and today Little Italy has become a tourist draw, attracting people for the food (BG, 114).

Overall today was a great. I feel very sad that the class is over but i am excited with what I learned. My eyes have been open to so many different things and I personally think this would help me be a better-rounded person, able to discuss art and history if needed.