Architecture and the City

Reading: Historical Atlas of New York City, pp. 16-39

New York: An Illustrated History, Introduction, and pp. 5-29

Opinion Paper/Reaction Paper Question on the Reading: How does your reading of these sections of the two books alter your perceptions of New York City and its History? What is the most surprising thing you learned?
To be frank, I loath and hate the explorer stories of the discovery of America. Let me repeat: I. hate. them.

The arrogance, the entitlement, the exploitation, the backhandedness, the bravery of the Europeans to so boldly mock, insult, take advantage of and murder the Native Americans: “Hello Mr. Indian Man. Let me get my Barbarian fix on and chop off the heads of your women and children and bring ’em back to the camp and gloat them in front of my buddies.(p. 12)  Oh, and by the way: Heeeere’s smallpox!” Really, it’s such a classy story that it gets me into hives each time I see an ugly, pretentious illustration in a history book.

God, the early colonial history stuff also bores and aggravates the hell out of me.
I’m sorry, I don’t have the stomach to write in detail about how chivalrous or of how much extraordinary character these sissy men so nobly and cowardly acted.

Though, on a more positive note, I’d like to thank the Dutch for their contribution of the cool names we have in New York and that is all. But I also know why I never liked the name Stuyvesant. God, what a racist dick (p. 13-4). My old boss went to Stuyvesant High School (supposedly an amazing and prestigious nyc high school) and was a huge, stupid, fat bitch and gloated about it, however she turned out to be a college dropout. Stuyvesant Town is now home to douchey investment bankers and pseudo-professional consultants of questionable talent and expertise. But I feel bad the English were even bigger assholes, but at least he got to live the rest of his days in Greenwich Village before it turned out to be what it is now.

But back to general areas of annoyance:
– I learned that even the first person to set foot on Staten Island thought it was a hellhole. So it’s a pervasive and universal feeling that the Island is bland, unremarkable and boring named after the king’s bastard son. Verrazano, who couldn’t be bothered to make anything of it and who by the way also sounds like sort of a priggish dick, is an apt and appropriate name for the bridge.

– The Duke of York was the 17th century equivalent of Gossip Girl.

*Really, I’m sorry for my negative tone. None of this particular history excites me, whatsoever. I’ll make up for it with a more detailed reflection on New York in its later years.