I spent this morning researching some of the places in New York where I am taking workshops. I ended up only researching Grand Central Terminal and Brooklyn Bridge because the history of both are so interesting! What I found super interesting is that there is a secret terminal leading from Grand Central to the Waldorf-Astoria! It is a secret train platform that Franklin D. Roosevelt and other VIPs used to enter the Waldorf-Astoria. It has been out of service for decades but still houses the tracks, the train car, and the private elevator. FDR used this entrance to hide his disability from the public. This area is not open to the public but you can spot it out the right side windows of certain Metro North trains leaving the station during departure. I definitely want to try to spot this area!. Here are some more facts I found about Grand Central Terminal.

- Grand Central Terminal: Grand Central Terminal is the heart of the New York City subway system. Located in Midtown Manhattan, it serves nearly 200,000 NYC commuters every day.

·       It was built in 1871 and is home some of the most beautiful Beaux-Arts architecture in NYC.

o   Examples of Beaux-Arts characteristics: raised first story, hierarchy of spaces (grand entrances and staircases), arched windows and doors, artwork with a coordinated theme to assert identity of the building, Classical details, and polychrome (variety of colors).

·      It is the largest train station in the world with 44 platforms.

·      The Grand Central ceiling features a huge astronomical mural.

·      Much of the facade is decorated with famous NYC art statues.

·      The most common misconception is it being called Grand Central Station. According to railroad language in the early 20^th century trains coming from a station could travel in at least two directions, and only one direction from a terminal. Trains from Grand Central Terminal departed in only one direction: north. Trains also cannot pass through Grand Central, they can only go out the same way they came in.  They can reverse direction through a "balloon" loop, but cannot continue to any locations past Grand Central Terminal.

·      There is a secret terminal (Track 61) that was used to transport VIP’s and other important figures  to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel

Something I found interesting about the Brooklyn Bridge is how much effort was put into building the bridge. It took 14 years, 600+ workers, and $15 million dollars to finish building the bridge, but there were also a lot of deaths during construction. Before construction even started the original designer died while measuring the land after a boat smashed his toes on one foot, and he died three weeks later of tetanus. Air-tight wooden boxes called ‘caissons’ were pinned to the ground by large blocks of granite where workers were lowered down in airlocks and used shovels and dynamite to clear bedrock. Once the caissons reached sufficient depth—44ft on Brooklyn side, 78ft for Manhattan—workers built their way up to the surface by laying granite.  As the airlock descended into the river, it filled with compressed air so the workers could breath, but it also dissolved a dangerous amount of gas into the workers’ bloodstreams. When the workers resurfaced, the dissolved gases in their blood were quickly released. This is called caisson disease; more than 100 workers suffered from excruciating joint pain, paralysis, convulsions, numbness, speech impediments and, in some cases, death. It’s amazing how hard it was to build this bridge and that it still stands today.

- Brooklyn Bridge:

·      It was completed in 1883 after 14 years of construction

·      It was the first connection between Manhattan and Brooklyn boroughs over the East River.

·      It is more than 125 years old and carries roughly 150,000 vehicles and pedestrians everyday

·      It is the first steel suspension bridge, boasting the longest span at the time: 1,595 feet from tower to tower.

o   1903: Williamsburg Bridge overtook it by 4.5 feet.

·      24  people died, including the original designer, while building the bridge.

·      The designer, John A. Roebling, figured out how to stabilize suspension bridges by adding a web truss to both sides of the bridge.

·      Brooklyn did not become part of New York City until 1898

·      1884: Circus entertainer P.T. Barnum took 21 elephants over the bridge in May to show that it was safe.

·      1885: Robert E. Odlum, a swimming instructor, became the first to leap into the East River below (He died)

·      It cost $15 million to build (more than $320 million in today’s dollars).

In the afternoon, I set up my new Ipad Pro. I chose the new IPad pro because of its bigger size, and the fact that it comes with stylus capabilities, making photo editing so much easier. After setting up my Ipad, I downloaded the Adobe software that I use to edit and develop my photos. I use Adobe Creative Cloud—specifically Lightroom and Photoshop—for my photos because Lightroom allows me to store and edit my photos within one app. I have both of these apps on my laptop but I am currently running out of room on my hard drive. Lightroom also allows wifi syncing, which is good so I can have up to date photos on both devices.

Sites:

http://www.nyctourist.com/grandcentral1.htm

http://gothamist.com/2015/02/20/waldorf-astoria_train_tracks_subway.php#photo-1

http://www.nyctourist.com/brooklyn-bridge

http://www.history.com/topics/brooklyn-bridge

http://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-brooklyn-bridge