Rumsey Playfield: NYC’s Cultural Hub

Central Park is the hub of many cultural, social and economic activities that take place in New York City. It is a major attraction site for many New Yorkers, as well as for visiting tourists. During the summer months, Central Park hosts concerts in its Rumsey Playfield, which is situated directly in the heart of the park. The SummerStage festival takes place in the Rumsey Playfield arena, as does the weekly Good Morning America Concert Series during the summer months. It is interesting for one to analyze the way in which Central Park’s Rumsey Playfield is used as a place for leisure activities, and by being an audience member at one of the Good Morning America concerts one is taking part in a much larger cultural event. It is interesting to see how theatrical performances have evolved over history, bringing new entertainment to the public in unusual spaces. In Robert Allen’s “Horrible Prettiness,” he explains how burlesque came into play in society, and how it helped to transform the traditional views of theater and entertainment. Allen writes, “The peculiar trait of burlesque is its defiance both of the natural and the conventional” (25). In a way the GMA concerts correlate to the rise of burlesque because both events transform the traditional forms of entertainment and the use of space. Central Park is now a site for commercial entertainment, and both burlesque and the GMA concerts bring about controversial issues and challenge tradition and history of the times.

The SummerStage festival is a free performing arts festival that first started in 1986 to bring performances “of superior artistic caliber, free of charge, to large and diverse audiences” (Central Park).  SummerStage seeks to introduce audiences with various types of artists and ideas in the world of music, dance, and other forms of cultural expressions. The SummerStage concerts host an average of 240,000 in the late May through September concert season and it features over seventy events. These concerts, such as the Good Morning America concerts, become more than just a small concert featured in the park, but rather they are seen more as a media spectacle nationwide. Good Morning America is a part of the ABC television network and it uses the public space of Central Park to create a social event that is part of a much larger media event. Central Park strives to maintain an authentic feel as being a historic landmark in New York City. The SummerStage concerts take place in the summer nights in the park seem to help maintain the park’s authenticity by embracing the landscape of the park as a backdrop for the performance, rather than being an event that seems unauthentic and forced, such as the Good Morning America Concerts.

The Good Morning America weekly Friday concerts in the park seem unnatural and they create this media spectacle that extends much farther than the small crowd that congregates at the concert in Rumsey Playfield. These concerts are very much scripted because they are part of a much larger commercial media project, being ABC’s Good Morning America. When attending one of these GMA concerts, one can lose sight of the fact that the concert is taking place in Central Park, because Rumsey Playfield feels like a set for a television show, which it is in a way, and it takes away from the feeling of being in the historic and unique Central Park theater. The Good Morning America concerts feel very much scripted, having the audience to be told when to clap, sing, laugh, remain silent, etc. The GMA concerts make for free fun summer entertainment in the park, but one can argue that they do not contribute to the authenticity of the park by using a major media conglomerate such as ABC to create its own spectacle, taking away some of the history of the site. GMA is a very commercial institution and it has a large economic and social backing. Central Park contributes to New York’s City’s history, and when one steps into the park, one can often feel the authenticity and the history of the park through the landscapes, and architecture of the park. By bringing in a huge media conglomerate such as ABC, some of the history can feel obscured because the GMA concerts convey a very modern and commercial feeling rather than a traditional and authentic feeling.

In conclusion, although Central Park has a long rooted history, today the park is beginning to be used for more commercial activities. The GMA concerts are one good example of this, as well as some of the SummerStage concerts. Instead of featuring all classical musicians and artists, the concerts host more mainstream musicians and artists such as Foster the People, Train, Pitbull, LMFAO, and other popular pop groups. Although both the SummerStage concerts and GMA concerts bring a more commercial and contemporary feel to the park, the SummerStage concerts are not televised, whereas the GMA concerts are, leaving the SummerStage concerts with a more authentic feel because the actual feeling of being in the park is not being construed by the scripted format and cameras of the GMA production.

Seneca Village

Before Central Park became a public park, this location in Manhattan was the home to many immigrants and free blacks. It was the site of a Seneca Village, which was a small island in New York City that was created by free blacks from 1825 to 1857. The village was torn down for the construction of the city’s plan for Central Park, and it left many residents of Seneca Village homeless and angry. It seems rather interesting how the park was constructed for pleasure and happiness, but the creation of the park made many people resistant and cynical about the new park. In addition, the controversy over Seneca Village and the displacement of the residents, taps into the inequality among the social classes, and it displays the power of the government. The Central Park Commission used their authority and power to control what would be done with Seneca Village, and it gave little voice to the residents in this community. Although media attention was paid to this village at the time, it was mostly negative attention referring to the village as “shantytown” and to the residents as “squatters”.

Located between 82nd and 87th Streets, Seneca Village consisted of many free African Americans who had purchased land there to build homes and institutions, as well as other immigrants of European descent, being predominantly Irish. Seneca Village consisted of three churches, five cemeteries, a school and over 250 residents. When talk for the construction of Central Park emerged, Seneca Village residents were left struggling for their right to keep their properties, and they began the fight against New York City officials. In George Simmel’s “Metropolis and Mental Health,” he discusses the role of the individual living in a big city urban life, and how city-life can have a psychological affect on the individual and how the metropolis “creates in the sensory foundations of mental life” (12). Simmel believes that city life can create space among city dwellers emotionally, although they are in close proximities with others physically. Because of the greater population in cities, people can constantly surround one, but on a personal level they are not connected with others due to the busy-ness and chaotic-ness of the metropolis. This idea of being disconnected with others on a personal level in an urban setting is interesting to think of in relation to Seneca Village. The Village was a small community within the larger city setting, and therefore it created a very close-knit community, which is often rare for metropolis living.

In addition, Simmel writes that “the deepest problems of modern life flow from the attempt of the individual to maintain the independence and individuality of his or her existence against the sovereign powers of society, against the weight of the historical heritage and the external culture and technique of life” (11). It was a struggle for the Seneca Village residents to in fact maintain their existence and independence from the city officials’ plans for the destruction of their village in order to create Central Park. “In 1853, the sate legislature authorized the use of ‘eminent domain,’ the taking of private property for public purposes” (Central Park). The residents of Seneca Village were left helpless against the power of the city government, which is a reflection on the times. In a time when all blacks were not free, and the dominant figures in society were the wealthy white classes, the construction of Central Park is a key example of the division of the classes during this time.

In conclusion, one can see that although a new public park in the center of New York City sounded like a positive addition to the city, the construction of it caused a lot of controversy for the residents of Seneca Village. In 1855, the residents of the Village were forced out of their homes after years of protests and petitions. One newspaper at the time wrote that Seneca Village would “not be forgotten…[as] many a brilliant and stirring fight was had during the campaign, but the supremacy of the law was upheld by the policeman’s bludgeons” (MAAP). At a time where there were prominent cultural inequalities, Seneca Village is just one example of how the government officials could prevail over these minority groups, and construct a park that hoped could someday be a park for all.

When the Sun Sets and the Curtain Rises:

It is common knowledge that one should not venture in or through a park after dark. Throughout history, New York City has had the same reputation as being slightly dangerous at night. Today, parks are proving to provide a space for New Yorkers well after the sun goes down, creating an entirely different experience. During the holiday season, Bryant Park opens holiday shops for the public in the evening, offers ice-skating for visitors, and encourages the public to experience the Park at night. Central Park strives to create a space for visitors during the day as well as at night by providing the public with nighttime events and spectacles. Central Park offers visitors with the opportunity to attend concerts, dine in the park, participate in sports games under the lights, and attend theatrical performances at the infamous “Shakespeare in the Park”. Although Central Park provides city dwellers with many after dark activities to partake in, attending a Shakespeare in the Park performance at Central Park’s Delecorte Theater is truly one that is unique and special. It offers people an incredible night experience in the park, and gives people a new perspective of the city and the park.

The Delecorte Theater officially opened in 1692 and situated just off of 80^th Street, on the southwest corner of the Great Lawn. When opening, it featured The Merchant of Venice, and has since showed performances such as The Tempest, King Lear, Hamlet, and many more. The Shakespeare Workshop, founded by Joseph Papp, is “now one of the nation’s preeminent cultural institutions” (Shakespeare in the Park), and is one of the most adored summer traditions for New York City, in particular Central Park. Shakespeare in the Park is a yearly production that takes place at the Delecorte Theater in Central Park. The performances have featured well-known actors such as Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Al Pacino, and many more. The Public Theater produces these performances for the public for free, assuming that the attendees wait in line the day of the performance for tickets. The Shakespeare in the Park shows run for eight weeks in the summer at 8:00pm, and ensure that approximately 1,500 people attend the shows each night. These performances are free to the public and provide viewers with a magical and unforgettable experience in Central Park after dark.

This past summer, Into the Woods was featured at the Central Park Shakespeare in the Park festival, and attending this performance was truly a memorable experience. One should always be a little bit weary of entering the park at night, but once entering the Delecorte Theater, one is engulfed in the beauty and serenity of the theater. Twinkling lights surround the theater, and the Delecorte Theater is instantly cut off from the rest of the park. The round theater creates an intimate space that feels completely separate from the overwhelming 843 acres of Central Park. Central Park is a very popular public space in New York City, but being in the Delecorte Theater at night attending a Shakespeare in the Park performance, makes one feel as if they are in a very private and exclusive setting. In addition, being in the space at night, one would expect to feel a bit unsafe and unprotected by the possible dangers of the park after dark, but instead the space and experience of being at the performance makes one feel at ease, and in a way transported into a different space. It does not feel as if you are in Central Park, but rather in a magical space surrounded by twinkling lights, and a beautifully crafted stage and theater surrounded by the other audience members who are experiencing the same feelings and moments as you. “The good nights at the Delacorte have a rare, peculiar magic. Wind stirs the trees, the skies darken, the stage fills with a blending of real and artificial moonlight; then one of our country’s greatest actors, steps forward to speak the best and most beautiful words ever written, revealing aspects of ourselves we never expected to encounter in Central Park. Boundaries dissolve, between actor and audience, self and park, art and nature” (Kushner). This unusual feeling of being in Central Park at night is a rare and unexplainable feeling.

The park after dark is in a way a surreal experience, because it showcases a different side of Central Park that one does not usually expect to see. Central Park is always bustling, but the feeling of being in an exclusive theater in the park at night takes away preconceived notions that one may have of Central Park. The space feels very intimate, safe, and calm; nothing that relates to a summer walk across Sheep’s Meadow surrounded by the chaotic park “beach dwellers.” What one expects to be an unsettling experience of being in Central Park when the sun goes down, instead feels the opposite, once stepping into the Delecorte Theater for a night out as an audience member watching theclassic show Into the Woods. 

Fun For All: A Park once for the wealthy, now welcomes all

The Patrician Landscape
“By the 1870s, when this illustration was made, Central Park had become the primary escape for New Yorkers from all over the island. The park’s original supporters — mostly members of New York’s aristocracy — contended it would relieve congestion in the city’s downtown parks and provide upper-class citizens with a venue to showcase their carriages”
(http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1915263,00.html#ixzz2AhPXwUi4)

Today Central Park can be recognized as being the “park for the people,” but this was not always the case. Although the park now welcomes people from all walks of life from places all over the world, the park was once a place for only the wealthy and elite residents of New York City. All residents of the city were in great need of a public space for leisure time activities, but as Central Park was being constructed and developed, it was becoming clear as to whom the park was really intended; the wealthier classes.

In the nineteenth century, “the leading landscape architects and park advocates believed that parks were important instruments of enlightenment and social control” (Taylor).  Landscape architects promoted public parks for their beneficiary characteristics and for their personality building capabilities. Keeping these ideas in mind, landscape architects tried to use these two arguments to help persuade government officials to invest in and promote the creation of city parks. As more city parks and public spaces were being built, the parks started to become spaces of political and social debate. Central Park was intended to be a space for city dwellers to escape the chaotic city life, but instead, the discontent between the social classes grew.

Temporary Residence
“During the early 1930s, shacks for destitute New Yorkers made a return to the park. This time, Hoover Village, named for the President who presided over the onset of the Great Depression, sprung up in an old reservoir that was no longer in use”
(http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1915263,00.html#ixzz2AhPtloEC)

“In the first decade of the park’s completion, it became clear for whom it was built. Located too far uptown to be considered within walking distance for the city’s working class population, the park was a distant oasis to them” (NY.com). Traveling to the park was of greater expense than the majority of the working class citizens could afford, and therefore in the late 1800’s the park continued to be a space for the wealthy. The park’s paths were lined with lavish carriages, symbolizing one’s status and economic class. On the weekends and afternoons, women crowded the park with their spouses for concerts and carriage rides, while Saturday afternoon concerts drew more middle class audiences. Sundays in the park welcomed the working class population and as it was the day that they did not have to work, they could therefore use the time to spend in the park, that’s if they had the means to travel to the site. By the late nineteenth century, the working class comprised all but a fraction of Central Park’s population, and they fought to convince the city department to hold concerts on Sundays as well for them to enjoy.

Central Park was becoming a space that was primarily used by the upper and middle classes, but as the working class gained more access to amenities in the park such as concerts on Sundays, a clash between the classes began to emerge, and conflict over what is considered to be appropriate park behavior and use became an area of conflict. Olmstead and Vaux hoped that through creating a park, they would be able to provide city dwellers with access to a world of extraordinary culture, and it would help instruct the large population of urban and working class people about the conventional American life values and way of life. “A place for the poor to breathe the pure air and for the affluent to enjoy riding and driving—such was the primitive notion of the originator of the plan for Central Park” (NewYorkTimes) Tension between classes gave rise to working class activism to achieve more access to park space, and for greater freedom in defining workingclass leisure time activities and behavior. These tensions and struggles gave way to the foundation for a recreation movement, and they were critical in the rise of urban, and multipurpose parks that were designed for passive and active recreational use. The change in demographics from being a park for primarily middle and upper class individuals to a space that was more welcoming of working class citizens paved the way to new methods of thinking about and using the park as a public space for recreational and leisure activities.

“Children and adults with herd of sheep in the Sheep Meadow in Central Park, New York City, ca. 1900-1910”. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) (http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/04/historic-photos-from-the-nyc-municipal-archives/100286/)

 

Although Central Park first appeared to be a park intended for the wealthier classes, Olmstead, and the city’s government officials “uhoped that social ills would be swept away, as the beauty of the city would inspire civil loyalty and moral rectitude in the impoverished” (Rose).

A Fall Sunday Stroll In The Park

When entering the over 800 acres that make up Central Park, one might expect to be overwhelmed by the grandness of the space. Although when one usually pictures a park in their head, a quiet, calm, and open space may come to mind; a place to leisurely walk, and sit on park benches lined with trees and open air. Central Park is a place to stroll and act as a flanneur in the openness of the park, but while walking through the space, one cannot help but see the park as more of a place for partaking in activities that the space has to offer, rather than relaxing on a park bench. On foot, one can discover the beauty that the space has to offer, and to experience the landscapes on an intimate level, not being confined to the rules of the streets. Michel de Certau explains in “The Practice of Everyday Life,” “to walk is to lack a place. It is the indefinite process of being absent in search of a proper” (103). A walker can wander aimlessly through the space without having a purpose, and Central Park offers visitors with the opportunity to view the space as a place to utilize and take advantage of through the activities and amenities that the Park has to offer. When walking through Central Park, one cannot help but get lost in the openness and tranquility of the park’s landscape, by creating an environment in which the walkers can drift away.

When journeying through the various sections of the park, each part has a different feel. The tourists seem to venture more towards Central Park South, otherwise known as 59th Street, near the intersection of 5th Avenue, by taking a horse and buggy ride through the park. Venturing deeper into the park, pedestrians walking are surrounded by runners in roadways that run through the park, bicycle riders in their designated bike lanes, horse and buggies, and Pedi cabs, and taxi cabs. There is no shortage of transportation lines bustling through the park. As a pedestrian strolling through the winding paths of Central Park, it almost feels as if the park is divided into various sections. Children and families run and play at the Central Park Zoo, and they sail sailboats in the pond at the Central Park Conservatory Water. Walking in Central Park on a Fall Sunday morning sheds new light onto the park, creating a magical feel to the park. Entering the park on the Upper East Side at the 84th Street entrance, one can walk behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art, sneaking a glimpse of the art and history that the walls encage; walking up the winding path behind the museum, one can also people watch the visitors inside who are strolling through the new American wing. Continuing up along the path, one will stumble upon the Great Lawn’s eight baseball fields where locals and teams alike play softball. The Park is very much awake on an early Sunday morning, and it seems that people are not only awake, but very much alive. A popular spot for a weekend morning in the park is the Central Park Reservoir, named after Jackie Kennedy Onasis in 1994. In the novel Marathon Man, the main character states “whoever invented the reservoir must have done it with him alone in mind. It was without flaw, a perfect lake set in the most unexpected of locations” (Goldman, 18), and this rings true with many New Yorkers as well. The Reservoir is a space that conveys a sense of tranquility and solitude with breathtaking views of the Park, as well as city landscapes which are enclosed with a beautiful steel and cast-iron fence.

Continuing on a walk through the park, one can travel through the Mall. The Mall, also known as Literary Walk, is the only path in the park that is a straight line, and it is considered to be Central Park’s most horticultural feature, featuring rows of American Elm Trees; it is lined with benches, street artists and musicians. The Mall empties out onto to a staircase where Bethesda Fountain overlooks the infamous Boathouse. Walking underneath the underpass down the stairs to the fountain, one will be met with musicians playing music and singing, allowing their instruments and voices to echo off of the walls and ceiling. The fountain is a popular photo spot for tourists and brides with their wedding parties. The fountain overlooks the Lake and it is only a short ways away from Loeb Boathouse that offers rowboat and gondola rentals for people to rent and float throughout the magical landscapes of Central Park. To some, the Boathouse is described as combining “the country charm with views of skyscrapers peeking over the trees next to Central Park’s prettiest lake” (NY Times). The park offers visitors many escapes from the chaotic city life through the activities that the park has to offer, by creating a serene oasis situated in one of the busiest cities in the world, making this park a one-of-a-kind spot.

Due to the fact that there is so much to do and to see in the park, the original intentions of the designers to use the park as a place to spend a leisurely and relaxing day walking around has been lost. It feels as if people view Central Park as a destination rather than using it as a journey to venture through for pure enjoyment and relaxation. Although the park’s intended purpose was to provide city dwellers with an urban oasis to wander aimlessly and relax one’s mind, this feeling seems to have been lost. It seems that people come to the park for a purpose, and that purpose is to partake in one of the many activities that the park has to offer; baseball, row boating, bicycle riding, volleyball, rollerblading, horse and buggy rides, and more. What was once a park for strictly walking and freeing the mind of chaos, is no longer present, and visitors are repeatedly distracted by the busyness and events that take place.

There is no shortage of things to do and see in Central Park on a Fall Sunday morning, or on any day for that matter. The Park has an overwhelming amount of activities to partake in, from bike riding, to running the Reservoir, to playing softball on the Great Lawn, to visiting the Central Park Zoo, to attending a show at Shakespeare in the Park, or attending a Summerstage Concert. The tradition of a park solely being a place for leisure time to wonder aimlessly in a space and to relax on park benches has been transformed by the amenities and activities that Central Park has to offer. The Park maintains its history and tradition through the landscape and design of the park, and the statues, plaques, park benches, lampposts and architecture of the park, but it has altered the idea of a traditional park by offering families and individuals with an experience rather than just a destination. This can be viewed as a positive change for many, but there are some who will also argue that this transformation away from its original purpose is not in keeping with Olmsted and Vaux’s original plan and is therefore viewed as a negative evolution.

The Story of Central Park

According to definition, a park is “an area of land set aside for public use, as a piece of land with few or no buildings maintained for recreational and ornamental purposes, and a landscaped city square” (thefreedictionary). New York City is home to over 1,700 parks spread out across the five boroughs, but only a few of those have gained the global fame of becoming more than just a public space for recreation, but rather a cultural and social hotspot. Central Park is one of these parks. Central Park has proved to be more than a traditional park, providing the public with a place to walk and to sit and relax and enjoy an afternoon off, but it has transformed what the idea of a traditional park is in society. Central Park has emerged as a tourist attraction, as well as a historic site in New York City by creating a public space brimming with history, and specifically a place full of recreational activities for locals and tourists alike. At first, what appeared to be a space fulfilling a need to escape the noise and craziness of city life in the early 19^th century, quickly evolved into a space full of culture through the media events and recreational activities that the park has to offer.

In the years between 1821 and 1855, the population of New York City nearly quadrupled, and as the city became more and more populous, people were yearning for places distanced from the chaos of city life, in order to enjoy the quietness of open spaces. Unfortunately, there were very few open public spaces at the time, and the need for parks and public space was becoming more evident in society. In 1844, poet, and then editor of the Evening Post, William Cullen Bryant, and architect Andrew Jackson Downing took the initiative to publicize New York City’s need for a public park. In 1853, the New York legislature came to the agreement that the city was in need of a park, and settled upon 700 acres of land for a cost of $5 million, ranging from 59^th Street to 106^th, the home of this new city park. The state then appointed a Central Park Commission to oversee the park’s development, and held a landscape design contest in 1857, which Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux’s design, known as the Greensward Plan, won. Olmsted explained how the new park was “of great importance as the first real park made in this country—a democratic development of the highest significance” (Scobey). This park had the potential to be a monumental establishment in the city, and Olmstead and Vaux knew they had to create a park that impressed the general public as well as the city of New York.

Inspired by the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, and by Hyde Park in London, the Greensward Plan incorporated influences from landscapes around the world, in order to create a park situated in the heart of New York City. Because the park was situated in a busy commercial area, crosstown commercial traffic was completely concealed due to transverses and beautifully dense plants and shrubs, maintaining a rustic and natural landscape and environment. The park was set to stand apart from others by creating separate pathways for pedestrians, horseback riders and vehicles. The park was situated in the hub of the city, and the “central” part of New York, hence giving way to the name “Central Park.” Central Park’s plan incorporated thirty-six bridges that Vaux designed, paths lined with elm trees leading up to a centerpiece, the Bethesda Fountain. The vision for the park was limitless, and as Olmstead and Vaux envisioned, it was “a public pleasure-ground…for certain definite purposes—it is for the convenience, enjoyment, and recreation of the largest number” (New York Times). It was a place designed for the people of the city, but before the park could be built, the land would have to be cleared, leaving many inhabitants, being primarily poor and free African Americans and Irish immigrants who resided in small villages on the park’s land such as Seneca Village. Approximately 1,600 residents who resided in the park were forced to leave, making room for Central Park.

Bethesda Fountain

After Central Park’s completion in 1873, the park suddenly slipped into decline. One reason for the decline was the lack of interest by the largest political force in New York at the time, the Tammany Hall political machine. At the turn of the 20^th century, the park encountered many new changes and challenges due to the growth of cars creating more pollution to the city. People were also changing as well. Parks were no longer viewed solely as places to walk and spend time in a peaceful environment. In addition, the upkeep of Central Park began to lack, resulting in vandalism and the lack of maintenance to upkeep the park. In an early New York Times article published in 1908, one resident writes, “Central Park is a disgrace…it is filled with rubbish and with papers. The benches are broken and sadly in need of a new coat of paint” (New York Times). The park was falling apart, and it needed someone to take charge and to bring the park back to life making it better than ever. In the early 1930’s, the new mayor, Fiorello La Guardia was elected into office, appointing Robert Moses in charge of transforming and refurbishing the park. Moses quickly turned the park around and transformed the park into a space that promoted recreational activities and sports.

Moses gave new meaning to the word “park” making it a place for people to engage in social activities, by creating nineteen playgrounds, twelve baseball fields, handball courts, and much more. Central Park served a purpose in the city, and that was not by being a typical park. Central Park was innovative and had the potential to be a social and cultural center, and Moses helped make this vision transform into a reality. Through Central Park’s unique approach to a public park, Central Park was able to not only be a place for people to wander aimlessly along the paths of the park, but they were able to provide New Yorkers and tourists with a place to partake in social and recreational activities in an environment that did not feel like typical city life in a hectic and chaotic setting. The park, although located in the heart of New York City, was peaceful and beautiful, and quickly became an oasis and escape of the crazy city life of New Yorkers.

                                                Works Cited

Central Park. “History.” Central Park. Greensward Group, n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2012. <http://www.centralpark.com/guide/history.html&gt;.

The Free Dictionary. “Park.” The Free Dictionary. Farlex, n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2012. <http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Park&gt;.

New York Times. “Central Park.” New York Times [New York] 9 Mar. 1872: n. pag. Web. 3 Oct. 2012. <http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=980DE3DB1739EF34BC4153DFB5668389669FDE&gt;.

– – -. “Central Park: A Set of Remedies Proposed for it’s Wasted Condition.” New York Times [New York] 17 July 2008: n. pag. Web. 3 Oct. 2012. <http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9C06E1D6153EE233A25754C1A9619C946997D6CF&gt;.

Scobey, David M. Can A City Be Planned. Philadelphia: Temple University, 2003. Temple Edu. Web. 3 Oct. 2012. <http://www.temple.edu/tempress/chapters/714_ch1.pdf&gt;.

Waxman, Sarah. “The History of Central Park.” ny.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2012. <http://www.ny.com/articles/centralpark.html&gt;.

The Old and The New

While reading about New Amsterdam, it is interesting to see how far New York City has come from early colonization, to present day New York. Having been born and raised on Long Island, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the history of the city and New York. New York City is one of the most popular cities in the world with a tremendous amount of history, yet a lot of the history is unknown to many native New Yorkers. For example, I live in a town in Nassau Country, called Manhasset in the village of Munsey Park. While reading the “Lenape Country and New Amsterdam,” I learned that the inhabitants in the adjacent parts of New Jersey, Connecticut, Long Island and Westchester County, spoke a language called Munsee. New York is full of history, and this is just one small example of how people can go about their daily lives through the streets of New York, and not be aware of the history that surrounds the streets.

New York was and still is an extremely powerful and popular city largely due to its location. In “Description of New York City in 1748, from Travels in America, Peter Kalm,” it explains that “the situation of it is extremely adventurous for trade… the port is a good one and is a great advantage to the city and its commerce” (Kalm, 2). The geography of this early Dutch Colony, New Amsterdam was in an ideal location because it was positioned on the Hudson River, which was always bustling with ships and traders. The Hudson River was a great advantage to New Amsterdam not only helping the economy because of trade, but the city was “navigable for near 150 English miles up the country” (Kalm,4), making it a convenient location for travelers from Europe.  New Amsterdam ports were extremely favorable by visiting ships from colonies all over especially the English and French Colonies. New Amsterdam was also situated in the middle of the English Colonies, and the French Colonies allowing the Dutch to take a stance in society, showing these other colonies that they are viable contenders in the spectrum of developing and formation of colonies.

It is very fascinating to compare old New York to present day New York, and to see how much and how little a city can change. New Amsterdam was an economic hub and a major center for economic activity. Settlers would come to the colony to make money; it was a corporate enterprise. New Amsterdam “was an attractive site because company agents stationed there could still supervise the flow of commerce out of the Hudson Valley and Long Island Sound” (Gotham, 23).  New Amsterdam could keep control over the company through regulating the commerce, as well as try to maintain a stable establishment. It is interesting to see the parallels between New Amsterdam and the city of New York today, where New York remains to be an economic capital. New York was a place for people to come and try to reinvent themselves and their lives. It was a place that provided individuals with an outlet to start over and to create a new life for themselves, and New York continues to provide people with this same opportunity today. New York is very much a city of hope, and even throughout history with its many wars, economic turmoil’s, and societal and cultural changes, the city is and will always remain a city of history and hope.