EASTSIDE - Take Two

Well after my Internet Browser FAILED, I was forced to rewrite this blog and the following blogs. UGH!

Looking at the description of this tour, I was so excited! I have always wanted to go to Spanish Harlem to experience some authentic Spanish culture. I wanted to see if the weight in the name "El Barrio" matches stories I've heard. It seems real nice that we would be taking a stroll through Central Park. After what is implied to be a whole lot of walking, I hope we land in a nice bar!!



Mural on Building



"The Ghetto Museum" - In Translation



Our first stop, El Museo del Barrio, is the current location of the Spanish Harlem based museum. Before we were able to explore the facilities, we were taken on a tour of the area by a guide who seemed to be quite knowledgeable of the neighborhood. We were taken a few blocks south and around a couple of corners to the heart of Spanish Harlem. It was a busy place with a public school and plenty of small businesses. We stopped at a large mural on the side of a building. It seemed like something usual to me, given that the neighborhood is quite similar to mine in many respects. However this mural means something great to the neighborhood. It was painted by a figure that is well respected and charitable. The painting shows many aspects of Spanish Harlem from men working to women babysitting, dominoes being played outside a storefront while the women were cooking, and the kids playing outside and riding bicycles. It brought me straight to my father’s homeland in the Dominican Republic. The scene is very similar there, as it is in Spanish Harlem.



"Honest George" - Lee Quinones



El Museo del Barrio had a pretty unique collection of art. It was not your Jackson Pollock paintings, but more like an amateur, beginner collection. People have imaginations like sets of wings, layered with ideas and concepts that let one take flight and go anywhere they want to go. While at this museum, I noticed a painting that caught my attention and forced me to stop, take out my iPad, and write up a description. Unfortunately, I was unable to take a photo of the painting. So I took a little stroll over to the museum's gift shop and purchased a book that contained all the pieces of the exhibit. Yes, I guess you can call it "ghetto", no pun intended, but I have to show you guys the picture.

MIKE and MERITTA
TORE THIS PLATE UP!

Afterwards, Mike and Meritta decided to have us take a little break and get something to eat. I followed my professors to a little shop on a corner that cooked up some good Spanish recipes. We took a seat and I already knew what my stomach hungered for: arroz con pollo y habichuela. Mike and Meritta didn’t want to read through a complex menu so they ordered what I ordered and were they pleased!

We then regrouped and walked down toward the Museum of the City of New York. I have one word to describe this place – BORING! I absolutely found the museum to be dry, although the exhibit housed great, respectful photos of September 11^th and presented an awesome video of the birth of New York. So without further ado, we moved on to Central Park.

Mike in my opinion, LOVES TO WALK. That or he was trying to find good cell phone reception (I am expecting a comment). We entered the Conservatory Gardens section of Central Park right off Fifth Ave. It was real nice there and quiet. We continued around this gorgeous lake that was outlined with a graveled trail, which, by the way caused my shiny shoes to get a bit dusty. Nonetheless, we walked and walked toward Strawberry Fields, a dedication to the famous singer, John Lennon. All I have to say about this place is that it was so tranquil and peaceful.