Beautiful Brooklyn!

            When I woke up this morning, I was miserable. I thought it would be a long, dreary, cold day even though the sun was up and shining but the temperature had dropped a little. I headed for my train bound for Penn Station. We met at our usual time and spot. By now everyone got to know each other a lot better and carried longer conversations and kept each other company until the professors arrived. Mike made sure everyone was there, he took attendance, explained the days itinerary and then we were off. We knew this would be a long day like our first class and to start off this long exciting day was a long, relaxing train ride on the F line.

            Our first stop, Coney Island! Now I’ve been to Coney Island many times but never knew the history behind it. I was curious to find out all about this place I’ve visited on so many occasions. Coney Island was settled by the Dutch, who named it Konijn Eiland after the rabbits they found there (BG, 492). It started with the Coney Island Hotel, but its history really began when the three spectacular amusement parks opened up: Steeplechase Park (1897), Luna Park (1903), and Dreamland (1904) (BG, 492). Coney Island was once an island but was later joined to the mainland by landfill, so it is no longer an island but now a peninsula (BG, 492). Coney Island was once an important amusement and recreational area for New York during the 1920s and 30s. What was once such an upbeat, populated area, have now fallen on hard times in recent years. Many of the amusements have been sold off or torn down, leaving empty buildings and vacant lots. Urban renewal programs filled Coney Island’s massive housing projects with the elderly, blacks, and Latinos (BG, 492). Despite the fact that the amusements have been torn down and sold off, three classic rides have been landmarked and cannot be destroyed: the Parachute Jump (which I learned was part of the 1939 World’s Fair), the Cyclone roller coaster, and the Wonder Wheel (BG, 492).

            When we arrived in Coney Island we were suppose to go into an exhibition center to learn more history about the place but it was closed. Also we were not able to experience the thrill of Luna Park or the Cyclone. We did have an hour or so to venture off on our own and explore the area. The majority of us were hungry so we all went off in different directions in search of food. Not too many places were open because school is now in session so a lot of the shops were closed. A few of us headed down the boardwalk to Nathan’s Famous, the iconic hot dog stand founded in 1916 (BG, 492). For the most part we enjoyed our lunch, we were not too happy about the annoying seagulls that kept coming around looking for food. After lunch we started on our way back to meet up with everyone. It was such a relaxing experience on the boardwalk. It was not crowded and loud; the few people that were there came out for their morning jog. We walked on the empty beach in the sand and took in the beautiful view.

            After we all met back at the starting point we were then back on the F train off again working our way back to the city stopping of at Brooklyn Heights to explore the Transit Museum. The Transit Museum is a two-level subterranean museum, located in an unused subway station. Run by the Metropolitan Transit Authority, it includes exhibits on buses, bridges, and tunnels, but the emphasis is on the subway. Lined up on the tracks of the former Court St station are examples of most of the subway cars that have traveled the tracks since the first line opened in 1904 (BG, 468). These subway cars were antiques. They looked uncomfortable; some of the seats were made from the material of wicker baskets. Some trains didn’t have any poles to hold on to only straphangers, others had a lot more room to move around and stretch your legs. The trains’ way back then didn’t have air conditioners so some of the trains had fans attached to the ceiling. Because of our public transportation, in particular our subways, has helped in transforming New York to be the world-class city that it is.

            Next we visited the Brooklyn Historical Society where we took a tour to get a sense of the importance of Brooklyn in the history of New York. Brooklyn occupies the western tip of Long Island and is bounded by the East River, the Narrows, and Upper New York Bay on the west and north, by the Atlantic Ocean on the south, and the borough of Queens on the east (BG, 461). We took a speed walking tour around this area and learned of its founders and how the area came to be the first historic district.

            Our last item on the itinerary was the treacherous walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. By this time we were all exhausted. I knew myself for one kept second-guessing myself as to whether or not I can walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. The Brooklyn Bridge is one of New York’s great landmarks, certainly the best known and most loved bridge in the city. The view from the bridge is spectacular, day or night, up to the cables or down to the river (BG, 464). We started off on the pedestrian path headed towards the city. We decide to time ourselves to see how long it would take us to cross the bridge. We made it over in half an hour.
        A few of us kept looking at our watch because we knew if we didn’t make it over the bridge in time to get on the train back to Penn station we would be waiting for a long time for the next train. As soon as we made it over we didn’t stop to wait for the rest of our classmates, we said our goodbyes to Mike and Meritta and jetted straight for the train station. After walking all day we found the extra energy to speed walk through the busy streets of New York City. We bolted pass everyone and ran into Penn station with a little more than five minutes to catch our trains. What an exhausting day. This day was more tiring than the first. As I sat on the train and looked back on how my day had turned out I was especially proud and very excited to say I walked over the Brooklyn Bridge. Beautiful!