Day #6 – the Brooklyn Bridge, African Burial Museum, Central Park, and Mary Poppins

Today was another great Day with Ed O’Donnell we first started with the walking tour of the Brooklyn Bridge.  From Reading The Great Bridge and seeing pictures, I knew that the Bridge was massive in size, but to see it up close it was breath taking and the view from the bridge was beautiful.  I liked how the Bridge was constructed, with the people in mind.  The fact that the people do not have to walk or compete with the traffic and the people can look around at the East River and the surrounding areas.  I know the bicyclists were a little scary at some points, the overall walk was great.  Unlike some of the other in the group this was the first time that I had stepped foot onto the bridge itself.  Pulling this into the classroom I can show the movement from the urban to rural areas.  This could also be pulled into the idea of new transportation and the fact that the people did not have to live where they worked, and the whole idea of urban planning that we have been talking about for most of the trip. 

The African Burial Museum was interesting.  One is that there were NO white park rangers.  Was that a stipulation for the museum, as well as having Howard University study the archeological findings after the site was discovered?  Normally, when I think about Slavery in America I immediately think about the South, but getting the understanding that New York had the biggest population of slaves in the 1750s and had a highly profitable slave trade market helps me put into perspective what it was like in the North.  This could also help the students understand that before the Civil War there had been many people in the North who had owned slaves, and did not think that African Americans were equal to them.

Another great feature about New York: Central Park.  Our journey through the park took us out of the city and into a new setting.  Olmsted and Vox, the designers of the park wanted a place for people to relax and enjoy their time away from the hustle and bustle of the city.  I knew that it was pretty much man made, but I did not realize how many restrictions that Olmsted wanted to put on the park.  The park is another addition to the urban planning.  There is a need for the park, and in Colorado we might not see the immediate need for a park when there are open spaces everywhere, but walking through the Financial District, you do see a need for nature, relaxation, and AIR!  The students can debate about there could be other reasons why there would be a park, or no park.

I went and saw Mary Poppins, this was my very first Broadway play, and I loved it.   The architecture on the walls was stunning.  The one not so great part about my experience was that I had about 50 kids sitting around me.

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