Another Friday, another opportunity to get to know the city a little better. Today, we are going to explore lower Manhattan and Chelsea. We departed from Penn Station as usual, and headed to the World Trade Center (not the Freedom Tower, as emphasized by Meritta) and St. Paul's Chapel. While standing in between the One World Trade Center and the Trinity Church, we were given a brief history of the two buildings. During September 11, 2001, terrorists had crashed two planes into the Twin Towers, which were two office buildings that were part of the World Trade Center complex. In the Spring of 2002, the debris that had resulted from the attack, had been cleared away and a construction of a new building is now being made. This building is called the One World Trade Center and it is located just north of the former plaza at 250 Greenwich St. This building was made to symbolize the date of American independence in 2006 (BG p.62). Reconstruction of the office towers by Daniel Libeskind are still in the process, causing much conflict and financial overruns (BG p.62). Looking at the construction of the building, it was hard not to get a little emotional. It sometimes seems as if 9/11 had just happened yesterday, and already there are new constructions being done. After the event of 9/11, rescue workers, such as volunteers, fire fighters, and police officers took refuge in St. Paul's Chapel. St. Paul's Chapel is Manhattan's only remaining colonial church and was built as a subsidiary chapel for Trinity Church (BG p.77). Today, this chapel has now become a small, temporary memorial in remembrance of the victims, family members, and workers affected by the event of 9/11. When we entered St. Paul's Chapel, it was filled with paraphernalia, such as flowers, photos, and teddy bears. St. Paul gives off a very comforting ambiance, and it is the perfect place for people to mourn and remember those who have been affected by 9/11.
Our next stop was Wall Street, the financial district and the heart of capitalism. It is a third of a mile long and runs between Broadway and the East River (BG p.64). Wall Street got its name from a wall that was built in order to protect the Dutch town from British neighbors (BG p.64). As we walked the streets of Wall Street, we had passed by the famous New York Stock Exchange, the largest stock exchange in the world. The New York Stock Exchange first moved to Wall Street in 1903. Once a place for premier banks and major corporations, is now turning into a place filled with restaurants and hotels. Today, Wall Street has also become the backdrop of Occupy Wall Street (OWS). OWS is a protest movement that centers around the issues of economic and financial inequality and the influences of corporations on government. OWS has made Wall Street a scene of radical protest. After walking through Wall Street, we headed to the Trinity Church on Broadway. Trinity Church, a Gothic Revival church, is one of the famous churches in New York City because of its history, dramatic setting, and attendance of famous people during the Revolutionary period.. What was once the tallest building in Lower Manhattan, is now overshadowed by gigantic office buildings. It is 79ft wide and 166ft long (BG p.65). This church, which dates back from 1846, is the third on the site. The first church in 1698 was burned in 1776, and the second church, which was completed in 1790, was demolished in 1839 after a heavy snowfall on the roof (BG p.65). We admired the church's impressive front doors which were modeled after Lorenzo Ghiberti's famous bronze doors of the baptistery of the cathedral in Florence (BG p.65). We also went to the churchyard, where we viewed the graves of Alexander Hamilton and Robert Fulton.
After saying farewell to Hamilton and Fulton, we headed to the Federal Hall National Monument, where we greeted a statue of George Washington being sworn to oath at the steps of the entrance. The Federal Hall National Monument is the seed of American government. It is where Washington was sworn in as our first president in 1789 (BG p 69). It was named the Federal Hall because New York use to be the nation's capital. The building, designed by Alexander Jackson Davis and Ithiel Town, was designed to evoke the democratic ideals of ancient Greece and the power of the Roman Empire, through the Greek Doric portico (BG p.69). Inside, we were able to view memorabilia of the inauguration, such as Washington's handwritten inaugural address. It was very interesting to get up close and see this. We were also able to view models of the original City Hall and Federal Hall, and exhibits on the Civil War.
After Battery Park City, we headed north along the Esplanade and visited the World Financial Center. The World Financial Center is made up of five office towers that were designed by Cesar Pelli. It is considered the hub of Battery Park City (BG p.61). We were also able to view the beautiful palm trees present in the Winter Garden and view the German industrial glass that overlooks the World Trade Center site. We had learned that during 9/11, it had caused some damage to the garden, and was therefore restored and reopened in September 2002 (BG p.61). While walking along the Esplanade, we also visited the Irish Hunger Memorial. This half an acre memorial was built in order to raise awareness about the Great Irish Famine that forced many Irish immigrants to look for a better life out of Ireland. Like a postcard from Ireland, it is a landscaped plot that consists of stones, soil, and vegetation. After visiting the Irish Hunger Memorial, we headed to the Poet's House on River Terrace. The Poet's House is completely devoted to the art of poetry where anyone can donate a collection of their poetry. We were able to rest for a while here and read a few poems. One poem, Epitaph, a poem by J. Tarin Towers, caught my attention and made me laugh.
Epitaph
Since you have spent more hours
or days staring into your glass
than you will ever spend
looking into my eyes;
And since one stiff drink can
hold me all night long
the way you never could;
It's clear that I should stick with Jack,
and you should stick with Jim,
and then both of us will be happy.
After the Poet's House, we headed to Chelsea Market and also learned about the Meatpacking District. The Meatpacking District, formerly known as the Gansevoort Market, gives its neighborhood its working-class edge (BG p.184). What was once a place of prostitution and warehouses, is now in the process of being gentrified. We had lunch at Hale & Hearty Soups in Chelsea Market on 16th St. Chelsea Market is the home of the Nabisco Company and used to occupy five blocks of the market district in the 1920's.
After having lunch at Chelsea Market, we headed to the High Line. The High Line is a 13 mile abandoned freight line. It was at first built in order to solve the problems of the dangerous New York Central Railroad that ran from Eleventh to Tenth Avenue. We had also learned about "West Side Cowboys", which were men who were mounted on horseback and preceded the engines of the New York Central Railroad by waving flags (BG p.188). The High Line was left to rust and is now a garden and an elevated walkway. It is a place where people can relax and enjoy the town of Chelsea.
After walking on the High Line, we then went art gallery-hopping. Gentrification is also present in Chelsea because of the High Line and the increasing amount of art galleries. I enjoyed looking at the art galleries because each gallery had very different styles of contemporary art. I would have to say my favorite gallery was one by an artist name Leonardo Drew, who made maze-like exhibitions from thousands of wood scraps. His pieces looked very intricate and almost impossible to do. I enjoyed exploring Lower Manhattan and Chelsea. I will definitely be visiting this area more often!
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