A special library

The circular staircase inside the tower
winds up to the large reading room.

by Gwen de Backer

July 20th, our first writing class trip in Manhattan.

The Jefferson Market Library located at 425 6th Avenue in Greenwich Village was built from 1874 to 1870. It served as a prison for women in the past. From the outside, it's a very nice landmark even if for the moment there is scafolding hiding a large part of the building. When you get in, you feel that this place has a special atmosphere. We decided to go up first. I really liked the shape of the stairs, the stained glass all around those stairs, and the high ceiling with its steel structure. The main floor, was full of drawings that seemed to have been made by kids. Those drawings were really amazing. Then we went to the basement and there, the atmosphere was different but definitely very special, too. It had low ceiling arches. The whole space had red bricks, and it was really, really nice. Go have a look; I'm pretty sure you'll love it or at least like it.

Art that seem to be made by children in the main reading room.

Stained glass windows above the stairwell.

A place both historic and modern

by Lukasz Sleziak

Last Wednesday, I was in Greenwich Village. It’s one of the oldest places in New York. I visited a library, Washington Square, Hudson St. This area is nice because it is similar to cities in Europe. But I think this place is very nice because it has a youthful atmosphere that is dynamic and modern but at the same time, it’s filled with history: with buildings, shops and coffeehouses that date back to the 18th century. It’s like time stopped here. I saw buildings similar to those in Amsterdam--very small, old, and made of red bricks.

In this place, people from different cultures, countries and continents live together in peace and tolerance. If you go to Washington Square, you will witness this. Of course, Washington Square isn’t only about people; there are other things to experience including the flowers, trees, animals and fountains. You can swim, walk and sing because this place is an oasis of peace and a circus of culture.

I've found that Greenwish Village is a place of peace, culture, tolerance and life.

The charm of a small Village in a big city

by Yulia Kez

I really like old small European towns; they have a special charm, and I probably love them even more than big and famous ones. Greenwich Village, especially Gay Street and the nearby area looks very similar to such towns in Europe such as in England or in Norway. As for me, this special atmosphere is always made by narrow bumpy streets and tiny old houses with flowers on the windows. Actually, I don't remember if there were any flowers, but there really should be in such places. They all makes me feel as if time had stopped a couple of hundred years ago there and since then, nothing has changed. The quietness and peacefulness of this place creates a feeling that Greenwich Village is not a part of New York at all, but it's really cool that the same city can have so many different faces. Perhaps it would be interesting to see people who live there; they seem to be completely different from other locals.

A nice, enjoyable walk on a hot day

At Washington Square Park at the end of our walk. Is anyone exhausted? 

We decided to do our outing last Wednesday because at 90F (32C), it was the coolest day of the week. Still, it was hot, but thankfully, the tree-lined streets of the West Village, which we read about the day before, kept us cool enough in the shade.

We started at the Jefferson Market Courthouse on 10th St. and 6th Avenue, strolled down the same narrow lanes laid out by the Dutch, and saw some of the oldest houses in Manhattan. Our route included the historic Stonewall Inn, the White Horse Tavern (the iconic hangout of literary greats), and the narrowest house in Manhattan. We ended our walk at Washington Square Park, where we sat for a little bit before heading off in different directions.

Be sure to check out what we wrote about our experience in the Village.

There are a couple of theories as to whom Gay St. is named after,
but it goes back three centuries to the Dutch era in Manhattan.

Alice and Yulia browse the stacks at Jefferson Market Courthouse.

A quick stop where literary greats used to hang out.

Exploring downtown Manhattan

The Explore NYC class got to experience another part of the city on Thursday. This time we walked around downtown Manhattan. We went into both St. Paul's and Trinity churches, visited Federal Hall on Wall St., strolled down the narrow (slightly) winding streets that harken back to the trading village the Dutch had established in the 17th century, and of course, took pictures with the Charging Bull.

The weather was perfect. Seasonably hot under the sun but comfortably cool in the shade. We rested a bit at Bowling Green Park among the tourists and office workers in the area before disbanding and heading off in different directions. Not a bad outing at all. In fact, it was quite nice.

Sunah and Fatima on Wall Street with Trinity Church 
in the back and Federal Hall to their left.

A little bit of alone time with the Charging Bull.

Experiencing the High Line

Rainbow City for the children

The still undeveloped section
of High Line above 30th Street

by Sunah Park

When we arrived at 10th Avenue and 30th Street, the first thing that welcomed us was a variety of shapes: colored balloons in the shape of mushrooms, boxes, columns, and balls in a playground. A lot of children played among them with joy. It was called Rainbow City. While children were playing in the playground, adults drank alcohol like draft beer at the Lot, a huge and open bar right beside the Rainbow City. There were long picnic tables and benches. On one side, there was a bar. Everyone sat on the benches or stood at the bar and enjoyed the atmosphere freely. It was below the High Line, so it was shady and cool. One thing that caught my eye were fluorescent lamps which were suspended from the ceiling like chandeliers. These two places are said to be open only this summer.

The Lot under the High Line on 30th Street.

Going through the Lot, there was a staircase going up to the High Line. This area is the end of section 2 of the High Line, and it just opened this June. Before, I thought it would be as high as a skyscraper due to its name, High Line, and I would be able to look over Manhattan and the Hudson River as if from the top of the Empire State Building. However, once I got up, it was no higher than the 3rd floor of a building and was even surrounded by many tall buildings. I was a little bit disappointed because of the gap between my imagination and reality.

Remembering high school in Suwon

by Sunah Park

I think that most of us had enjoyable experiences in school when we were young.  I, myself, sometimes reminisce about my high school years, which were filled with funny events as when I got in trouble. I spent my high school years in Suwon, Korea. It is near Seoul, the capital of Korea. Suwon has distinct differences between its old and new towns. While the old town has narrow streets with complicated patterns like a maze and small houses without yards surrounded by the Hwaseong fortress wall built in the 18th century, the new town consists of tall and large apartment complexes and well-organized roads outside the walled compound.  Most residents of the new town are newcomers from other cities working at the semiconductor Research & Development center of Samsung and are composed of young couples with children unlike the old town population, which is made up of families who have lived there for generations.

My high school was in the center of the new town. Most students lived in apartment complexes adjacent to the school. Most high schools in Suwon have an interesting policy that students have to stay in school until 11p.m. A lot of Korean students outside Suwon took private lessons after school to catch up or stay ahead in their courses. However, the education bureau of the province, located in Suwon, bans students from taking private lessons in order to strengthen public education. Because of this, every night an interesting situation happened.