The 14-day New York/Boston Study Tour Background

Introduction

Our group consists of Katie Au, Kayley Lee, Romina Lee, Jenny Ma, Trish Yeung and Cherry Yang. We started our trip on 21st June which was our first time visiting the two cities, New York and Boston. By visiting these two different cities, we obtained some first-hand experience in authentic American culture and interaction with the locals. It was a personal experience of the places and inspiring in terms of the interchange of cultures and reflection.

Our project aims to evaluate how local history is preserved and valued by American. Hence, investigating how the history has built today’s America diversified yet harmonic cultures. By observing how architectures are preserved and presented to the public in both New York and Boston, we developed a clearer picture of how the country values their history and roots. Moreover, we have a better understanding on American cultures by observing people’s interactions.

Methodology

During our data collection, in-depth interviews were carried out. By interviewing both locals and visitors (American and foreign), we were able to collect more objective comments and ideas. Interview questions had been set to collect data about respondents’ opinions on the above areas.  18 in-depth interviews were conducted in different research sites, including Soho, Benjamin Franklin Statue and Old Corner Bookstore to collect more comprehensive information. For better and thorough data analysis, the ratio of locals and tourists was 1:1.

Apart from interviews, we also collected data by taking photos and observations including casual chats and interaction with the people at the places. Aided with our pre-trip research and knowledge of American culture and history, we studied the data and concluded our experiences in different places and America.

The following blog posts are analysis of the research sites we focus on.

New York City Overview

New York City, one of the most dynamic places in the world and it is also regarded as the prominent location in United States. It is a city that poses significant impacts upon media, art, fashion, entertainment, commerce, finance and so on. Different American cultures are accommodated in this area, especially in our visiting sites, Times Square and SOHO. In this trip, we witnessed how diverse American cultures sustain in this little place and how it developed from the Industrial age. And ultimately investigating how a city retains their history as the same time to be the leading place of the world.

SOHO

With all the brand name shops such as Burberry, Longchamp, Tiffany and etc, Soho is definitely considered to be one of the most famous shopping hubs in the world. Countless of people going to Soho every day, but how many of them notice the unique designs of the buildings? How many of them would pay attention to the artistic galleries along the alleys? And who would try to understand the history of the place?

Among all the interviewees, there were no objections to Soho being an expensive place filled with wealthy shoppers and generous tourists all year round. For the rich, it must be a great place to live in and a great place to pursue the kind of happiness based on money. However, do all of the people going to Soho could afford the brand name goods with “impressive” price tags? If not, what are Soho’s attractions luring people to go to that area? What makes Soho stands out from the rest of the places in New York?

According to our interviewees, Soho is a unique place that stands out among all the places in New York, making it a must-go spot when visiting the United States. It is a place with a mixture of different cultures. On West Broadway, we find SOHO a busy, highly commercialized area with all the brand name shops filled with countless of people shopping around, pretty much just like everywhere in New York; while just around the corner, we immediately find a cozy small alley with art studios and galleries. Placed in the same area, being so close to each other, it’s very interesting that the atmosphere could be this different and yet we feel that they merge perfectly together.

Just as a man who works as a waiter in this district said, Soho, a wealthy place located so close to some really humble areas such as Chinatown, people from different backgrounds brought in cultures of different places into Soho. Although different cultures can be found in this place, not only do they merge into each other brilliantly, a special, lively and ever changing atmosphere is also developed, attracting so many people to shop in Soho rather than the same shops which could be found in places like Times Square or the Fifth Avenue.

 

Shopping in Soho is a totally different experience even though all the shops there could be found in other places in New York. “Soho is an artsy, beautiful, adventurous yet historical place”, with the cast iron architecture, special design and use of colors of the buildings; it creates a unique atmosphere that attracts people to visit the place. The traditional cast iron architecture was built back in the mid 19th century. Some of the buildings are still manage to maintain the authentic architecture. Such architecture has its own history, however, locals do not really care a lot about the history of the place. Surprisingly, only a few interviewees could tell us a general view of how Soho was like years ago. Most of the people just go to Soho to enjoy a relaxing afternoon.

From our observation, people in Soho are very aware of their personal space and privacy. Most of the people shopping there are “in their own world” and they do not wish to be disturbed by others. One stall owner from the neighbouring neighborhood, Little Italy, said that Soho is one of the favourite hangout place of celebrities. They just wanted to enjoy a relaxing afternoon shopping on their own among the high-end branded stores. We believe that’s the reason why many people rejected us during our interviews.

 

We do think that as an outsider, the Soho in our eyes is an entirely different picture to the Soho of the insiders. Being transformed from an industrial area to a hub of artists and gallery, it reminds us a place called Fo Tan in Hong Kong which is now undergoing a same transformation as Soho did before. Although we cannot deny that it gives us a different vibe, for outsiders, the architecture and background of the district almost means nothing to them. As for insiders, they emerge themselves to the district because of art and the lifestyle embodied.

Times Square

Glaring neon lights, glamorous billboards, internationally-known chain stores are the notions of “The Crossroad of the World” – Times Square. Name whatever fashion or makeup stores you want, they are all just around the corner. Artists and performers are standing right next to you. It is so true that no one would ever miss this spot while visiting New York. After our tour in Times Square, we found that Times Square is not only an ideal place for shopping malls and performances, but also a place contains varieties of American cultures, both positive and negative.

Doubtlessly, Times Square is a place represents consumerism and competition. Consumerism is not necessary referring to the downside. Moderate consumerism is essential for a country to search for perfection and improvement, which America always strives for. This is the tool to push them to succeed. Starting from 1980s, Times Squares gradually changes from a quiet street without a shop to one of the busiest districts nowadays.

When we walked along, multifarious neon lights and billboard were competing to catch our attention. The bigger, the more colorful and the more shining they are, the more successful they are. We know that this is the only way for them to stand out from the clustered stores. Moreover, with comparisons and competition, companies continuously evaluate their products and introduce innovative and customized products to the market so as to be more competitive. This helps boosting economic growth and keeps the nation in improving.

Consumerism also works as a stimulus to motivate general citizens to work harder for materialistic desire and improve their living standard. Unfortunately, parts of the Americans fail to hold the balance and treat consuming as the only way to pursue happiness. They progressively become materialistic and money-oriented, which many have criticized for a long time.

 

Apart from being a well-known place for shopping, Times Square is an area for artistic performances. Just a junction away, it is the gathering point of plays, musicals and shows – Broadway. This is also regarded as the worldwide leader in stage entertainment. Most of the prominent musicals, including The Lion King, Chicago and Mamma Mia are still there waiting for us. Before we actually watched The Lion King, we did question ourselves was that worth to pay nearly USD 100 for a musical.

But the answer is a definitely ‘Yes’ after went out of the theatre. The cast, the props, the music and stage production are all out of our expectation. Within Broadway, we understand how American valued this big-scale of arts. Both the producers and audiences are willing to pay and spend time on developing such an enormous production.

             

In addition to the large scale arts performance, Times Square is also a land of opportunity for street performers. Body-painted performers, guitar players, spray paint artists and dancers are desperate to entertain Times Square visitors. Ironically, grass-root or small scale art performances nowadays are always undervalued in the capitalistic world, which has a big contrast to the Broadway performances. Hardly could they find a platform to show their talent. This famous public area turns out to be a desirable stage for them. No fee, no restriction and no time limit, as long as they are willing to stay, they can share their performances. From our observation, surrounding pedestrians would stop a while to take pictures with them and appreciate their efforts and talents. This clearly shows it is a showbiz area for them to search for their American dream. They may sometimes later become rich and famous just like the Naked Cowboy and the spray paint artist, Samadov Mushfig.

Needless to say, Times Square represents modern and fashionable. Somehow it is too modern that we can barely find traces of the past when we walked by. From our brief interview, we found that most tourists and even locals do not know Times Square was once regarded as a dangerous neighborhood during The Great Depression. We deduced that many traits of historical events are hidden or even erased because of the fast-moving economic-focused development in the past few decades. However, there is one thing that has not changed over time – the over 100 years New Year’s Eve celebration at Times Square. Since 1904, people started gathering there for the event. It has developed from an event only for America to the most famous way to usher in the New Year in the world. The significant ‘Ball Drop’ celebration has become the symbol of Times Square countdown and also the only one witness the change of this place.

To sum up, although Times Square is located in a dynamic city, people are trying their best to create collective memory by any means. We believed that part of the collective memories they created will not be faded out over time, and thus contribute to the culture and history of Times Square.

Boston Overview

With easily navigable routes and clean subway stations, Boston is nothing like New York, at least not unfavourably. This largest city in New England has a population of only 600,000, yet it is complete in every detail. Perhaps the best description for this tranquil city is in contradicted terms: hip alongside historic. Being the Cradle of Liberty, there is history and culture around every corner in Boston, you can see historic landmarks and colonial-era architecture nestle next to skyscrapers while modern marketplaces line on antique cobblestone streets.

Freedom Trail – The Benjamin Franklin Statue and Old Corner Bookstore

Located in front of Boston’s Old City Hall, the statue of Benjamin Franklin, is Boston’s first public portrait statue and the original location of Boston Latin School. Franklin, himself, was one of America’s greatest minds, as well as a notable high school dropout. He was a distinguished inventor, author, scientist, politician and statesman during his lifetime. On the day of our data collection, it has come to our surprise that the Americans have ingenious management of the notable sites and great pride in their national history.

   

Most interviewees were either tourists or parents who brought their children to visit the Boston landmark for exhibited cultural or educational value, but there was also some who came by to the Old City Hall for work or lunch (since there is a restaurant – “Ruby Tuesday” right next to the Old City Hall). The site demonstrates a perfect example of adaptive reuse, which is the process that adapts buildings for new uses while retaining their historic features (Norris). The ability to continually reuse buildings or infrastructure systems even amidst changing cultural, technological and functional demands is depicted as one of the effective solutions to reduce environmental impacts from the built environment (Crawford; 30). Though the Old City Hall was no longer in force as the Mayor’s office, it has become a first class office building which continually serves the mass in a different way. Besides, the preservation of Old City Hall also attracts more visitors to the relative areas, like the Benjamin Franklin Statue and Ruby Tuesday which is in front of the Old City Hall.

Also, when asked one of the parent interviewees her reason of bringing her children here, she answered confidently that it is because the her children’s school current curriculum is about the American Revolution, hence she wants to have a field trip with her kids, allowing them not to only learn from books, but also through seeing key sites of the American Revolution. Judging from her voice, we deduce that Americans are extremely supportive to educate national history to youngsters and proud of being part of America.

Walking along the Freedom Trail, next stop we headed to “The Hub of the Hub”, the Old Corner Bookstore. Everyday thousands of people walk the Freedom Trail and pass the Old Corner Bookstore without realizing the significance of its history. The revolutionary landmarks that surround the building tend to overshadow the Cultural Revolution that flourished there under William Ticknor and James T. Fields 75 years after Independence. American children are taught about the Civil War, Benjamin Franklin, Sam Adams and Boston’s role in the American Revolution. However, teachers and parents always overlook another movement which is the literary explosion that came to pass in Boston between 1840 and 1860. The Old Corner Bookstore witnessed the golden age of the American literature.

 

Now the location is acted as restaurant – Chipotle for several years after the Boston Globe abandoned to sustain its business in 2002, which is another definite example of adaptive reuse. These developments partially obscure the rich and important history of the site. Still, the enduring legacy remains. A dedicated group of Bostonians emerged to fight for the preservation of the building. They formed an organization called Historic Boston Incorporated (HBI) in 1960. Nowadays the HBI is still continuing to raise money and advocate for the preservation of historic buildings in Boston. We, as tourists in Boston, can hardly see literary greatness as we bustle past the intersection of the Washington and School Streets.

In the shadow of a large, corporate bookstore, the site may get lost amidst the temples of freedom and revolution that surround the location; it can be never forgotten in terms of putting American writers and American literary culture for good.

Works Cited:

Crawford, Robert. Life Cycle Assessment in the Built Environment. London: Spon Press, 2011. Print.

Norris, Gregory A. “Adaptive Reuse.” MIT’s East Campus Project. Massachusetts Institution of Technology, Nov. 2002. Web. 22 June 2013. <http://www.archinode.com/lcaadapt.html&gt;.

The Plymouth Plantation

                           
The Plymouth Plantation is a living museum about the live history of the 17th century English colonists. It is the integral part of the foundation of the history of the United States. The museum emphasizes on “one story and two people” which is between the English and the Wampanoag. It is something really special as history is seldom brought to life. The actors and actresses all dressed in historical accurate clothing of the old time and speak and act like an English or a Native. This live interaction with history brought me new insights and information about how freedom of America was first developed.

The freedom of America as one of its identity is early seen through the beliefs they bring from the settlers’ home country. The pilgrims are the earliest American settlers. They immigrated to a new environment in hope for a better life. Some of them came to avoid the coming war in their country and some for religious freedom. Most values developed during that period lasted and became the core value of this new country – America. The English do fair food trades to the Natives which is a way to show friendliness and help improve harmony among two diverse people.

However democracy and equality in America was not yet developed at that stage. During 17th century, men were still the dominated gender of the family. The women did not have the right to vote for any events but to follow their husband or father’s will. When asked whether women want to have the right to make decision or vote, their answer is negative. From our conversation, we found out that even though the women did not want to come to this new land, they still did as to be obedient wives to their husbands. Their reasons behind were they are comfortable enough to follow the men’s choices and were unwilling to bear the responsibility to the unfavorable consequence of their decisions. In a modern view of America, where women status climbed up dramatically, democracy and equality are truly realized in work and politic situations.

         

On the other hand, we observed the Wampanoag Natives values equality ever since they started living there. By asking question, we discovered that the women who are responsible for food believe that we, human, are no better than any other things on Earth as we need everything else to keep the natural balance. She stated that we are nothing without everything else and as an herbivores, she thanks for all the harvest that keep them from starving. An interesting idea is that she believes it is not fair to feel sorry for killing the animals but not for the plants because plants have life too. Soon this idea develops the thanksgiving tradition to appreciate everything that was given to them.

Plymouth is a wonderful place to educate visitors, student and children about the development history of the early America. The reconstruction of the Mayflower ll symbolized the Pilgrims’ voyage would be a gift to show gratitude and appreciation for what the Americans had done to help English, both during and after the war. It also symbolizes freedom for people to explore new lands and build their own nation. The history has great significance to the change of today’s United States and is highly cherished by the Americans.