a[broad] view: Let's Hear it for New York

Jam packed. Not only my suitcase, but my days in New York! I have been to 3 boroughs in 4 days and have explored with all 5 senses. New York is such a vibrant and diverse city, where no two people or places look the same.

Wednesday morning, Joe Salvo, the Director of the Population Division at the New York City Department of City Planning came to speak to our class. One of Joe’s many hats is to work closely with the Census Bureau to create population estimates. Joe’s statistics of New York City were staggering: 8 million people live in this city, Brooklyn and Queens could stand alone as the 4^th and 5^th largest cities in the United States and the foreign born immigrant population is 3 million. These are just a couple of numbers to show how extremely dense and diverse this city is, no one dominates in New York City.

I realized this later that day, when our class split up into groups to venture to different parts of the City. I decided to explore the East River Ferry, which leaves out of Pier 11 near Wall St. and travels to Brooklyn and Queens. While I headed downtown on the subway, I understood what just what Joe meant; no two people looked the same. Whites, asians blacks, hispanics, all on one small subway cart. Almost everyone was “plugged in” in someway or another; to their ipod, phone, tablet, or newspaper. No one was speaking to one another, the streets above us were bursting with noise but our cart was filled with silence.

Our first stop off the ferry was in DUMBO, Brooklyn. DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass) was very artsy, hip and contemporary, the “new” New York. Worn down industrial warehouses stood next to new brick buildings. I noticed the streetwalkers of DUMBO grazed down the blocks much more leisurely than the determined strutters of Manhattan. Next, we took the ferry to Williamsburg, Brooklyn which is known for a heavy population of orthodox Jews and hipsters (though that’s not exactly politically correct). A public yellow school bus with Hebrew scripture passed by us and glossy grafitti filled the walls of most buildings. While in Williamsburg, we stopped in “New York Muffins,” an adorable café that served tasty treats, I opted for a warm, delicious cranberry muffin. Williamsburg was a mix of edgy and conservative, like nothing I had ever seen before. Our last stop was Long Island City, Queens. This area was much more car-centric with few people on the streets. While walking the blocks trying to get a sense of the essence and people of LIC I peeped into a window to see many young children and their mothers playing together…or so I thought. I looked closely and realized the young boys and girls were all white, and their caretakers all black.

My exploration of these different parts of New York City taught me that a city can be full of contradictions; it can be loud and still, green and polluted, vibrant and gray, hip and old fashion. It can be white, black, asain and hispanic, it can be wealthy and poor. I loved observing, tasting and listening these very different neighborhoods. Above all, I realized New York City has so much more to offer its people than just bright lights, Broadway, fashion and food- things I previously thought of when I heard “New York.” There is rich history here and sustainability projects and innovative transportation use and public art and wonderful people from all different parts of the world, the list goes on and on. Learning about New York out of the classroom through direct experience was meaningful and powerful. This exercise was an introduction to the experiential learning concept that forms the basis of IHP. My impressions of New York has dramatically altered in just a couple of days because I am not just looking, but I am seeing. As Alicia Keys would say, let’s hear it for New York.

Enjoy the pictures of my adventure through NYC below!

Lots of love. Till next time,

Rachel