Journal # 5 - My West Side Story

Today we walked through the busy streets to Times Square, the “Crossroads of the World,” as described by the Blue Guide (217), to walk the pedestrian zone. This area has turned into an over-the-top commercial zone almost a Disney North (according to my own perception).

Happy to walk through the area to explore the G.E. Building, which houses NBC studios, I marveled at the mural by artist Jose Maria Sert (BG, 248), called American Progress. We exited the building at the 30 Rockefeller end of the building and continued toward 53^rd Street to get to the New York Museum of Modern Art – MoMA.

I could have spent all day in MoMA! The top floor featured German Expressionism from the early 20^th Century. The thought provoking, graphic images of sexuality and war by artist such as: Dix, Kollwitz, and Beckman made it hard to leave the exhibit! Also on the 6^th floor was an exhibition by Francis Alys entitled A Story of Deception. This exhibit included multimedia art of the artist pushing a block of ice through the streets. All who watched had their own interesting interpretations of why this person would do such a thing in this short film called Paradox of Praxis (1997). The artist installed other multimedia works as well as many riveting drawings, news clippings and paintings. We quickly walked through the 5^th floor which keeps famous works by Andy Warhol, Monet and van Gogh. The 4^th floor gave us a taste of the more famous New York artists such as Warhol, Jackson Pollock and Robert Rauschenberg.  According to the Blue Guide (266), this may be the best gallery to view Pollock’s work.  This is another site to revisit in the future. After MoMA, I refueled my empty stomach with a large salad at a deli close to the museum.

We then grabbed a train and headed to Harlem. I’ve never been to Harlem, and hope I don’t have to return to this town any time soon. According to the Blue Guide (437), this area was meant for a middle-class people do occupy. A black realtor in 1904 by the name of, Philip A. Payton, helped provide housing to black tenants.  The Depression, around the 30’s, was the beginning of the end as it became difficult for the black community to keep up with their rent (BG, 438). I vaguely remember as a young girl in the 70’s hearing news about people deliberately setting their houses on fire to collect insurance. Even though Harlem still seems to be stuck in the 70’s cultural abyss, her streets seem to be experiencing a cosmetic Renaissance in that beautiful Browstones in the area are being renovated. The hope for cultural preservation is evident in the material exhibited in Studio Museum in Harlem where there are two floors of art, sculptures, historical documents and a beautiful exhibit by Stephen Burks that consists of baskets weaved with synthetic materials.

After we walked past the Apollo Theatre, the springboard for some of my favorite musical artists such as Sarah Vaughn, and Ella Fitzgerald (BG, 440), we kept walking westward toward the Hudson River. It’s amazing how the ‘face’ of the neighborhood changed when we crossed Morningside Park toward Grant’s Tomb.  The magnificent mausoleum sits in a park called, Grant Centennial Plaza between Riverside Church, and the Hudson River. For the moment it felt like I was exploring one of the monuments in Washington D.C. Inside the structure rest former president, General Ulysses S. Grant and his wife, Julia Dent Grant, lying side by side within red granite sarcophagi (BG, 436). Once again, my fascination with the Civil War was heightened as I walked through the tomb.

Finally we walked through the beautiful campus of Columbia University which is one of North America’s “oldest, wealthiest, and most respected universities" (BG, 427), then to the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine.  I’ve wanted to visit this cathedral for its Winter Solstice concerts or many years. This beautiful church is absolutely enormous. The cornerstone for this building was laid in 1892 and had been under construction on an off ever since (BG, 419). What is most interesting is this cathedral is built by stonemasons, an almost extinct trade. This location was added to my list of site to return to, in addition to the Hungarian Pastry Shop.  After a few cocktails, I struck with the reality of having to return to Penn Station to go home. Four adventurous days down…3 more to go to complete this New York Experience