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It was crowded outside the small entrance of Carnegie Hall very much like the entrance of BAM. The lobby was small and there was only one entrance to the auditorium. This was very different from the Metropolitan Opera house which houses a fountain and glass walls at its entrance. The climb up to my seat […]
It was raining and freezing outside and going to Manhattan wasn’t a pleasing idea. After getting lost and almost being late to the play, I finally arrived at the Classic stage company. The building really surprised me because it just looked like a little café from the outside. However, it hid a small auditorium in the back. The place reminded me of the club called Max’s that Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe used to visit before they started out. It felt like a meeting place for artists. The auditorium was very unique, in that the stage was in the center of the audience and was not raised at a higher level. For the first time we didn’t have to look up or down at the stage but could look directly ahead at the performers. Even though it was a very small auditorium, I liked it because it was comfortable and allowed me to feel a connection to the actors. Another thing I liked at about the setup was that the actors spoke to the audience and didn’t ignore them. It made their roles seem more realistic.
I also liked how the organizers weren’t afraid to change the props right before the audience, instead of closing the curtains. It made everything less secretive. I also liked that some of the actors came in from the entrance, which added to the realistic element of the paly. I thought the acting was superb and my favorite scene was probably with the lady in the barn who complained about not having anyone to talk to. Her interaction with the audience made me laugh especially the part where she gave her half eaten cucumber to someone. . I like how the actors used every single prop on the stage and were able to utilize such a small space to its fullest. When they looked at the imaginary cherry orchard, I could almost imagine it being there. Imagining a lot of the things the characters talked about also allowed the audience to take an active role in the play. Overall, I really loved the play and its small setting. I preferred it to a Broadway show because the actors and the story seem too far away and unrealistic. I think this event was probable one of my favorite of the whole semester. And, of course, it was made better with the appearance of Ethan Hawke.
Diego Rivera was hired by the Rockefellers to paint a mural in a lobby of a Rockefeller Center building, but his mural was destroyed because he painted Lenin. I understand that Rivera was very expressive of his beliefs and that he didn’t hide his communistic philosophy. However, he should have followed the ideology “when in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Rivera was painting in one of the biggest pro-capitalistic cities of the world. He should have understood that by painting a picture of Lenin, he would face controversy from the public and the Rockefeller family who were one of the biggest examples of the success of capitalism. He should have tried to please his audience. Rivera also depicted Nelson Rockefeller in a club drinking. The Rockefellers were famous for supporting the prohibition publicly but drinking secretly. Rivera’s mural would tarnish that image and it was only right for his mural to be destroyed. Rivera made the mistake of offending his own boss who was paying him.
The decision that Nelson Rockefeller made to destroy Rivera’s mural was correct. Rivera should have expected this from the beginning since he knew that Lenin’s picture would offend many in America and trying to taint his own boss’s image would be a bad idea. However, Rockefeller was somewhat at fault also for asking Rivera to paint for him. Rivera was a famous communist but Rockefeller ignored that and tried to separate Rivera’s beliefs from his works. In reality, a person’s views become apparent in all of the works they do. Rockefeller shouldn’t have hired Rivera because even though he was a great artist, he was too risky to paint a public mural in New York City.
I know this might be a little late, but I will be reviewing the author reading by Edwidge Danticat. Every freshman entering Brooklyn College this semester was assigned to read the book, Brother, I am dying for their English class. After reading the book, I was blown away by Danticat’s writing style. I didn’t believe that such a story could be real with such a tragic ending. However, by attending the event and to see Danticat in person, I was able to connect the story to a face. The whole time I was there, I couldn’t believe that Edwidge actually went through all that. It was also shocking and heartbreaking to hear that Maxo died in the Haiti earthquake. It was really sad to know that Edwidge’s uncle who was escaping from the gangs in his country couldn’t find refuge in a country that upholds the values of democracy. Instead, he was held hostage because he was Haitian. Edwidge’s words, “Those who care, don’t rest” really touched me. Meaning that if you really want to make a difference and change society, you won’t stop because of small obstacles.
Edwidge’s determination and efforts really touched my heart. I wasn’t the only one as some people around me became teary after listening to her words. Danticat’s story and seeing her in person was a really good start to my college life. Her life and book are about rising above each other’s differences and doing something to make your society more aware so that something like racism doesn’t stop someone from helping fellow humans. To be honest Brother, I am dying made me teary twice. When Edwidge’s uncle died and after listening to Edwidge talk in person. I am grateful to Brooklyn College for picking such a nice book to help freshman transition into college life and to give us a chance to see her in person.
This weekend I visited Coney Island and the High Line. I have been to Coney Island about four times in my life, mostly when I was little, so there isn’t much I remember.I had never even heard of the High Line until this September. So it can be said that this post is written from the perspective of a first-timer.
Here are some things I learned and noticed on my visits to these sites.
The High Line and Coney Island attract tremendous amounts of people including tourists, couples, and families. The High Line is a park converted from an abandoned railroad track. The neighborhood that it’s housed in still reflects its history with graffiti on buildings, litter on the sidewalks, parking lots, and junkyards in the area.
The High line has become an escape and a place for relaxation for the neighborhood. It provides a break from the tight streets and fast-paced life of Manhattan while still allowing people to be close to home. While on the High Line one is “connected to street life and far away from it” (Goldberger). Walking on the High Line was a very strange feeling. I felt like I was floating in the middle of buildings, suspended in midair. I had a feeling of looking down from a window of a skyscraper but still being surrounded by plants. As I walked around, the most obvious thing to me was the great number of tourists present. It was harder to hear English than any other language, enhancing the feeling of eccentricity that the High Line gives off.
The High Line combines the modern with the natural to create a unique experience. As you walk along the High Line, the old tracks are visible under the various plants, reminding you of the High Line’s past. There are some areas that make it apparent that the plants were physically planted there and some other places where plants are allowed to grow high and in every direction. This gives the feel of the abandoned railroad that the High Line originally was.
Some parts of the High Line are styled like the modern architecture that is visible in the skyline. The benches grow out of the ground, the elevators have clear walls, and the fountains recite famous quotes.
This architectural genius attracts thousands of people every day to the High Line.
Coney Island houses Luna Park and an aquarium besides the ocean. Both of these attract families and tourists because they are cheap and are able to provide instant entertainment. As Koolhaas explains in his book, Coney Island is technology combined with cardboard to make reality (42). Even though there is trash on the floor, the paint is peeling, and some places look like they will fall apart anytime (Cyclone), people keep coming. It has been designed to look like “ a magic city” (Koolhaas 42). The thrill of the experience is too good to lose.
One of the ways stores in Coney Island attract people is with the use of color. Everywhere you walk, there are bright colors on advertisements, signs, and rides. By using bright colors, weird pictures, and lights in their advertisements, stores draw people’s attention. On a side note, sometimes the mismatch of bright colors may bring a headache to the onlooker, but then again as a New Yorker multiple things squeezed into one place is a common sight.
When I got off the train stop for Coney Island, the first thing that attracted my attention was the number of colorful murals that lined the walls . They depicted things like sea creatures, clowns, and the ocean.
As I walked along the boardwalk, one thing I noticed were the various colorful flags and lights on top of all the restaurants and rides, a common characteristic of the neighborhood. People were riding their bicycles, flying kites, and fishing. What I found interesting were the colorful cans that line the boardwalk. They depicted scenes that had to do with the ocean and the amusement park. The cans and the murals are one of the ways of expression for the residents of the community, whose lives revolve around Coney Island.
Both Coney Island and the High Line have their individual characteristics that set them apart from other places of recreation in New York City. The High Line, because it’s a park above ground and Coney Island because it’s probably the only amusement park in the city next to the ocean. These places exhibit the essence of New York as seen through their backgrounds and artistic expressions. Places like these can never be found or duplicated anywhere else except New York.
Works Cited:
Goldberger, Paul. “Miracle Above Manhattan.” National Geographic April 2011: 122-137. Print.
Koolhaas, Rem. Delirious New York. New York: Monacelli Press, 1994. Print.
Late night walks on the sand
Luna park, a ball of light
The fireworks behind the bands
It is a Coney summer night
Children playing in the sand
The man flying his kite
It is their Dream land
A place where ideas of fun unite
A abode of relaxation for the city
An escape from the hectic and busy
A place fresh and full of possibility
Where life becomes simple and easy
A place so treasured and close
This is Coney Island
A place that every New Yorker knows
This is Coney Island
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