The appeal and awe of New York City is generally lost on us “old-timers,” who are used to the big city. As we have already gotten used to its busy streets, wild night life, the hustle and bustle of the city that never sleeps, much of the glamour is overlooked, and perhaps even taken for granted. However, to immigrants, New York City is the plethora of action, new experiences, and opportunities.

From the current work that we have done as a class this semester on “The Peopling of New York,” it is evident that experiencing places, foods, and other locations around the city first hand, is a rewarding and interactive enlightenment. For my proposal, I suggest compiling a list of well-known places in New York City that immigrants hear about before coming to the United States, and to pretend to be tourists for a day. Places such as the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Times Square, and 53rd and 6th are a few examples of where our class can go.

By traveling to these places and pretending to be immigrants star-struck by New York City, we can hopefully reflect on what opportunities immigrants saw when arriving to New York City. We can link historical places that played a part in immigration together on a map and offer videos, interviews, photos, and even souvenirs to place on the website and to take home.

Not only would the reenactment of immigrants arriving to New York City give us a feel for how they felt, but maybe filming a  short documentary or movie could facilitate learning experiences, as well as offering a fun aspect for the overall class project. The documentary could make up a main portion of the website, and other resources such as pictures, short video clips, and audio would support the main documentary or movie.