Jeff Freedman

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When I was first told that I would have to go central park and help document the various forms of wildlife and plant life in the park, I was a bit overwhelmed.  After all, Central Park is massive and I imagined it must have been full of all sorts of plants, animals, and insects.  However, I knew that if I was working with my fellow Macaulay students, a seemingly daunting task would be possible.

After I had arrived, caught up with some familiar faces, and met some new ones, I was put into the insect taxonomy group.  I was told to catch as many insect species as possible for data analysis by the Central Park Conservancy.  Using an aspirator I looked underneath tree bark for ants and termites and then sucked them up.  I used a net to try and catch any flying insects.  Most of the flying insects I found were dragonflies of varying colors and size and some wasps.  Later on, my group separated insects from compost and sucked them up with an aspirator.  We managed to find a good amount of spiders and ants.  Ethanol was used to preserve the captured species.

Although the weather that day could have been a bit more favorable, it was a fun experience nonetheless.  While searching for insects my group wandered around the lakes, a river, and a mini forest of sorts.  Although I’ve lived in New York City my entire life and I’ve been to Central Park plenty of times, there were still areas I saw that I hadn’t visited for a while or were even completely new to me.  It was an event that helped strengthen my teamwork skills and the experienced biologists and park rangers we worked with help further the events success.

Growing up in NYC, I’ve grown used to the diversity in the city.  NYC is known as one of the most diverse cities in the world, and this diversity is reflected in different areas of the city.  One area in particular is the city’s museums.  The cities numerous museums showcase different cultures and time periods.  Many of these museums are also free or cheap for students.  I took advantage of this fact to go to three of the museums the city had to offer.

The first museum I went to was the Frick Museum.  Located on the upper east side of manhattan, the Frick shows a variety of paintings, sculptures, statues, and other works from European artists.  The Frick Museum has a mix of permanent pieces as well as exhibitions, so depending when you go you might see new works of art and old favorites.  I happened to go to the Frick when they were hosting a teen night event.  The event was made with the intent to help introduce a younger audience to the art at the Frick.  I went with some friends from high school to check it out and immediately noticed the fine interior of the building.   As I walked through the exhibit I got to see a lot of nice statues, paintings, sculptures, and furnishings.  The current museum curator even allowed the students to ask him questions about his job and some details about his education (after all he obtained a PHD from Oxford). To me it represented the ideal art museum.  They even gave free pins with images of some of the art to students on the way out.

Me standing in the center area of the Frick

The current museum curator taking questions from those attending.

Another picture of the center area of the Frick

The second museum I went to was the Merchant’s House Museum.  I could write about it, but rather I’ll talk about it.

The third and final museum I went to was the Metropolitan Museum of Art (also known as the MET).  One of New York City’s most famous museums, it offers a variety of exhibits ranging from paintings to artifacts.  On my visit, I chose to view some of the various artifacts on display at the museum.  The artifacts I viewed were from different time periods from all over the world.  In one area I could see ancient Greek and Roman artifacts, while in other areas I saw Japanese artifacts.  I also saw suits of knight and samurai armor in an area dedicated to old forms of weaponry.  Amidst all the diversity I saw, I felt like writing a poem about it all.

Around the World and Through Time In an Hour

I take one step forward,

To Greece, full of pottery, statues, and fine jewelry,

Amidst bronze swords and armor,

I walk up a flight of stairs to Japan,

I am greeted by fine calligraphy and paintings of the past,

I make a turn and stumble upon past tools of destruction,

Knights in shining armor, fearsome samurai,

Gleaming swords and ornate guns,

All this contrasts to the machinery outside,

But for a moment,

I feel as if I am back in time

Some ancient greek jewelry

A suit of samurai armor

An ornate sword

Although I only visited three museums, there are many other museums scattered throughout New York City.  With museums dedicated to all sorts of artifacts and cultures, it’s safe to say NYC’s museums do an excellent job of representing the cities diversity.  So the next time you’re in NYC and want to see artifacts of the past or some of the great works of art, don’t worry.  There’s plenty of that to be found within NYC’s museums.

My name is Jeffrey Freedman, but I prefer Jeff.

My hometown(or neighborhood I should say) is Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.  It’s a nice neighborhood with lots of great food.  I went to Christa Mcauliffe for jhs and Brooklyn Tech for H.S.

Although I am planning to major in economics at Baruch, my dream job is to be a touring rock singer.  I like metal/hard rock, specifically a genre called post-hardcore/metalcore.  Some of my favorite bands include Alesana, Memphis May Fire, Pierce the Veil, Avenged Sevenfold, A Day to Remember, Mayday Parade,etc…  Aside from singing I write lyrics and I’m working on learning guitar.

Some random facts about me include that I am 3/4 Mexican-American and 1/4 Russian-American. My fave colors are black and red, I like skull designs a lot, and I generally just like hanging out with friends.

The majority of my close friends from hs stayed in NYC and I’ve made a lot of new friends at Baruch, so I’m excited for what the future holds.

this is my first post