Lower Manhattan & Captivating Chelsea

            When I heard there was going to be a change of plans for this week’s class I was a little skeptical. It was an awesome idea to be apart of this protest, to be a part of history but from what’s been going on in the news some of us were very afraid of what the outcome will be. The Occupy Wall Street protest has some feeling empowered while others are apprehensive. Wall St. is a short street, about a third of a mile long, which runs between Broadway and the East River. Ever since the New York Stock Exchange moved here in 1903, this thoroughfare, sometimes called simply “The Street”, has been synonymous with New York’s financial industry (BG, 64).

            When we arrived at Zuccotti Park I didn’t know what to expect. I had heard and seen on the news that the protesters were not cooperating with the authorities and that the NYPD were going to arrest almost everyone that day. Upon arrival we walked along the sidewalk and read the signs that the protesters were holding and eventually got yelled at by the cops for meandering. When they were told we were with a class and just wanted to get a statement from a few protestors we were eventually left alone. We heard a little overview from a protester, also some history on the Occupy Wall protest from one of Mike’s former college mate and all about the 99% of America being poor and 1% rich. I have to say I feel horrible for both ends but some of these people work hard to get to where they are at the top and they deserve their million dollar bonuses. Being a business major makes me see both sides to the story because maybe one day I might be on the other end of the rope. So after making history with the protestors we then strolled over to Trinity Church. Trinity Church stands at the head of Wall St. on Broadway, once the loftiest building in the neighborhood, now overshadowed by gigantic office buildings (BG, 65). We walked in through the gothic looking church where there was a bride and groom having their picture taken, we walked along to the back of the church and out the doors into the graveyard where we able to see gravestones of some very famous people like Alexander Hamilton. After this our next stop was Federal Hall National Memorial. Federal Hall is one of New York’s most important historic sites, although the historical events predate the present building (BG, 69). When we got inside the museum there were many historical exhibits and a great deal of them were on George Washington.

            We then walked down to St. Paul’s Chapel & Churchyard. St. Paul’s Chapel faces Broadway between Fulton and Vesey St. It is Manhattan’s only remaining colonial church. It became the most important Anglican Church in the city and was used by George Washington following his inauguration at Federal Hall. After the World Trade Center disaster, the chapel served both as a place of refuge for workers at Ground Zero and as a temporary memorial for visitors, who attached messages and memorials to the fence in front of the church. We continued our journey through the World Financial Center in the hub of Battery Park City, whose five office towers were designed by the firm of Cesar Pelli between 1985 and 1988. The spectacular Winter Garden, with its palm trees and great glass windows, is used for exhibitions and art events (BG, 61). We also visited the Irish Hunger Memorial and continued our walk down the Hudson River to the Poet’s House, a building completely devoted to the art of poetry. After here we stayed on our path along the Hudson River down to Chelsea Piers through the meatpacking industry. After such a long day we finally got to have lunch at the Chelsea Market. I was beyond hungry and the over priced food at the Chelsea Market was not appetizing. The cupcake from Amy’s Bakery was awesomely delicious though, the best part of my lunch.

            After lunch we headed towards the High-Line. The High – Line was built in the mid 19^th century, the New York Central Railroad used to run at street level. The streets were clogged with traffic and the tracks were dangerous and the avenue became known as “Death Avenue”. Beginning in the late 1990s, a local advocacy group defeated proposals for demolition, and at the present time, a park is being constructed over the 1.6 miles. After viewing this hidden masterpiece of New York City we visited a few art galleries that were quite interesting. We were tired and beat and it was getting dark and couldn’t wait to get through these galleries and head home. Overall it was a great experience.