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NYC Archives • hey lucien! http://www.heylucien.com/category/nyc/ Sun, 12 Aug 2018 18:36:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://www.heylucien.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/cropped-hey-lucien_favicon-32x32.jpg NYC Archives • hey lucien! http://www.heylucien.com/category/nyc/ 32 32 Culture Exploration At The Weeksville Heritage Center https://www.heylucien.com/2018/05/05/culture-exploration-at-the-weeksville-heritage-center/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=culture-exploration-at-the-weeksville-heritage-center https://www.heylucien.com/2018/05/05/culture-exploration-at-the-weeksville-heritage-center/#respond Sat, 05 May 2018 09:16:50 +0000 http://www.heylucien.com/?p=414  Lucien used the following senses to explore and learn about his culture: Sight Touch Sound New York City is a gold mine of history, heritage, and culture.  I stumbled upon Weeksville after a google search for black history in NYC.   As a multi-cultural  individual, I realize culture plays an important role in how children make sense of the world.  I am black with a hint of Seminole running through my DNA.  My husband is Haitian-American – Lucien is everything that we are.  It only made sense to allow him to explore and learn a piece of his culture. “When you follow in the path of your father, you learn to walk like him.” ~Ashanti Proverb Founded in the 19th century by a dock worker from Virginia named James Weeks, Weeksville is one of the first free black communities.  Weeks purchased a plot of land in 1838 from Henry C. Thompson, a land investor who was also free.  In New York State, slavery ended 11 years prior.  Free black men and women began migrating to the area and purchased land.  Weeksville became a self-sufficient community with stores, a school, a cemetery, churches and homes.  About 500 families lived in Weeksville.  Today four houses remain in what is present-day Crown Heights.  The homes are known as the Hunterfly Road Houses.  A road the indigenous Lenape often traveled until being forced out by the Dutch in the 17th century. The Hunterfly Road Houses are within the walls of the Weeksville Heritage Center.  We went inside of 3 homes, the 4th wasn’t viewable due to a fire some years ago.  You aren’t allowed to touch most of the artifacts, but Lucien was allowed to touch a few.  Inside of the Johnson home, he was allowed to pretend cook to cook with the cast iron skillet on the wood burning stove and inside the Williams home, he was allowed to pretend to iron and bath.  He was excited to see children’s toys in the Williams home.  But the dolls which were laid out on the bed creeped him out.  His favorite part of the tour was just running free in the yard.  He totally enjoyed trying to push a huge boulder in the front yard.  He also chased birds and learned what the outhouse was for. Transportation was the easy part.  We took the subway, A or C train to Utica Ave/Fulton Street; the Weeksville Heritage Center is blocks away.  As we waited for our train Lucien enjoyed ice cream from a local shop. He told me he had fun.  Who knew culture could be so cool for a 2-year-old. Ready to explore Weeksville?  Here are tips for your visit: You can only view inside of the houses if you take a tour, Tuesday – Friday at 3 pm. You can also pre-schedule a group tour Tuesday – Thursday. You can take photos of the exterior of the homes, but not the interior. You are not allowed to touch certain items inside of the houses, make sure to listen to your tour guides directions. The tour can be boring for children under 5.  Make it fun by allowing them to sit on the big boulder in front of the houses, play a game of chase on the road, walk across the wooden bridge, play “i Spy” or just let them run around – within reason and with constant supervision. Bathrooms are available and a seating area with tables. Strollers are not permitted in the exhibit area. There is no food on premises, but there are a number of restaurants in the area – here’s a list. Weeksville Heritage Center (Hunterfly Road Houses Exhibit) – Location and Information Weeksville Heritage Center is located at 158 Buffalo Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11213 Admission is $8 for Adults, $6 for Seniors (65+), $6 for Students (with ID) and Residents of zip codes: 11213 & 11233 (with ID) – Suggested donation The following passes are accepted – NY PASS (Admission built-in), Cool Culture Pass (Free for families) and Business card/ID for museum professionals. There are no age restrictions. Children under 8 are free More information HERE

The post Culture Exploration At The Weeksville Heritage Center appeared first on hey lucien!.

]]>  Lucien used the following senses to explore and learn about his culture:

Sight
Touch

Sound

New York City is a gold mine of history, heritage, and culture.  I stumbled upon Weeksville after a google search for black history in NYC.   As a multi-cultural  individual, I realize culture plays an important role in how children make sense of the world.  I am black with a hint of Seminole running through my DNA.  My husband is Haitian-American – Lucien is everything that we are.  It only made sense to allow him to explore and learn a piece of his culture.

“When you follow in the path of your father, you learn to walk like him.” ~Ashanti Proverb

Founded in the 19th century by a dock worker from Virginia named James Weeks, Weeksville is one of the first free black communities.  Weeks purchased a plot of land in 1838 from Henry C. Thompson, a land investor who was also free.  In New York State, slavery ended 11 years prior.  Free black men and women began migrating to the area and purchased land.  Weeksville became a self-sufficient community with stores, a school, a cemetery, churches and homes.  About 500 families lived in Weeksville.  Today four houses remain in what is present-day Crown Heights.  The homes are known as the Hunterfly Road Houses.  A road the indigenous Lenape often traveled until being forced out by the Dutch in the 17th century.

The Hunterfly Road Houses are within the walls of the Weeksville Heritage Center.  We went inside of 3 homes, the 4th wasn’t viewable due to a fire some years ago.  You aren’t allowed to touch most of the artifacts, but Lucien was allowed to touch a few.  Inside of the Johnson home, he was allowed to pretend cook to cook with the cast iron skillet on the wood burning stove and inside the Williams home, he was allowed to pretend to iron and bath.  He was excited to see children’s toys in the Williams home.  But the dolls which were laid out on the bed creeped him out.  His favorite part of the tour was just running free in the yard.  He totally enjoyed trying to push a huge boulder in the front yard.  He also chased birds and learned what the outhouse was for.

Transportation was the easy part.  We took the subway, A or C train to Utica Ave/Fulton Street; the Weeksville Heritage Center is blocks away.  As we waited for our train Lucien enjoyed ice cream from a local shop.

He told me he had fun.  Who knew culture could be so cool for a 2-year-old.

Weeksville Heritage Center

Ready to explore Weeksville?  Here are tips for your visit:

  • You can only view inside of the houses if you take a tour, Tuesday – Friday at 3 pm.
  • You can also pre-schedule a group tour Tuesday – Thursday.
  • You can take photos of the exterior of the homes, but not the interior.
  • You are not allowed to touch certain items inside of the houses, make sure to listen to your tour guides directions.
  • The tour can be boring for children under 5.  Make it fun by allowing them to sit on the big boulder in front of the houses, play a game of chase on the road, walk across the wooden bridge, play “i Spy” or just let them run around – within reason and with constant supervision.
  • Bathrooms are available and a seating area with tables.
  • Strollers are not permitted in the exhibit area.
  • There is no food on premises, but there are a number of restaurants in the area – here’s a list.

Weeksville Heritage Center (Hunterfly Road Houses Exhibit) – Location and Information

  • Weeksville Heritage Center is located at 158 Buffalo Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11213
  • Admission is $8 for Adults, $6 for Seniors (65+), $6 for Students (with ID) and Residents of zip codes: 11213 & 11233 (with ID) – Suggested donation
  • The following passes are accepted – NY PASS (Admission built-in), Cool Culture Pass (Free for families) and Business card/ID for museum professionals.
  • There are no age restrictions. Children under 8 are free

More information HERE

The post Culture Exploration At The Weeksville Heritage Center appeared first on hey lucien!.

]]> https://www.heylucien.com/2018/05/05/culture-exploration-at-the-weeksville-heritage-center/feed/ 0 Sea Lions and Tiger Sharks and Eels, Oh My – New York Aquarium https://www.heylucien.com/2017/08/13/sea-lions-and-tiger-sharks-and-eels-oh-my-new-york-aquarium/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sea-lions-and-tiger-sharks-and-eels-oh-my-new-york-aquarium https://www.heylucien.com/2017/08/13/sea-lions-and-tiger-sharks-and-eels-oh-my-new-york-aquarium/#respond Sun, 13 Aug 2017 04:37:02 +0000 http://www.heylucien.com/?p=420 Lucien used the following senses to explore and learn about Aquatic Life: Sight Touch Sound New York Aquarium is one of my fave places.  My mum and dad have been taking me every summer since I was 6 months old.  I love water, so it’s always super exciting andto go nose-to-nose with sharkies! “There’s a whole ocean!” ~ Moana of Motunui The highlight of my visit is always the Sea Lion show.  Cool music, sea lion tricks and if you’re lucky enough to nab front row seats, you might just get a kiss – or even better, a splash! The aquarium suffered damagesduring Hurricane Sandy in 2012, it is still under reconstruction.  It makes me happy that the aquarium is still open after such a devastation.  Although, some exhibits and areas are closed, nothing got in the way of enjoying fishie life.  My only advice is to make sure mom packs a lunch or takes you to eat before you enter.  We had breakfast with my grandma’s at ihop before we went in.  Re-entry isn’t allowed.  If you enter and decide to leave you can’t.  While there are many food choices on the boardwalk and on Surf Ave, there aren’t many options for food at NYA.  There are carts with snacks and beverages – I love the dippin dots cart.  Mum always pretends to feed the seals when she gets dippin dots. Aside from the sea lion show and exhibits there are: sea otter feedings and a touch exhibit.  I was a bit afraid to touch the animals, but I did dip my hand in the water.  I think next time i’ll be ready to touch the horseshoe crab.  Remember to follow directions from the attendants and softly touch with 2 fingers, you don’t want to hurt the animals.  In 2018 some of the rebuilding will be completed and I can’t wait to see what’s new. Ready to explore and learn at New York Aquarium?  Here are tips for your visit: The aquarium is partly open while being restored from Hurricane Sandy. The main dining area is currently closed.  There are snack and beverage carts within NY Aquarium, but the nearby boardwalk has some great food options for larger bites. You can not feed the animals nor throw things in exhibits. Stay on public paths at all times and do not touch plants nor wild life unless in designated touch exhibit and directed to. Bathrooms are available and a seating area with tables. You cannot exit and re-enter without paying admission again. New York Aquarium – Location and Information Surf Avenue & West 8th Street, Brooklyn, New York 11224 Admission is $11.95 ages 3 & over, on Wednesday afternoons – from 3:00 pm to last entry admission is a pay-what-you-wish donation. U.S. Military discount for active duty or reserve members –  FREE General Admission and 50% discount for up to three family members included on the same admissions transaction (requires valid military ID) There are no age restrictions.  Children under 3 are free Admission includes entry to 4-D theater More information HERE

The post Sea Lions and Tiger Sharks and Eels, Oh My – New York Aquarium appeared first on hey lucien!.

]]> Lucien used the following senses to explore and learn about Aquatic Life:

Sight
Touch
Sound

New York Aquarium is one of my fave places.  My mum and dad have been taking me every summer since I was 6 months old.  I love water, so it’s always super exciting andto go nose-to-nose with sharkies!

“There’s a whole ocean!”
~ Moana of Motunui

The highlight of my visit is always the Sea Lion show.  Cool music, sea lion tricks and if you’re lucky enough to nab front row seats, you might just get a kiss – or even better, a splash!

sea lion show at new york aquairum

The aquarium suffered damagesduring Hurricane Sandy in 2012, it is still under reconstruction.  It makes me happy that the aquarium is still open after such a devastation.  Although, some exhibits and areas are closed, nothing got in the way of enjoying fishie life.  My only advice is to make sure mom packs a lunch or takes you to eat before you enter.  We had breakfast with my grandma’s at ihop before we went in.  Re-entry isn’t allowed.  If you enter and decide to leave you can’t.  While there are many food choices on the boardwalk and on Surf Ave, there aren’t many options for food at NYA.  There are carts with snacks and beverages – I love the dippin dots cart.  Mum always pretends to feed the seals when she gets dippin dots.

Aside from the sea lion show and exhibits there are: sea otter feedings and a touch exhibit.  I was a bit afraid to touch the animals, but I did dip my hand in the water.  I think next time i’ll be ready to touch the horseshoe crab.  Remember to follow directions from the attendants and softly touch with 2 fingers, you don’t want to hurt the animals.  In 2018 some of the rebuilding will be completed and I can’t wait to see what’s new.

Ready to explore and learn at New York Aquarium?  Here are tips for your visit:

  • The aquarium is partly open while being restored from Hurricane Sandy.
  • The main dining area is currently closed.  There are snack and beverage carts within NY Aquarium, but the nearby boardwalk has some great food options for larger bites.
  • You can not feed the animals nor throw things in exhibits.
  • Stay on public paths at all times and do not touch plants nor wild life unless in designated touch exhibit and directed to.
  • Bathrooms are available and a seating area with tables.
  • You cannot exit and re-enter without paying admission again.

New York Aquarium – Location and Information

  • Surf Avenue & West 8th Street, Brooklyn, New York 11224
  • Admission is $11.95 ages 3 & over, on Wednesday afternoons – from 3:00 pm to last entry admission is a pay-what-you-wish donation.
  • U.S. Military discount for active duty or reserve members –  FREE General Admission and 50% discount for up to three family members included on the same admissions transaction (requires valid military ID)
  • There are no age restrictions.  Children under 3 are free
  • Admission includes entry to 4-D theater

More information HERE

The post Sea Lions and Tiger Sharks and Eels, Oh My – New York Aquarium appeared first on hey lucien!.

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