So Local NYC — May
Rockaway Beach — Queens
On the first Saturday in May I went to Rockaway Beach with some of my team. It was a cool and pretty breezy day. The area was very nice and I got to spend some time on the beach and in the town.
We went on a great weekend because it was the Taste of Rockaway. Someone gave our team a Rockaway card and we got to sample a lot of good food. My favorite taste of the day was Apple Pie Ala Mode Ice Cream from Uncle Louie G. It was so delicious; some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had!
My favorite part was riding the Rockaway Ferry to Wall Street. It was the first week of the new route. The ride was shaky and bouncy at some points but it was cool try to try a new line of transportation.
TD Five Five Boro Bike Tour
I volunteered with some AmeriCorps members at a pit stop on the bike tour. It was an early day; our shift started at 6:30. We worked mostly with the NYC Compost Project to make sure the trash was being placed into the proper bins (compost, recycle, wrappers, etc.) It was really cool to see how “waste” can be divided and used in the future. #NoWasteZone
There were SO MANY bikers. We heard that BIKE NYC is extremely popular and sells out in just a few days after registration begins! This was a fun volunteering event, we even had the Ebony Hillbillies (Bluegrass / Folk) as our entertainment at the pit stop. It was good to see that we could make so much of an impact in a couple of hours.
Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum — Hell’s Kitchen
One of the Red Cross employees had a pass for the team to check out the Intrepid Museum! We first all went inside a submarine, USS Growler! It was so cramp but cool to see and definitely not for people who are claustrophobic.
I really enjoyed the DRONES: IS THE SKY THE LIMIT? exhibit which was just added the week we went. It was an incredible exhibition on the history of drones. I am happy that they had additional info on drones outside of military use such as agriculture, film, art, and humanitarian efforts. It was cool to learn about different efforts and the importance of other uses such as analyzing weak infrastructure.
The humanitarian efforts especially stood out to me. I am familiar with WeRobotics which encourages communities around the world to be more self-sufficient through utilizing drones. The co-creator & executive director Patrick Meier, is the author of Digital Humanitarians a book that partially inspired my interest in disaster management.
Marginalized Histories of NYC Panel Discussion
I came upon this event when I looked at the line up for NYCxDesign. There were four panelists who spoke about different marginalized communities: Todd Fine (Little Syria), Tia Powell Harris (Weeksville Heritage Center), Lorrin Thomas (Puerto Ricans in Harlem), Sarah Schulman (Gentrification).The venue was very intimate, only about five or six rows of chairs with about 30 attendees.
Some Key Takeaways:
- ID Cards were issued for immigrants (Puerto Ricans) to find work but it turned into a way to identify them based on their complexion.
- Landmark preservation is difficult. “Landmarking” is the last stand against gentrification and preserving cultural history,
- Heritage centers have difficulty staying relevant so connecting to the local community is so important.
You can watch the full discussion below.
Black Fashion Designers — The Museum at FIT
My mom came to visit me in NYC on Mother’s Day weekend which was really nice. We saw a cool exhibit on the history of Black designers at FIT. They had a really good collection of designers from around the world and even had some videos interviewing black models from different eras.
National September 11 Memorial
The museum is so moving. There is a great audio guide app that you can download for free to have commentary while walking through. The museum has multiple parts including the construction of the World Trade Center, a memorial exhibition, the timeline of 9/11, and artwork dedicated through out.
The memorial of victims from both World Trade Center terror attacks was beautifully done. You can learn each person’s story. The timeline exhibit is brilliant and heavy; it’s very difficult to describe with words. You are taken through the events and immersed in remnants (newspapers, news stories, artifacts) of that day.
Towards the end of the exhibit, some actions of the first responders, businesses, & volunteers joining together to help the community were shown. As a volunteer in AmeriCorps, this part really stuck with me, especially the patches. They were exchanged as a gesture of appreciation.
There were other sections I wanted to see but the museum was closing. I would definitely go back again. As I left the museum, the sun was setting. The North and South pools are so peaceful and poignant, especially at dusk & night. Roses were placed in some of the victims’ names.
Here’s a video of the pools at night along with the One World Trade Center:
New York City Fire Museum
I enjoyed this museum, a nice overview of the history of the FDNY including vehicles, fleet, horses/wagons, dogs, and uniforms. Since I worked on the Home Fire Campaign with the American Red Cross, I really wanted to visit.
The also had a nice memorial for the 9/11 fallen firefighters which included a beautiful poem about what the fallen first responders would say.
Washington Square Park (Lower Manhattan)
I loved this park. The day I went NYU had a graduation ceremony so some graduates were celebrating. There was so much variety in the musicians around the park, from jazz to folk. I really enjoyed the jazz because it seemed like some people/students just walked by and stayed to jam.
Silent Headphone Party — Queens
On my last evening in NYC I went to a silent headphone party at Forest Park. I’ve wanted to go to one for a couple of years so I was really excited. Silent Headphone parties are such a cool concept; everyone wears a pair of headphones that light up with a setting for each DJ. Each DJ has a color so you can look around and see who is listening to the same person.
There were three different DJs playing Old School R&B, Top 40, and Reggaeton. It was a neighborhood event so it felt cool to be a part of the community. I had such good time, felt like a summer evening in NYC.
