ENG 2150 Gimme Shelter: the spaces we live in

I think the Meatpacking District is a fascinating neighborhood filled with history and innovation, a perfect blend of the past and present! I believe that the Meatpacking District located in lower Manhattan approximately from 14th Street to Gansevoort Street is a unique place and in my essay I will be analyzing what makes  the area different and special. It is a lively neighborhood filled with upscale boutiques, big businesses, glitzy hotels, and extravagant restaurants. However, in the midst of what has become a luxurious area and popular tourist destination are preserved meat warehouses and factories. It is quite strange to have a high end boutique right next to a building advertising poultry, and yet that is the special element, a feeling of going back in history with all the commodities we are accustomed to. The Meatpacking District has become gentrified however the history is preserved. The questions I am going to be answering include:

• What makes the Meatpacking District unique?
• How has the are been gentrified?
• What is the history of the Meatpacking District?
• What are the future plans for the neighborhood?
• How can an area be both new and old at the same time?
• Will the history last/remain visible or will time erase the unique atmosphere?

I think the Meatpacking district is a great area and I encourage everyone to spend some time exploring the neighborhood!

Thanks for reading!

-Angelika P.

Hello!

After discussing what it means to be a true New Yorker in class I was inspired to expand my ideas and this blog post is the perfect place to do so. Clichés about New York include; “The Greatest City in the World,” “The Big Apple,” “If you can make it here you’ll make it anywhere.” These clichés  might sound cheesy (especially to a New Yorker) but hold their own truth/value and are a source of inspiration for hundreds because New York is the place where dreams come true!

So what does it mean to be a New Yorker? I don’t believe there is one perfect answer, we all have our own thoughts and opinions thus the concept of “New Yorker” is the same for everyone but the analysis and conditions of what it means to be a “New Yorker” will vary and always be different from one person to the next.

In The Colossus of New Yorker, Colson Whitehead states “You are a New Yorker when what was there before is more real and solid than what is here now.” I think this is a great way of thinking about the concept because I have had many moments similar to the statement. I think the city is constantly changing and is especially evident when I walk down a street I haven’t been on for a few weeks and all of a sudden I can pinpoint the changes, the new stores, and remember what used to be there not so long ago. I think Whitehead’s analysis is a great way to define what it means to be a New Yorker and is relatable.

When we were thinking about what it means to be a New Yorker in class the first thing that came to my mind was; you are a New Yorker when you know the city like the back of your hand, can give directions to others, and the ability to get from point A to point B multiple ways. Navigating a city is hard if you are not accustomed to it, we all see tourists having to stop and ask for directions, or constantly pulling out their map. A New Yorker knows the layout of the city, is familiar with the transportation system, and is comfortable walking out the door knowing they won’t get lost (but if we forget our way around a particular neighborhood because it can happen to the best of us, a quick look a Google map will get us back on track!)

I really enjoyed hearing what you (my classmates) thought it meant to be a New Yorker and I found myself agreeing to almost everything you had to say! This proves that there isn’t a right or wrong answer and being a New Yorker is multiple things, some more subtle than others. Some ideas that stuck out include: being a New Yorker is when you no longer stop in awe to look at the skyscrapers, or all the ads in Times Square, when seeing a “man riding a bike in pink underwear” isn’t shocking but in a funny way normal (only in New York :-D) and when what was once exceptional becomes ordinary. I think this is a great analysis and it proves true when you can walk down a street and differentiate a New Yorker from a tourist.

Being a New Yorker can be seen as an elite club that not everyone can join, however once you become part of New York there is no going back because nothing can compare to what has become your home!

-Angelika Pienkowska

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did so. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”   -Mark Twain

The first part of the quote addresses the way William James defines the concept of time in “The Stream of Conciseness.” With time the way we view objects, people, situations, experiences, changes. One day you might hate (insert a object) but the next day you might love it. With time our thoughts shift, with each new experience our views evolve and with each day we grow as a person so its natural that our analysis advances and develops.

The second part of the quote in my opinion holds a lot of meaning and will signify something different to each person. The general idea of the quote will be similar for most but the way you apply it to your dreams, experiences, goals will be unique as well as personalized and that’s what makes it beautiful. This relates to “The Stream of Conciseness” because the interpretation of the quote will differ for each reader just like anything else in life. One person might love the Opera, someone else might like it, and another might hate it! This quote goes beyond the concept of time, and the act of sailing a boat, you have to analyze what the quote means to you, applies to your life, and how it makes you FEEL. To me it’s about the endless possibilities that await if one becomes open to the thought of adventure.

What does this quote make you feel?