Our location for the iMovie is The Plaza Hotel. We went there pretty late in the evening so we had a full view of the night life. It was glamorous and could be described as a social scene for the elite. The picture shows a bar, which is accessed right after entering the lobby. The ceiling is made of glass with vine-like designs. Around the rooms are towering plants and at the centerpiece is a ginormous vase of flowers. In the background, you can see greek-like statue columns. There are also large windows that almost reach the ceiling. However, they are not real windows since the panes are just mirrors. The decorations give the room an air of exoticism and the bar almost seems like a greenhouse. People lounge around the bar in suits and dresses as they sip their drinks and make small talk. Everything in the picture shows how ostentatious and luxurious the Plaza Hotel is.

On the night that we went to see the site, there seemed to be a masquerade ball. As we stood around taking photos, women in gorgeous dresses and mysterious masks passed by. Men in dark suits trailed behind as the employees directed to the ball room a floor above. We could hear the sounds of the party wafting down the stairs. The mysterious atmosphere was only enhanced by the Plaza Hotel. There were plush rugs and marble floors. There were chandeliers in every hallway and well dressed employees in every corner. Art hung on the walls, enhancing the architecture which was looming and grand. In addition, there were various floor to ceiling windows that were actually mirrors, giving the rooms in the Plaza the illusion of being bigger. Everything (the masquerade ball, the architecture, the glamorous people) solidified the Plaza as a social setting for New York’s elite.

When the ground was disrupted in 1991 and 419 sets of remains were excavated and studied, the African American community was outraged and maintained that the excavation was disrespectful. The African people fought for the stories of their ancestors to be respected and memorialized. Later, researchers and government officials realized that the preservation of this site meant that every artifact should stay with the people the artifacts were buried with and that the people should remain untouched. Excavators returned the remains. It was because of this realization that the African Burial ground was born.

The monument was covered in symbols: letters representing Islam, peace, nature, guardianship, the signature of the spirit, divinity of mother earth, imperishability and endurance and the supremacy of God. On each side of the ship, on the floors and across the monument are these African symbols that were hand carved in African countries. There was this implicit feeling of hope and it makes sense because that was all these Africans had when they were enslaved in New York. The symbol pictured is the Asase Ye Duru which stands for Divinity of Mother Earth. It literally means that the Earth has no weight. The symbol emphasizes the preservation of the planet and how people have an obligation to respect the grounds they walk on. It’s particularly fitting because it is everything the African Burial Ground stands for- the preservation of African stories. 

Our group decided to observe the Roosevelt Island Tram for our iMovie project. The easily identifiable red car, that seems to float seamlessly carrying its passengers between the island of Manhattan and the much smaller Roosevelt Island, was something that I had looked at from a distance countless times before. I would stare at it through the car window as I’d drive into Manhattan to visit my family, though I’d never actually been on it before. Even after all of those times that I’d watched from afar, I never stopped to consider that this was, just like the bus and the subway, a method of commuting for so many New Yorkers.

The view from the tram, as depicted here, is one of the major aspects of this space that sets it apart from the aforementioned methods. It provides a picturesque escape from the hustle and bustle of the city, allowing the passenger to admire the beauty of the skyline against the East River. The view is definitely worth the waiting for the tram to arrive (which for me was around 15 minutes). It is far quieter than the subway, which we can hear coming down the tracks from a distance away. It is a smoother ride than on the bus, as it does not stop every few hundred feet. The Roosevelt Island Tram seems to be a forgotten part of commuting, with the exception of those who take it regularly and know all about what it has to offer. The red car strays from the expectations that those who aren’t from New York have; have you ever seen a New York City postcard adorned with a photograph of this feature? I surely haven’t. Although this space does not receive much recognition, it certainly is an important part of the New York aesthetic, and deserves a visit.

My photograph above captures the Wonder Wheel, a well-known attraction in Coney Island in another perspective, one that is empty and calm rather than filled with a long line of people waiting to get on the ride or waiting to play at the arcade stands on the sides.

It was an early Sunday morning when my group and I visited Coney Island. Rather than being packed with families and friends on the beach, amusement park, and boardwalk, it was quiet and most of the stores were still closed. It was a stark contrast to the crowded beaches that I was used to seeing in the summer, when everyone was out from work and school. During the summer, the amusement park would be filled with kids running around with hot dogs and shish-kebobs, and the beaches would be filled with families and couples that covered every inch of the sand and laid scattered by the water. The atmosphere was loud and joyous, which would continue through the night, especially on days when fireworks appeared. However, on this day, the early morning carnival vibe was peaceful and slow-paced. Rather than seeing teenagers and families to my right and left, I saw elders, joggers on their morning run, and moms with strollers walking along the boardwalk as they chatted about the weather. Instead of the usual sea of people on the beach, the beach remained empty and quiet. Most of the stores were still closed except for Nathan’s, where we could smell hot dogs and cheese fries and hear some music as we walked by.

Those unfamiliar with the city will probably not be aware of the Roosevelt Island Tram, a mode of transportation which really sets itself apart from the traditional ones in the city. While most transportation is restricted to land (whether on it or underground), the tram takes a different approach and aims skyward. Despite that, it fits right in place with the business of the city and the height of the buildings. It provides yet another way for New Yorkers (and tourists) to get to Roosevelt Island, whether for work or simply for a gorgeous view of the ocean underneath the Queensboro Bridge.

The entrance to the tram from 2^nd Avenue is surrounded by a small park, a place filled with greenery and benches for people to relax as they wait for a car to board. I enjoyed resting on a bench, watching people walk by in a hurry while some stopped for a moment to sit down as well. The tram ride itself is a wonder of its own- it’s view of the ocean and bridges, not to mention the traffic of the city, is magnificent. The sun looked incredible glittering on the ocean, and the view of the tram from Roosevelt Island was beautiful as well. The ride was relaxing (although there wasn’t much space to sit down), and it really changes how one views Manhattan – from being a part of the bustling crowd of people to becoming a simple onlooker, contrasting the individual people down below to the enormous view of the buildings and ocean.

Last week my group and I visited the African Burial Ground.  Located in lower Manhattan near the Civic Center, the African Burial Ground is a monument made of stone that was built on top of an actual burial ground for Africans who were brought to New — enslaved or not– in the 16th and 17th centuries.  Just hundreds of feet below lies thousands of bones and makeshift caskets, giving the monument and space around it an aura of seriousness, sadness, and respect.

My picture includes one side of the main monument, which was shaped in an awkward, triangular way.  I learned that the monument was meant to resemble a capsized ship, similar to the ones that brought chained Africans to the new world.  “The ship is upside down,” said a nearby tour guide, “that way, when all the people’s souls rise up they will rise into the ship and sail away together.”  It was moving to see how even such little features of the site have monumental meaning.

My picture also includes a poem and a symbol next to it:  

For all those who were lost; For all those that were stolen; For all those who were left behind; For all those who were not forgotten.

The poem clearly captures the essence of the site.  It explains the monuments function; to memorialize the countless Africans that died in the New World, even if it can’t commemorate specific people.  Africans were mostly slaves, and when they died people tended not to feel as compassionate.  Many were “lost” or “forgotten” along the way, or were buried in such a way that archaeologists could not identify the type of person.  Enslaved or free, young or old, male or female this site commemorates every suffering soul that was lost during the times of the slave trade.  The symbol adjacent to the poem is heart-shaped, and it symbolizes the lesson: “learn from your past, but look to the future.”  This is an adage many Africans of that time took to heart.  It was a symbol of hope; that things might actually get better for them one day.  The burial ground showed dozens of other symbols, but this one was carved into the main monument, as it is the most important and most fitting of them all.

This photograph depicts a poem engraved on the wall of the upside-down ship at downtown Manhattan’s African Burial Ground. This four-line poem is brief, but powerful. The repetition and parallelism of “For those who” makes for a resonating, emphatic message. This poem was perhaps selected to be displayed because it promotes remembrance and embracing of the past, in which Africans were carted off unwillingly into slavery in America. It is also a way to remember those who died during this process, as the site is a burial ground.

On my first visit to this location, I learned about the controversial past of the excavation in which the General Services Administration wanted to build an industrial complex over the bodies that were discovered instead of turning the site into a historically important landmark. To me, this type of controversy is disappointing, as it is yet another example in which the past of African-Americans is overlooked or deemphasized.

The site is small and currently beneath scaffolding work, but it is beautiful. The water streams, the map of the world pervading the floor, the circular inscription of the retrieved bodies coalesce into one fluid, emotional architectural monument.

Blog Post 4: 300 words, due Tues. Oct 24 @ noon): This will be the first of two posts on your chosen iMovie site (based on your field notes). Use an image that you took at this location and discuss its significance to the space overall and/or your project. Include any important/interesting details about your first site visit and what you discovered about your space.

Blog Response (100 words, due before class): Respond to a classmate’s blogpost not from your group on something that interested you about their image and/or discussion of their project.