Irish Hunger Memorial

credit: www.gothamist.com

Anyone guess what it is?

Well, I'll tell you.

The structure is the Irish Hunger Memorial, located in Battery Park City.

Credit: www.vipnyc.org

From around 1845-1852, a tremendous famine hit Ireland, killing over 1.5 million people. I learned about the Great Irish Hunger in my British History class last semester.

I learned that the Irish were seen as the lowest of the low by the British because they had different religious beliefs. Great Britain ruled over Ireland at the time, so their hatred resulted in terrible living conditions for the Irish.

The hunger is said to have been started by a fungus that arrived on a ship from America, and then contaminated the entire potato crop, the food they lived on. So the Irish starved.

To make matters worse, the British didn't do anything to help them.

Then came a huge blizzard, followed by a Typhus epidemic. It was really bad news.

As with most historical events, the Irish Hunger has tremendous significance in the larger picture of modern European and American history, which you can read about here.

The Irish Hunger Memorial, besides for being an incredibly cool piece of public art, is a very moving tribute to the Great Irish Famine.

There are many different sections of the memorial...

This walkway is lined with statistics, quotes and poems about the famine:

credit: www.nycgo.com

This garden contains stones from all the different counties in Ireland, as well as natural vegetation brought over from Western Ireland:

credit: http://erinoc1227.wordpress.com

And this is an authentic 19th century Irish cottage:

credit: www.wikipedia.org

All aspects of the Irish Hunger Memorial provide an in-depth history lesson of what happened during the Irish Hunger. Not to mention that it is an architectural masterpiece, which I enjoyed very much.

For more information about the Memorial, check out this informative website.


But wait! While you're in the area...

A few feet away from the Irish Hunger Memorial is Rockefeller Park, in which this lovely little enclave resides:

Credit: www.nycgo.com

This little pond is brimming with shimmery fish, storybook lillypads, sluggish turtles, and boasts a gentle waterfall. I was so enchanted by the scene that I sincerely wished I had the time of day to sit down and relax by its soothing waters.

What a find!

While the days are still long, and before the leaves completely fall off the trees, I hope to visit Battery Park City again. And if anyone cares to join me, I would love some company :-).

An Ode to BPC

Every once in a while, I find myself somewhere in the city and I am struck by the fact that I actually live in New York City in the 21st century.

I've had that experience while visiting the High Line, zipping through dark tunnels on the subway, sitting at my fountain, walking through Central Park on a warm summer evening, and most recently, when I visited Battery Park City for the first time.

Battery Park City is really an extension to Manhattan Island, developed out of the excavated material from the construction of the World Trade Center in the 1980s.

credit: wikipedia.org

I visited BPC on a breezy, sunny day towards the end of the summer.
As I meandered along the paths, I continuously discovered more features of the park that I absolutely loved.
As I now write about my experience, I am having difficulty pinpointing one specific aspect of the park to write about.

So instead, I will share the following guide:

Visiting Battery Park City means visiting the quintessential urban retreat. In my opinion, it maintains all the elements that make up a perfect urban retreat - it is adjacent to water, has loads of greenery, cool public art, a unique indoor atrium, beautiful views, fountains, history, and plenty of areas where you could just have fun and be a kid :-). 

In order to gain the full effect, when you visit BPC, be sure to:
...walk along the river on the beautiful Esplanade:

credit: wikipedia.org

...stroll through a shady, tree-lined walkway:

Credit: www.tfcornerstone.com

...discover some really cool public art in the South Cove (the black circular structure is actually a set of stairs!):

...find the awesome Otterness on display in Rockefeller Park:

credit - www.tomstudio.com

... hang out at one the funnest playgrounds in the entire NYC (which actually has Otterness on display inside!)

(when I was a little girl, my family used to trek down to this very playground for a full day activity... it was really exciting to re-discover this place where I have so many good memories. Read more about it at MommyPoppins).

...read quotes by Walt Whitman along the railing of the World Financial Center Plaza and ponder their meaning:

Credit: Flikr User Lauren Sperber

...enter a vast atrium known as the Winter Gardens right off the World Financial Center Plaza:

credit: wikipedia.org

and marvel at how naturally palm trees fit into the New York City environment.

... listen to yourself echo loud and clear while standing within the secret circle somewhere in the Winter Gardens (credit to LM for discovering this!!):

... and finally relax on a bench and enjoy magnificent views of the busy New York Harbor:

Credit: Flikr user matt707

I haven't even scratched the surface of what there is to see and do in the area. I still want to discover Teardrop Park, which I have yet to visit. I heard it has an awesome slide :-).

Check out the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy website for more information.

There is another feature of Battery Park City that I did not share in this post. It is my absolute favorite part of the park.

credit: Gothamist.com

Any ideas?
Stay tuned....