What did I learn on Sunday in New York City?
Retrieved from wikipedia
Who Knew? This is a map that lists the neighborhoods in Manhattan (sorry, Brooklyn friends). They are literally also divided into “uptown”, “midtown”, and “downtown”, as well as “east side” and “west side”.
Not this “farm girl” from Iowa!
What sparked this interest in the “make-up” of Manhattan?
“We tell the stories of 97 Orchard Street. Built on Manhattan’s Lower East Side in 1863, this tenement apartment building was home to nearly 7000 working class immigrants.”
Do check out the linked museum title above because the “Education” tab includes lesson plans and primary sources that history aficionados will love. The whole premise of learning about the “lives” of these families from the historical documents of the times as well as the personal stories is spellbinding! Goosebumps!
The “sweatshop” tour was our goal and Janeen was an amazing tour guide. She enabled us to time travel back to the 1890s to imagine what life what like in a 3 room 352 square foot apartment occupied by the Levine family – no running water, no electricity, privies in the back yard, . . .
When I hear the word “sweatshop” this is an example of the image that comes to my mind.
Sweatshop – 1890 from wikipedia
But the original sweatshops, before electricity and the “factory” model, existed in the tenement apartments where individuals would run their own business, hire workers, and work incredibly long hours in their own living quarters. Here is a photo of a postcard purchased at the museum (no pictures allowed on the tour) of an example of a dress made in this apartment rented by the Rogarshevky family.
Sewing the dress pictured above (sold for $15 retail) netted this business $0.25. How many dresses would they need to complete during their six-day work week to make $10.00? The virtual tour is linked here so you can see and hear this information yourself.
What do you know about the history of immigrants in your own family?
Where did they come from?
Where did they live and work once they arrived in the US?
How did they have to adapt in order to survive?
What is the role of “oral histories”?
We ended our day at Isabella’s with a different bit of learning. Fellow slicers, TWT bloggers, #tcrwp attendees gathered for fun and fellowship.
Vicki Vinton, Sandy Brumbaum, Julianne Harmatz, Allison Jackson, and Tara Smith and myself. What a great beginning to our “TCRWP” learning week!
TCRWP Writing Institute begins today!
Where and what will you be learning this week?
I’ll be learning from you this week, Fran! Looking forward to those Tweets!
Thanks, Tara!
I have already started! So excited! Literally can’t wait to get started. Ready to go and we still have an hour until registration opens! (Good thing I have a book or two to READ!)
Again, so good to see you last night! Thanks for coming to NYC!
Sitting here a little jealous…and sorry I could not make the last leg at Isabella’s. Catherine’s illness prevented our day in the city …and at the last minute, I figured that I could not leave my husband alone on Father’s Day. Next time, perhaps.
Have a wonderful time in the city exploring and learning (and here is a tip from a New Yorker: if you want the best bagel in the city, it is Absolut Bagel…two doors down from the relocated Bank Street bookstore…!)
Colette,
You were missed . . . Thanks for that tip!
I am so happy you got to go to the Tenement Museum – I love that place! Their walking tours of the Lower East Side are phenomenal, too – for your next visit! 🙂
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